Fanwood Choir Festival issues call-out for singers

FANWOOD — A call is out for singers for the annual Fanwood Choir Festival to be held on Sunday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at the Fanwood Presbyterian Church.

Singers from the area are invited to join this joyful singing event. New this year will be an opportunity for children to sing with the choir.

Rehearsals begin on Wednesday, April 8. Children’s rehearsal is 5:15 to 5:45 p.m., and adults rehearse from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Contact [email protected] or call the church office at 908-889-8891 if you are interested in singing.

The Festival will feature a variety of choral anthems with five conductors and a number of professional soloists and instrumentalists.

Guest conductors include Cindy Bell, Andrew Moore, Mary Lou Stevens, and Matthew Webb. Also conducting will be Tom Berdos, Director of Music Ministries at Fanwood Presbyterian Church and organizer of the Fanwood Choir Festival.

“Our guest conductors each bring a different professional perspective and make the event special for the chorus and the audience alike,” said Berdos.

Choral music by John Williams, F.J. Haydn, Louis Vierne, Alfred Fedak, Steven Paulus, John Ness Beck, and others will be performed. Instrumental music will be performed by clarinetist Amy Burns and FPC organist Deborah Berdos, who will also accompany the chorus.

As in the past the Festival will support the rescue squads of Fanwood and Scotch Plains.