2010 - 2011
The Rossmoor Music Association is about to begin its new season of concerts.  All the concerts for this series are on a Friday night and at the usual time of 8 p.m. and the usual place at the Meeting House.  This series consists of  “call-backs” for some of those performers whom you’ve particularly liked.

2010
Sept. 24         Don Sheasley, a well-known Baritone to Rossmoor
Oct.  15         Abe Minzer, a pianist, will do an All-Chopin Program
Nov. 12          Evan Drachman, a long-time favorite Cellist

2011
Apr. 29           Woodwinds with Pedja Muzijevic on piano 
May 20           All Seasons Chamber Players - last here in 2007
June 3            Betty Zhou, the young violinist who "wowed" us with her                       virtuosity two years ago 

Obtaining Tickets to a Rossmoor Music Association Concert
The "Season" of the Rossmoor Music Association's Concert Year is September through June.

The Rossmoor Music Association offers 6 concerts annually, held on Friday Evenings 8PM (dates announced), and whenever possible, a 7th concert may be given - Free for all residents of Rossmoor - on a Sunday in March.

The Letter and the Application blank for the 9/2009-6/2010 is available as a PDF file by clicking HERE.

Tickets to individual concerts: Can be purchased at the door on the night of the performance For $12/per person.
Annual Subscription tickets (all 6 regularly scheduled events): Can be purchased by filling out an application (available above as a download to print fill out and send in) at $50/per person.

1. Subscription Forms will be available at the time of the last concert each June.
2. Or send Subscription Applications with a check made out to the Rossmoor Music Association to Gerda Kelly, 256C Old Nassau Rd., Monroe Twp., NJ 08831. This can be done from the time of the last concert in June until the first Fall Concert in September. Click HERE to download the most current Subscription Letter and Application.
3. For last minute subscription applications, interested persons can contact Ms. Kelly directly or any of the officers of the Rossmoor Music Association. As of 6/2009, officers and board members are: Lucy Poulin, pres; Charles Richardson, vice pres; MaryEllen Mertz, secy; Paula Richardson, treas; Carol George, Doris Herron, Gene Horan and Lois Smida.

A History of the Rossmoor Music Association
The Rossmoor Music Association – RMA, for short -- is one of our very oldest volunteer organizations. It was founded in October, 1971 to   ”coordinate all the (Rossmoor) music groups and programs”. That brought together the Choral Group, the Hand Bell Choir, the Instrumental Group and subsequently, the Music Appreciation Group. In what was our first major coup, Dr. Grace Newman raised enough money to acquire a Steinway grand piano. The price of that wonderful instrument incidentally, was $5000 but another $ 2,500 was needed to restore it to concert condition. It still serves us well; keyboard artists still praise it highly.

Our first concert on October 29 presented pianist Catherine Carver Burton in a program of Mendelssohn, Scarlatti and Chopin. A review in the Rossmoor News suggested that the inclusion of a few “quieter” pieces, ones more “familiar”, might have been advisable for the Rossmoor audience, “whose musical knowledge is somewhat uneven (!!). Our audience’s knowledge might have been better than our critic realized. It has kept us going 37 years.

There were and continue to be highlights. Husband and wife piano artists William and Louise Cheadle, after twice appearing on our programs, decided they liked the place so much that they moved in and resided here for many years.

Dr. Lee Bristol came on the scene in 1973 as featured soloist with a group from the Princeton Gilbert and Sullivan Association. Scion of the distinguished pharmaceutical family bearing his name, and a senior executive in that firm, later president of Westminster College, author, composer, organist, civic and religious teacher, executive secretary of the Episcopal Church’s Music Commission, Bristol was also a marvelous entertainer – a Gilbert & Sullivan enthusiast, but equally at home with Noel Coward and Cole Porter. The Rossmoor News did flips over Bristol. “Effervescent …irrepressible …he served as his own master of ceremonies, played piano, imitated Chevalier singing “Thank heaven for Little Girls” and easily tossed off  “When I was a lad I served a term” from Pinafore.

The next time he appeared here, it was a completely different Lee Bristol. This time he delivered an organ performance of Bach’s Fugue in B minor, along with four preludes he had written based on well-known hymns. Lee died  in August, 1979 at the age of 59. He was a great talent.

In 1978 the distinguished choral director Joseph Flummerfelt brought the Westminster Choir to the Meeting House.

In 1992 we invited Evan Drachman, grandson of the eminent cellist Gregor Piatagorski to appear. He has returned a number of times, always with great musicianship and presentation.

We have been blessed with a succession of dedicated association executives. The late Carlette Winslow and Ruthann Harrison were both from the musical world. They were successful in making the right contacts and passing them on to us. Our present head, Lucy Poulin, is already buiding on that foundation.  

Those contacts help. Pianist Jeffrey Uhlig, for instance. Uhlig is a very fine, versatile pianist, particularly renowned as an accompanist. We had booked him several times, then we learned that he knew a host of musicians in Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia. Now we often turn to Jeffrey to see who might be available to fill a certain slot. Oboist Tom Gallant serves a similar role in the New York area. Both Jeff and Tom are splendid performers but their value to Rossmoor goes well beyond that.

Three years ago Uhlig highly recommended that we book Mark O’Kain, a percussionist who had previously played in the national tour of Les Miserables for seven years. We did so, then we began to wonder whether a percussionist could carry the whole load for a concert. No problem. O’Kain  played xylophone, marimba and made a super impression on our audience. We’ve wanted to get him back for some time and finally made it : he’ll be on our next concert series.

