NEWARK, April 25--Members of the Newark Boys Chorus School will perform at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) on May 2, 2003 during the inaugural ceremony of Robert A. Alternkirch, Ph.D., as seventh president of the university. The chorus school, which is known for its diversified repertoire of African folksongs, classical music, contemporary show tunes and more, will perform under the direction of Donald C. Morris, musical director.

The university invited the chorus to participate in the day’s events, along with another important Newark institution, the Newark Museum. Later that evening, the day’s events will culminate in a reception at the venerable city landmark. “NJIT owes its origins to Newark Technical School, founded in 1881 by Newark City Fathers,” said Henry Ross, Ph.D., chief of staff at NJIT. “It is proper for NJIT to visibly support sister cultural and educational institutions.”

The Newark Chorus School is a private institution in Newark, founded in 1969. The school is fully accredited by the Middle State Association of Colleges and Schools and is responsible for the academic and musical education of 80 young urban men from the greater Newark area. In recent years, chorus members have toured Australia, South Africa, the Caribbean, Finland, Latvia, and Russia and appeared on network television.