The Greater South Jersey Chorus has announced its exhilarating 2024-25 season which boasts an inspiring series of great choral works, both traditional as well as contemporary. Performances take place in Collingswood, Glassboro, Cherry Hill, Vineland, and Galloway.
The season opens on October 27, 2024 at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood with a program that highlights our yearning for health and growth after loss, while recognizing the ability to be lifted by hope and love for one another. Showtime is 3:00pm.
A pair of December concerts bring joy and holiday cheer to familiar seasonal favorites. December 14, 2024 at 7:30pm will be presented by the Rowan University School of Performing Arts (Glassboro, NJ) and includes a headliner by the Atlantic Brass Band, as well as a resounding mix of voice and brass side by side. On December 15, 2024 at 3:00pm, the holiday choral program will open with the Chamber Singers of the Greater South Jersey Chorus and take listeners through a jubilant collection of carols and holiday songs. The latter performance takes place at Christ Our Light Catholic Community in Cherry Hill.
The Bay Atlantic Symphony invites the Greater South Jersey Chorus to share the stage in a weekend of performances on March 15 & 16, 2025 in one of Haydn’s final grand works for full orchestra and chorus, Lord Nelson Mass, under the direction of Jed Gaylin. The March 15th performance takes place at Guaracini Performing Arts Center at Rowan College of South Jersey in Vineland and the March 16th performance takes place at the Stockton Performing Arts Center on campus at Stockton University in Galloway.
The season closes on May 4, 2025 at 3:00pm, in a program that includes the world premiere of a newly commissioned choral work, written specifically for the Greater South Jersey Chorus by composer Howard Yermish and features accompanying choral works that remind us of our responsibilities as stewards of each other, the Earth as our home, and all who inhabit this shared world.
“Presenting a season like this coming one for our audiences is an exciting honor for me as Artistic Director,” said Dr. Christopher Thomas, Artistic Director of the Greater South Jersey Chorus. “We are fortunate to be able to sing for audiences who are appreciative, warm and generous – and I know that all of the various works we are planning to present this upcoming season will truly delight everyone.”
Having celebrated thirty-two successful years, the Greater South Jersey Chorus, which was established in 1992, is an auditioned, mixed-voice ensemble embracing a diverse range of choral genres that has earned widespread respect for its richly varied repertoire, beautiful sound, and thoughtful interpretations. Singers perform in the full chorus and a smaller chamber ensemble, representing a vibrant mix of amateur and professional musicians drawn from throughout the Delaware Valley. The Greater South Jersey Chorus strives to entertain, educate and enrich its communities through music. Performances feature a broad range of multicultural, traditional, and contemporary choral pieces.
An active organization that performs with pride and distinction, the 2023-24 season included a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Carnegie Hall. Previous appearances have included the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and Longwood Gardens. Recent collaborations include concerts with Bay Atlantic Symphony and Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey, as well as joint projects with the South Camden Theatre Company. As Artists in Residence at the Haddonfield Center and School for the Performing Arts, the chorus partners with the center as its rehearsal venue. The Greater South Jersey Chorus has been privileged to be under the baton of several esteemed choral conductors over its long history. In his eighth season as Artistic Director, Dr. Christopher Thomas leads the chorus with vigor and artistic brilliance. In addition to his role at the Greater South Jersey Chorus, Dr. Thomas is Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music at Rowan University. The chorus enjoys a rewarding, creative partnership with Dr. Thomas and is delighted to benefit from his vision, inspiration, and profound musicianship at the podium. The Greater South Jersey Chorus is considered the premiere choral ensemble in the South Jersey region, and has grown in size and scope which enables a continuance of presenting impactful musical performances to broad audiences throughout the area, in addition to celebrating the rich history and traditions that make up the Delaware Valley region.
Dr. Christopher Thomas is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, Artistic Director of the 130+ voice Greater South Jersey Chorus in Haddonfield, NJ, and past-president of the New Jersey chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (NJACDA). At Rowan University, Dr. Thomas oversees three curricular choirs and conducts the Rowan University Concert Choir, the flagship choral ensemble of the Department of Music, and Voces, a chamber ensemble that performs early, contemporary, and improvisatory projects. Additionally, Dr. Thomas teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in choral conducting and choral literature. Under his direction, choirs at Rowan University have performed at regional and state conferences of ACDA and NJMEA and internationally on tours throughout Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Poland.
