(MIDDLETOWN, NJ) -- In honor of its Sparkling 75th Anniversary Season, the award-winning Monmouth Civic Chorus held an elegant gala fundraiser on Saturday, June 8, 2024, hosted by David and Mary Graham at Navesink Country Club in Middletown. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.

Dressed to the nines — with many attendees in MCC’s signature blue and gold — 143 guests enjoyed a cocktail reception on the terrace with entertainment by jazz trio The Jim Josselyn Group, and a three-course dinner, followed by dancing with DJ services provided by Elite Entertainment.

A silent auction raised $20,415. Highlight prizes from the auction included a two-night stay for up to 10 people at a beautiful home in Watermill, Long Island; a five-course Italian dinner for eight; an old-fashioned New England clam bake for six; a $400 gift card to Pascal & Sabine in Asbury Park, and an overnight stay plus dinner at the Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.

The event raised $26,100 through sponsorships and ticket sales. Monmouth Civic Chorus extends its thanks to Diamond Sponsor Jose Pisano and Steven Russell, Becoming Sound; and Bronze Sponsors Provident Bank, Senator Declan O’Scanlon, and Umami Girl.

Monmouth Civic Chorus makes the music that moves you. The Chorus has been called “near-flawless” (Asbury Park Press), “alive and evocative” (The Star-Ledger) and “superior” (Red Bank Green). MCC is the proud recipient of the 2008 ASCAP/Chorus America Alice Parker Award, the 2010 Spinnaker Award for Arts and Culture from the Eastern Monmouth Area Chamber of Commerce, and a third-place winner of the 2018-19 American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music.

Among audiences, MCC Artistic Director Ryan James Brandau is best known for dynamic and uplifting choral and orchestral performances, whether he himself is at the podium or his arrangements on the program. The New York Times hailed his recent debut appearance at Trinity Church Wall Street, conducting its iconic annual Messiah, “the gold standard” against which others “paled in comparison.” In addition to his work with MCC, Ryan is the founder and Director of the professional vocal ensemble Res Facta; the longtime Artistic Director of Amor Artis, a chamber choir and Baroque orchestra; and the Artistic Director of the symphonic chorus and orchestra Princeton Pro Musica. He has prepared choruses for the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and New Jersey Symphony. Ryan has taught and conducted at Westminster Choir College, Santa Clara University, and Smith College. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music, a Master of Philosophy in Historical Musicology from Cambridge University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Princeton University. He lives in New York City with his husband, Ian, and his dog, Tux.

Here are more photos from the gala.

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.