Performances on Prospect debut at St. Joseph’s Church on Friday night, September 26, 2014.
The green-and-white metal placard in front of St. Joseph’s might make it look like the Roman Catholic church at the corner of Prospect and Hilton in Maplewood is on the market, but Father Jim Worth says the only thing he’s selling is the community’s talent pool.
Worth, who was installed as the new St. Joe’s pastor in March, has started “Performances on Prospect Street” — “POPS” for short — as a Friday-night performance center.
“We have this magnificent sanctuary for our music during Mass on Sundays,” Worth said, “but I want to open it up for the entire Maplewood-South Orange community to show off their talents.
“This is not a religious thing,” Worth said. “We have a Yamaha Grand piano and it’s a sin not to use it. This is an opportunity to create an evening of entertainment for everyone on a Friday night.”
The POPS opens at 7 p.m. Friday night, September 26, with a performance from Joseph Legaspi, the Director of Music at St. Joe’s. He will perform a collection of French, Filipino, and American songs; his pianist, Benjamin Via, also will perform a variety of compositions. Vox, the acclaimed a capella group from St. Peter’s Prep High School in Jersey City, also will perform pop songs and Broadway tunes, including “Circle of Life” from The Lion King, and “Seasons of Love” from Rent.
Worth is not just a music fan. He is a talented singer and musician who released his own CD, “A Time For Everything,” in 2010. He is hoping for POPS to take place at least once a month in the church.
“This is such a wonderful, artsy town and I want to jump on the bandwagon by giving talented musicians a place to play,” Worth said. “We have some famous artists in our towns and have even more hidden gems, and we want to give them all a chance to perform. It doesn’t have to be music; it can be readings, poetry, whatever our artistic community wants to share. I really want the talented kids from Columbia High School to have another place to perform, and will be in touch with Seton Hall and Montclair State to see if anyone there would want to perform at St. Joe’s.”
Guests are encouraged to make a donation for the performance. The money will be split between the artists and to support the performances. Refreshments will be served downstairs in Bernards Hall after the show.
“Everyone is welcome here, whether you want to perform or support these artists,” Worth says. “This is not a fundraiser for the church. We’re not using any of the St. Joe’s budget for the shows. We just want to provide a place for talent to shine.”
St. Joseph Church, 767 Prospect Street, Maplewood, NJ. 973-761-6705. www.stjosephmaplewood.org
