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145-455: Folds has frequently performed arrangements of his music with uncommon instrumentation for rock and pop music, including symphony orchestras and a cappella groups. In addition to contributing music to the soundtracks of the animated films Hoodwinked! , and Over the Hedge , Folds has produced several albums, including Amanda Palmer 's first solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer in 2008. Folds

290-466: A non-partisan basis in elections held as part of the May municipal elections. The mayor is elected directly by the voters. The Township Council includes six members, of which two council seats are elected from the township at-large and one council seat is elected from each of four wards . A deputy mayor is selected by the six council members from their members, and this position is largely ceremonial. Though

435-631: A 3-weekend a cappella festival held each February since 1975, where over a hundred collegiate groups have appeared, as well as International Quartet Champions The Boston Common and the contemporary commercial a cappella group Rockapella . Co-ed groups have produced many up-and-coming and major artists, including John Legend , an alumnus of the Counterparts at the University of Pennsylvania , Sara Bareilles , an alumna of Awaken A Cappella at University of California, Los Angeles , Mindy Kaling , an alumna of

580-468: A cappella arrangements of his music performed by some of the country's best college a cappella groups. In March 2010, a video Folds created titled "Ode To Merton" went viral on YouTube. In the video, Folds improvises several songs about people that he sees on the social networking site Chatroulette , in the style of " Merton ", a YouTube creator who many initially thought was Folds himself. Folds' final solo album before his reunion with Ben Folds Five ,

725-636: A cappella arrangements through the use of a subway beat boxer character. Beat boxer and actor Chesney Snow performed this role for the 2010 Primary Stages production. According to the show's website, it is scheduled to reopen for an open-ended commercial run in the Fall of 2011. In 2011, the production received four Lucille Lortel Award nominations including Outstanding Musical, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League nominations, as well as five Drama Desk nominations including Outstanding Musical and won for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. In December 2016, In Transit became

870-511: A cappella choral development not only in Sweden but around the world, and finally there are a large number of very popular primary and secondary schools ('music schools') with high admission standards based on auditions that combine a rigid academic regimen with high level choral singing on every school day, a system that started with Adolf Fredrik's Music School in Stockholm in 1939 but has spread over

1015-401: A cappella ensembles typically include one voice singing the lead melody, one singing a rhythmic bass line, and the remaining voices contributing chordal or polyphonic accompaniment. A cappella can also describe the isolated vocal track(s) from a multitrack recording that originally included instrumentation. These vocal tracks may be remixed or put onto vinyl records for DJs, or released to

1160-502: A cappella groups can be found in high schools and colleges. There are amateur Barbershop Harmony Society and professional groups that sing a cappella exclusively. Although a cappella is technically defined as singing without instrumental accompaniment, some groups use their voices to emulate instruments; others are more traditional and focus on harmonizing. A cappella styles range from gospel music to contemporary to barbershop quartets and choruses. The Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA)

1305-629: A cappella includes many vocal groups and bands who add vocal percussion or beatboxing to create a pop/rock/gospel sound, in some cases very similar to bands with instruments. Examples of such professional groups include Straight No Chaser , Pentatonix , The House Jacks , Rockapella , Mosaic , Home Free and M-pact . There also remains a strong a cappella presence within Christian music, as some denominations purposefully do not use instruments during worship. Examples of such groups are Take 6 , Glad and Acappella . Arrangements of popular music for small

1450-539: A cappella music began to develop in Europe around the 9th century AD with the practice of organum , reaching its height between the 14th and 16th centuries with compositions by composers in the Franco-Flemish school (such as Guillaume Du Fay , Johannes Ockeghem , and Josquin des Prez ). The early a cappella polyphonies were sometimes doubled with other instruments, which were often wind or string instruments, or organs. By

1595-505: A cappella musical to appear Off-Broadway, In Transit , premiered October 5, 2010, and was produced by Primary Stages with book, music, and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan, and Sara Wordsworth . Set primarily in the New York City subway system its score features an eclectic mix of musical genres (including jazz, hip hop, Latin, rock, and country). In Transit incorporates vocal beat boxing into its contemporary

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1740-448: A cappella tradition is especially strong in the countries around the Baltic and perhaps most so in Sweden as described by Richard Sparks in his doctoral thesis The Swedish Choral Miracle in 2000. Swedish a cappella choirs have over the last 25 years won around 25% of the annual prestigious European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (EGP) that despite its name is open to choirs from all over

1885-613: A cappella. In 1983, an a cappella group known as The Flying Pickets had a Christmas 'number one' in the UK with a cover of Yazoo 's (known in the US as Yaz ) " Only You ". A cappella music attained renewed prominence from the late 1980s onward, spurred by the success of Top 40 recordings by artists such as The Manhattan Transfer , Bobby McFerrin , Huey Lewis and the News , All-4-One , The Nylons , Backstreet Boys , Boyz II Men , and *NSYNC . Contemporary

2030-514: A collaboration with English author Nick Hornby , was entitled Lonely Avenue and was released on September 28, 2010. Announced shortly before the release of Way to Normal , the idea of the collaboration came out of the "fake" leak of the album released in July 2008. "(We will) write and record it in about three days, just like we did in Dublin with the fake record," Folds said. As schedules began to misalign,

2175-471: A collection of live solo recordings. In late 2003, two solo EPs , Speed Graphic and Sunny 16 , were self-released on Folds' label Attacked by Plastic . The last EP, Super D , was released in mid-2004. Songs for Silverman was released in the United States on April 26, 2005. The album returned to the trio format, featuring Jared Reynolds on bass and Lindsay Jamieson on drums. This album includes

2320-706: A commissioned piano concerto he composed with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra . This was followed up in 2015 with So There , an album by Folds and the yMusic Ensemble, released on September 11, 2015. The album includes eight chamber pop songs and the piano concerto performed with the Nashville Symphony. He guest-starred on a second season episode of the Showtime drama series Billions in April 2017, playing his song " Landed ". On May 11, 2017, Folds

2465-445: A fan on Kweller's official website. The trio also went on to record a four-track EP together. In the summer of 2004, Folds co-headlined an American tour with fellow singer-songwriters Rufus Wainwright and Guster . Folds again performed with Wainwright and Lee in the summer of 2005 as part of the "Odd Men Out" tour. In addition, Folds has performed with many other notable musical names, including Weezer and Tori Amos . After seeing

2610-409: A few weeks later that in one overnight session in Dublin he and the band had recorded 'fake' versions of songs from the new album. His sources had then leaked them to the public as a light-hearted joke on his fans. Ben Folds Five reunited to perform its first concert appearance in nearly 10 years on September 18, 2008, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 's Memorial Hall. The one-off gig

