Sing in the Season – Experience holiday magic with New Jersey’s finest choral music!

Experience holiday magic with seasonal music from some of New Jersey’s top choral arts organizations beginning with The Somerset Hills Chorus conducted by Stephen Sands on Friday, December 7, at 3:00 pm and 5:00 p.m. in the Gothic S.W. Bowne Hall at Drew University, conveniently located right behind the Shakespeare Theatre. The program will feature a selection of timeless Christmas carols spanning the ages, accompanied by harp and percussion.

Following The Somerset Hills Chorus will be Harmonium Choral Society, a 100-voice chorus led by Dr. Anne Matlack on Saturday, December 7, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 8, at 3:00 p.m. at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown. The concert features Snow Angel, an evocative piece by Sarah Quartel with cello and piano, and works by Buxtehude, Bruckner, Hailstork, Betinis, Rossi and more. It also features the East coast premiere of Joseph Gregorio’s Unbound Angels with the composer in attendance. The Choral Society will also perform at First Night Morris on New Year’s Eve at Church of the Redeemer at 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

On Sunday, December 8, at 4:00 p.m. at Chatham United Methodist Church, The Masterwork Chorus, under the baton of Music Director Martin Sedek, rings in the holidays with selections from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio along with other classical and holiday gems from Gustav Holst to Irving Berlin. Then on Sunday, December 15 at St. Elizabeth University’s Dolan Hall at 3:00 p.m. The Masterworks Chorus will perform the Handel Messiah with full orchestra and soloists. 

The binge on holiday choral music culminates on Sunday, December 15, at 3:00 p.m. when Michael Wittenburg conducts the Morris Choral Society in a program entitled Home for the Holidays. The program explores the different celebrations all around the world and not only features the Chorus, but also the women’s treble ensemble, High Society, the men’s group, Express Male, and the Frelinghuysen Middle School Select Choir. High Society which will perform a Spanish Carol, “A la nanita nana,” as well as selections from Benjamin Britton’s brilliant A Ceremony of Carols. Express Male will sing a variety of holiday favorites including “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The Frelinghuysen Choir, under the direction of Gillian Erlenborn will perform their own set as well as join MCS for the popular sing-along. MCS will feature songs from around the world culminating with selections from the Home Alone movie scores of John Williams.

Tickets for the various choral groups range from $40 to $25 plus handling depending on the group. 

• For Harmonium, go to www.harmonium.org. 
• The advance sale tickets for Somerset Hills Chorus are sold out, but if you are interested in the program, go to www.musicsh,org/music-in-the-somerset-hills-chorus. 
•  Masterwork Chorus tickets are available on www.masterwork-chorus.ticketleap.com. 
• To learn more about the Morris Choral Society’s holiday program, go to www.morrischoralsociety.org.

Funding for the Morris Choral Society and for the Harmonium Choral Society has been made possible in part by Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Music in the Somerset Hills is supported in part by the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission and a list of patrons. The Masterwork Chorus is funded by the Bergen Foundation, New Jersey Cultural Trust and many corporations.