A Thousand Beautiful Things
WHEN: Saturday, June 8, 2019 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, June 9, 2019 at 7:30 pm
WHERE: Grace Episcopal Church, Main Street, Madison
TICKETS: $25 ($20 for students and seniors).
Tickets purchased on or before June 7 are $20 ($15 for students and seniors).
Free parking is available at the church.
Please visit harmonium.yapsody.com to purchase tickets. For assistance or more information, email manager@harmonium.org or call 973-538-6969.
The June concert showcases the versatility of the 100-voice chorus with works spanning genres from Palestrina to Annie Lennox. This eclectic and uplifting program will feature works by two of the most lauded and popular choral composers today—both of whom hail from the enchanted northlands: Latvian Eriks Ešenvalds’s Only in Sleep and Norwegian Ola Gjeilo’s Unicornis Captivatur. “The rest of the concert includes some of the most gorgeous music I’ve wanted to do for ages, and I hope to remind us to appreciate the beauty all around us,” said Artistic Director Dr. Anne Matlack.
The evening also includes the premiere performance of the winning composition from our 22nd annual High School Student Composition Contest. This year's grand prize winner is Varun Karry (left), a freshman from J.P. Stevens High School in Edison, NJ. Harmonium will perform his lush setting of “My Beloved Spake” on a text from the Song of Songs. Second place was declared a tie between two students who also placed last year: C.J.W. Van Der Wende, a 17-year-old homeschooled student from Jefferson Township, who was third place last year; and Henry Marinovic, a sophomore from Madison High School, who was awarded honorable mention. This year's honorable mention goes to junior Kimberly Love from Parsippany Hills High School, who sings soprano in Harmonium. (Note: Composition Contest judging is blind).
“The looks on the faces of the student winner and their friends and family when their piece is brought to life by the chorus is the best part of the June concert,” stated Dr. Matlack. “The creativity and hard work of these young composers inspires the audience and makes them feel good about the future of choral music.”
Harmonium Choral Society, based in Morris County, is one of New Jersey's leading choral arts organizations. The 100-voice choral society has been recognized for its musical excellence and innovative programming, and has commissioned and premiered works by Amanda Harberg, Matthew Harris, Elliot Z. Levine, Harmonium's composers-in-residence Mark Miller and Martin Sedek, and others. This April, Harmonium presented a sold-out performance of J.S. Bach’s monumental St. Matthew Passion.
Directed by Dr. Anne J. Matlack of Madison, Harmonium’s season consists generally of four subscription concerts held in December, March, April, and June, as well as numerous special events and partnerships. Harmonium, known for its eclectic programming, choral excellence, and community spirit, sponsors commissions and musicianship workshops, as well as an Outreach Chorus that performs in schools, nursing homes, and other venues. Harmonium’s innovative High School Student Choral Composition Contest won the prestigious Chorus America Education and Outreach Award. Harmonium has toured internationally to England and Wales, Eastern Europe, Northern Italy, Spain and Portugal, Greece and Turkey, and most recently to the Baltics in the summer of 2016.
