Parsippany Singers Kick Off Holiday Concert Season

Catch a few familiar faces and some great holiday music at the Holiday Spectacular. The Morris Choral Society will perform at the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum in Morristown on Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. 

The 85-voice Morris Choral Society kicks off its Concert Season with the 10th Holiday Spectacular under the direction of Wayne Walters. The chorus will perform “Christmas: Broadway to Hollywood,” featuring show-stoppers and holiday favorites from Broadway Musicals and Movies. Guest artists for the popular program include The Christmas Singers, best known for their regular appearances at Morristown’s Music at Noon concert series.

Led by Parsippany resident June Van Thoen, the Christmas singers include Wayne Walters of Parsippany, Patricia Ruggles of Florham Park and Robert Long of Madison. 

“The chorus looks forward to this annual holiday celebration,” said Walters. “In addition to traditional tunes such as Jingle Bell Rock and It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, we will perform Professor Peter Schickle’s composition O Little Town of Hackensack and other lighthearted fare. We also will invite the audience to join in the much-loved sing-along.” 

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for children under 18. Tickets are available at the Bickford Theatre box office, 973-971-3706. For more information, call 973-998-7239 or visit www.morrischoralsociety.org.

“Express Male, a sextet of tenors, baritones and basses drawn from the chorus, will offer their own selection of stage and screen holiday numbers and will join the ensemble for a rousing rendition of Fredrick Silver’s The Twelve Days After Christmas,” said Don Smith, of the Morris Choral Society.

The members of the group are John Collins of Raritan, Bud Leppard of Morristown, Chip Wood of Basking Ridge, Wayne Walters of Parsippany, Rob Walters of Long Valley and Nicholas Schumacher of Randolph. Convent Station’s Ken Rapp will be the piano accompanist. 

During its 40 years of existence, the Morris Choral Society has performed alongside many famous musicians including jazz legend Dave Brubeck and singer Judy Collins. The award-winning chorus has been recognized by Morris Arts as an Outstanding Arts Organization and founder and music director Wayne Walters has received the prestigious Outstanding Professional in the Arts Award.

Also, the chorus has toured England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. These performances have been made possible in part by Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Secretary of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.