(NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ) -- The New Jersey Youth Chorus (NJYC) invites all to The Journey, a weekend of festivities on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21, to celebrate the Chorus’s 30th Anniversary. Tickets and more information can be found at NJYC30.org.

Said Founder and Director Trish Joyce, “We chose the theme The Journey for this celebration, not just to commemorate the journey the Chorus has been on, but in recognition of and tribute to all of the people who have joined us along the way. Inside our story as an organization are thousands of personal experiences, that taken as a whole, make us who we are today.

Our journey has been filled with dedicated choristers, parents, volunteers, and staff and guided by the vision that children and young singers deserve the opportunity to experience the beauty, passion, and joy of singing. Our north star has been the lifelong friendships made among our singers—connections that weave together a community they call home. Driving us forward on the journey is the power of music and artistry to shape and change lives, and our enduring commitment to cultivating the personal and musical potential of each child with a nurturing spirit, warmth, and acceptance. This is the legacy that we built over the past 30 years, and that we will carry with us on the journey into the future. I can't wait to see where the path takes us next!”

The anniversary weekend will kick off with the NJYC Family Fest on May 20 from 11:00am to 1:00pm at The Grove at The Park, 200 Connell Drive in Berkeley Heights. Open to current NJYC families and their guests, as well as alumni and their families, the rain or shine event will feature games and activities, food trucks, and a DJ. Register in advance to receive a $15 food/beverage voucher to use at the event.

The New Jersey Youth Chorus Legacy Concert on May 20 at 8:00pm at Roundtable Studios at the Park, 200 Connell Drive in Berkeley Heights, will celebrate NJYC’s vibrant past and help sustain the Chorus’s legacy. This cabaret-style fundraiser will feature NJYC alumni, current and former staff, and NJYC choristers from Coriste and Camerata. Dessert Reception to follow. Space is limited for this event and ticket sales will close on May 10.

The public is invited to the New Jersey Youth Chorus Spring Concert & 30th Anniversary Reception on May 21 at 4:00p. at Our Lady of the Lake Church located at 22 Lakeside Avenue in Verona, a special anniversary edition of the Chorus’s annual spring concert with performances by all five of NJYC's ensembles as well as an Alumni Choir comprised of alumni from throughout choirs past, including several members of the original Somerset Hills Children's Chorus.

The program will feature treasured pieces from throughout the Chorus’s history, including Psalm 23 and Omnia Sol by Z. Randall Stroope, Brothers, Sing On! by Edvard Grieg, Flight Song by Kim André Arnesen, Yo Le Canto Todo Le Dia by David L. Brunner, and new favorites such as Rise Up by Jake Runestad, Where the Light Begins by Susan LaBarr, and Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around by Dr. Rollo Dilworth. The program will also include the premiere of the 2022-23 Wharton Arts Annual Choral Composition Competition winning piece, A Bright Youthful Future by Aadhitya Raam Ashok. Following tradition, the program will end with the choir and alumni singing Katie Moran Bart’s Blessing, a piece that has been performed on every spring concert program since the Chorus’s inception thirty years ago.  Over NJYC’s thirty years, outstanding performances have ranged from NJPAC and the New Jersey Symphony to Carnegie Hall and the White House; from Ronan Tynan, the Chieftains, and the Celtic Tenors to the Today Show; with the South African Drakensberg Boys Choir to Queen Latifah at the Super Bowl; from regional and national music conferences to various national anthem performances at Citi Field and Madison Square Garden; from Kids for Kids outreach to educator workshops; and domestic and international tours. Through all of these life-changing and unique experiences, NJYC has kept exceptional choral music education at the forefront of its mission, creating space for personal growth and ensemble learning.

The mission of Wharton Arts 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.