The New Jersey Chamber Singers (NJCS) is the premier vocal chamber ensemble of the Jersey Shore. It was founded in 1978 by Dr. Jeffrey Unger for the sole purpose of providing quality performances of choral music written for the smal... moreHISTORY
The New Jersey Chamber Singers (NJCS) is the premier vocal chamber ensemble of the Jersey Shore. It was founded in 1978 by Dr. Jeffrey Unger for the sole purpose of providing quality performances of choral music written for the small ensemble. In the 32 years of its existence, NJCS has presented concerts throughout New Jersey and beyond. NJCS was chosen to represent New Jersey at the American Choral Directors Association Eastern Division convention in Baltimore in 1984 and again in Philadelphia in 1988. In June 1991, by invitation of the Bishop of Washington, D.C., NJCS performed at the National Cathedral. In December 1998, NJCS was the guest of the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia and performed in their annual Christmas concert at The Academy of Music. In 1999, NJCS performed at Alice Tully Hall in New York City.
MEMBERSHIP
The ensemble is composed of both professional and talented amateur musicians. Membership is by audition. Many members are music educators (NJCS is registered with the New Jersey Department of Education as a Continuing Education Provider). Members are currently drawn from three central New Jersey counties. Weekly rehearsals are held Mondays at 7:45 to 9:45 p.m. in Manasquan. Current membership is 24.
REPERTOIRE
NJCS is committed to the performance of music written for the small ensemble. Although the group has performed at large halls (for example, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center), we generally prefer music suited to more intimate spaces. We believe that that chamber music, with its inherent intimacy, creates a unique bond between performers and audience. Recent performances have included works from across the history of Western music, from Renaissance through Contemporary, from des Pres and de la Victoria to Leighton and Lauridsen. Listen to some sample clips.
Performances by the New Jersey Chamber Singers are possible in part by grants from the Monmouth County Arts Council and Target Stores.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Reid Masters attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ where he graduated Summa cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in addition to being named a Rider scholar. Soon after, he graduated with a Masters of Music degree in Sacred Music from Westminster. His musical endeavors began in Texas at the age of 5 with piano lessons which continued through his undergraduate education.
Now, trained as a countertenor, Reid currently studies with Laura Heimes, and has been the guest soloist for Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Handel’s Messiah for the Oratorio Choir in Red Bank, NJ. He has also been soloist in works such as Schütz’ Musikalische Exequien, Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories, Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri, and Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater while performing with some of the world’s finest baroque musicians such as violinist, Nancy Wilson and orchestras such as the Brandywine Baroque Band and Tempesta di Mare. Reid has studied choral conducting with such masters as Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt, Dr. Andrew Megill, Dr. Joe Miller, Sun Min Lee, Dale Warland, Timothy Brown, and Dr. James Jordan. He has sung with some of the world’s finest orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic under the direction of conductors such as Maestros Lorin Maazel, Kurt Mazur, Alan Gilbert, and Nicholas McGegan. As part of the Westminster Choir, Reid has performed in operas at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC such as Kurt Weill’s Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny and the premier of Anthony Davis’ Amistad.
Reid is the Director of Music at Corpus Christi Church in South River, NJ in addition to his role as Artistic Director/Conductor of the New Jersey Chamber Singers. He has led choral workshops and master classes for various high school choirs throughout NJ in addition to the Taichung Chamber Singers in Taiwan. Reid is also the co-founder and assistant director of Kinnara, a professional chamber ensemble which made its premier performance in 2008. less
Location: 6 Osborn Ave, Manasquan, NJ 08736, NJ, United States [map]
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