Sussex County Oratorio Society holding annual winter concert

NEWTON — The Sussex County Oratorio Society is holding their annual winter concert on Jan. 8, at 3:30 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church on 54 High Street in Newton. The concert, called The Joys of Christmas, is seasonal music for chorus, organ and harp. The choral music will include Handel’s ”Awake The Trumpet’s Lofty Sound,” Stetsenco's “Joy is All Around Us,” and Mechem’s "The Seven Joys of Christmas," as well as others. An audience sing-along and post-concert reception are also included. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and can be purchased from any choir member or at the door. Cecilia Parker Chertoff will be the featured harpist. Cecilia began her harp studies in Argentina where she graduated from the Universidad National Del Litoral with a teaching and performing degree in harp. After completing her training, she received a scholarship to study harp at the Ecole Normale in Paris with world renowned harpist Micheline Kahn and Pierre Jamet. After returning to Argentina, Chartoff resumed her position as principal harpist with the Entre Rios Symphony Orchestra and as professor of harp at the Conservatorio Porvincial de Musica. She plays classical and celtic harp and teaches both in her Sparta, New Jersey studio.