Choral Art Society of New Jersey performs Bob Dylan and more American Compositions – New Jersey Hills

Choral Art Society of New Jersey will present AMERICANA, A Concert of American Music Treasures at 7:00 PM, Friday, January 24, 2020, at the First Presbyterian Church of New Vernon, 2 Lees Hill Road, New Vernon, NJ, and at 3:00 PM, Sunday, January 26, 2020, at the New Providence United Methodist Church, 1441 Springfield Avenue, New Providence, NJ.

The performances, led by Choral Art Society Director Martin Sedek with Mary Beth McFall at the piano, will feature selections that appeal to a wide range of musical tastes, including works by Randall Thompson, Bob Dylan, and Aaron Copland. Tickets, which are $25 and $20 for seniors, may be purchased at the door or online at www.casofnj.org. There is no admission fee for those younger than 18, and group rates are available.

Featured will be one of Randall Thompson’s best-known choral works, Frostiana, which was commissioned by the town of Amherst, Massachusetts to celebrate its 200th anniversary. The song cycle offers settings of seven Robert Frost poems, some well-known and others less so,  that capture rural life in New England with melodies reminiscent of folk tunes and tone painting that illustrates the text.

The iconic singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will be represented by arrangements of four of his most well-known songs: “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “The Times, They Are A-Changin’,” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.” These selections highlight Dylan’s characteristic rhythmic complexity, eclectic style, and poetic texts.

No composer epitomizes American music more than Aaron Copland, and Choral Art Society of New Jersey will perform eight of his arrangements of folk tunes from a collection entitled Old American Songs. These appealing pieces range in mood and style from the raucous “The Boatmen’s Dance,” based on a banjo melody, to “I Bought Me a Cat,” a children’s nonsense song, to “Simple Gifts,” the well-known Shaker song.  

The non-profit Choral Art Society of New Jersey, which was established in 1963, includes members from Union, Bergen, Morris, Essex, and Middlesex counties. The group presents concerts in January and May. Funding of Choral Art Society of New Jersey has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through a grant administered by the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs. For more information, call 201-916-1476.