2755-506: A full band was to support the album Rockin' the Suburbs . He was accompanied by Britt "Snüzz" Uzzell on guitar and electronic keyboard, Millard Powers on bass and keys, and Jim Bogios on drums. Powers and Bogios later went on to join Counting Crows . On a tour of Australia, Folds joined with solo artists Ben Kweller and Ben Lee to travel the country as The Bens , at the suggestion of

2900-518: A headlining tour, which opened on March 24 at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts . In the summer of 2007, he performed as the primary opener for John Mayer during his Continuum 38-day summer tour. During this tour, Mayer sometimes joined Folds on the song "Narcolepsy", playing synth. At various concerts throughout the tour, parents of young children going to see Mayer would file complaints about Folds' lyrics. On March 29, 2008, Folds played

3045-511: A large choral setting. Movements in modern a cappella over the past century include barbershop and doo wop . The Barbershop Harmony Society , Sweet Adelines International , and Harmony Inc. host educational events including Harmony University, Directors University, and the International Educational Symposium, and international contests and conventions, recognizing international champion choruses and quartets . Many

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3190-424: A lot of time to working on piano technique. "I spent maybe six months just running scales with a metronome like a freak," Folds said. "I suppose that did something." After leaving Miami, he returned to North Carolina and enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for the fall semester of 1985. It was while studying at UNCG that he met his 'accidental mentor', Robert Darnell. Folds would acknowledge

3335-546: A month. Olson and Uzzell formed Bus Stop with Folds' younger brother, Chuck Folds, on bass, and Eddie Walker on drums. Folds eventually got a music publishing deal with Nashville music executive Scott Siman who saw Folds open for musician Marc Silvey, as well as playing bass for Silvey's band Mass Confusion, and moved to Nashville, Tennessee , to pursue it in 1990. He played drums for a short stint in Power Bill, headed by Jody Spence , Millard Powers, and Will Owsley . Power Bill

3480-574: A new plaintive piano-and-vocal version of the Ben Folds Five hit "Brick", as well as Folds' rendition of the Psychedelic Furs song " The Ghost in You ". On February 15, 2023, Folds announced that his next album, titled What Matters Most , would be released on June 2, 2023. The first single, "Winslow Gardens", was released on the same day as the announcement. Folds spent much of 2023 on an album tour of

3625-685: A pond that is fed by Yantacaw Brook and that in turn feeds into the Third River on its way towards the Passaic River . The township has 18 public tennis courts, four skating rinks (two of which are indoor), and three public swimming pools: the Mountainside pool, the Nishuane pool, and the Essex pool. In 2007, township residents advocated for the construction of a public skatepark. Community members revitalized

3770-427: A ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially recognize this space as a temporary skatepark. The township's playground insurance covers skateboarding, allowing it to allocate funds to the park. The township has paid for signage using its playground fund. All skating equipment (ramps, rails, etc.) at Rand Park has been provided by community members with no financial support from the township. Montclair has one local newspaper,

3915-663: A strong following in the United Kingdom and Australia. As with many other ' alternative ' American acts, this was largely due to consistent support from national broadcasters in those countries: in Britain the BBC and in Australia the ABC 's Triple J youth radio network and ABC-TV's music video show Rage . The group's first chart breakthrough came in the UK, when "Underground" made the lower reaches of

4060-688: A successful out-of-town run at the Stoneham Theatre, in Stoneham, Massachusetts. Perfect Harmony features the hit music of The Jackson 5 , Pat Benatar , Billy Idol , Marvin Gaye , Scandal , Tiffany , The Romantics , The Pretenders , The Temptations , The Contours , The Commodores , Tommy James & the Shondells and The Partridge Family , and has been compared to a cross between Altar Boyz and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee . The fourth

4205-618: A time) with instrumental accompaniment, it is not surprising that Protestant reformers who opposed the instruments (such as Calvin and Zwingli) also opposed the polyphony. While Zwingli was destroying organs in Switzerland ;– Luther called him a fanatic – the Church of England was burning books of polyphony. Some Holiness Churches such as the Free Methodist Church opposed the use of musical instruments in church worship until

4350-517: A type of folk music , is an a cappella style of religious singing with shape notes , usually sung at singing conventions. Opponents of musical instruments in the Christian worship believe that such opposition is supported by the Christian scriptures and Church history. The scriptures typically referenced are Matthew 26:30; Acts 16:25; Romans 15:9; 1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 2:12, 13:15 and James 5:13, which show examples and exhortations for Christians to sing. There

4495-499: A video song with Nick Hornby and Pomplamoose . English YouTuber Charlie McDonnell was commissioned to create the music video for Folds' song "Saskia Hamilton", which was uploaded on October 1, 2010. The band reunited in 2011 with a subsequent release of the album The Sound of the Life of the Mind , leading to a tour of their new work throughout 2012 and 2013. In March 2014, Folds premiered

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4640-492: Is 90; the area has an average of 202 sunny days. Montclair is one or two degrees warmer than the neighboring municipalities of Verona and Cedar Grove because of the mountain between them, which sometimes blocks winds and clouds, including warmer air from the ocean to the east. The township has long celebrated its diversity, a feature that has attracted many to the community. The African American population has been stable at around 30% for decades, although it fell from 32% in

4785-465: Is a membership option for former students, whose funds support hosted competitions and events. A cappella music was popularized between the late 2000s and the early to mid-2010s with media hits such as the 2009–2014 TV show The Sing-Off and the musical comedy film series Pitch Perfect . In July 1943 , as a result of the American Federation of Musicians boycott of US recording studios,

4930-679: Is also located there. Since July 1, 1988, Montclair has been governed under the Council-Manager Plan 13 form of municipal government under the Faulkner Act , whose originator, Bayard H. Faulkner , was a former mayor of Montclair. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Township Council, who are elected to concurrent four-year terms on

5075-588: Is nice. Nashville is a nice way to fail. Folds moved to Montclair, New Jersey , and began to act in theater troupes in New York City. Around 1993, he was enjoying this to the point where he did not want to keep pursuing a musical career. He also played weekly gigs at Sin-é , famous for being the café which had helped start Jeff Buckley 's career. Folds moved back to North Carolina and formed Ben Folds Five in 1994, with bassist Robert Sledge , and drummer Darren Jessee in Chapel Hill . As Folds put it, " Jeff Buckley

5220-621: Is no reference to instrumental music in early church worship in the New Testament, or in the worship of churches for the first six centuries. Several reasons have been posited throughout church history for the absence of instrumental music in church worship. Christians who believe in a cappella music today believe that in the Israelite worship assembly during Temple worship only the Priests of Levi sang, played, and offered animal sacrifices, whereas in

5365-600: Is on the east side of the First Mountain of the Watchung Mountains . Some higher locations in the township provide excellent views of the surrounding area and of the New York City skyline about 12 miles (19 km) away. Named localities in the township include Church Street, Frog Hollow, South End, Upper Montclair , and Watchung Plaza. Montclair is split between two ZIP Codes . The central and southern parts of

