The New Jersey Youth Chorus (NJYC), a program of Wharton Arts, will present ‘Sing into Spring’ on May 18 at 4:00 p.m. at Ridge Performing Arts Center located at 68 South Finley Avenue in Basking Ridge. The annual spring concert featuring all five NJYC choirs offers a vibrant, moving, and culturally rich program that reflects both the diversity of music and the depth of the choristers’ growth throughout the season.

NJYC’s  Founder and Director Trish Joyce said, “Audiences will hear music from across centuries and continents, from traditional spirituals and folk songs to contemporary works by living composers. Highlights include ‘Kuwa Furaha’ by Jim Papoulis, inspired by his work with children in Africa, where joy is expressed through rhythmic clapping and reaching to the sky. ‘The Beat of a Different Drum’ by Sarah Quartel invites singers and audiences alike to celebrate individuality and embrace what makes them unique, while ‘Family Tree’ by Stephen Hatfield poetically links generations through lullaby and memory. The concert also features spirited folk tunes such as the whimsical Scottish tale of Aiken Drum, the American railroad ballad ‘Nine Hundred Miles,’ and the hopeful Georgia Sea Islands spiritual, ‘Yonder Come Day.’ A barbershop-style rendition of ‘I’m Gonna Live Till I Die’ adds upbeat energy, while beautiful lyrical selections like ‘By Night’ by Elaine Hagenberg and ‘Stars Tonight’ by Judith Herrington provide moments of beauty and reflection.”

The ‘Sing into Spring’ concert will showcase the world premiere of ‘Long Ago Back East,’ a new work by Dr. William Linthicum-Blackhorse. Commissioned by Wharton Arts with the generous support of the American Composers’ Forum and Chorus America’s 2024 Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant, the piece is scored for treble voices, flute, strings, and piano. The choral piece honors the legacy of Nora Thompson Dean, one of the last native speakers and indigenous culture-bearers of the Lenape (Unami dialect) language before her death in 1984. Nora Thompson Dean was asked to officially represent the Delaware Nation and give a traditional smudging ceremony while speaking the Unami-Lenape language when the State of Oklahoma officially recognized the contributions of the Lenape people with the opening of the Delaware Room in the state capitol building in 1972. The Delaware Nation of Oklahoma is comprised of the descendants of those who marched the Delaware Trail of Tears and remained in the Oklahoma Indian Territory. New Jersey was once part of the homelands to the Lenape Native American Indian people, also known as the Delaware Tribe.

Dr. William Linthicum-Blackhorse (b.1989) is a multi-ethnic music composer in North America that has been actively commissioned, writing music for ensembles and performers across the globe. He said, “Our elders, from all communities, teach us their important traditions, morals, and values so that we can pass along that knowledge to future generations and do our best to live our lives according to their teachings. This music gives tribute to one of those elders in a beautiful, meaningful way and who better to deliver the message than the children of tomorrow.” Learn more at linthicumblackhorse.com.

‘Sing into Spring’ also serves as a tribute to NJYC’s graduating seniors, many of whom have sung with NJYC for up to 12 years. They will be honored and recognized by the number of years that they have been a part of the program as well as the universities that they will attend in the fall. Their musical journey culminates with a performance of ‘Homage’ by Z. Randall Stroope — a piece based on the composer’s father’s poetry and written in memory of lost loved ones. Graduating seniors will also be honored through senior boards, a beloved tradition displaying each chorister’s photo and personal reflections on their time at NJYC in the concert hall lobby. These tributes give the audience a glimpse into the personal growth, friendships, and transformative power of music choristers experience at NJYC. The concert will conclude with ‘Blessing’ by Katie Moran Bart, sung by the entire chorus and alumni who are invited to join in a final, heartfelt farewell.

TICKETS

Tickets to the concert are available at NJYC.org. Adults pay full price. Students & Seniors get discounts with valid ID.

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HONORING AAPI HERITAGE MONTH ON TRANSNATIONAL ADOPTION

• By Mabel Pais

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month join the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) for this month’s ‘Standing in Solidarity’ series to discuss transnational adoption and its effect on identity, acculturation, family ties and more. There will be a film to watch, access given to those who register in advance of a virtual panel discussion held virtually.

TOPIC:  BLENDED FAMILIES: ADOPTING NEW IDENTITIES

WHEN:  May 19, 2025 at 7 pm

WHERE: Virtual

Some children are born from their parents’ hearts, and the adoptive family’s race or ethnic background may be different from their child’s. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, ‘Standing in Solidarity’ discusses transnational adoption and its effect on identity, acculturation, family ties and more.

How to participate

Registration is required to participate.

REGISTRATION

Registration is required to receive access to the film prior to the panel discussion. Register at njpac.org/event/blended-families-adopting-new-identities/#register.

Watch the film ‘First Person Plural’ in advance at home.

Join the panel for a virtual panel discussion on Mon, May 19, at 7PM.

FILM

The PSEG Social Impact film is ‘First Person Plural,’ a documentary produced by Deann Borshay Liem who was adopted by a white family from an orphanage in Korea. The film tells the story of her startling revelation that she was not who everybody thought she was, and how she navigated relationships with her biological and adoptive families. A link to the film will be emailed one week in advance of the event to registrants.

PANELISTS & MODERATOR

Moderator

Jong Song Nee, Attorney and Founder of Convergent Law.

Panelists

DEANN BORSHAY LIEM, Emmy Award-winning documentarian known for films that explore war, memory, family and identity including ‘First Person Plural.’

KIMBERLY MCKEE, Associate Professor, School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Grand Valley State University in M.I., and author of Adoption Fantasies: The Fetishization of Asian Adoptees from Girlhood to Womanhood.

AMBER REED, Co-Executive Director of AAPI New Jersey, a nonprofit advancing the rights, representation and well-being of the state’s more than one million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

JOY LIEBERTHAL RHO, a licensed clinical social worker and Co-Founder of IAMADOPTEE.org, an online mental health and wellness resource for the intercountry adoptee community.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Education, Business, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, Spirituality, and Cuisine)