The Morris
Choral
Society
Welcomes You
The Morris Choral Society has a twofold purpose: To
make available to all residents of the Morris area
varied choral musical programs and to give
residents an opportunity to perform in the choral
organization. We accept new members to the society
by audition in September and in January, and
welcome the opportunity to perform for any local
organization.
We hope that the community will continue to feel as
personal an identification with us as we feel with the
community we serve.
Our former director, Jason C. Tramm, has taken on new responsibilities, and has
resigned as Music Director. We greatly appreciate his several years of service to our
organization.
Wayne Walters, who originally formed the chorus in the fall of 1973, and who is our
current Director Emeritus, has graciously agreed to conduct the chorus for the
upcoming holiday season. The performance will include a large variety of holiday music,
and will be entitled, “Tidings of Comfort and Joy!”. The concert will be presented on
December 19, at the Methodist Church on the Green in Morristown.
A new Music Director will be selected for the Spring, 2022 season.
Director
Accompanist
Hailed as a “real virtuoso” by the late Ruth Laredo, conductor and
pianist Michael Shane Wittenburg is active with many companies in
the greater NYC area. He is currently the Director of Music at Christ
Lutheran Church of Paramus, NJ, and has been an assistant
conductor and vocal coach at opera companies in Nashville, Orlando,
Sarasota, and New York, as well as Artistic Director of the Hudson
Valley Chorale. He made his professional opera conducting debut
with Amore Opera where he serves as Chorus Master and resident
conductor, and is a performing member of Ensemble Tremblay at the
Mozart at Monteux festival in Hancock, ME as both pianist and
violinist in orchestral, chamber, duo, and soloist roles. While an
Assistant Professor of Music at Lee University where he was Music
Director for both the Chamber Orchestra and Opera Theatre, he led
performances ranging from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, to Virgil
Thomson’s The Mother of Us All. He was the interim Conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony
Youth Orchestra, and has guest conducted the Ocala (FL) Symphony and the Adelphi Chamber
Orchestra (NJ). He has made solo appearances as pianist with the Louisiana Philharmonic
Orchestra, The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, the
Eastman Wind Ensemble, and the Ocala Symphony. As an orchestral player, he has served in key
roles as either Violinist or Keyboardist with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera as well as the
Brevard (FL) Symphony Orchestra. He has been a faculty member of the Heifetz International Music
Institute as a collaborative pianist and sonata coach, and has appeared in collaborative recital with
such artists as Metropolitan Opera soprano Stella Zambalis, concert violinist Livia Sohn, and oboist
Gerard Reuter, a founding member of the Orpheus Ensemble.
A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, Mr. Wittenburg’s training includes Bachelor’s and
Master’s degrees in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where
he studied with Fernando Laires and Alan Feinberg, and held a Fellowship in opera coaching, as well
as a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
His teachers include Henry Charles Smith, David Effron, Dr. Steven Bird, and, most recently, Michael
Jinbo at the renowned Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestral Musicians, where he
was awarded the Osher Scholar prize. He was the Mary Ragland Young Artist Pianist at Nashville
Opera, where he directed 66 performances of the world premiere children’s opera, The Ugly
Duckling.
Michael Shane Wittenburg
Repertoire
Since its inception, the Morris Choral Society, (MCS) has developed a vast
and varied repertoire, including many major works.
ln addition to the established repertoire, the Society is also committed to the
performance of new works, and over the last few years, several newly
published compositions have been dedicated to the Morris Choral Society. ln
1980, the Society was proud to commission its first major work - a setting of
the Gloria, by the renowned American composer Kevin Norris.
As evidence of its dedication to growth, the MCS has consistently
demonstrated its versatility by excelling in a wide range of contemporary
music styles and expanding its venue of performances to such places as the
Community Theatre in Morristown. Examples of the group's versatility include
international folk songs sung in their native languages, American folk music,
the Broadway theatre, and an impressive list of serious choral music from the
Renaissance to the present with several premier performances, and a wide
range of sacred music.
