GSJC AND THE COMMUNITY
"I do not sing because I am happy; I am happy because I sing" (William James) The Greater South Jersey Chorus is committed to bringing a diverse repertoire of quality choral music to the southern New Jersey region for the purposes of education and entertainment. Area performances have captivated audiences young and old for two decades. As a result, the Chorus has been invited to perform in a number of venues beyond the concert hall. The group's repertoire includes music of many countries and cultures, performed by the Chorus in a variety of languages, and spanning classical and folk, modern and popular works. Each program is created with the goal of enriching and inspiring our listeners. The following are a sampling of GSJC's many performances in the Philadelphia area and beyond.
September 2011 - In Memoriam
The Greater South Jersey Chorus participated in a local concert commemorating the tenth anniversary of 9/11/2001. The concert was a part of Medford Township's 9/11 Remembrance on Patriot's Day.
Free School Concerts - Annually
Every year, the Greater South Jersey Chorus takes its music into schools in the area to perform free concerts that would otherwise be inaccessible to the children of some communities. Our goal is to educate and inspire young musicians-in-the-making. Go to "Contact Us" to arrange to speak with a GSJC representative about scheduling a performance at a school in the southern New Jersey area.
Random Acts of Culture "Flash mob" -Philadelphia, October 30 2010
In support of the Knight Foundation's goal of bringing cultural events to 1,000 cities in the United States, the GSJC joined with the Philadelphia Opera Company and more than twenty-five other area choruses to surprise and delight early holiday shoppers in Macy's in downtown Philadelphia. Although Macy's customers are used to shopping to the sounds of the famous Wannamaker organ, they hardly suspected that as the final chords of one song faded, some 680 singers would step out of the crowd and materialize on the surrounding balconies of Macy's to break into the "Hallelujah Chorus" of Handel's Messiah. Click on our "Video Clips" to catch the Philadelphia Opera's YouTube video of the event.
"Raising Voices In Love of Song" - Philadelphia Enquirer Article - September 2010
Philadelphia Enquirer columnist Kevin Riordan visited the Greater South Jersey Chorus during one of our reheasals in the fall of 2010, meeting afterwards to talk to a number of Chorus members, as well as Artistic Director Dean Rishel, in order to discover what has led to the GSJC being described as "one of the treasures of southern New Jersey". Click on this link for the full article. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20100926_Kevin_Riordan_No_money_where_their_mouths_are_-_just_a_love_of_music.html
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., 2009
In April 2009, the Greater South Jersey Chorus was invited to perform at the dedication of the new American Art Wing in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
Katrina Benefit Concert - Carnegie Hall, New York, 2005
In a massed-choir concert held in Carnegie Hall, the Greater South Jersey Chorus joined others in raising funds for the benefit of victims of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Later in 2005, the GSJC organized and hosted a similar benefit, performing with local jazz musicians and other southern New Jersey choruses.