5510-451: Is the border between those two counties. Montclair has a temperate climate, with warm-to-hot, humid summers and cool-to-cold winters, as is characteristic of the Köppen climate classification humid continental climate. January tends to be the coldest month, with average high temperatures in the upper 30s Fahrenheit and lows averaging 21. July, the warmest month, features high temperatures in

5655-478: Is thought to have originated from times as early as 2000 BC, while the earliest that has survived in its entirety is from the first century AD: a piece from Greece called the Seikilos epitaph . A cappella music was originally used in religious music, especially church music as well as anasheed and zemirot . Gregorian chant is an example of a cappella singing, as is the majority of secular vocal music from

5800-588: The 2000 census to 27% in 2010. Montclair has attracted many New Yorkers. Many residents work for major media organizations in New York City, including The New York Times and Newsweek . A March 11, 2007, posting in the blog Gawker.com listed some of those who work in the media and live in Montclair. Many residents are commuters to New York City and the Metro Area. The 2010 United States census counted 37,669 people, 15,089 households, and 9,446 families in

5945-633: The 60th-most-populous municipality in New Jersey . Montclair was initially formed as a township on April 15, 1868, from portions of Bloomfield Township , so that a second railroad could be built to Montclair. After a referendum held on February 21, 1894, Montclair was reincorporated as a town , effective February 24, 1894. It derives its name from the French mont clair , meaning "clear mountain" or "bright mountain." In 1980, after multiple protests filed by Montclair officials regarding inequities built into

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6090-521: The Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS). Today the BHS has about 22,000 members in approximately 800 chapters across the United States and Canada, and the barbershop style has spread around the world with organizations in many other countries. The Barbershop Harmony Society provides a highly organized competition structure for a cappella quartets and choruses singing in the barbershop style. In 1945,

6235-670: The Coptic Orthodox Church ), many Anabaptist communities (including Old Order Anabaptist groups —such as the Amish , Old German Baptist Brethren , Old Order Mennonites , as well as Conservative Anabaptist groups—such as the Dunkard Brethren Church and Conservative Mennonites ), some Presbyterian churches devoted to the regulative principle of worship , Old Regular Baptists , Primitive Baptists , Plymouth Brethren , Churches of Christ , Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma),

6380-585: The Eastern Catholic Churches , the music performed in the liturgies is exclusively sung without instrumental accompaniment. Bishop Kallistos Ware says, "The service is sung, even though there may be no choir... In the Orthodox Church today, as in the early Church, singing is unaccompanied and instrumental music is not found." This a cappella behavior arises from strict interpretation of Psalm 150, which states, Let every thing that hath breath praise

6525-581: The Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River , the Whole Theatre productions were readily available to New York City and New Jersey audiences. In the two decades in which Whole Theatre flourished, they presented a long list of performances in a wide variety of genres. Productions included The Rose Tattoo , Mother Courage , Rabelais: a Dramatic Game (1985), and America at Full Moon (1986). They enjoyed

6670-653: The Montclair Local . In addition, there is a radio station at 90.3 FM on the campus of Montclair State University , WMSC . The township has a municipal public service television channel, Channel 34, where township council and school board meetings are broadcast. Montclair High School has its own paper the Mountaineer , and Montclair State University has its own student-run paper, the Montclarion . WNJN , one of four stations of state-wide PBS member station NJTV ,

6815-450: The New York metropolitan area . The township is the home of Montclair State University , the state's second-largest university. As of the 2020 United States census , the township's population was 40,921, an increase of 3,252 (+8.6%) from the 2010 census count of 37,669, which in turn reflected a decline of 1,308 (−3.4%) from the 38,977 counted in the 2000 census . As of 2010, it was

6960-647: The Northwestern University School of Music , helped popularize a cappella music in the United States by founding the Northwestern A Cappella Choir in 1906. The A Cappella Choir was "the first permanent organization of its kind in America." An a cappella tradition was begun in 1911 by F. Melius Christiansen , a music faculty member at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota . The St. Olaf College Choir

7105-594: The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens , a 6.5-acre (2.6 ha) living museum donated by the family of Frank Presby that is maintained by volunteers and dedicated to the iris . Covering nearly 20 acres (8.1 ha) of wetlands and uplands along the Third River , the Alonzo F. Bonsal Wildlife Preserve offers hiking trails and other passive recreation. Yantacaw Brook Park , covering 11.5 acres (4.7 ha), surrounds

7250-469: The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens , and many school-owned sports fields, viz., Montclair State University 's Sprague Field . In total Montclair has 153.9 acres (0.623 km ) of township park land spread over 18 parks and 123.8 acres (0.501 km ) of county park land consisting of five parks. Municipal parks include Mountainside Park, the township's largest at 33.2 acres (13.4 ha), which offers extensive tennis and recreation facilities, and includes

7395-866: The Queensland Orchestra during an Australian tour in 2006. Folds performed with the North Carolina Symphony in March 2010, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra in July 2010. A DVD of Folds playing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was released in December 2005. On May 9, 2007, Folds performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra . The orchestra's performance was marred when a fight broke out between two audience members in

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7540-657: The Reformed Free Methodists , Doukhobors , and the Byzantine Rite of Eastern Christianity. Certain high church services and other musical events in liturgical churches (such as the Roman Catholic Mass and the Lutheran Divine Service ) may be a cappella, a practice remaining from apostolic times. Many Mennonites also conduct some or all of their services without instruments. Sacred Harp ,

7685-563: The Renaissance . The madrigal , up until its development in the early Baroque into an instrumentally accompanied form, is also usually in a cappella form. The Psalms note that some early songs were accompanied by string instruments, though Jewish and Early Christian music was largely a cappella; the use of instruments has subsequently increased within both of these religions as well as in Islam. The polyphony of Christian (predominantly Catholic)

7830-423: The Second River , and the others flow into the Third River . Montclair lies just north of the northernmost extent of the Rahway River watershed. Montclair borders the municipalities of Bloomfield , Cedar Grove , Glen Ridge , Orange , Verona , and West Orange in Essex County; and Clifton and Little Falls in Passaic County . The southern border of Montclair is a straight line between Eagle Rock, on

7975-546: The University of Maine Maine Steiners (1958), the Columbia University Kingsmen (1949), the Jabberwocks of Brown University (1949), and the University of Rochester YellowJackets (1956). All-women a cappella groups followed shortly, frequently as a parody of the men's groups: the Smiffenpoofs of Smith College (1936), the Night Owls of Vassar College (1942), The Shwiffs of Connecticut College (The She-Whiffenpoofs, 1944), and The Chattertocks of Brown University (1951). A cappella groups exploded in popularity beginning in

