(NEW PROVIDENCE) -- The New Jersey Youth Chorus (NJYC), a program of Wharton Arts, is thrilled to announce that Coriste, NJYC's high school women's ensemble, has been selected to perform at the American Choral Directors Association's (ACDA) Eastern Division Conference. The Conference will take place February 25–28, 2026, in Providence, RI.
ACDA is a national organization whose mission is to inspire excellence and foster lifelong engagement in choral music through education, performance, composition, and advocacy. New Jersey is part of the Eastern Division, which also includes PA, DE, MD, NY, as well as the New England states. Every other year, each division hosts a conference and invites choirs to apply to perform. Choirs are selected through a blind audition process, and NJYC’s Coriste was chosen as one of only 12 performing ensembles.
NJYC Founder and Director Trish Joyce said, “I am thrilled and honored that Coriste was chosen to perform at the ACDA Eastern Division Conference. It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for our young women. They will not only represent their ensemble, but also the entire New Jersey Youth Chorus, and the state of New Jersey. I couldn’t be prouder of these young women whose dedication, heart, and artistry continue to inspire me every day.”
The New Jersey Youth Chorus, founded in 1992 by Trish Joyce, is an auditioned choral program for children in grades three through twelve, divided into five ensembles: Primo Coro (girls and boys in grades 3–5), Cor Amici (boys in grades 6–8), Sola Voce (girls in grades 6–8), Camerata (boys in grades 9–12), and Coriste (girls in grades 9–12). NJYC’s mission, philosophy, and goals revolve around that which they deem most important–the choristers and the music. Far more than singing; NJYC teaches values, nurtures, and inspires.
The Chorus performs frequently with many professional ensembles, including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Canadian Brass. Past highlights include performing at the White House for “Christmas at the White House, 2019,” with Queen Latifah at Super Bowl XLVIII, with six-time Grammy Award winner The Chieftains in NYC, with Barry Manilow at the Prudential Center, at the New Jersey State Theater’s Gala under both Oscar and Grammy-award winning composer Marvin Hamlisch and Bill Conti, with Ronan Tynan, at the Jimmy V Basketball Classic at Madison Square Garden, several performances at Carnegie Hall, at Westminster Choir College’s Lessons and Carols in Princeton, and the National Anthem for several sports teams.
NJYC was a featured choir at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 American Choral Directors Association’s Eastern Division Conference, and the only children’s choir to be invited to sing at Chorus America’s 2009 National Conference. They have performed at two national music conferences: the 2016 National Conference of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association and the 2017 National Conference of the Organization of American Kodaly Educators, as well as the 2016 American Choral Director’s Association’s National Children’s and Youth Choirs Conductor’s Retreat.
The Chorus regularly hosts visiting professional and youth choirs, including Lyyra, the all-women vocal ensemble from The VOCES8 Foundation; Cantus, the premier men’s ensemble in the United States; the Drakensberg Boys Choir from South Africa; the Bach Children’s Chorus from Canada; the Crypt Choir from King's School in Canterbury, England; the Lincoln Boys Choir from Nebraska; the Greater Atlanta Girls Choir; Colgate 13, and Ithacapella. Music educator workshops, with internationally known clinicians such as Dr. Jerry Blackstone, Dr. Z. Randall Stroope, Dr. Rollo Dilworth, Jake Runestad, Zimfira Poloz, Moira Smiley, and Michael John Trotta, are also a regular part of the Chorus' offerings. NJYC has participated in festivals in New Orleans, Colorado, Disneyland, Hawaii, Canada, and England, and has toured Italy, Ireland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Budapest, Vienna, England, and Wales.
NJYC’s "Kids for Kids" initiative includes opportunities to perform and assist children’s organizations and charities, such as the Matheny School, Oasis, Hugs for Brady Foundation, Casa of NJ, Neighborhood House, Goryeb Children’s Hospital, Relay for Life, the Matthew Larson Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, Brooke Healey Foundation, Team Campbell Foundation, Good Grief, and many more. A recorded CD, “Stand Together, Music of Hope and Healing,” was donated to patients at area hospitals facing cancer and other serious illnesses.
Dr. Joe Miller, Chair of Choral Studies at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, said this about NJYC, “The New Jersey Youth Chorus is a tremendous musical ambassador for the state of New Jersey. They are an inspiring example of music-making that makes our world a better place. The choir represents the highest quality of artistry and is making a difference in the lives of its singers and audiences.”
Makeup auditions for all choir levels are continuing over the summer. To schedule an audition and learn more about NJYC’s programs, visit NJYC.org.
Wharton Arts’ mission is to offer accessible, high quality performing arts education that sparks personal growth and builds inclusive communities. Wharton Arts’ vision is for a transformative performing arts education in an inclusive community to be accessible for everyone.
Wharton Arts is New Jersey’s largest independent non-profit community performing arts education center serving nearly 2,000 students through a range of classes and ensembles. The 5 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Chorus, an auditioned choral ensemble program for students in grades 3–12, encourage a love and appreciation of choral music while nurturing personal growth and creative development. The 15 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, which serve over 500 students in grades 3–12 by audition, inspire young people to achieve musical excellence through high-level ensemble training and performance opportunities. Based in Paterson, the Paterson Music Project is an El Sistema-inspired program of Wharton Arts that uses music education as a vehicle for social action by empowering and inspiring young people to achieve their full potential through the community experience of ensemble learning and playing. From Pathways classes for young children to Lifelong Learning programs for adults, the Wharton Performing Arts School has a robust musical theater and drama program and offers both private and group classes for instruments and voice for all ages and all abilities. With the belief in the positive and unifying influence of music and that performing arts education should be accessible to all people regardless of their ability to pay, Wharton Arts offers need-based scholarships.
Wharton Arts is located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence, and Paterson, NJ and reaches students from 12 counties. All of Wharton Arts’ extraordinary teaching artists, faculty members, and conductors hold degrees in their teaching specialty and have been vetted and trained to enable our students to achieve their personal best.
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