By Sarah Unger
Trenton, NJ—Choirs of Montclair State University and guest artists the Princeton Girlchoir Ensemble will perform a benefit concert that combines traditional and contemporary choral music from secular and sacred genres on Sunday, April 13. The 4 p.m. concert will take place in the soaring space of Princeton Meadows Event Center, 545 Meadow Rd., Princeton. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.
All proceeds from the concert will benefit The Crisis Ministry of Mercer County. Admission by donation (suggested at $20 for adults) will support the organization’s hunger prevention and housing stability programs, which together serve some 5,000 low-income families and individuals in Mercer County.
“We are so pleased that the organizers of the concert selected the Crisis Ministry to receive the concert’s proceeds,” said Carolyn Biondi, the organization’s executive director. “This concert will provide a truly uplifting way for choral music lovers to support our neighbors in need.”
The 60-voice University Singers and 30-voice Vocal Accord chamber choir will perform under the direction of Dr. Heather J. Buchanan. Lynnel Joy Jenkins will direct the Princeton Girlchoir Ensemble. The three choirs will join voices for the concert finale Hope for Resolution.
Dr. Buchanan said, “It will be a privilege for our choirs to take the stage and celebrate not only the beauty and power of the music but also its ability to support the greater community.”
The Montclair State University choral program is recognized for numerous collaborations with world-renowned artists and celebrated professional musicians in both national and international venues. In March Vocal Accord will make their Carnegie Hall debut in Weill Recital Hall, when they perform the World Premiere of Reflection: Innocent Thoughts on Peace by James Conrad Smith, the winning score in the inaugural Cali Choral Composition Competition.
The Princeton Girlchoir, founded in 1989, is the area’s premier training and performance choir for girls, with over 200 choristers. Its six choirs present music from a wide array of genres, conductors, and composers.
The Crisis Ministry of Mercer County, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, assists some 5,000 low-income Mercer County households each year through integrated services that address food insecurity and nutrition education; housing stability and homelessness prevention; and job training and employment stability. It operates three food pantries in Trenton and Princeton; a community vegetable garden in Trenton; certified nutrition classes through Rutgers Extension Service; health screenings through Capital Health System’s Community Health Education Department; and workforce development and job readiness.
Contact Sarah Unger at 609-396-9355, ext. 15, or visit www.thecrisisministry.org. A complete listing of the concert program can be found at http://www.montclair.edu/arts/cali-school-of-music/performance/choir/princeton/.
