(RED BANK, NJ) -- The award-winning Monmouth Civic Chorus presented Rejoice Greatly: A Celebratory Messiah and More on Sunday, December 17, 2023 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank. This year’s program featured favorite selections from Handel's Messiah, masterfully intertwined with Artistic Director Dr. Ryan James Brandau's stirring original settings of holiday classics like O Holy Night, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, and Auld Lang Syne. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.

The chorus of more than 80 voices was joined by full professional orchestra composed of some of the country’s most in-demand musicians, and by the wonderful Chorus of Red Bank Regional High School’s Visual & Performing Arts Academy, under the direction of Brian Krajcik.

Soloists included Kristen Babcock, soprano; Janet Breslin, alto; Kenneth Budka, bass; Carolyn Gratzer Cope, mezzo-soprano; Caitlin deBrigard, soprano; Matthew Izzo, tenor; and Kenneth Wasser, baritone.

Poetry was by Bob Kelly who began distributing his annual “Christmascard poems” in 1981.  His poems have been featured in Monmouth Civic Chorus concerts since 2015. Bob and his wife, Mary Giblin, live in Old Bridge, occasionally joined by their daughter, Kat Crowe.

Artistic Director Ryan James Brandau has broad experience conducting a variety of choral and orchestral ensembles. In addition to his work with Monmouth Civic Chorus, he serves as Artistic Director of Princeton Pro Musica and Amor Artis, a chamber choir and orchestra in New York City. He has also served on the faculty of Westminster Choir College, where he has worked with the Symphonic Choir, which he has prepared for performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, and the New Jersey Symphony. He remains active as a choral arranger, composer, and clinician, whose arrangements and compositions have been featured by choral ensembles across the globe. Ryan received the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Yale School of Music. Prior to pursuing graduate study in conducting, Ryan attended the University of Cambridge in the UK as a Gates Scholar, earning an M.Phil. in historical musicology. He received his B.A. in music, magna cum laude, from Princeton University.

Conductor, Pianist and Tenor, Brian Krajcik currently serves as Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Red Bank Regional HS.  Under his direction, choral ensembles have performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center, The White House and St. Thomas Kirche in Leipzig, Germany.  Mr. Krajcik's background as a vocalist has propelled aspiring singers into leading Universities and Conservatories including Westminster Choir College, Manhattan School of Music, Mason Gross School of the Arts, University of Miami, New York University Steinhardt's School of Music and The Peabody Institute of John Hopkins.  In addition to his work at RBR, Mr. Krajcik also functions as an Adjunct Professor at Ocean County College where he offers private vocal, piano and organ coaching. Mr. Krajcik earned a Master of Music Degree in Conducting from Westminster Choir College, as well as a Double Bachelors in Music Education and Piano Performance from the University of Delaware. He's studied conducting with James Jordan, Joseph Flummerfelt, Andrew Megill, and Joe Miller recording with the Westminster Choir on the NAXOS label.

Count Basie Center for the Arts is located at 99 Monmouth Street in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Here are more photos from the concert.

John Posada is a New Jersey based photographer specializing in photographing live theatre and music performances. For more than 15 years, John has photographed live events where he mastered the techniques of timing and capturing fast moving action under challenging lighting conditions. Currently, John has spent the last 3 years concentrating on photographing almost 200 theatre productions for over 70 different theatres. Click here for John's website.