Then there was a time a solo pianist cancelled out on us three days before game time. Help! We turned to Tom Gallant. He said “no problem”. He knew that at that very moment, Pedja Muzijevic, a world renowned piano artist was sitting in the airport in Milwaukee. If he could change his reservations, Tom was sure he’d help us out. We picked up Pedja at the bus station in New Brunswick, brought him here, and he dazzled our audience with his interpretation of Pictures at an Exhibition. No surprise that Pedja is booked here again this year, his third appearance.

We’ve had our share of luck, too. We had arranged for a few members of the New Jersey Symphony to grace our stage, but we were not quite sure what would develop. Six members of the NJSO showed up – three violins, one viola, one guitar, and one cello. They played a lovely program, talked about the rarity of some of their instruments, then violinist Darryl Nubian surprised our audience by whipping out a theremin, one of the earliest electronic musical instruments, and proceeded  to float its eerie sound around the meeting house. That was the closest we’ve ever come to show-and-tell in our series, but it did create tremendous interest. You might remember hearing the spooky sound of the theremin in such movies as Lost Weekend, Spellbound, and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

We were brainstorming one day and wondered why we never had approached Dr. Robert Taub, resident of Princeton and world renowned Beethoven authority. Then we read that he particularly liked to play for audiences, then discuss the music. We invited him to do exactly that for us. We doubted we’d be able to afford him but he was so taken with what RMA was doing he made an offer we could hardly refuse. On September 7, 2007 we were treated to an evening of Scarlatti, Chopin, Schönberg, Liszt, Beethoven along with Dr. Taub’s commentary.

The mother of one member of Philadelphia Brass, a nationally acclaimed musical group, happens to be a resident of Rossmoor. The Brass has appeared here a number of times, always ending up with a late supper at his mom’s place. The group marveled at how well they sound in the Meeting House acoustics, so we invited them to record their next CD here. They accepted our offer and are scheduled to come in in early January.

That’s a first for us, but you never know what the future holds. We’ve been very fortunate. Most of the artists who have appeared here tell us how much they enjoy the enthusiasm of the Rossmoor audience, and would look forward to coming back. That can’t help but pay off for us.

by Bruce Abrams, the Music Association, 1/09

The Rossmoor Chorus
The Rossmoor Chorus was originally organized in 1969. They were known as the "Melody Lane Singers," directed by William Kennedy. The accompanist was Marion Sand. It was reorganized eight years later as the "Rossmoor Mixed Chorus," directed by Edna Salt, accompanied by Dorothy MacNab. It was in 1983 that we became the Rossmoor Chorus.

Since Kennedy, directors have included Jack MacDonough, 1978; Dorothy Edwin Holder, 1984; Carlette Winslow, 1989; Martha Fletcher, 2002; James McKeever, 2004; Ruthann Harrison, 2007. Gloria Montlack is the present director. Accompanists have included Edwin Holder, Ruth Lipschitz, Martha Fletcher, Louise Cheadle and Lois Smida.

The Chorus sings a broad repertoire of mixed musical offerings of popular, secular, religious and show music presented at different venues within and occasionally outside of Rossmoor. The Rossmoor Chorus, consists of 25-30 members, and practices most Wednesdays at 4PM with time off during July and August. They are always receptive to interested new members.

The Chorus has always been independent and apart from any other organization in Rossmoor. When a need for additional insurance coverage was encountered in late 2007, the Chorus realized it could not afford to remain independent. We were depending principally on the Community Church, with occasional assignments from a variety of local organizations. We needed a sponsor, if we were to continue to exist. On 12/6/2008 the board of the Rossmoor Music Association agreed to fill that role. The Chorus serves as a separate branch of RMA, maintaining separate income and expenses. The officers of the Chorus are: Eileen Parker, President; Lucy Poulin, Secretary; Gloria Hansen, Treasurer; Gladys Sharpe, Music Librarian; Alyce Owens, Publicity.

The purpose of the Rossmoor chorus continues to be to sing for the enjoyment of its members, and to prepare and present programs for such Rossmoor and other functions as may be agreed upon by the members. Through the years the Chorus has performed for: Applegarth Nursing Home, Monroe Village, Rossmoor Women's Guild, Old Guard, E&R Christmas program, Jewish Sisterhood, Roman Catholic Society, Interfaith Thanksgiving and Memorial Day Services, Community Church (sing the 3rd Sunday each month), Forsgate Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, and the 911 Memorial Service at Memorial Park (Monroe Township).

Director

Director Gloria Montlack studied voice at the High School of Music & Art. She holds a BA in music from Hunter College, NJ; has sung leading roles in musicals; has conducted, designed costumes and sung in many Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. She has appeared with the NJ Intergenerational Orchestra, performs as a solo artist and gives seminars on all aspects of Gilbert and Sullivan. In March 2007, she sang a recital for the Rossmoor Music Assn with Tobias Delguidice, clarinet, and Lois Smida, piano.

Accompanist

Lois Smida is the accompanist for the chorus. A vocal instructor herself, Mrs Smida worked in the Elementary Schools (K-6) in Old Bridge, New Jersey for over 20 years, and thereafter for some years in a Private School as well.

She brings a delightful sense of humor to all that she does. Occasionally when the Conductor is away, she has both accompanied and directed the Chorus herself.

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