The Sheepscot Valley Chorus will present a concert of celebration, changing seasons, and the joy of hope and renewal – music ancient, music contemporary at the Congregational Church, Boothbay Harbor, on Sunday December 7, 2014 at 3:00 pm. Some highlights include Franz Schubert’s Magnificat (1861) and Francesco Durant’s Magnificat (1700). Franz Schubert, of Austria, was an “unrivaled master of lyrical beauty”. The mystery of such beauty must be left – kept – and sensed in a spiritual sense of our thinking. Francesco Durante, of Naples, Italy, was a leading composer of church music. The linking of church and state were one and the same: wealth given of God. Alford Burt’s music will also be featured. This American composer, a Second World War Veteran, translated the ageless message of seasonal transitions to modern romantic jazz – a meter of harmony and companionship. Christmas Carols by British composer, John Rutter will also be performed. Rutter’s music carries a strong sense of American jazz –a binding dissidence that is heard in the compositions of Duke Ellington and Sarah Vaughn. Under the direction of Linda Blanchard, accompanied by pianist Sean Fleming, the chorus will perform a beautiful program of music, rooted in history and traditional praise. Soloist, Soprano: Nina Tilander, Alto: Sue Hunt, Tenor: David Myers, Jr. and Bass: John David Adams. Instrumentalists include Dina Liva & Carol Preston, Violin; Linda Theriault, Viola; Christina Chute, Cello; and Quinn Gormley, Percussion. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $15, or in advance, for $12, from Treats in Wiscasset, Sherman’s Book Store in Boothbay Harbor, or Maine Coast Book Shop, Damariscotta.