8120-465: The 16th century, a cappella polyphony had further developed, but gradually, the cantata began to take the place of a cappella forms. Sixteenth-century a cappella polyphony, nonetheless, continued to influence church composers throughout this period and to the present day. Recent evidence has shown that some of the early pieces by Palestrina, such as those written for the Sistine Chapel, were intended to be accompanied by an organ "doubling" some or all of

8265-444: The 18th century, and were opposed vigorously in worship by a number of Protestant Reformers , including Martin Luther (1483–1546), Ulrich Zwingli , John Calvin (1509–1564) and John Wesley (1703–1791). Alexander Campbell referred to the use of an instrument in worship as "a cow bell in a concert". In Sir Walter Scott 's The Heart of Midlothian , the heroine, Jeanie Deans , a Scottish Presbyterian, writes to her father about

8410-408: The 1948 biographical novel Cheaper by the Dozen , the principal characters Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr. and Lillian Moller Gilbreth live in Montclair, as the authors did in real life. Some scenes of the film "Seven Minutes in Heaven" (1986) were filmed in and around Montclair High School . The 1989 film Bloodhounds of Broadway , which starred Madonna , Matt Dillon , and Jennifer Grey ,

8555-399: The 1990s, fueled in part by a change in style popularized by the Tufts University Beelzebubs and the Boston University Dear Abbeys. The new style used voices to emulate modern rock instruments, including vocal percussion /" beatboxing ". Some larger universities now have multiple groups. Groups often join one another in on-campus concerts, such as the Georgetown Chimes' Cherry Tree Massacre,

8700-481: The Cage Center Arena at Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia . During contract negotiations, he was asked by the administration to not play one of his songs due to its explicit lyrics. Folds refused, citing artistic freedom. A cappella Music performed a cappella ( / ˌ ɑː k ə ˈ p ɛ l ə / AH kə- PEL -ə , UK also / ˌ æ k ə ˈ p ɛ l ə / AK ə- PEL -ə , Italian: [a kkapˈpɛlla] ; lit.   ' in

8845-408: The Christian scriptures never counter instrumental language with any negative judgment on instruments, opposition to instruments instead comes from an interpretation of history. There is no written opposition to musical instruments in any setting in the first century and a half of Christian churches (33–180 AD). The use of instruments for Christian worship during this period is also undocumented. Toward

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8990-446: The Claridge Cinema on Bloomfield Avenue which shows different types of movies from documentaries to small-scale indie films. The township hosted its first annual film festival in 2012 to provide a platform for filmmakers from New Jersey, the US, and the world. Live theaters include The Montclair Operetta Company, the Wellmont Theater , Montclair State University 's Kasser Theater, Montclair State University's theater in Life Hall, and

9135-491: The Dumped", "Battle of Who Could Care Less", and the band's most successful song, " Brick ". In 1999, the band released what was to be their final album for over a decade, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner , which included the hit " Army ". Folds has described Ben Folds Five as " punk rock for sissies", and his lyrics often contain nuances of melancholy, self-conflict, and humorous sarcasm, often punctuated by profanity. Early in their career, Ben Folds Five gained

9280-473: The Fourth Ward. Montclair is split between the 10th and 11th Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 27th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Montclair had been part of the 8th Congressional District and the 10th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections. The split that took effect in 2013 drew

9425-405: The Fray perform with Weezer, Folds asked the band to join him for twelve performances in 2005. Folds also performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) in March 2005, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in November 2005, the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House , Adelaide Symphony Orchestra , Western Australian Symphony Orchestra , Melbourne Symphony Orchestra , and

9570-439: The Jewish chant may be found in the writings of the Jewish philosopher Philo , born 20 BC. Weaving together Jewish and Greek thought, Philo promoted praise without instruments, and taught that "silent singing" (without even vocal chords) was better still. This view parted with the Jewish scriptures, where Israel offered praise with instruments by God's own command The shofar is the only temple instrument still being used today in

9715-501: The Kinsey Sicks at New York's Studio 54 . That production received a nomination for a Lucille Lortel award as Best Musical and a Drama Desk nomination for Best Lyrics. It was directed by Glenn Casale with original music and lyrics by Ben Schatz. The a cappella musical Perfect Harmony , a comedy about two high school a cappella groups vying to win the national championship, made its Off Broadway debut at Theatre Row 's Acorn Theatre on 42nd Street in New York City in October 2010 after

9860-699: The Lord. Praise ye the Lord. In keeping with this philosophy, early Russian musika which started appearing in the late 17th century, in what was known as khorovïye kontsertï (choral concertos) made a cappella adaptations of Venetian-styled pieces, such as the treatise, Grammatika musikiyskaya (1675), by Nikolai Diletsky . Divine Liturgies and Western Rite Masses composed by famous composers such as Peter Tchaikovsky , Sergei Rachmaninoff , Alexander Arkhangelsky , and Mykola Leontovych are fine examples of this. Present-day Christian religious bodies known for conducting their worship services without musical accompaniment include many Oriental Orthodox Churches (such as

10005-654: The Mayor has no executive powers, the mayor presides over council meetings and has both a voice and vote in its proceedings. The Mayor appoints members to many local governing groups, most notably the board of education. As of 2023 , the Mayor of Montclair is Sean M. Spiller. Members of the Montclair Township Council are Deputy Mayor William L. Hurlock (First Ward), Lori Price Abrams (Third Ward), David Cummings (Fourth Ward), Robert J. Russo (at-large), Robin Schlager (Second Ward) and Peter Yacobellis (at-large), all of whom serve terms of office scheduled to end on June 30, 2024. In elections held on May 12, 2020, Sean M. Spiller

10150-409: The National Symphony Orchestra, Folds collaborated with Mo Willems , contributing original music to a stage adaptation of Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs in 2022. In September 2018, The Washington Post commissioned a single from him called "Mister Peepers". The song depicts former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein 's conflict with Republicans during the Russia investigation , with

10295-591: The RPI Glee Club), established in 1873 is perhaps the oldest known collegiate a cappella group. The longest continuously singing group is probably The Whiffenpoofs of Yale University , which was formed in 1909 and once included Cole Porter as a member. Collegiate a cappella groups grew throughout the 20th century. Some notable historical groups formed along the way include Colgate University 's The Colgate 13 (1942), Dartmouth College 's Aires (1946), Harvard University 's Krokodiloes (1946), Cornell University 's Cayuga's Waiters (1949) and The Hangovers (1968),

10440-598: The Rockapellas at Dartmouth College , and Mira Sorvino , an alumna of the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones of Harvard College . Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey . Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains , Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse bedroom community of New York City within

10585-488: The Sabbath out of concern that players would be tempted to repair (or tune) their instruments, which is forbidden on those days. (This prohibition has been relaxed in many Reform and some Conservative congregations.) Similarly, when Jewish families and larger groups sing traditional Sabbath songs known as zemirot outside the context of formal religious services, they usually do so a cappella, and Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations on

