Notes:Sheepscot Valley Chorus Welcomes New Singers
The Sheepscot Valley Chorus begins their 38th season with a potluck supper at 6:00 PM with a rehearsal at 7:00 PM, on Tuesday, September 11 at the Wiscasset Congregational Church on Route 1. With a long history of community music making, members of the Chorus welcome and encourage new singers to join us. Singers wishing to participate may call director Linda Blanchard at 207-380-2768, or simply come to the first rehearsal.
The major work for Sheepscot Chorus this fall will be Hubert Parry’s stirring and intricate “Magnificat in F” for mixed voices and soprano soloist. Dedicated to Queen Victoria on her Diamond Jubilee, the Magnificat is in five sections with an emphasis on counterpoint, as well as other Baroque devices, and takes its cue from Bach’s own Magnificat (BWV 243). This is quite apparent in the exultant opening, while the third part, “Et misericordia,” is a choral meditation with a moving violin obbligato, and one of Parry’s loveliest moments. The finale ends with an exciting fugue and cyclic reminder of the work’s opening measures.
The December concert will also feature a mixture of classical works and lighter holiday fare, including the Leroy Anderson Christmas carol extravaganza “A Christmas Festival” which was played for many years by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. Sheepscot Valley Chorus is directed by Linda Blanchard and accompanied by Sean Fleming, both of Damariscotta. The Chorus will perform their concert Sunday, December 2 at 3:00 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor.
