Choir members India Jones, left, and Bianca Mathis.

The unofficial launch of the holiday season at Matheny starts off with the annual concert presented by the Matheny choirs. This year, the theme was “Fruitcake & Mistletoe,” and the selections included “Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “ Santa Baby” and “Winter Wonderland.” There was also a new twist on an old favorite by members of the music therapy staff, who sang, “Oh Little Town of Hackensack.”

The choirs perform throughout the year at a variety of venues, and the music therapy program also invites musicians to perform at Matheny and facilitates trips by students and patients to outside concerts and musical performances. The music therapy staff consists of five full-time board-certified music therapists. The holiday concerts were held on Wednesday afternoon, December 5, and Thursday evening, December 6.