Funding has been made possible in part by the Arts Council of the Morris
Area through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State,
a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding
has also been provided by the Arts Council of the Morris Area/Dodge
Foundation Partnership and by the Masterwork Music and Art Foundation.
History of the Morris Choral Society
In 1972 fire destroyed the United Methodist Church on the Green in Morristown, and for the next
two years the Methodist congregation held its services in the sanctuary of Temple B'nai Or.
As the new Methodist Church neared completion, R. Wayne Walters, the bass soloist at both the
Methodist Church and at Temple B'nai Or, composed a setting of the Friday Evening Service,
Shabbat Hodaah, and dedicated it to the B'nai Or congregation and Rabbi Z. David Levy. To
perform the work, a chorus was assembled made up of choir members from area churches.
The performance was such a success that in the spring of 1973, Rabbi Levy asked Walters to
reassemble the group and perform a concert of Russian and Israeli folk music for the 25th
Anniversary of the State of Israel. The resounding success of this event caused several of the
singers to suggest that the group remain together under Walters' leadership. In the summer of
1973 the Morris Choral Society (MCS) was incorporated, and it performed for the first time that
December.
Since its founding the ecumenical Society has made significant contributions to the local choral
scene and throughout the Northern New Jersey area as well as appearing on NBC television's
"First Estate" program. Its concert year, in general, includes two major concerts in and about
Morris County. It has also served the Community through appearances at many of Morristown's
annual celebrations of Independence Day, the historical Holly Walk, its popular Fall Festival On the
Green, and most recently First Night. The Society has received international recognition
performing successful concerts in England in 1990, Ireland in 1994, Scotland and Wales in 1996,
France in 1998 and Italy in the summer of 2000. Also MCS has been represented by
"ambassadorial" choral contingents in multi-choral units in Eastern Europe in 1997 and 2000. In
the process the Society has assembled a vast and varied musical repertoire, the cornerstone of
which is an impressive list of serious music from the Renaissance to the present.
MCS has participated in a number of particularly exciting events. It performed with Judy Collins in
her Christmas Show; and with Dave Brubeck in La Fiesta de la Posada, at the Community
Theatre. Another highlight was singing the Beethoven Ninth (Choral) Symphony and Bloch's
Sacred Service under Leon Hyman with the New NJ Philharmonic. Several collaborations with
Jazz Pianist Rio Clemente and Friends have been popular as well. A Gershwin concert at the
Morristown Community Theatre was sung to a sold-out audience of enthusiastic listeners.
As stated, MCS touring ensembles have performed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France,
Italy, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, at premier churches and municipal sites.
Especially moving were appreciations expressed to all Americans by municipal officials at two
Morris Choral Society concerts in Caen, France, on the 50th Anniversary of D-Day liberations.
Funding has been made possible in part by the Arts Council of the Morris Area through the New
Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National
Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding has also been provided by the Arts Council of the
Morris Area/Dodge Foundation Partnership.
R. WAYNE WALTERS is a well-known New Jersey musician who
sings, composes, and conducts in the Morris area and beyond.
Mr. Walters was the founder, conductor, and music director of the
Morris Choral Society of Morristown, New Jersey, now in its 43rd
year. The chorus performs locally throughout the concert season
and has toured England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Italy,
The Czech Republic, and Poland. In December of 2005 and again
in 2006 Mr. Walters was selected as one of the conductors for the
New York Choral Society's annual Messiah Sing-in in Avery Fisher
Hall. For the Morris Choral Society's 2007 concert season, the chorus will include the premier
performance of the Walters Requiem Mass in D-minor along with the Bernstein Chichester
Psalms. In July, 2007, Mr. Walters conducted the chorus on a concert tour of Germany and
Austria.
After graduation from Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania with a B.S. degree in
Music Education, Mr. Walters was granted a graduate voice scholarship by the Juilliard
School, where he was a student of the renowned coach and music editor, Sergius Kagen. He
earned an M.A. degree in voice and conducting at the College of New Jersey in Trenton.
