{"id":213304,"date":"2022-12-21T15:33:10","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T20:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/?p=213304"},"modified":"2022-12-21T15:33:10","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T20:33:10","slug":"tis-the-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/2022\/12\/21\/tis-the-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Tis the Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Montclair State University Singers performed the \u201cHallelujah\u201d chorus in sold-out holiday concerts of Handel\u2019s\u00a0Messiah<\/em>\u00a0with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO). Their performances shined; as one music critic put it, \u201cTheir youthful sound was refreshing as it was well-phrased and delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concerts, December 16 in Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University and December 18 in the Newark\u2019s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, marked the return of the Christmas tradition after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. It was a joyful experience for both the symphony, conducted by famed Music Director Xian Zhang, and the Montclair students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe artistry of all musicians, conductors and collaborators were off the charts,\u201d says Marla Gordon, a graduate student studying Music Therapy. \u201cThis will be one of my favorite college memories forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the direction of John J. Cali School of Music Professor Heather J. Buchanan, the University\u2019s flagship choir has been recognized for successful collaborations with numerous world-renowned artists and celebrated professional musicians. Performing\u00a0Messiah<\/em>\u00a0with the NJSO as it celebrates its centennial is among the highlights, Buchanan says. At the weekend\u2019s performances, more than 3,000 people rose to their feet at the opening sounds of the glorious \u201cHallelujah\u201d chorus.<\/p>\n

\u201cFriday night\u2019s performance in Princeton was \u2018next level\u2019 \u2013 the acoustics of Richardson Auditorium and the intimacy of the venue makes it our absolute favorite,\u201d Buchanan says. \u201cXian \u2018played\u2019 the choir to the max and truly elevated the music \u2013 it was fierce and thrilling \u2013 unlike any\u00a0Messiah<\/em>\u00a0I\u2019ve ever experienced. It was a tremendous success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s performance of the masterpiece rang through the soaring cathedral architecture, featuring 77 Montclair voices, with nearly all of the students and alumni experiencing their first singing of the complete masterwork, Buchanan says. Collaborative artist, Steven W. Ryan, is their accompanist.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the years I\u2019ve been doing\u00a0Messiah<\/em>\u00a0with this choir, this was perhaps my favorite,\u201d says Justin McBurney, a graduate student studying Vocal Performance. \u201cThe youthfulness in terms of our collective experience with\u00a0Messiah<\/em>\u00a0this year led to a lot of really wonderful excitement on stage, and a few moments that were positively electric.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Montclair State University Singers fill the transept of the soaring architecture of Newark\u2019s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. \u201cThe positive energy in the room was contagious,\u201d says soprano Noelle Dadon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Altos in their formal attire pose for a selfie in Newark\u2019s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
At Princeton University\u2019s Richardson Auditorium, Montclair\u2019s tenors and basses await the performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Professor Heather J. Buchanan, center, conducts the Montclair State University Singers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Professor Heather J. Buchanan, center, relaxes in the Cathedral Basilica with members of the University Singers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photos courtesy of the Montclair State University Singers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

University Singers shine with rousing \u2018Hallelujah\u2019 with NJ Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":213306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-213304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213304"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":213307,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213304\/revisions\/213307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/john-j-cali-school-of-music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}