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"I love being part of of the Jersey Harmony Chorus community and find that no matter how tired I feel, singing with friends who feel like family energizes me." Caryn Speizer, Bass

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Ringing in the Holidays
at Byron Barn

Our holiday show this year was at the Byron Barn in Plainsboro, NJ. We sang a variety of Christmas carols and other holiday songs mostly in 4-part, a cappella harmony. In addition to the chorus singing, two quartets and other small ensembles sang. There were basket raffles, a 50-50 drawing, and food and drink after the show. It was a fun and festive event.
 

Our Chorus Family Continues to Grow!

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We welcome another new member, Audrey Wells! She is standing to the right along with our Membership Team Leader, Carole Auletta, to the left and our Director, Kat Britt, in the middle. She brings a lot of singing experience with her and will be joining the Tenor section.  Her daughter, Robin Lillianthal, sings with us too. They are our second mother daughter singing duo!

Are you interested in singing with us? Contact Carole Auletta at 732-236-6803 or jhc.membership@gmail.com.

Six new members join Jersey Harmony Chorus!

Welcome to 6 New Members!

We are so excited to welcome 6 new members to our Jersey Harmony Chorus family! They are Catherine Cummings (Bass),  Sarah Waterbury (Baritone), Gillian Schwert (Baritone), Michaela Finan (Bass), Gulnara Latypova (Lead), and Magdalena Montoya (Lead - Not Shown). We are looking forward to singing with them all in the years to come!

Are you interested in singing with us? Contact Carole Auletta at 732-236-6803 or jhc.membership@gmail.com.

Growing as a Singer at VocalFest!

One of the many things that makes being part of Jersey Harmony Chorus so special is the learning opportunities. One of these learning opportunities is VocalFest which is organized by Sweet Adelines International (SAI) Region 15, the region that our chorus belongs to.

This year VocalFest took place over 3 days in Parsippany, NJ, and SAI Region 15 members had many opportunities to learn, sing together, hear the region's top choruses sing, and connect.

In addition, we were lucky to learn from a special guest faculty member, Britt-Hel
éne Bonnedahl, who led the Rönninge Show Chorus in Sweden to success during international competitions. She shared many of her secrets that helped her chorus win including the importance of mindset.

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Jersey Harmony Chorus members who attended VocalFest 2023. From left to right: Catherine Cummings, Kat Britt, Karen Kumpf, Alice Tempel, Robin Lillianthal, Audrey Wells, Gail Bruno, Sandra Hoedemaker, Carole Auletta, Diane Trampe, Anita Barry

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Singing for the Senior Community and Griggstown Reformed Church

We enjoy performing at various venues throughout the year. During the summer this year, we sang at Harbor Chase, an assisted living facility; Hillsborough Chapter A Senior Center; and the Harvest Home Festival organized by Griggstown Reformed Church. We sang songs from our regular repertoire which included pop hits and show tunes.

Performing in Albany, NY at Our
Regional Competition

Our competition songs were Consider Yourself  and As Long As He Needs Me from Oliver. Everyone loved our costumes because they represented the theme of our songs well and were a welcome contrast to the often fancy and sparkly outfits worn by many other choruses.

We did extremely well singing too with audience members commenting on how full and unified our sound was. It was clear from the judges' comments that we had made major progress in our singing technique compared to the previous competition year.

Jersey Harmony Chorus competing in Albany, NY
An Outing to See the Documentary "The Drive to Sing"

An Outing to See the Documentary "The Drive to Sing"

A group of Jersey Harmony Chorus members planned an outing to see the documentary The Drive to Sing, an uplifting film about making music together even during the pandemic by creating "car choirs".

It's not unusual for members of the chorus to get together socially for some fun outside of rehearsals. While learning and growing as a singer is important, the chorus is also a place that fosters friendships and a sense of community.

Bringing Holiday Cheer to All!

This year, Jersey Harmony Chorus sang a varied selection of holiday songs while strolling at such places as Palmer Square in Princeton and downtown Somerville during the holiday shopping season. We also visited a couple of senior living facilities to bring holiday cheer to the senior community. 

