New Jersey Choral Society presents "Off to Oz"

Follow the New Jersey Choral Society as it takes a musical journey down the Yellow Brick Road! “Off to Oz”, featuring the magical music of The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, and Wicked, will be performed Saturday, March 19 at 8:00pm and Sunday, March 20 at 3:00pm at Immaculate Heart Academy, 500 Van Emburgh Avenue, Washington Township, NJ, conducted by Eric Dale Knapp, with Linda Sweetman-Waters on piano. Come one hour before concert times for The Inside Line, an entertaining presentation about the music and composers.

The New Jersey Choral Society, celebrating its 30th Anniversary Season, is one of the state’s most exciting choral groups. Well-known for presenting outstanding and unique programs, this season’s pops concert promises to delight music lovers of all ages with the timeless songs and memorable characters from the Land of Oz. Many local singers will be featured as soloists and in small ensembles, and joining the choir will be dozens of youngsters from around the area, performing in the Munchkinland Children’s Chorus.

Artistic director Eric Knapp has crafted an imaginative program with the classic songs of Hollywood and Broadway from the story that, in Mr. Knapp’s words, “has endeared itself to audiences and performers alike for more than a century. The music is timeless and endlessly communicates the hope of humanity from generation to generation.” Ridgewood resident Bill Scher, who started singing with NJCS last September, is thrilled to be a part of “Off to Oz”. Bill recalls watching The Wizard of Oz on television as a child, “heartily singing along and for and hour and a half being transported from 1970s suburban Long Island to Kansas and to Oz.”

In support of the Center for Food Action, a non-profit organization that provides emergency food, rental and utility assistance, counseling and advocacy for people in need, the New Jersey Choral Society will be collecting nonperishable food items at the concert. Donated food items can be deposited in one of the receptacles in the lobby.

Advance tickets are $20.00 for general admission, $17.00 for seniors and students, and $12 for children 12 and under. (Add $5.00 at the door.) Group discounts are available. Immaculate Heart Academy is wheelchair accessible and large print and Braille programs are available with two weeks notice. For reservations or more information, call (201) 379-7719 or visit http://www.NJCS.org. This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.