As a professional bass-baritone, Mr. Walters has performed in concert, recital, oratorio,
opera, and musical comedy throughout Europe and the Eastern United States, and with
musical organizations including the Wyoming Valley Oratorio Society, the New Shrewsbury
Choral, The University Men's Glee Club of New York, The New Philharmonic Orchestra,
Summit Symphony, Montclair Civic Chorus and Orchestra, Princeton Opera Theater, Sussex
Symphony and Lyric Opera Company, and the College of New Jersey Opera Workshop. Mr.
Walters sang the bass solos in Verdi's Requiem with the original Masterwork Chorus under
David Randolph, and made his Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center debuts in Handel's Messiah
with the same chorus and conductor.
Mr. Walters was a music educator in the New Jersey Public Schools for thirty-six years, a
member of the faculty of Fairleigh Dickenson University and the Encore Music Camp at
Wilkes University in PA. He was theory instructor and director of choruses at Morristown High
School, and was a guest conductor for the New Jersey School Music Association. In 1986 he
was selected as Master Choral Music Teacher by the NJ Music Educators Association. He
received The Governor's Award for excellence in the "Arts In Education Program" in New
Jersey. Mr. Walters achieved national recognition as one of eight educators selected to
participate in the filming of Craft And Joy In Teaching, a videotape for teacher training in
American Colleges and Universities, made possible through The Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation. In 2001 Mr. Walters was recognized by the Arts Council of the Morris Area as
"Outstanding Professional in the Arts." Mr. Walters was instructor of voice and adjunct
professor of music at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown. Wayne and his wife, Ann,
live in Morris Plains, New Jersey.
Director Emeritus
If you are:
1. A New Jersey resident or student currently attending a New Jersey school,
2 Age 19 or older,
3. Pursuing a major or course of study in one of the following disciplines:
a) Vocal performance
b) Vocal conducting
c) Music education with a major in voice
Audition CD/DVD and Needs Statement should be subnitted to the Scholarship Committee at PO Box 1783,
Morristown, NJ 07960.
Finalists will interview with the Scholarship Committee.
Please consider applying for our $2500 scholarship for 2021. To apply, click on the Application button and
when the file appears, click on the printer icon at the bottom of the page to print the application form. We
look forward to hearing from you!
Emily is a first year graduate student at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, where
she is studying for a Masters Degree in Choral Conducting. Emily grew up in Lawrenceville,
NJ and earned her Bachelor's Degree in History at Princeton University. After graduating, she
continued on at Princeton for two years to study choral conducting with Gabriel Crouch, and to
assistant conduct the Princeton University Glee Club under his mentorship.
Upon completion of her Masters Degree at Westminster, Emily plans to pursue a Doctorate in
Music.
Stephanie Leotsakos is a senior at Princeton University majoring in music composition and
minoring in vocal performance and teacher preparation. She aspires to be a professional opera
singer and attend graduate school soon after graduation. Stephanie has performed various roles
with the New York Lyric Opera Theatre, Princeton Music Department, and the Princeton Opera
Company including Susanna and Barbarina in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Belinda in
Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Anna in Jonathan Dove’s Tobias and the Angel, Athena and Venus in
Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea, and Amelia in Menotti’s Amelia Goes to the Ball. She
currently studies with David Kellett, active lyric tenor and voice faculty at Princeton University. At
the completion of this academic year she will be giving a full vocal recital on May 15
th
and two full
productions of her senior thesis, an original opera titled OMG, at the end of April.
