(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association joyfully presents the 71st Annual Choir Festival: The Light of Life on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 7:00pm. Set within the soaring arches of the historic Great Auditorium—an awe-inspiring 6,500-seat space revered as a sacred ground for worship and music—this beloved summer tradition gathers hundreds of singers for a night of profound praise.
Under the direction of Dr. Jason Tramm, with renowned guest conductors, a rousing brass ensemble, and Dr. Gordon Turk at the keys of the magnificent 13,000-pipe Hope-Jones/Shaw organ, the festival promises a stirring tapestry of song and Spirit. Admission is free; donations are welcome as we lift our voices in unity and worship.
Our 2025 Choir Festival features 10 vibrant choral anthems, including a newly-commissioned work by Mark A. Miller, We Are the Love We Long to See. Learn about each of our artists in their bios below, and to find more about this exciting event or sign up to perform with us, visit www.oceangrove.org/choir-festival.
The choir festival is one of multiple exciting musical events taking place throughout Ocean Grove this summer, including a series of large-scale concerts in the Great Auditorium. Following the Choir Festival is A Salute to the Silver Screen, taking place on Saturday, July 26 at 7:00pm. Join Maestro Jason Tramm and the MidAtlantic Philharmonic for a spectacular concert celebrating iconic film scores—from the epic drama of Ben Hur to the magic of Star Wars—all in the breathtaking acoustics of the Great Auditorium. Tickets are $25 for adults and $12 for children and can be purchased at www.oceangrove.org/pops.
The final highlights of their concert season include the Summer Stars Orchestral Finale on July 31 at 7:30pm, Handel’s Messiah Spectacular on August 2 at 7:00pm, and their Sacred Masterworks Concert on August 24 at 7:00pm – featuring Arthur Honegger’s majestic oratorio, King David.
Artist Bios:
Marina Alexander conducts the Arcadian Chorale (NJ) and Richmond Choral Society (NYC). Noted for her scholarship and innovative programming, she has resurrected rarely heard masterpieces and presented US or NY area premieres of many works, including her own compositions. Ms. Alexander has performed at Carnegie Hall on several occasions, conducting Te Deum settings by Otto Olsson and Antonin Dvorak, and appeared as Guest Conductor with many NY area orchestras leading major works, including the Verdi Requiem, Mozart “Great” Mass in C minor, and Beethoven Symphony #9. She is Adjunct Associate Professor at the College of Staten Island-CUNY, teaching Conducting, Vocal Performance, and Music History, and often appears as a clinician at choral workshops and music festivals. Ms. Alexander is also vice-president of the NJ Choral Consortium.
Dr. Cindy Bell is a fifth generation Ocean Grover, growing up in this seaside resort participating in the summer youth programs. She recently retired from full-time teaching as Professor of Music at Hofstra University on Long Island, where she directed the music education program and conducted the 75-voice University Choir. During her 25-year career in higher education, Dr. Bell focused on teacher training and mentored some 500 student teachers and graduate students in the New York area schools. She has published research on student teaching, critical thinking, community music and choral singing, and is guest conducting a 2025 Nassau All-County Chorus. She is keenly interested in preserving the unique history of Ocean Grove for the next generation and contributes her time and talents to the Historical Society by spearheading the restoration of several of the Victorian cast-iron urns in town, and to the OGCMA by contributing musical ideas to Bible Hour in the Tabernacle.
Ross Boerner is a choral conductor, church music director, vocalist and pianist who resides in the Philadelphia suburbs. He has been an Ocean Grove Choir Festival chorister for almost 30 years and is honored to stand on the podium again tonight. Mr. Boerner holds a BA in Music from Eastern University in St. Davids, PA and is currently enrolled in the graduate school at West Chester University. Mr. Boerner has performed in multiple concerts in New York’s Carnegie Hall, including the premiere of David Fanshaw’s African Sanctus. Around the Philadelphia region he has been a guest choral and orchestral conductor at several churches for Christmas concerts and other special programs. Overseas, he has performed in Westminster Abbey, Arundel Cathedral, and Notre Dame Cathedral. Alongside his active role as a substitute teacher in local public and charter schools, he serves as the Director of Music Ministries at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in King of Prussia, PA, and is the Artistic Director and Conductor of The Norristown Chorale.
