Rutgers University Chorus in Newark Presents Series of Holiday Choral Concerts Dec. 7-10

(Newark, N.J., Nov. 17, 2008) --The 50-voice Rutgers University Chorus, Newark campus, will present three holiday choral concerts in the month of December, including two free performances.

The holiday concerts will include special arrangements of Christmas carols, Hanukah songs, Hispanic folksongs and African-American spirituals, all reflecting the rich cultural diversity of Rutgers University in Newark.  They also will feature works by Gustav Holst, Eleanor Daley, John Rutter, and three Psalm settings by Emma Lou Diemer: “Let thy steadfast love” (Psalm 119), “I will give thanks to the Lord” (Psalm 9:1-2, 13-14), and “Sing praises to the Lord” (Psalm 9:9-11).

The chorus will be under the direction of Dr. John E. Floreen, conductor and director since 1979, and the accompanist will be Dr. Adrienne Pavur.  Dr. Susan McAdoo is assistant conductor.

The concerts will take place as follows:

Sunday, Dec. 7, 3 p.m., St. Mary’s Abbey Church, 528 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Newark.

General admission: $10; Preferred seating: $25; Students/Senior Citizens: $5. 

Monday, Dec. 8, 11:45 a.m. -12:15 p.m., the PSE&G Lobby, 80 Park Plaza, Newark. Admission free. 

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2:30 p.m.,  Bradley Hall Lounge, Rutgers-Newark campus, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Warren Street, Newark.  Admission free.

The focus of this concert will be the music of Emma Lou Diemer, a professor of Music Theory and Composition at the University of California at Santa Barbara.  A graduate of Yale University and Eastman School of Music, she has also received many awards, including Fulbright and Ford Foundation grants.  

The Rutgers Chorus has developed an international reputation based on a number of successful European tours, garnering glowing reviews from newspapers in Wales, the Netherlands, and England.  Next spring the chorus will make a nine-day tour of Italy May 22-31, singing at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, as well as performing in Milan, Cremona, and Florence.  

 For more information about the chorus, please contact: Dr. John E. Floreen, (973) 353-5194, jfloreen@earthlink.net