10730-490: The Sabbath sometimes feature entertainment by a cappella ensembles. During the Three Weeks musical instruments are prohibited. Many Jews consider a portion of the 49-day period of the counting of the omer between Passover and Shavuot to be a time of semi-mourning and instrumental music is not allowed during that time. This has led to a tradition of a cappella singing sometimes known as sefirah music. The popularization of

10875-650: The Studio Playhouse. On Bloomfield Avenue, there is a public stage used for concerts and other events. Dotted around Montclair there are also many art galleries, though most are centered in the Bloomfield Avenue Downtown Area. Concerts are held at the Wellmont Theater and at several churches and auditoriums sponsored by Outpost in the Burbs, a community-based organization. In 2017, The Montclair Orchestra

11020-567: The Supermarket" and a recording of "Rockin' the Suburbs" featuring new lyrics written to complement the plot of the film. Folds' song " Rockin' the Suburbs " was featured on the soundtrack for ABC 's sitcom Surviving Suburbia , which aired in August 2009. Folds also wrote the soundtrack for the Netflix original film Handsome , released in May 2017. After Ben Folds Five split, Folds' first tour with

11165-565: The Taliban of music as un-Islamic. However, the de facto national anthem of Afghanistan is an a cappella nasheed , as musical instruments are virtually banned as corrupting and un-Islamic. The first a cappella group in Iran is the Damour Vocal Band , which was able to perform on national television despite a ban on women singing. The musical show Strepsils Stereo is credited for introducing

11310-638: The Top 40, peaking at no. 37. Britain was the band's strongest territory in terms of chart success, with five singles making the national Top 40 there—"Underground", "Battle of Who Could Care Less", "Kate", "Brick" and "Army"—although none managed to crack the UK Top 20. In Australia, "Underground" likewise broke the band locally and while it did not make the ARIA chart, it came in at no. 3 on the 1996 Triple J Hottest 100 poll (broadcast on January 26, 1997). The 1998 single "Brick" became

11455-575: The United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the organization encompasses more than 1,200 registered quartets and 600 choruses. In 1959, a second women's barbershop organization started as a break off from Sweet Adelines due to ideological differences. Based on democratic principles which continue to this day, Harmony, Inc. is smaller than its counterpart, but has an atmosphere of friendship and competition. With about 2,500 members in

11600-652: The United Kingdom. It became Folds' highest-charting album ever in the US, debuting at no. 11 on the Billboard 200 . Fan reception of the album was rather mixed, with several citing the heavy use of dynamic compression as a major downfall of the album. Folds responded, releasing a more "traditional" mix of the album entitled Stems and Seeds , featuring various bonus tracks such as the entire "leaked" album and providing stems that allowed fans to create remixes. On April 28, 2009, Folds released Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella! , an album consisting of college students'

11745-522: The United States and Canada, Harmony, Inc. uses the same rules in contest that the Barbershop Harmony Society uses. Harmony, Inc. is registered in Providence, Rhode Island. The popularity of a cappella among high schools and amateurs was revived by television shows and movies such as Glee and Pitch Perfect . High school groups may have conductors or student leaders who keep the tempo for

11890-611: The United States and Europe, and stated that What Matters Most will likely be his final rock album. During his Paper Airplane Request Tour in mid-2024, Folds announced that he had written and recorded a Christmas album with plans to release it during the upcoming holiday season. He performed a new track titled "Me and Maurice" on the tour. In addition to collaborations on his own music, Ben Folds often works with other musicians on their projects. In 1997, Folds recorded an unreleased studio album titled Forever Valentine with Whiskeytown . "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied Ben Folds' style in

12035-577: The a cappella vocal group The Song Spinners had a best-seller with "Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer". In the 1950s, several recording groups, notably The Hi-Los and the Four Freshmen , introduced complex jazz harmonies to a cappella performances. The King's Singers are credited with promoting interest in small-group a cappella performances in the 1960s. Frank Zappa loved doo wop and a cappella, so Zappa released The Persuasions ' first album from his label in 1970. Judy Collins recorded " Amazing Grace "

12180-505: The actors Louis Zorich and his wife, the later Oscar-winning actress, Olympia Dukakis , founded a theatre group that included Remi Barclay , Jason Bosseau, Margery Fierst, Gerald Fierst, and many others. Some of the acting artistic and administrative participants were permanent, and semi-permanent. Performances were peppered with visits and occasional celebrity artists. Naming themselves Whole Theatre, they based themselves in Montclair. Located 12 miles (19 km) from Midtown Manhattan via

12325-470: The album. Ben Folds has often contributed both original and previously recorded songs to movies and television shows. The soundtrack for the 2005 animated film Hoodwinked! featured "Red is Blue", performed by Folds. In May 2006, Folds contributed three original songs to the soundtrack of Over the Hedge , titled "Heist", "Family of Me", and "Still". Included with them was a cover of the Clash song "Lost in

12470-584: The art of a cappella in Pakistan . Composer Dinesh Subasinghe became the first Sri Lankan to write a cappella pieces for SATB choirs. He wrote "The Princes of the Lost Tribe" and "Ancient Queen of Somawathee" for Menaka De Sahabandu and Bridget Helpe's choirs, respectively, based on historical incidents in ancient Sri Lanka. Voice Print is also a professional a cappella music group in Sri Lanka . The European

12615-409: The balcony, though Folds had not yet taken the stage. After his MySpace performance on October 24, 2006, Folds's tour performances began to feature a synthesizer, a red Nord Lead II, which he uses in many of the songs when played live. During his concerts, Folds frequently performs two of his concert traditions: palm-smashing the keys and throwing his stool at the piano. In March 2007, Folds went on

12760-518: The band members pursuing different projects. Folds' first solo album after the breakup of the band was Rockin' the Suburbs in 2001, released on the same day as the September 11 attacks . He played nearly all the instruments, most notably guitar, an instrument seldom used during the Ben Folds Five days. "The Luckiest" was written for the Amy Heckerling movie Loser , but the scene it was meant for

12905-535: The border with Glen Ridge. Small areas in the southeast of the township fall into the Glen Ridge ZIP code 07028. Several streams flow eastward through Montclair: Toney's Brook in the center, Nishuane Brook in the southeast, Wigwam Brook in the southwest, Pearl Brook in the northwest, and Yantacaw Brook in the northeast—all in the Passaic River watershed. Yantacaw and Toney's brooks are dammed in parks to create ponds. Wigwam, Nishuane, and Toney's brooks flow into

