Concerts Planned for Montclair, Maplewood, Newark

Some have never set foot outside the U.S.; others have never sung in an organized chorus; most are undergraduate or graduate students while a few are alumni and faculty.   

But come May 22, some 40 members of the Rutgers University Chorus, based at Rutgers University in Newark, will return to Germany for the chorus’s ninth international concert tour, under the direction of Dr. John E. Floreen.  But before they leave, the singers will give three benefit performances to help raise the final funds for their 10-day trip, where they will perform six concerts in Munich, Frankfurt, Regensburg, Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber, Kolbermoor and Bacharach.

Here are the fund-raising concerts planned for New Jersey:

  • Sunday, May 4, St. Mary’s R. C. Church, 528 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Newark, 3 p.m., tickets: $25, preferred seating; $10, general admission; $5, students/senior citizens;
  • Sunday, May 18, 5 p.m., St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 73 South Fullerton Ave., Montclair, $25, preferred seating; $10, general admission; $5, students/senior citizens;
  • Tuesday, May 20, 8 p.m., St. George’s Episcopal Church, 550 Ridgewood Rd., Maplewood; $25/$10/$5;

A free on-campus performance is scheduled for Monday, May 5, 11:30 a.m., in the Paul Robeson Gallery, Paul Robeson Campus Center, 350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.   

The spring concerts in New Jersey and abroad will feature the works of Billings, Fauré, Beach, Britten, Foster, and Manz. Reflecting the rich cultural diversity of Rutgers University-Newark, the chorus also will sing special arrangements of folksongs and African-American spirituals.  Floreen has led the chorus since 1979; assistant conductor is Dr. Susan McAdoo and the accompanist is Dr. Brian Harlow.  

Members of the group will act as unofficial representatives of Rutgers University-Newark, meeting with local families through the churches where they will perform, and possibly joining in performances with local choirs.

In past years the Chorus has received enthusiastic receptions from audiences -- as well as rousing reviews from music critics --in eastern Germany, the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, France, England, Scotland, Italy, Spain and Wales. Highlights of the tours over the years have included performances in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris; St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican; and St. Paul's Cathedral in London.  The Rutgers Chorus has produced five CD recordings, available at the concerts and in the Rutgers University-Newark Bookstore.

“This extraordinary tour would not be possible without the hard work of the singers and the generous financial support of numerous friends of the Chorus and Rutgers alumni,” notes Floreen.  The trip is primarily being financed by chorus members, concert ticket sales, donations, and some support from Rutgers University, Newark, with major support provided by the Rutgers-Newark Alumni Association.  However, gifts to defray the tour’s costs are welcome.  Checks payable to the Rutgers University Chorus-Newark should be sent to John Floreen, Rutgers Department of Arts, Culture and Media, Room 213, Bradley Hall, 392 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Newark, N.J., 07101.

For more information, please contact Carla Capizzi, 973/353-5263, or email: capizzi@rutgers.edu.