County Grant Helps Westfield Group with Intergenerational Chorus

The Continuo Arts Foundation has won a Union County HEART (History, Education, Art Reach Thousands) for the second year in a row. This year, the $1500 grant will go towards costs associated with Continuo's intergenerational choral program.

Continuo currently runs three choruses: a children's chorus, one for teenagers and an adult group called the Civic Chorus. The grant will help underwrite artistic fees, the purchase of music, location fees and supplies like chairs and music stands. Continuo hopes to add a chorus for senior citizens in January, with the help of a grant from Summit.

"We're very grateful for the HEART grant," said Candace Wicke, president and executive director of Continuo.

Though Westfield resident Wicke founded Continuo -whose offices are on Springfield Avenue in Westfield- in 2007, she's been in the music business for much longer and has travelled the world. She began as an educator and has worked as a conductor for a production company in Carnegie Hall in New York City. In her capacity as Continuo's head conductor, she has brought her musicians to perform at Carnegie Hall -one of the premier destinations for performance artists- and in Italy, and has worked with the Prague Philharmonic.

"Even though we're a new organization, we've been featured around the world," said Wicke. "The opportunities have been amazing. We're very excited by the opportunities given to us in such a short time."

Continuo will break new ground in May 2011 with the first-ever professional concert in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City. Wicke will bring orchestra members and the teen chorus, and will conduct with choruses from around the world. She expects to have an 80-piece orchestra and 300-400 singers.

To play in places like Carnegie Hall and the Vatican, an organization must have certain standards of performance. Though Continuo performance groups are no exception, Wicke aims not to exclude anyone but to raise people up to that standard.

Continuo's choruses usually break for the summer, and have recently began rehearsing again. Before the year is out, they will put on the Christmastime in the City concert on December 12 at the Presbyterian Church. This will be the second year Continuo has put on this free concert. Last year, the choruses also sang at Carnegie Hall, but due to various logistical issues, Westfield will be the only location for this year's concert. That doesn't bother Wicke and her community-focused organization.

"A really important aspect (of Continuo) is the inclusion of our communities and bringing people into the arts," said Wicke. "As a foundation, we give back to the community first."

Though her performers come from all over the world, Wicke says she looks first to Westfield and Union County for her choruses. She says her first port of call is often Bill Matthews and Sharon Reynolds with the choir at Westfield High School.

"I'm privileged to live in a community where my kids can get ont only a great education but an amazing art education as well," said Wicke. "Some of the first people I can reach out to, talking about that standard of excellence, are from the town I live in."