2013 - 2014 Award Winner: Emily Sung of Lawrenceville, NJ
2019 Award Winner: Virginia Lafean of Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Virginia is a sophomore at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where she studies
Vocal Performance with her teacher Wolfgang Brendel, a world-renowned baritone and faculty
member at Jacobs. She is also pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the Kelley
School of Business, and is very thankful that she is able to pursue both her loves of music
and finance. At Jacobs, she has performed in the opera choruses of Poulenc’s Dialogues of
the Carmelites, Bernstein’s MASS, and Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, and will be performing in
Puccini’s Suor Angelica this coming February. Previous honors include induction into the
National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the 2016 NJ Governor’s Award in Arts Education, and
the Premier Young Artist Award at Jacobs. She plans to take her music to Scotland, where
she will pursue her master’s degree at the Royal Conservatoire, and to Austria with the
Jacobs School of Music AIMZ program. She would like to thank her family for their
unconditional love and her countless mentors for their support and guidance
2010 - 2011 Award Winner: Chelsea Rose Friedlander, of Port Murray, NJ
Chelsea recently received her Master's degree from Manhattan School of Music, where she
studied with the head of the Vocal Department, Maitland Peters.
She has an active performance schedule, along with audio and video of recent performances,
at mchelseafriedlander.com
Funding has been made possible in part by the Arts Council of the Morris Area through the
New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National
Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding has also been provided by the Arts Council of the
Morris Area/Dodge Foundation Partnership.
2011 - 2012 Award Winner: Taylor Kurilew, of South Plainfield, NJ
Taylor is a senior at Montclair State University, where she is pursuing a degree in Music
Education with a concentration in Voice at the John J. Cali School of Music. Taylor studies
with Professor Anastasia Swope.
After Taylor finishes her degree in the spring of 2013 she plans to go right back to school
to pursue a Masters in Vocal Performance.
Naomi, a sophomore at New Jersey City University, is pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Music
Education with a concentration in Classical Voice Performance. Naomi is a lyric soprano and
studies voice under the tutelage of Sondra Kelly.
Naomi's previous honors include being inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars
and receiving the George Hansler Choral Music Education Scholarship. Naomi would like to
send a special thanks to her youngest brother, Nor Ortiz, for being her inspiration and to her
entire family for their continuing love and support.
2012 - 2013 Award Winner: Naomi Ortiz of Kearny, NJ
May 18, 2019 8 PM
May 19, 2019 3 PM
Our Spring concerts for 2019 were held at the Morristown
Methodist Church on the Green in Morristown with a program
entitled:
“Greatest Hits of Opera & Broadway”
We celebrated great music from several operas,
including unforgettable works by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart,
Wagner, Offenbach and Mascagni. Joining the chorus
was the renowned soloist Christina Major, soprano.
Hits from the Broadway stage included Medleys from
Bernstein’s West Side Story. Also included were
selections from the Broadway shows Phantom of the
Opera, A Little Night Music and Crazy for You.
The Express Male group also sang some Broadway
tunes.
In December, 2019, the Morris Choral Society presented
two concerts at the United Methodist Church on the
Green in Morristown.
The program was entitled:
Baroque Jewels & Songs of the Season
The program was directed by Dr. Jason Tramm, and
opened with Charpentier’s Midnight Mass. The Express
Male group sang some selections following the
intermission.
A group of holiday songs followed the intermission.
Dec. 14, 2019 8 PM
Dec. 15, 2019 3 PM
In the spring of 2020, we were unable to
present a concert due to the Corona
Virus. We did, however, do some Zoom
recordings. Click on the “Hear Us” tab
above to hear our recordings.
Recent Events
Our Holiday concerts this season were held at
St. Virgils Parish in Morris Plains, NJ. The title
of this program was:
Christmas with the Morris Choral Society:
“Songs Earthly and Divine”
The Morris Choral Society sang Benjamin
Britten’s great Ceremony of Carols with
harp. Also on the concert was holiday
music from three centuries, including new
settings of “Deck the Halls” and “The Holly
and the Ivy.” The concert shared the
warmth of the holiday season for the whole
family.
Dec. 8, 2018 8 PM
Dec. 9, 2018 3 PM
“Peace, Triumphant Peace!”
