Concert to celebrate joy and gratitude this weekend in Highland Park

Philomusica Concert Choir will present "Sing Out My Soul!" on May 11-12 featuring a variety of music that celebrates joy and gratitude.

Taking place at the Reformed Church of Highland Park, the program features Chilcott's "A Little Jazz Mass," Marques L. A. Garrett's "Sing Out My Soul," Fauré's "Cantique de Jean Racine," Melissa Dunphy's "Songs for the People," Robert T. Gibson's arrangement of Bill Withers' "Lovely Day," and more.

Special guests Shea Velloso, piano; Mike Noordzy, bass, and Jem Seidel, drums; and vocal soloists will be featured.

“We’re so excited to see people coming back for live music again. This exciting choral music is just delightful, but to hear it live ― Well, there is nothing else like it.,” said Richard Fried, president of Philomusica, in a news release.

“Philomusica is dedicated to creating a better world through connecting singers of different backgrounds and experiences to create music,” said Emma Daniels, music director, in the news release.

Founded in 1969, Philomusica is an auditioned choir of 30 voices committed to excellence in choral sound, performance, and musicianship. The ensemble’s repertoire ranges from early sacred music to choral works of the 20th and 21st centuries, and includes music from classical, Hebrew, African American spiritual, Latinx, and other backgrounds.

The choir endeavors to explore connections between disparate musical eras, traditions, and cultures, and to program new music written in the last five to 10 years.

Philomusica exposes audiences to music that may be less familiar and engages them with interpretations and details in more familiar works. Their program notes provide the audiences an in-depth look at the musical selections, the composers, and how the selections fit together to form a cohesive program. Philomusica presents two series of concerts annually in the greater Middlesex County area. They also perform in special events, benefits, collaborative concerts, commemorations, and tours.

General admission is $24; $18 for seniors ages 62 and older and students; $10 for ages 12 and younger. The concert begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, and at 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 12.

The Reformed Church of Highland Park is at 19-21 South Second Ave.,

For more information on Philomusica Concert Choir, a register 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in East Brunswick, visit www.philomusica.org. Or write to Philomusica, PO Box 6032, East Brunswick, NJ 08816.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Philomusica Concert Choir performing in Highland Park NJ May 11-12