The Auditorium Choir:
Information for Singers
Welcome!
The Auditorium choir is open to all singers without audition.
Covid-19 precautions: We do not require masks and encourage you to make your own choice about whether to wear one and to to respect the choices of others. However, if you are showing any signs of respiratory illness or fever, we ask that you attend the streamed rehearsal online instead of the in-person rehearsal. Seating will be staggered for social distancing to the extent possible. Connection information for live-streamed rehearsals and services is in the calendar at right.
We rehearse Tuesday and Friday nights; Tuesday is dedicated to the choir festival and the sacred concert music. Friday’s rehearsal starts with festival/sacred concert music and is followed by a short rehearsal of the Sunday anthem starting about 9 pm. On Sunday morning, we meet at 9 am for a 45-minute rehearsal followed by a light breakfast in the Auditorium Pavilion. Our first rehearsal is scheduled for Friday, June 7; Tuesday rehearsals will begin June 18.
Note: Virtual rehearsal streaming connection information is located on each calendar entry. Click on the calendar entry to see the details, or link the calendar to your own calendar to get alerts. Please note that if Jason or Quinton is not available for a rehearsal or if the rehearsal is not in the Auditorium, you will not be able to connect.
YOU ARE INVITED -- OCEAN GROVE AUDITORIUM CHOIR REUNION CONCERT
Saturday, April 13, 2024
With the 2024 summer worship/music season on the horizon, the Ocean Grove Auditorium Choir will present its annual Reunion Concert, at 7:00 pm, Saturday, April 13th, in the sanctuary of St. Paul’s Ocean Grove Church, located at 80 Embury Avenue, Ocean Grove.
Under the direction of guest conductor Dr. Cindy Bell, who served with distinction as Professor of Music of Hofstra University on Long Island, and herself a member of the Ocean Grove Choir, will present Classical and Contemporary Sacred music under the concert theme, “The Call” which will include such inspiring anthems as
“We Lift Our Voices” – Cohen/Cadmus
“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”- J.S. Bach
“Jacob’s Ladder”-arr. Newberry
“Lord, Here am I” – John Ness Beck
“Sing Them Over Again to Me” – arr. J. Martin
“All Things New” – E. Hagenberg
“In His Steps” – K. Boesiger
“Here I Am, Lord” – arr. Courtney
“The Lord Bless You and Keep You” – arr. Rutter
Accompanying the singers on St. Paul’s Austin pipe organ will be Nancy Paugh, St. Paul’s Organist/Choir Director and Faith Daniels at the piano.
The sacred setting of the sanctuary and the outstanding acoustical features will provide inspiring moments of joy and praise to fill our hearts and lift our spirits as we share the Love of God through music, especially in a world today that needs hope proclaimed through hearts joined together in faith and song.
Dr. Bell, who has been a longtime guest conductor at the Ocean Grove Choir Festivals, is enthusiastic about this upcoming concert and for the opportunity to bring together voices of praise through our dedicated singers and musicians.
Hear the CALL! Join the Praise! Lift your voices! It will be a day to celebrate!
Rehearsal starts at 2 pm, followed by a light supper at approximately 5 pm and a concert at 7 pm.
No tickets are required to attend the concert; a free-will offering will be taken.
If you love to sing, we encourage you to join us in the choir. Music will be provided.
To register and to give us an idea of numbers for planning, please complete this registration form and mail it back to us before April 5. We ask you to send a check for $15 for each person who will be sharing in the meal.
Concert dress: Casual and comfortable! We suggest bright, solid color tops and black bottoms for all.
Choir Festival — Saturday, July 20, 2024, 7 pm
We’re moving the festival to Saturday for 2024 to see if more people are able to attend. There will be activities planned for choir members’ families and for choir members (when not rehearsing!).
Registration is now open!
Stay tuned for the full Saturday schedule, which will be posted on the website soon.
Bring your voice and bring your friends! We can’t wait to see you there!
Dress
For Sunday services, dress comfortably; however, shorts are not appropriate. For the Festival and Sacred Concert, women should wear all white or white tops and black bottoms; men should wear a white shirt, dark tie, and dark slacks.
Transportation & Parking
Parking, especially on a weekend in July, is difficult in Ocean Grove. There are metered spaces and parking garages in nearby Asbury Park. The North Jersey Coast line runs convenient trains to Asbury Park, a short walk from the Auditorium:
However, the easiest way to visit is to rent your own bus and bring a crowd! If you do want to bring a bus, contact the OGCMA office at (732)-775-0035 for information on drop-off and pick-up sites as well as a recommendation for bus parking. At right is an interactive map of churches and choral groups that recently sent singers to the Festival — we recommend you contact groups near you to cooperate on hiring a bus or van.
Choir Banquet
The annual choir banquet will be held on Sunday, August 20 in the Youth Temple. Details will be available in July.
Music Return
If you received any packets of music from the Choir library for a prior Choir Festival or Sacred Concert, you may mail them back to the Auditorium Choir, OGCMA, PO Box 248, Ocean Grove, NJ 07756. or hold onto them until summer when you can return them in person.
We are also happy to accept music from previous years as a donation to the library!
Delaine Terpening Sarraf's collection of Festival ribbons