Stockton Oratorio Society Performs at Carnegie Hall

Members of the Stockton Oratorio Society at Stockton University performed in front of a full house at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 15 as part of the Manhattan Concert Productions Masterworks Festival Chorus.

Under the direction of Grammy-nominated conductor Patrick Dupree Quigley of Seraphic Fire, Stockton joined choirs and individuals from all over the world including; Tennessee, California, Iowa, New York, Florida, Colombia and France, to perform selections from Handel’sMessiah. They arrived in New York on June 13 and rehearsed with the choir just three times prior to making their Carnegie Hall debut.

They had been preparing for months on their own under the direction of Dr. Beverly Vaughn, professor of Music at Stockton, and Dianna Hughes of Mays Landing.

The Stockton Oratorio Society, under the direction of Dr. Vaughn, performs the Messiah bi-annually and this will be a “Messiah year,” she said.

The Oratorio Society rehearses during the school year on Monday nights at 7:30 p.m. in Alton Auditorium on the Galloway campus. The group is open to anyone who enjoys singing, with no audition required. Anyone who wishes to be a part of the Oratorio Society can reach out to Stockton’s School of Arts and Humanities at 609-652-4505, for more information.

In addition to Hughes, members of the society who appeared at Carnegie Hall are: Joe Sramaty of Forked River in Ocean County, James Finnegan of Ocean City in Cape May County, Ann Jungels of Northfield, Jamie Weinberg of Absecon, Sharon Forrest of Galloway, Marta Stott of Atlantic City and Susan Rasera of Absecon, all in Atlantic County; and Gabrielle Haliburton of Chesilhurst in Camden County.

The attached image was submitted: Joseph Sramaty, an Oratorio member, Stockton graduate and staff member in the School of Arts and Humanities, says, “Performing at Carnegie Hall was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. Standing on stage looking at the audience as they stood and gave a standing ovation at the conclusion of the concert is something that I will never forget.” Sramaty stands next to a portrait of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which hangs in the same spot Tchaikovsky once stood waiting to enter the performance hall.