Morris Choral Society Director and Conductor Michael Wittenburg; photo courtesy of Paul Gregory. 

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- The acclaimed Morris Choral Society (MCS), announced its Spring concert and called for singers to join the ensemble in 2026. MCS performs all forms of choral music from the familiar such as Handel's Hallelujah Chorus and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana to the exciting material of John Rutter or the popular PDQ Bach. The Spring program, which will be held on Saturday, May 16, at St. Mary's Abbey at Delbarton in Morris Township, will feature Brahn's Requiem in the original German and will be conducted by Michael Wittenburg.

The group is open by audition and attracts members of all ages and backgrounds. Interested singers should come to rehearsal during the month of January, starting on January 12, followed by January 19 and 26 at 7:30pm at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 131 Mountain Way in Morris Plains. Contact [email protected] or call 973-723-6424 with questions or to arrange an audition.

MCS is run by its Music Director and an Executive Board led by its President Elsie Donohue.

MCS Music Director Michael Shane Wittenburg has been hailed as a “real virtuoso” by the late Ruth Laredo and brings unparalleled talent and vision to the cultural landscape. His international acclaim soared with his European debut as he was highly praised for his conducting of Puccini’s Turandot at the Romanian National Theatre of Opera and Ballet. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester and the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. He studied conducting with Henry Charles Smith, David Effron, and Michael Jinbo.

The accompanist for MCS is Jennifer Yang, who has been the organist and accompanist for the Morristown United Methodist Church for more than 10 years. An award-winner, she is much in demand, playing solo recitals, chamber music concerts, and choir concerts around the world.

Funding for the Morris 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, and by the Masterwork Foundation. Donations from the general public are also accepted by credit card or PayPal through the donations page. To order tickets for the May concert, visit www.morrischoralsociety.org.

The Morris Choral Society has two purposes: to make available to all Morris area residents varied choral music programs and to give residents an opportunity to perform in a choral organization. New members are accepted twice a year by audition, in September and in January.