Millburn Middle School Winter Chorus Concert Slated for Dec. 18

Millburn Middle School choral ensembles will perform show tunes, holiday favorites, and traditional songs from across the globe at their annual Winter Chorus Concert on Thursday.

The program will be presented in the Middle School Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18. Admission is free, and the public is invited to attend.

The program will open with the Sixth Grade Chorus singing One Candle by Andy Beck. A novelty selection based on a tune by J.S. Bach, Cold and Fugue Season, will follow. Then, the chorus will sing Winter’s Waking, another tribute to the season. The sixth graders will close their portion of the program with Do You Want to Build a Snowman? from the popular animated Disney film “Frozen.”

The Seventh Grade Chorus will perform songs from North America, Africa, and Eastern Europe, beginning with Zol Zain Sholem, a lively “call and response” song with a Hassidic melody, sung primarily in Yiddish.

Next, the chorus will perform African Noel, an arrangement based on a traditional African tune. The final selection for the Seventh Graders is Cindy, an energetic version of the American folk song dating from the early 20th Century.

The Eighth Grade Chorus will begin their performance with the first of three contrasting selections, Calling My Children Home, a four part a cappella version of a song first sung by the bluegrass band Country Gentlemen, then by singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris. Ain’t Judgin’ No Man, a musical number styled as a traditional American spiritual will follow.

Concluding the eighth grade portion of the program will be Theme from New York, New York, a tune first sung by Liza Minnelli but most often associated with Frank Sinatra.

The combined choruses of the seventh and eighth grade boys, then the combined girls’ choruses, will be featured next on the program. The boys will begin with a selection from the British Isles, a Welsh song entitled The Maid of Llanwellyn. Next the combined seventh and eighth grade girls chorus will sing The Rose, a song written by Amanda McBride and made familiar when it was recorded by Bette Midler for the 1979 film also entitled “The Rose.”

The MMS Select Chorus will close the concert singing two contrasting selections. The first, Sleigh Bells, is a spritely seasonal favorite based on a Russian folk tune. The final number of the evening will be an a cappella arrangement of the contemporary hit song Some Nights, made popular by the band “Fun.”

The Sixth Grade Chorus is under the direction of Mr. Christopher Capone. Mr. David Huneryager conducts the Seventh Grade, Eighth Grade, and Select Choruses. Student accompanists for the choruses are eighth grader Eric Wang and seventh graders Amanda Huang, Aneesha Kumra, Allison Wang, and Owen Zhou. Featured percussionists include Josh Park and Adam Wacks. Mr. John Conte will provide additional piano accompaniment for the choruses.

Photo courtesy of Nancy M. Dries