The Auditorium Choir:
Information for Singers
Welcome!
For the summer season, the Choir rehearses both Tuesday and Friday evenings. Rehearsals begin at 7:00 pm for Sunday worship services. At 7:30 pm, the rehearsing shifts to Choir Festival repertoire (through mid-July) and then the Sacred Concert selections (through August). The first full Friday rehearsal for the season is June 12. Tuesday rehearsals will begin on June 23.
On Sunday morning, the Choir meets at 9:00 am to review the day’s anthem and service music. Following rehearsal, singers may gather in the Auditorium Pavilion for coffee and a light breakfast. Singers return to the Choir loft by 10:20 am for the morning prelude.
New in 2026: A Summer Anthem Preview on Friday, June 5, in the Community Room. Enjoy an evening of singing and fellowship as we sing through our 2026 Sunday morning anthems! Gather at 7:00 pm.
Dress: Sunday Worship: business casual - no revealing tops, no shorts, no Choir logo or t-shirts. Choir Festival and Sacred Concert: men: white shirts, black slacks, dark tie; women: white dresses, white tops with black or white slacks/skirts. Please, no perfumes, colognes, or scents of any kind at any time.
Covid-19 precautions: We do not require masks, please make your own choice about whether to wear one. However, if you are showing any signs of illness, we ask that you attend the live-streamed rehearsal instead of the in-person rehearsal.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.oceangrove.org/choir at the “Singer Information” tab and www.ogchoir.org/events calendar for live-stream rehearsal and YouTube practice links. Last minute alerts are on Facebook (Ocean Grove Choir).
Transportation & Parking
Parking, especially on weekends 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. The Great Auditorium can be reached on foot from the station. (Click here for timetables; set the Destination to “Asbury Park Station.”)
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. Below 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.
For Information on the 2026 Choir Festival click here
Choir Banquet
The annual choir banquet will be held on Sunday, August 16 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