Our 2016-17 concert season concluded at the
Dorothy Young Center, Drew University, with a
choral/orchestral performance, directed by
Dr. Jason Tramm, and was dedicated to the subject
of peace and the peacemakers that made a
difference in our world. The Morris Choral Society
partnered with the Mid Atlantic Opera Orchestra on
a program that inspired and uplifted. Works
included Mendelssohn’s serene “Verleih uns
Freiden”, (Grant us Peace), a capella work for choir
and Beethoven’s majestic Choral Fantasy, Op. 80,
The concert concluded with the New Jersey
premiere of Karl Jenkins’ monumental “The
Peacemakers”, a major work that was premiered at
Carnegie Hall in 2012.
May 20, 2017
The Morris Choral Society presented its Annual Holiday
Spectacular, “Resounding Joy” on December 9 and 10th at
the Bickford Theater. The first half of the program featured
Christmas works by master composers through the ages
(Saint-Saens, Bruckner, and Gjeilo), including sections from
Rutter’s triumphant Magnificat. The second half of the
program featured our very own Express Male Sextet and
members of the Morris Knolls High School Choral program.
The Morris Chorale then delighted the audience with popular
songs of the season and a holiday sing along that brought
“Resounding Joy” to all!
Dec. 9 & 10, 2017
Our Spring concert for 2018 was held on
Saturday, May 12, at 8:00 PM at the Methodist
Church on the Green in Morristown. Our
concert was entitled, “Rebirth and Renewal, a
Celebration of Spring”, and was conducted
by our Musical Director, Dr. Jason Tramm.
For the first part of the program we sang
Faure’s Requiem, featuring Maya Hoover,
Mezzo Soloist and Jonathan Scott, Baritone
Soloist. We will be accompanied by the
MidAtlantic Chamber Orchestra.
Works presented in the second half of the
program were by Gwyneth Walker, Ola Gjeilo,
Daniel Elder and Samuel Barber.
Also featured on the program was the Clarum
Sonum Choir, and the Express Male sextet.
May 12, 2018
Upcoming Events
Dec. 19, 3:00 PM
The Morris Choral Society returns with its Annual Holiday Spectacular “Tidings of
Comfort and Joy” on Sunday, December 19, at 3:00 PM at the United Methodist
Church on the Green in Morristown. We will be singing under the baton of Music
Director R. Wayne Walters, who formed the chorus in 1973. The chorus will perform
holiday works including “O Magnum Mysterium” by Toma Luis De Victoria and the
gospel rock favorite “Angels Was A-Shoutin’ on Christmas Morn.” The popular
sextet Express Male will also perform seasonal favorites such as “We Three Kings,”
“Here We Come A-Wassailing,” and “The Cradle Hymn.” Tickets are $25 for adults,
$20 for seniors and $15 for students; group rates are available. To order tickets call
908-459-5223, or visit www.morrischoralsociety.org. Masks are required during the
performance.
We look forward to being able to sing together again for the first time in a long time,
and we look forward to being able to sing to a live audience. Please come and hear
us in December.
December 2020 Zoom recordings:
Let the River Run:
Winter, 2020 Zoom Concert
Let Music Live:
See and hear us!
Fiat Pax in Virtue tua, from "The Peacemakers", by Karl Jenkins:
Solitude, from "The Peacemakers", by Karl Jenkins
Byung Kook Kwak, Violin Soloist playing his Stradivarius violin:
Purchase concert
tickets using a credit
card or PayPal:
Note: $1 has been added to the price of tickets purchased on-line to cover the cost of
processing.
Rather than send out tickets in response to ticket purchases on our web site, we
will use the PayPal receipt, which has all of the required information on it
concerning the purchase. Please print the receipt and present it to our personnel
at the door for entrance to the concert. Your ticket is good for either concert on
the schedule.
Should you be unable to print the receipt, please advise us, and we will send you
a copy by mail. A copy of your PayPal purchase will also be held at the door on
the date of the concert, should you not receive it in time.
