Dates To Remember
Rehearsals resume September 15 at 7:30.
We thank our sponsors:
Villani Chiropractic Life Center
DiPaolo Bakery of Verona
The Famous Rays Pizza
Verona Variety
JTs Barber Shop
Hillcrest Farms
Miele's Restaurant
Bagelwich
PIP Printing Verona
The Verona Diner
Verona Pizzeria & Catering
Haven Engineering
American Cleaners
Verona Inn
Four Eyes & Ears
Lilly of the Valley
Jack's Cafe
Welcome to the Verona-Cedar Grove Chorus as we celebrate our 60th year. New singers are always welcome. Join us in the Music Room of the H. B. Whitehorne Middle School, 600 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona, NJ 07044. The Music Room is the door closest to Chase Bank.
Rehearsals Resume Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 7:30pm in the Music Room of H.B. Whitehorne Middle School in Verona.
Verona-Cedar Grove Chorus Spring Concert
May 16, 2009
Unchained Melody
Les Miserables
| 1940's: Another Op'nin, Another Show 1950's: Unchained Melody West Side Story 1960's: When I'm 64 1970's: Superstar A Chorus Line Joy In The Morning Longer |
1980's: Les Miserables Love Changes Everything 1990's: Hail Holy Queen Like A Lighthouse Praise His Holy Name 2000's:
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Our History
On January 23, 1949 16 members of the Verona PTA, who
were interested in starting a community chorus, met in the old red
schoolhouse that stood until 1969 in front of H.B. Whitehorne school,
for their first rehearsal.
"It proved to be an enjoyable evening and so the following weeks it grew and grew and now we have about 50 registered members... Our first concert was held on March 18, 1949 in the F.N. Brown school in conjunction with a joint PTA meeting."
That, according to the handwritten account of the chorus, faithfully preserved along with programs of every concert and an assortment of photos and documents, by Frances Frey, a founding member of the chorus and an enthusiastic officer and member of the alto section for more than 50 years. She died several years ago but her carefully documented records trace the activity of the group.
Two months later the Verona Choral Society, as it was known at it's founding offered it's second concert, this time in the auditorium of H.B. Whitehorne, which was then the High School. A third concert followed in November at a Laning PTA meeting and the fourth at a sanitarium in Caldwell, which acted as a dress rehearsal for the group's first holiday concert a week later.
The chorus schedule since that busy first year became somewhat more relaxed in later years, focusing on a holiday concert in December and a spring concert in April or May. In addition, the group performs once or twice a year at a hospital, nursing home, or retirement home. In 1952 the chorus joined forces with a V.H.S. school chorus in a Music Festival. Over the years it has been accompanied by orchestras, has presented a number of vocal and instrumental soloists, even offered playlets with costumes, scenery, and dancers.
For the past 12 years Denise Bastanza, of Verona, has let the chorus as music director. For 14 years before that William Sempier, also of Verona, let the group. Incidentally, those old programs indicate that Sempier had been a vocal soloist with the group on several occasions in its early years. Before Sempier, Basia Jaworski directed the chorus for 5 years.
Joyce Liebelt, president of the chorus and a long-time member of the alto-section, says the purpose of the chorus is to have fun singing, to learn more about music and it's presentation, and to offer interesting concerts to local townspeople as well as benefit concerts at nursing and retirement homes.
The chorus meets every Tuesday evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in Whitehorne music room. Liebelt sand the group is always eager to welcome new singers in all vocal categories, preferably those who have some choral experience in school or with a house of worship. No audition is required. Interested newcomers simply join the group for a rehearsal or two and see if they are interested in joining full time.
Although members are drawn primarily from Verona and Cedar Grove, over the years members have all over the Essex County area and beyond. They are usually invited by friends or attracted by articles in the newspapers, but sometimes they arrive in an unexpected manner. One warm summer evening about 25 years ago a young lady was walking in the town center when she heard singing coming from the school. When she was spotted by one of the singers as she looked in an open window, she was invited to join the rehearsal. Too impatient to walk around the front entrance of the school, she promptly hopped over the window still, was given a folder of music and promptly added her soprano voice to the chorus.
Before each concert the group's governing board discusses the music recommendations of conductor Bastanza. The group includes, in addition to Liebelt, Jan Harder, Donna DelGuidice, Fred Casteluccio, Hamilton Carson, and Tom Jung. There are usually some popular pieces and medleys from Broadway shows, along with some more challenging semi-classical numbers.
By the way, the chorus has shown some uncertainty, over the years, as to it's name. From Choral Society it went to Verona-Cedar Grove Chorus, to a few years as the Mastersingers, and then back to the Verona-Cedar Grove Chorus. Under any name, say the choristers, it's fun to sing and, according to audience members, it also fun to listen to the group.
