Riverdale Choral Society celebrates 60th anniversary with special performances

I feel like they’ve grown a lot in a year. I feel like they are more confident about themselves, about their singing ability -- everyone is learning something new.”

Mun-Tzung Wong, music co-director and conductor

Established in 1964, the Riverdale Choral Society celebrates its 60th anniversary. 

Last September Mun-Tzung Wong took over as the music director of the Riverdale Choral Society, making it her third semester with the choir. 

“The program has grown since last year,” Wong said, referencing the singers who come not only from Riverdale, but from the greater Bronx area and Westchester County.  

Newly appointed this semester, co-director David Štech joined Wong in leading the chorus members. 

Both said they were excited to continue the legacy of the choir and to implement changes on how to grow the society for the next 60 years.  

The choir holds two semesters, spring and winter, with each semester ending in a completed concert. For the first time, this semester’s concert will be performed twice, in honor of the 60th anniversary. On Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8 at Christ Church Riverdale, 5040 Henry Hudson Parkway. 

“This season we have planned some really exciting music for our choir,” Wong said. 

The December performance includes music from living composer, John Rutter, and his piece, “Requiem,” as well as “Chichester Psalms” by Leonard Bernstein. 

It will also include fifth grader, Hendrix Chan, joining the chorus as a soprano soloist. The chamber ensemble includes a harp, a percussion section, flute, oboe, cello, and an organ piece played by Štech. 

“I would say that we are very excited because this is one of the bigger projects that our choir has ever done,” Wong said. 

While Wong joined the choir last year as director and conductor, Štech shared that he has been playing the organ for the choir on an as-needed occasion. It wasn’t until this semester when he joined as co-music director, that he took a full and active role with the choral society. 

In their time together Wong and Štech have made changes to rehearsal structure that they believe have benefitted choral members. During practices, Wong focuses on the soprano and alto voices while Štech handles the tenors and bass voices. Choir members joined with varying degrees of talent and experience, but all are interested in being part of the honored tradition. 

After individual group sessions are held for the first half of rehearsal, everyone comes together to practice. 

Štech believes that Wong’s work with the choir laid the foundation for it to grow. “They seem to really trust her because she’s led them through all of these things so expertly,” he said.

“I feel like they’ve grown a lot in a year. I feel like they are more confident about themselves, about their singing ability. . . everyone is learning something new,” Wong said. 

Previously, Wong guided the choir through a performance where they learned choreography, a new challenge Štech said they stepped up to meet regardless of the unknown territory of choreography for the group. 

“One of the things Mun-Tzung has done so expertly is the . . . deliberate selection of repertoire which is probably the single most important decision a conductor makes,” Štech said. 

He elaborated on the fact that despite practicing in a Catholic church and often selecting music from its traditional text, like the work of Rutter, a number of the members are Jewish and performing the piece by Bernstein is a special moment. 

“I think there’s a particularly close feeling and appreciation to be able to sing in Hebrew, some of them for whom [it's]their first language,,” Štech said. 

He believes the coming together of interfaith communities – be it Jewish, Christian or no faith at all – is a cultural celebration. The composition by Bernstein draws on the Bible’s Book of Psalms, and Štech quotes from Psalms 133, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

In the changes the pair have made to the choral society, Wong and Štech believe they are honoring its legacy, performance, and impact on the Riverdale community. 

“The main thing we want to celebrate, being together and in community,” Štech said. 

The two are already planning for the spring performance where former music director, John Lettieri, will return to co-direct as an homage to the heritage of the group, said Štech.

Štech and Wong believe that although they are leading the choir, the focus is always on the group. 

“It's first and foremost the Riverdale Choral Society and we take that society part very seriously. . . we are always welcoming new members,” Štech said.