This year’s New Jersey All-State Chorus and Orchestra event, sponsored by the New Jersey Music Educators Association (NJMEA), displayed an array of New Jersey’s finest young musicians. The event featured a diverse selection of musical pieces, captivating a wide audience of students, educators, parents, and music lovers.
Six students from Bergen County Academies secured their spots in the All-State Mixed Chorus, while another ten were accepted into the All-State Orchestra. From November 8th to November 10th, the students attended intensive rehearsals in Atlantic City, leading up to their concert on the 10th.

The concert began with the chorus’s performance of “Msifuni Mungu!” a celebratory piece about a greater deity/ruler God who has done great things for humanity. Each act sung by the choir contained meaning that transcended cultural boundaries and musical styles. “Cum Sancto Spiritu” is a piece by José Maurício Nunes Garcia, an Afro-Brazilian composer, organist, and priest of the Classical Era. “TaReKita” was originally written for the Urban Voices Project, which is a choir of people who are currently or have recently experienced homelessness on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Their final act, “Soon I Will Be Done”, is a spiritual about life after death, arranged by the conductor Dr. Marques L.A. Garrett himself. This spiritual was a great choice for the finale of the choir performance, as it reminds us of the joy of living even in the midst of a painful life.
“I really appreciate how every year the song selection is very meaningful,” Grace Chung, a soprano in the All-State Chorus, stated.

“We usually keep it culturally diverse- what stuck out to me this year was singing in Swahili and singing a piece that was in an Indian classical melodic framework called Jog.”
The choir also presented works by living composers, several of whom visited Atlantic City to hear their compositions being performed.
Grace emphasized the significance of this. “It’s not just about performing, It’s about creating a dialogue between the composer and the performers. Having composers present to listen to their works being performed adds an extra layer of excitement and significance to the event.”

The orchestral program opened with a beautiful performance of Dvořák’s “Slavonic Dances,” and continued with the contemporary and dynamic sounds of Kevin Day’s “Light Speed: A Fanfare for Orchestra” and the evocative “Prelude to 49th Parallel” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. This concert program guided the audience on a diverse musical voyage through various styles and periods, highlighting the orchestra’s versatility. The program concluded with a grand performance of John Williams’ Star Wars Suite.
During rehearsals, a humorous incident occurred when the orchestra conductor, Mr. Adam Glaser, playfully wore a Darth Vader mask. This gesture added a light-hearted touch to the orchestra’s preparations for their performance of the Star Wars Suite. For many of the parents in the audience, hearing the Star Wars music brought back fond memories. This connection between different generations made possible through music, was a special highlight of the night.

The event concluded with a joint performance by the chorus and orchestra of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by J. Rosamond Johnson, an arrangement of what has been referred to as the “Black National Anthem” by the NAACP. This song is rich in historical significance, as it was originally a poem written by Johnson’s brother to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

Dr. Garrett expressed that while the song holds a special place in African-American history, and its universal themes of resilience and hope make it a song for all people, transcending cultural and racial boundaries.

This performance brought together music lovers from all over New Jersey to appreciate the exceptional talent and passion of young musicians. From the audition process to the rehearsals, and finally to the performance, this journey was an incredible experience for students all over New Jersey.

“In general, All-State was a fun experience for me,” said David Kim, a violinist from the orchestra. “Although practice was tough and tiring, it was satisfying to play in front of hundreds of people. Playing in front of a live audience was a truly rewarding experience, and it is one that I will not forget. Overall, All-State was valuable in teaching me the joy of sharing music, that I enjoy, with others.”