(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- The New Jersey Youth Chorus (NJYC), a program of Wharton Arts, invites the community to The Light We Give, a concert woven with warmth and tradition. The concert takes place Friday, December 5, 2025 at Morristown United Methodist Church. Showtime is 7:30pm.
Featuring two of the New Jersey Youth Chorus' ensembles, Coriste, led by Trish Joyce, and Camerata, led by Dan Malloy, with accompanists Phillip Steffani and Andrew Macirowski, the concert invites the audience to reflect on the light we share with one another. Choristers will offer music and readings that honor the diverse traditions celebrated by the NJYC choral family.
The concert repertoire, inspired by Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas, include such pieces as Aarti by Mishaal Surti, Ocho Kandelikas by Flory Jagoda, Kuumba by Zanaida Robles, Carol of the Bells arranged by Peter Wilhousky, and As It Fell Upon a Night by Katherine K. Davis. Audience members are invited to join in several carols throughout the program, including O Come, All Ye Faithful, Deck the Hall, Zol Zain Sholem, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Choristers will take part in symbolic lighting rituals, including diyas, the menorah, the kinara, and the Advent wreath.
The concert concludes with a set of songs that explore connection and community. Auld Lang Syne, along with Touch Hands, by Abbie Betinis, are beautiful reminders of long-held traditions: "strong hands to weak, old hands to young, for who may say if ever this day many come to us again." The program will come to a close with an excerpt from Maya Angelou's Amazing Peace, and a final shared carol, Let There Be Peace on Earth, which shows that "the light we give" can always illuminate the dark.
Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Tickets are available for purchase online. Morristown United Methodist Church is located at 50 S. Park Place in Morristown, New Jersey.
Said Wharton Arts Artistic Director & Principal Conductor Helen Cha-Pyo, "This concert reflects the very heart of NJYC's mission—using music to bring people together and to build a community rooted in care and belonging. That mission comes to life through the artistry and spirit of our remarkable directors and young singers. I warmly invite you to this meaningful concert and be part of this beautiful musical community."
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.