You may purchase tickets at the door on the date of the performance by check,
cash or credit card.
To order tickets by mail, please call the following at least two weeks prior to the
performance:
Ms. Elsie Donohue
908-459-5223
Donate to the Morris Choral Society
Make a donation to the Morris Choral
Society General Fund
Make a memorial donation to honor a
loved one or friend
Donate to the Morris Choral Society using a
credit card or PayPal:
Make a donation to the Morris Choral
Society Scholarship Fund
Contact Us
Mailing Address: Morris Choral Society
P.O. Box 1783
Morristown, NJ 07962-1783
Telephone: 973-267-4936 (Dale Leppard, President)
E-Mail: mcssingers@optimum.net
Rehearsals: Monday evenings, 7:30 to 9:30 starting 9-13-21
Frelinghuysen Middle School
2 Jane Way (Off Hanover Avenue)
Morristown, NJ 07960
Executive Board
Music Director:
R. Wayne Walters
President:
Dale (Bud) Leppard
Vice-President:
Robert Kennaday
Treasurer
Audrey Wells
Membership Secretary:
Roberta Foster
Recording Secretary:
Lisa Gonzalez
Corresponding Secretary:
Catherine Rusyniak
Members-At-Large:
Anita Crompton
Barbara Stromberg
Audrey Schultz
Wendy Schramm
Mr. Don Jay Smith
Telephone: 973-714-4763
e-mail:don@lksassociates.com
To be added to our mailing list, e-mail:
Ms. Elsie Donohue at bailysmorgan@aol.com
To be added to our e-mail information list, email:
Ms. Joen Luy Ferrari at joenluyferrari@aol.com
Morris Choral Society Policy Statement:
The Morris Choral Society has a firm commitment to safeguard the privacy of our customers.
We collect the e-mail addresses of those who purchase tickets from our web site so that we may send ticket
confirmation to the purchaser’s e-mail address, or so that we may respond to questions regarding our organization
or our performances. We may also collect your e-mail address under the following circumstance:
When it is necessary to share information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities,
suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, or as otherwise required
by law.
The Morris Choral Society uses your personal information only to conduct business with you. Your personally
identifiable information will not be rented, sold or shared with any third party except as otherwise agreed by you.
The Morris Choral Society uses collected information for the sole purposes of forwarding ticket confirmations to
your e-mail address, or for responding to questions you have asked about our organization and our performances.
Security:
We may record your computer’s IP address with your order to help us identify fraudulent credit card use. We may
share this information with the financial institution that issued the credit card with which an order was placed, or
with law enforcement authorities if we determine, or are notified, that the use of the credit card was fraudulent.
Disclosure:
The Morris Choral Society may periodically update this policy. We will notify you about significant changes in the
way we treat personal information by placing a prominent notice on our web site.
Delivery Method:
Purchasers of tickets on the Morris Choral Society web site will receive a confirmation e-mail which may be
presented at the door for any public concert being performed by the Morris Choral Society.
Refunds:
Funds used to purchase tickets on the Morris Choral Society web site will be refunded if the Morris Choral Society
is notified at least five days before the concert for which the ticket was purchased, that the ticket cannot be used.
Once the funds for the ticket purchase have been deposited in the PayPal account of the Morris Choral Society, a
refund check will be issued to the purchaser by the treasurer of the Morris Choral Society within thirty days of such
deposit. Or, at the purchaser’s option, a purchased ticket may be used for any future concert being performed by
the Morris Choral Society.
Cancellations:
Should a concert be cancelled for which a ticket has been purchased, the ticket price will be refunded as per the
above Refunds Policy, or at the purchaser’s discretion, a purchased ticket may be used for any future concert
being performed by the Morris Choral Society.
Access to the concert:
The Morris Choral Society is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, (ADA). Ticket purchasers
with disabilities who are not able to access the concert venue will be refunded the full purchase price of the
ticket, plus reasonable travel expenses.
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