13050-453: The church era, all Christians are commanded to sing praises to God. They believe that if God wanted instrumental music in New Testament worship, He would have commanded not just singing, but singing and playing like he did in the Hebrew scriptures. Instruments have divided Christendom since their introduction into worship. They were considered a Roman Catholic innovation, not widely practiced until

13195-469: The church situation she has found in England (bold added): Those who do not adhere to the regulative principle of interpreting Christian scripture, believe that limiting praise to the unaccompanied chant of the early church is not commanded in scripture, and that churches in any age are free to offer their songs with or without musical instruments. Those who subscribe to this interpretation believe that since

13340-433: The country. A cappella has gained attention in the UK in recent years, with many groups forming at British universities by students seeking an alternative singing pursuit to traditional choral and chapel singing. This movement has been bolstered by organisations such as The Voice Festival UK . It is not clear exactly where collegiate a cappella began. The Rensselyrics of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (formerly known as

13485-502: The effort in 2010 and lobbied the Parks and Recreation Committee for support. The township council passed a resolution expressing approval of the project but allocated no funds for it. In the spring of 2020, an impromptu skatepark was created by community members on two of the unused tennis courts at Rand Park on North Fullerton Avenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, the township held

13630-415: The end of the 2nd century, Christians began condemning the instruments themselves. Those who oppose instruments today believe these Church Fathers had a better understanding of God's desire for the church, but there are significant differences between the teachings of these Church Fathers and Christian opposition to instruments today. Since "a cappella" singing brought a new polyphony (more than one note at

13775-404: The fact that vocal parts were often doubled by instrumentalists, led to the term coming to mean unaccompanied vocal music. The term is also used, rarely, as a synonym for alla breve . A cappella could be as old as humanity itself; research suggests that singing and vocables may have been what early humans used to communicate before the invention of language. The earliest piece of sheet music

13920-400: The federal revenue-sharing system, Montclair passed a referendum changing its name to the "Township of Montclair," becoming the third of more than a dozen Essex County municipalities to reclassify themselves as townships to take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis. Before cannabis

14065-620: The first a cappella musical on Broadway. Barbershop music is one of several uniquely American art forms. The earliest reports of this style of a cappella music involved African Americans. The earliest documented quartets all began in barber shops. In 1938, the first formal men's barbershop organization was formed, known as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A), and in 2004 rebranded itself and officially changed its public name to

14210-482: The first formal women's barbershop organization, Sweet Adelines, was formed. In 1953, Sweet Adelines became an international organization, although it did not change its name to Sweet Adelines International until 1991. The membership of nearly 25,000 women, all singing in English, includes choruses in most of the fifty United States as well as in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden,

14355-521: The first person to webcast a live-by-request concert over MySpace . The concert was complete with pranks staged ahead of time by Folds, including a drunk man falling over the balcony during "Jesusland" and a "suicide attempt" by Folds at the end. The concert is also notable for featuring a "guitorchestra", a group of acoustic guitarists from Nashville who accompanied Folds on some songs, as well as an impromptu ringtone orchestra made up of audience members playing their cellphone's ringtones in unison. A DVD of

14500-465: The four songs from Party Night (remixed and/or re-recorded) and "Emaline" and "Video", which Folds would later record with Ben Folds Five . The song "Get That Bug" from Party Night was released as a dance mix in Japan. After Majosha broke up, Folds played drums in a band called Pots and Pans with Evan Olson on bass and Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell on guitar and vocals, but the newly formed band lasted only about

14645-462: The group's only major chart placing in Australia, reaching no. 13; it also came in at no. 53 in the ARIA Australian Top 100 for that year and earned a Gold Record award while its parent album Whatever and Ever Amen peaked at no. 9 and charted for 32 weeks. Following their tour in support for The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner , the band decided to amicably break up, with each of

14790-613: The group, or beatboxers/vocal percussionists. Since 2013, summer training programs have appeared, such as A Cappella Academy in Los Angeles, California (founded by Ben Bram, Rob Dietz, and Avi Kaplan ) and Camp A Cappella in Dayton, Ohio (founded by Deke Sharon and Brody McDonald). These programs teach about different aspects of a cappella music, including vocal performance, arranging, and beatboxing/vocal percussion. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has no official anthem because of views by

14935-729: The impact of Darnell on his appreciation of music in his 2019 memoir A Dream About Lightning Bugs . In the late 1980s, Folds (as a bassist) formed the band Majosha with longtime friends Evan Olson , Millard Powers , and Eddie Walker. The group released several locally produced records. They played their first gig at Duke University 's Battle of the Bands in 1988, and won. They played at bars and fraternity parties, and self-produced an EP called Party Night: Five Songs About Jesus (1988), which they sold locally. The EP has four songs, none of which are about Jesus. They recorded Shut Up and Listen to Majosha in 1989. It contains, among other tracks,

15080-426: The largest collection of materials in northern New Jersey. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Montclair city council cut library funding to the minimum levels required by New Jersey law. The library's director resigned following a forensic audit, in which no irregularities were found. Montclair is home to many parks and nature reserves. Parks in Montclair are both county and municipal. Additional open space includes

15225-540: The latter three, which dealt with the passion from three different viewpoints, those of Matthew , Luke and John , were all done a cappella style. This was a near requirement for this type of piece, and the parts of the crowd were sung while the solo parts which were the quoted parts from either Christ or the authors were performed in a plainchant . In the Byzantine Rite of the Eastern Orthodox Church and

15370-475: The mid-20th century. The Free Methodist Church allowed for local church decision on the use of either an organ or piano in the 1943 Conference before lifting the ban entirely in 1955. The Reformed Free Methodist Church and Evangelical Wesleyan Church were formed as a result of a schism with the Free Methodist Church, with the former retaining a cappella worship and the latter retaining the rule limiting

15515-507: The mid-80s and lows in the 70s, with an average high of 86 degrees. From April to June and from September to early November, Montclair experiences temperatures from the lower 60s to the lower 70s. Montclair gets approximately 50 inches (1,300 mm) of rain per year, above the United States average of 39 inches (990 mm). Snowfall is common from December to early March and totals about 30 inches (76 cm) annually. The number of days each year in Montclair with any measurable precipitation

15660-636: The name Smooth McGroove rose to prominence with his style of a cappella music. He is best known for his a cappella covers of video game music tracks on YouTube . in 2015, an a cappella version of Jerusalem by multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier was selected for Beats by Dre "The Game Starts Here" for the England Rugby World Cup campaign. A cappella has been used as the sole orchestration for original works of musical theatre that have had commercial runs Off-Broadway (theatres in New York City with 99 to 500 seats) only four times. The first

15805-491: The name coming from President Trump's nickname for Rosenstein. In June 2020, he released the song "2020", describing the difficulty of living during the COVID-19 pandemic . Folds appeared on the podcast Storybound in 2021. In April 2021, he launched his own podcast, Lightning Bugs: Conversations with Ben Folds , speaking with various guests on their artistic processes and the nature of creativity. In March 2022, he announced

