On Sunday, May 20, 2012, the music ministry of Fanwood Presbyterian Church will present the Fanwood Choir Festival.  The event will feature a large chorus drawn from singers in Scotch Plains, Fanwood, and other communities. The day will culminate in a grand concert at 7:00 pm with guest conductors, choral repertoire, and a freewill offering to be donated to the rescue squads of Scotch Plains and Fanwood.

The rescue squads of Scotch Plains and Fanwood faithfully serve our community by providing essential emergency health assistance.  They rely on donations from the public to maintain this service.  The Fanwood Choir Festival is an opportunity for the SP/F community at large to gather at a celebratory event and provide monetary support for the rescue squads.

The concert program will include music of Brahms, Lewandowski, Rutter, Faure, Courtney, and others.  Guest conductors will include Dr. Thomas Juneau, director of the Summit Chorale; Dr. Andrew Moore, chair of the music department at the Pingry School; Benjamin Harding, Director of Music at Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Newark, DE; Seth Garrepy, conductor and composer; and Thomas Berdos, Director of Music Ministries at Fanwood Presbyterian Church.  Organist Deborah Berdos, clarinetist and flautist Amy M. Burns, and other musicians will also participate.

Singers are invited to join in the chorus.  Rehearsals will be on Wednesday evenings, 7:30 pm – 8:15 pm, beginning on April 11, 2012.  Singers will need to attend at least five of the six scheduled Wednesday evening rehearsals.  They will also need to purchase a packet of music (cost will be less than $20.00).  Dress rehearsal will be Sunday, May 20, 3 pm – 5 pm.  Music reading skills are very helpful but not required.  All who sing are cordially invited to join the chorus to support the rescue squads.  It would be especially meaningful to have those who may have been assisted by the rescue squads singing in the chorus.

For more information or to participate in the chorus, please contact Tom Berdos at tom.berdos@gmail.com or (908) 889-8891, ext. 17.  All are welcome.