Choir for the 75th Holy Cross Celebration 2022

Hello all, 

(1) I hope that you are well and that you had a blessed Holy Feast Day of the Panayia. We are STILL looking for more choir singers to participate in our annual Holy Cross Celebration to be held at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, NJ! We are so excited to be able to sing and praise the Lord after a long time of not being able to come together to do so! 

(2) By the way, this year is the 75th anniversary of the Holy Cross Celebration; the first celebration occurred in 1947! If you have not done so already, please let me know in response to this email that you are a "YES", "NO", or "MAYBE". We are hoping to have a BIG presence of singers! We are singing in a HUGE hall (see the pictures attached), and this hall is an incredible space! My email is mrryanjkiel@gmail.com and my phone for text is 1 (908) 723-5999.  

(3) Rehearsal Schedule: The rehearsal schedule is below. The 3 weeknight rehearsals will be located at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Westfield, NJ. The last rehearsal and soundcheck which is Saturday, September 17 and mandatory, will be in Ocean Grove at the performance venue of the Great Auditorium. Here are the details: 

1. Monday, August 29th, 2022: 7:00PM-9:00PM at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 250 Gallows Hill Road, Westfield, NJ 07090 (light refreshments after)
2. Tuesday, September 6th, 2022: 7:00PM-9:00PM at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 250 Gallows Hill Road, Westfield, NJ 07090 (light refreshments after)
3. Monday, September 12th, 2022: 7:00PM-9:00PM at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 250 Gallows Hill Road, Westfield, NJ 07090 (light refreshments after)
4. DRESS REHEARSAL SCHEDULE & SOUNDCHECK:Saturday, September 17th, 2022: 9:30AM-2:00PM at the Great Auditorium, 21 Pilgrim Pathway, Ocean Grove, NJ 07756
5. -9:30AM arrival, continental breakfast, opening prayer 
6. -10:00AM-12:00PM vocal warmup, rehearsal, & soundcheck 
7. - 12:00PM-12:30PMlunch break, BAGGED LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED  
8. -12:30PM-2:00PM run through of Liturgy, closing prayer 

Please forward this email to your choirs and choir directors, youth and GOYA directors, church friends who sing, and to anyone who you think would benefit from an amazing experience such as this one! I am really looking forward to coming together and praising God with one voice! Thank you for your time and consideration and have a blessed evening!

Musically and in Christ,

Ryan J. Kiel

Director of Music, Ss. Nicholas, Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church - Roseland, NJ

District Supervisor of New Jersey (District 3) - Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians (EFGOCM)