15950-603: The number of instruments in the church to the piano and organ. While worship in the Temple in Jerusalem included musical instruments, traditional Jewish religious services in the Synagogue, both before and after the last destruction of the Temple, did not include musical instruments given the practice of scriptural cantillation . The use of musical instruments is traditionally forbidden on

16095-840: The performance, " Live at MySpace ", was released on February 20, 2007. During a concert at the National Theatre in Richmond, Virginia on April 11, 2008, Folds announced that he had completed his newest album, and played four tracks from it. He played the first track, "Hiroshima", at the show. He also debuted new music at an impromptu gig at the Exit/In on December 19, 2007, and at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival on January 25, 2008. Other new songs included "Errant Dog", "Effington", "Bitch Went Nuts", "Free Coffee", and "Kylie From Connecticut". Folds played The 6th Annual Langerado on March 8, 2008, and

16240-415: The plans for the album began to change and take on the form of a more major release. On June 14, 2010, Folds released the official album art via his Twitter account. "From Above", the first single from the album, premiered on Richard Kingsmill 's new music show 2010 on Triple J in Australia on July 18, 2010. "From Above" features Australian singer Kate Miller-Heidke on backing vocals. Folds also recorded

16385-475: The podcast was on indefinite hiatus while he continued work on a new album. In April 2022, Folds contributed the title song to the Peanuts streaming special It's The Small Things, Charlie Brown , released on Apple TV+ for Earth Day . In May 2022, he also made a guest appearance in three episodes of the second season of The Wilds , a streaming drama series for Amazon Prime Video . The episodes featured

16530-432: The population were under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 87.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 82.2 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income

16675-419: The population. Of the 15,089 households, 33.9% had children under the age of 18; 46.1% were married couples living together; 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 37.4% were non-families. Of all households, 30.9% were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.15. 25.5% of

16820-498: The public so that fans can remix them. One such example is the a cappella release of Jay-Z 's Black Album , which Danger Mouse mixed with the Beatles ' White Album to create The Grey Album . On their 1966 album titled Album , Peter, Paul and Mary included the song "Norman Normal". All the sounds on that song, both vocals and instruments, were created by Paul's voice, with no actual instruments used. In 2013, an artist by

16965-484: The ridge of the First Watchung Mountain, and the point where Orange Road begins at the foot of Ridgewood Avenue. The eastern border is roughly a straight line between that point and a point just southwest of where Broad Street crosses the Third River. The western border runs roughly along the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain between Eagle Rock and the Essex County / Passaic County border. The northern border

17110-756: The song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" on his 2003 album Poodle Hat . According to music critic Nathan Rabin , the song "amplifies the noxious self-absorption of the American character to hilarious extremes" by describing a narrator who, upon hearing about a number of horrible tragedies, only complains about the (minor) inconveniences that affect him. Folds himself plays piano on the track. Yankovic later told The A.V. Club : "Ben and I are old friends at this point, and of course I sought his keyboard work for that song. So he came in and knocked it out." In 2004, Folds acted as producer, arranger, musician, and backup vocalist to William Shatner 's album Has Been . Shatner

17255-450: The southern section of the township (26,730 residents) into the 10th District, while the northern portion (11,299 residents) moved to the 11th District. For the 118th United States Congress , New Jersey's 10th congressional district is represented by LaMonica McIver ( D , Newark ). For the 118th United States Congress , New Jersey's 11th congressional district is represented by Mikie Sherrill ( D , Montclair ). New Jersey

17400-455: The style of the chapel ' ), less commonly spelled a capella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment . The term a cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato musical styles. In the 19th century, a renewed interest in Renaissance polyphony, coupled with an ignorance of

17545-737: The support of the local community and the theatre community of New York and New Jersey generally. For example, in 1975–1976 the company acknowledged over 120 substantial donors in their program as well as funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund . In 1989, Olympia Dukakis was named as the company's Artistic Director. Her two co-directors were Remi Barclay and Gerald Fierst, who were jointly responsible for Education and Outreach. In 2018 Brooke Lea Foster of The New York Times stated that it

17690-544: The synagogue, and it is only used from Rosh Chodesh Elul through the end of Yom Kippur . The shofar is used by itself, without any vocal accompaniment, and is limited to a very strictly defined set of sounds and specific places in the synagogue service. However, silver trumpets , as described in Numbers 10:1-18, have been made in recent years and used in prayer services at the Western Wall . Peter Christian Lutkin, dean of

17835-531: The township are designated 07042. Upper Montclair lies north of Watchung Avenue and has a separate ZIP code, 07043. Because the ZIP codes do not exactly match municipal boundaries, a few homes near the borders with neighboring towns fall into the ZIP codes for those communities. A few homes in some adjoining municipalities use one of the two ZIP codes assigned to Montclair, as does HackensackUMC Mountainside (07042, formerly known as Mountainside Hospital), whose campus straddles

17980-479: The township. The population density was 5,971.2 per square mile (2,305.5/km ). There were 15,911 housing units at an average density of 2,522.2 per square mile (973.8/km ). The racial makeup was 62.16% (23,416) White , 27.16% (10,230) Black or African American , 0.16% (59) Native American , 3.81% (1,434) Asian , 0.02% (9) Pacific Islander , 2.19% (826) from other races , and 4.50% (1,695) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.46% (2,810) of

18125-768: The track "Late", a tribute to the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith , and also features backup vocals from "Weird Al" Yankovic on "Time". Folds had played piano for Yankovic's song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" on his Poodle Hat album. On October 24, 2006, Folds released Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP , a compilation of songs that were originally released on the EPs Sunny 16 , Speed Graphic , and Super D . He announced on his MySpace blog that he planned to work on his next studio album in October 2006, although recording did not actually start until 2007. On that same day, Folds became

18270-516: The voices. Such is seen in the life of Palestrina becoming a major influence on Bach , most notably in the Mass in B Minor . Other composers that utilized the a cappella style, if only for the occasional piece, were Claudio Monteverdi and his masterpiece, Lagrime d'amante al sepolcro dell'amata (A lover's tears at his beloved's grave), which was composed in 1610, and Andrea Gabrieli when upon his death many choral pieces were discovered, one of which

18415-547: The world (see list of laureates in the Misplaced Pages article on the EGP competition). The reasons for the strong Swedish dominance are as explained by Richard Sparks manifold; suffice to say here that there is a long-standing tradition, an unusually large proportion of the populations (5% is often cited) regularly sing in choirs, the Swedish choral director Eric Ericson had an enormous impact on

