On a sunny Sunday afternoon in the beautifully adorned sanctuary of Grace Episcopal Church, members of the Greater South Jersey Chorus participated in the annual Artist Showcase. This is a special program that offers members of the chorus an opportunity to share some of their artistry outside of the choral realm. Participants are encouraged to perform classical and/or sacred works, opera arias, duets, art songs, and instrumental pieces. This year was no different; audience members were treated to two duets, a Rachmaninoff piece adapted for saxophone, a Bach organ work, several arias, and art song from various musical periods.
The October 22nd Artists Showcase program was beautiful, varied, and intimate; it included fourteen of our chorus members and lasted about one hour. All of the performers were accompanied by Maximillian Esmus, the Greater South Jersey Chorus accompanist and Music Director of Grace Episcopal. Drawing from their knowledge and research, performers gave informative and engaging verbal introductions before each piece, setting the stage for their performances. Many audience members commented on how much they enjoyed knowing the theme and context of each piece as it was performed. Pieces were interestingly diverse, ranging from a playful operatic duet “Prendero” from the opera Cosi Fan Tutte by Mozart to the sacred “Pie Jesu” from Webber’s Requiem.
The Artist Showcase is a great way to kick-off the 2017-2018 chorus season by spotlighting our very own performers as they shine a light on the active arts scene in Haddonfield!