OGCMA Presents The Annual Choir Festival Returning For Its 68th Season

One of OGCMA's most steadfast and beloved traditions, the Annual Choir Festival, now in its 68th season, returns on Sunday July 10 at 7:00 p.m. in The Great Auditorium. This year's theme is "Lift High The Cross." The Great Auditorium is located at 21 Pilgrim Pathway in Ocean Grove, NJ. All facilities are handicapped-accessible. This is a non-ticketed event. A free will offering will be accepted.

This spectacular choral event features dozens of choral organizations from the Eastern US, forming a massed choir of hundreds of voices accompanied by the Great Auditorium's historic 10,000+ pipe organ and featuring the Great Auditorium Soloists. The Choir Festival will be conducted by OGCMA's Director of Music Ministries, Dr. Jason C. Tramm, as well as Special Guest Conductors. Accompaniment will be provided by Organist-in-Residence Dr. Gordon Turk. This year's guest conductors include Cindy Bell, Tom Berdos, Ross Boerner, Preston Dibble, J. Donald Dumpson, Malena Towers and Beverly Vaughn.

The combined choirs will perform anthems and hymns composed/arranged by classical and contemporary composers:

"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" - Showalter/Hoffman/Best

"Down By the Riverside" -John Rutter

"Promised Land" - Stephen Caracciolo

"All Things New" - Elaine Hagenberg

"Unfold Ye Portals" - Charles Gounod

"The Heavens Are Telling" - Franz Josef Haydn

"Ride On King Jesus" - Moses Hogan

"Blessed Assurance" - Nancy Wertsch

"O Clap Your Hands" - Vaughan Williams

"Zion's Walls" - Aaron Copland

The first choir festival in Ocean Grove was held in 1955. The concept of a large-scale festival of Christian music evolved when Dr. and Mrs. Walter D. Eddowes recognized a need for an experience that would inspire choristers to attain higher goals in music for their churches. At that time, the Auditorium Choir secretary, Mrs. Anna Nichols, extended an invitation to vocal groups in Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore area. The first festival was a preaching service that included a hymn sermon, seven anthems, five conductors and nine choirs. About 200 singers augmented the Ocean Grove Auditorium Choir and the result was so thrilling that an annual event was established. Through the years, many renowned composers of choral music have conducted their own works at Ocean Grove, performed by the huge festival choir. Among them are: John Ness Beck, Craig Courtney, Dr. Laurence Dilsner, Jester Hairston, Ross Hastings, Dr. Carl Mueller, Carl J. Nygard, Jr. and Clayton White.