18560-425: Was Avenue X which opened on 28 January 1994, and ran for 77 performances. It was produced by Playwrights Horizons with book by John Jiler, music and lyrics by Ray Leslee. The musical style of the show's score was primarily doo-wop as the plot revolved around doo-wop group singers of the 1960s. In 2001, The Kinsey Sicks , produced and starred in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway hit, DRAGAPELLA! Starring

18705-469: Was $ 95,696 (with a margin of error of +/− $ 5,396) and the median family income was $ 126,983 (+/− $ 8,950). Males had a median income of $ 83,589 (+/− $ 5,955) versus $ 66,063 (+/− $ 3,616) for females. The per capita income for the township was $ 53,572 (+/− $ 2,671). About 4.6% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over. Montclair has six distinct commercial zones: In

18850-502: Was a judge on the NBC a cappella singing contest The Sing-Off from 2009 to 2013. In July 2019, Folds published his first book, a memoir, titled A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons . Folds was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina . He became interested in piano at age nine. His father, a carpenter, brought one home through a barter trade with a customer who

18995-503: Was a part of the lineup for the 2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival . On July 16, 2008, an anonymous user posted what they claimed was a "leak" of Folds' latest album on a fan site (eventually called Way to Normal (Fake) ). The file contained nine tracks along with a PDF of supposed cover art, and was a mix of what appeared to be legitimate songs from Way to Normal , pastiches of dry humor and melodramatic pop interwoven with bright, energetic melodies. Folds explained on Triple J radio

19140-490: Was also involved in Folds' Fear of Pop project, contributing vocals to a number of songs on the album, most notably the song "In Love". In August 2008, Folds played piano for friend and Japanese singer-songwriter Angela Aki 's song "Black Glasses" on her album Answer . Folds produced Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls ' first solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer , which was released September 16, 2008. He also performs on

19285-660: Was appointed the first Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. His term was originally through the 2019–2020 season, but as of 2023 he continues in the position. Folds helps program NSO's Declassified series of concerts, which presents classical and contemporary music in modern, "reimagined" ways. The concerts have featured the orchestra playing with various featured artists, including Folds, Regina Spektor , Sara Bareilles , Jon Batiste , Emily King , and others. With

19430-420: Was being signed at that time by Columbia and I was talking to Steve, his A&R guy, and somehow we knew the same people or something." In 1995, Ben Folds Five released their self-titled debut album . The debut was followed by Whatever and Ever Amen in 1997, and the odds-and-ends compilation Naked Baby Photos was released in early 1998. Whatever and Ever Amen included many singles such as "Song for

19575-412: Was deleted. Millard Powers , Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell, and Jim Bogios joined Folds on the promotional tour of the album. "Weird Al" Yankovic directed and appeared in Folds' video for the album's namesake song, " Rockin' the Suburbs ". Folds' friend and fellow musician John McCrea , lead singer of the band Cake , contributed vocals to "Fred Jones, Part 2". A year later, Folds released Ben Folds Live ,

19720-678: Was elected as mayor, defeating Renée Baskerville. Peter Yacobellis and incumbent Robert Russo won the two at-large seats, defeating the three other candidates—James Cotter, Carmel Loughman, and Roger Terry. Incumbent Robin Schlager won the Second Ward, defeating Christina M. Thomas; Lori Price Abrams defeated Marguerite Joralemon in the Third Ward; incumbent Bill Hurlock won the First Ward seat, defeating John Hearn; and David Cummings, who ran unopposed, won in

19865-808: Was established as an outgrowth of the local St. John's Lutheran Church , where Christiansen was organist and the choir was composed, at least partially, of students from the nearby St. Olaf campus. The success of the ensemble was emulated by other regional conductors, and a tradition of a cappella choral music was born in the region at colleges like Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota), Augustana College (Rock Island, Illinois), Waldorf University (Forest City, Iowa), Luther College (Decorah, Iowa), Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minnesota), Augustana College (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), and Augsburg University (Minneapolis, Minnesota). The choirs typically range from 40 to 80 singers and are recognized for their efforts to perfect blend, intonation, phrasing and pitch in

20010-447: Was formed as a semi-professional orchestra, with professional musicians and students from top colleges. Montclair was the setting for some of the stories in the HBO television series The Sopranos , and many Montclair streets, locations, and businesses were featured in the show, such as Bloomfield Avenue. Montclair Public Library is one of the oldest public libraries in New Jersey, with

20155-525: Was in the unaccompanied style. Learning from the preceding two composers, Heinrich Schütz utilized the a cappella style in numerous pieces, chief among these were the pieces in the oratorio style, which were traditionally performed during the Easter week and dealt with the religious subject matter of that week, such as Christ's suffering and the Passion . Five of Schutz's Historien were Easter pieces, and of these

20300-568: Was later renamed The Semantics . Folds did not take a creative role in the band. He attracted interest from major labels. He ended up playing drums in Nashville as a session musician : In Nashville, I was running eight miles a day, hanging out with my friends, walking around eating chocolate-chip cookies and playing a lot of drums, which I enjoyed. Life was easy. I was never frustrated—even though I wasn't fulfilling my contract obligations. If you are failing in Nashville, at least your standard of living

20445-548: Was legalized for sale for both medical and recreational use in 2022, the state's first marijuana dispensary opened in Montclair in December 2012, joining Bellmawr , Cranbury , Egg Harbor Township , and Woodbridge Township as one of the five municipalities that had authorized the sale of medical cannabis . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the township had a total area of 6.25 square miles (16.17 km ), including 6.24 square miles (16.16 km ) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.02 km ) of water (0.11%). Montclair

20590-474: Was one of several "least suburban of suburbs, each one celebrated by buyers there for its culture and hip factor, as much as the housing stock and sophisticated post-city life." Montclair hosts many art institutions and theaters, and despite its relatively small size, has many art venues. It has its own art museum, the Montclair Art Museum , and several small galleries. Montclair also hosts one cinema,

20735-496: Was part of MySpace's "Front to Back" series, in which artists played an entire album live. The band played The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner . All proceeds from ticket sales benefited the charity Operation Smile , of which Folds' uncle, Jim Folds, is on the board of directors for the North Carolina Chapter. Way to Normal was released on September 30, 2008, in the United States and on September 29, 2008, in

20880-478: Was partially filmed in Montclair. Herman Hupfeld , composer of the song " As Time Goes By ", was born, lived, and was buried in Montclair. The song was voted No. 2 on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film. The indie rock band Pinegrove is from Montclair. In 2023, it released Montclair: Live at the Wellmont Theater , a film recording a 2021 performance in Montclair. In 1971,

21025-463: Was unable to pay. During this time, Folds listened to songs by Elton John and Billy Joel on AM radio , and learned them by ear. During his years at Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem , Folds played in several bands as the pianist, bassist, or drummer. Folds attended the University of Miami 's Frost School of Music on a full percussion scholarship, but dropped out after having failed 'the jury' and losing his scholarship. He devoted

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