  The NJCS concert on Saturday, June 13 at Ridgewood's
West Side Presbyterian Church
was...
Pure Inspiration!
Legacy and Legend
Haydn and Lojeski!
World Premiere -- Psalms of the Passover
conducted by composer Ed Lojeski
Haydn's Heiligmesse: Missa Sancti Bernardi von Offida
with the Connecticut Choral Society, piano quartet, and soloists Ron Dukenski, Lori Elway, Keith Harris, Alicia Luick, Teresa Perrotta and John Pickle
"...the NJCS performance in Ridgewood last Saturday...was fantastic. I didn't realize such great live music could be heard in the area outside of Lincoln Center." Leonard Bellafiore
"[NJCS's] relative youth, the excellence of its singers, etc., make it a major force in music for the wider area in which it performs. It is certainly a chorus to be reckoned with, in every important way." Stuart Rapp
"The (Inside Line) lecture was such a combination of instruction and humor that it really pulled everything together. Being in a perfect seat to watch Ed Lojeski conduct was a joy, and his final blowing of a kiss to the chorus was an accolade not often seen. A genuine person who loves his art." Tilghman Waesche  NJCS Performs with CCS
On June 6, NJCS travelled to Danbury, CT, to perform with Eric Knapp's other local choir, the Connecticut Choral Society, at their spring concert, Homage to Haydn. Gilbert Mott, contributor to the Danbury News-Times, wrote, "The choirs produced a warm, rounded sound, with added heft that punched up the dramatic passages well. Both groups are clearly well trained and followed their conductor well." (read the complete review)
NJCS and CCS sang another joint performance in Ridgewood on June 13, and now singers from both choirs will be taking the Heiligmesse "on the road", performing on July 2 at the Musikverein in Vienna with a massed choir under Eric's baton, as part of the International Haydn Festival. NJCS soloists Alicia Luick and Teresa Perrotta have the wonderful opportunity to reprise their solo performances in Vienna. (read more) The Heiligmesse, first performed in 1796, was the first of six great masses written by Haydn late in his career as Kappellmeister for Prince Esterhazy of Austria. It is a rich and varied composition, displaying the breadth and depth of Haydn's creativity.
Read more about Ed Lojeski and the Psalms of the Passover
 On June 13, 2009, The New Jersey Choral Society presented the world premiere of Ed Lojeski's Psalms of the Passover in Ridgewood, NJ, with Mr. Lojeski on the podium as guest conductor. Lojeski began the evening by presenting "The Inside Line", the complimentary lecture that preceeds all NJCS performances, delighting the audience (and the choir, who got to listen in as well!) with amazing and amusing stories of his 50 years in the music business. Ronni Reich, writer with the Star-Ledger, caught up with Ed when he arrived in NJ. Click here to read Ronni's article...
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