One of our strolling gigs happened during the rain, but it didn't stop us from singing! We wore see through plastic ponchos with hoods and went out to sing anyway. Amazingly, quite a few people stopped to listen with umbrellas in hand.

For our holiday show at Stonebridge Senior Living in Montgomery, we sang our entire holiday repertoire to an audience of over 50 people. See us pictured in red in front of a Christmas tree.

While caroling around downtown Somerville during their Holiday Jubilee, a restaurant invited us in to sing to their guests. We crowded around their Christmas Tree to sing in our coats, hats and scarves.

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Singing at our annual show

Our "Fall in Love Again" Annual Show Was a Hit!

The Byron Barn in Plainsboro, NJ was a wonderful place to perform. The acoustics were good and the rustic, romantic atmosphere of the barn was ideal for a fall performance about the show's theme of love.

We received lots of positive feedback. The audience enjoyed the song introductions, variety, and delivery.

Afterwards, the audience and performers joined together to socialize in a quaint downstairs gathering spot where everyone talked, had a bite to eat and drink, and got the chance to hear a bit more singing.

 

Jersey Harmony Chorus Members having dinner at our director's house

Our Yearly Installation Dinner

Once a year our chorus gathers to celebrate the installation of the Board Members. This year, we had our dinner at our Director Kat Britt's lovely home. Her garden patio created a magical ambiance for the party.

Each member brought something to eat - drinks, appetizers, main courses, salads, and desserts. It was a tasty feast. We sang, socialized, and had a tour of Kat's gardens and the doll houses she designs when she is not singing or directing.

During this event, Sarah Ringer received both the Sweet Adeline of the Year and Director's Choice awards for her over-the-top contributions to the chorus, and Devshri Desai received the Rookie of the Year award for her constant willingness to help especially in the role of chorus photographer even though she hasn't been with the chorus long.

 

New Member Robin Wells with Membership Team Leader, Carole Auletta, and Director, Kat Britt

Welcome to Our Newest Member!

We are very excited to welcome Robin Lillianthal to Jersey Harmony Chorus! Robin passed her audition singing Lead in a quartet with flying colors. We look forward to hearing her lovely voice blend in with the rest of the chorus and hope she has fun singing with us. 
 

Performing 2 Oliver Songs for Evaluation

Most years, our chorus attends a regional competition in Albany, NY where all the Sweet Adelines Region 15 choruses and quartets gather to perform and be evaluated by a group of accomplished judges. It is an amazing experience listening to so many talented singers and to perform in front of an always appreciative audience.
 

This year, however, our chorus opted to perform remotely and send a video of our performance to the judges for evaluation. The two songs we sang were from Oliver - Consider Yourself and As Long as He Needs Me.

We were happy with the feedback from the judges because we received high marks for a number of things we spent a lot of time practicing. It was nice that what we practiced actually translated into our performance and was recognized by the judges. We also received a number of tips to help us to improve going forward.

 

Chorus performing two songs from the musical Oliver
Jersey Harmony Chorus singing two songs from the musical, Oliver, at the Byron Barn in Plainsboro, NJ
Gretchen Zimmer and Gail Bruno having fun after our performance

A Choral Coaching Intensive with Scott Brannon

Every year we schedule time with an outside coach who has years of experience coaching singers to excel at barbershop and 4-part harmony, a cappella music.  This year Jersey Harmony Chorus invited Scott Brannon to help us improve our skill.

Scott has 40+ years of barbershop experience. He is highly recognized as a director, quartet singer, and coach. It was wonderful having an outside perspective to help us improve our vocal quality and expression. He also created a supportive, fun learning environment for all who attended.

 

Jersey Harmony Chorus being coached by Scott Brannon
Carole Auletta, Janet Long, Gail Bruno, and Sandra Hoedemaker having fun during a day of coaching by Scott Brannon
Jersey Harmony Chorus singing at Peddler's Village in Lahaska, PA

A Beautiful Day for a Strolling Gig

We were invited once again to sing at Peddler's Village during their Apple Festival. It was a beautiful, sunny, fall day. There were crowds of people milling around and stopping by to hear us sing. They were very enthusiastic. They sang along, clapped, and hooted. It was a fun event.

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