Rider R. Foster studied vocal performance and conducting at Westminster Choir College, and has performed with myriad prominent conductors, choirs, and orchestras. As both a conductor and a soloist, his professional engagements have included all manner of civic ensembles, professional recordings, various opera companies including New York City Opera, and a multitude of sacred music ensembles in the New York Metropolitan area. He is the founding director and conductor of Clarum Sonum, a musical arts organization which includes an entirely volunteer choir dedicated to the performance of new music and collaboratively enriching local music programs both sacred and secular. He serves as a music director and conductor throughout the tri-state area, including as a frequent collaborator at Off-Brand Opera and Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. He is the chorusmaster of Light Opera of New Jersey and Teatro Lirico D'Europa. He is also a choral scholar at Christ Church in Ridgewood under the direction of William Trafka.
Lloyd Larson has been an active composer and arranger for several major publishing companies of church, school, and community choral and instrumental music for over 40 years. His compositions and arrangements number over 2,000 published works – including choral anthems, numerous extended Christmas, Easter, and non-seasonal works, keyboard collections, vocal solo and duet collections, instrumental solo and ensemble publications, orchestrations, and handbell settings. He has worked in music ministry for over 40 years, serving churches in Indiana, Ohio, and Minnesota. Originally from central Illinois, Lloyd received a B.A. in music from Anderson University (IN) and a Master’s degree in church music and composition from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (KY). He has done subsequent graduate work at Anderson University School of Theology, Southern Baptist Seminary, Ohio State University, and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (IL). Lloyd is married to his college sweetheart, Marci. They have three married children and nine grandchildren. He makes his home in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area.
Mark A. Miller has a passion for building community through music and believes that everyone is a child of God. He adheres to Cornel West’s belief that “Justice is what love looks like in public.” A graduate of Yale and Juilliard, Mark is Professor of Church Music, Director of Chapel, and Composer-in-Residence at Drew University. He is also a Lecturer in Sacred Music at Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music and Divinity School, and Minister of Music of Christ Church in Summit, New Jersey. Previously, he provided musical leadership for Marble Collegiate Church and The Riverside Church (both in New York City). His sacred music is widely published and sung by communities of faith around the world. Mark’s Let Justice Roll (for chorus and orchestra) was performed for “Juneteenth Celebration: All American Freedom Day” in 2019 at Carnegie Hall. His album, Imagine the People of God, is available on iTunes. Mark has led choirs and performed in Sweden, South Africa, Austria, Russia, and the Baltic states. He spends part of the year traveling around the United States (often with his band, Subject to Change), lecturing, preaching, and presenting concerts focused on creating community and advocating for social justice for all people, especially the LGBTQIA+ community. His music has been called the soundtrack for a new generation to express and celebrate hospitality, equity, and justice. Mark resides in Plainfield, New Jersey, with his husband, Michael Murden. They have two adult children, Alyse and Keith, and a cat named Osca.
Dr. Jennifer Pascual has served as Director of Music and Organist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City since 2003. She earned a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Organ Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where she studied with David Higgs. Dr. Pascual has served as an organist and choir director in the Dioceses of St. Augustine, FL, Rochester, NY, Newark, NJ and New York, NY. She served on the artistic staff of the Boys Choir of Harlem, Inc. from 1994 to 2003 and Professor and Director of Music of St. Joseph’s Seminary and College in New York from 2007 to 2014. She also currently serves as the Director of Music of the New York Archdiocesan Festival Chorale and since 2006 hosts the weekly radio program, “Sounds From the Spires,” on the Catholic Channel of SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio. In 2008, Dr. Pascual oversaw and conducted all of the liturgical music for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to New York, including the Mass at Yankee Stadium. She conducted the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Choir for President George W. Bush at the White House for National Day of Prayer that same year. She frequently participates as a conductor for the Messiah Sing In at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. Dr. Pascual was named a Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, papal recognition of service to the Church. In 2015, Dr. Pascual oversaw and conducted the liturgical music for the New York visit of Pope Francis, including the Mass at Madison Square Garden. Also a former student of McNeil Robinson, Nina Svetlanova, Mary Lou Wesley Krosnick and William Saunders, Dr. Pascual is a member of the American Guild of Organists, Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians, Liturgical Organists Consortium, EastWest Organists and National Association of Pastoral Musicians. She is a frequent recitalist and clinician at national conventions. Jennifer has performed in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Palestine, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Spain and the United States.
