April 18, 2020 @ 3:00 pm The Sheepscot Valley Chorus begins their 40th season with April 18 and 19 performances of Paul Winter’s “Missa Gaia (Earth Mass): A Mass in Celebration of Mother Earth.” The Chorus’ performances of “Missa Gaia” celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Written by Paul Winter in 1981, the work was dedicated to St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology. In “Missa Gaia” Winter created a work both ecumenical and ecological, embracing all the voices of the Earth. The piece will feature a children’s choir, African percussion, bass, cello, guitar, organ, piano, and soprano sax, along with animal calls. The concerts will be on Saturday, April 18 at 3:00 PM and Sunday, April 19 at 3:00 PM at the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor. The Chorus is directed by Linda Blanchard and accompanied by Sean Fleming. Tickets are $15 for adults and free for students, and may be purchased in April at Sherman’s Bookstore in Boothbay Harbor and Damariscotta, Treats in Wiscasset, and at the door. For more information, please visit facebook.com/sheepscotchorus and sheepscotvalleychorus.org.
January 14, 2020 @ 7:00 pm The Sheepscot Valley Chorus is beginning preparation for an April performance of Paul Winter’s “Missa Gaia (Earth Mass): A Mass in Celebration of Mother Earth.” All are welcome to join us for our first rehearsal, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 7:00 p.m., Congregational Church, Wiscasset. We’re a friendly group, working to perfect our craft as we enjoy the company of our fellow singers. Come join us! Our performance of “Missa Gaia” celebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Written by Paul Winter in 1981, the work was dedicated to St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology. In “Missa Gaia” Winter created a work both ecumenical and ecological, embracing all the voices of the Earth. The piece will feature a children’s choir, African percussion, bass, cello, guitar, organ, piano, and soprano sax, along with animal calls. Members of the Chorus welcome and encourage new singers to join us. Those wishing to participate may call director Linda Blanchard at 207-380-2768, or simply come to the first rehearsal.
December 8, 2019 @ 3:00 pm Sheepscot Valley Chorus celebrates its 39th season with a “Christmas Pops!” concert on Sunday, December 8, at 3:00 p.m., at the Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church. Led by artistic director Linda Blanchard and accompanist Sean Fleming, the concert will feature Felix Mendelssohn’s brilliant Magnificat setting, the Magnificat in D. The concert will also include several jazzy arrangements of hit tunes such as “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire),” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and more! The vocal talents of soprano Mary Sullivan, alto Jazmin DeRice, tenors Jesse Wakeman and David Myers, Jr., and bass John David Adams will be featured in solos, duets, and trios, and a jazz combo will accompany the chorus on several numbers. Written in 1822 when Mendelssohn was only 13, the Magnificat in D is in seven sections, with solo movements interspersed with ones for full chorus. The musicologist and critic Hans Keller used to say that Mendelssohn was even more phenomenal as a boy prodigy than Mozart, writing more impressive masterpieces while still in his teens. In 1822 Mendelssohn was set by his teacher Karl Zelter to write pieces in the style of compositional masters such as Bach, Mozart, and Haydn, and so the Magnificat is similar to Bach’s compositional style. The Bach influence is quite apparent in the exultant opening, in which orchestral passages are alternated with choral passages. For the last movement, an exciting Haydn-like fugue ends the piece on a triumphant note. The fabulous soprano Mary Sullivan will headline the second half of the concert. Sullivan will lend her inimitable talents to such pieces as “Gesù bambino,” “Maria Wiegenlied,” and the Roland Carter’s gospel hit “Mary Had a Baby.” The finale of the concert will be “Jingle Bells” as sung by Michael Bublé and The Puppini Sisters, accompanied by a combo including Marcus Hutchins, winds, Asher Barreras, bass, and Doug Kennedy, drums. In the spirit of Christmas giving, Sheepscot Chorus asks concert attendees to bring a canned or boxed food item and/or a monetary donation for the Boothbay Region Food Pantry. Tickets are $15 for adults and free for students, and may be purchased at Sherman’s Bookstore in Boothbay Harbor and Damariscotta, Treats in Wiscasset, and at the door. For more information, please visit facebook.com/sheepscotchorus and sheepscotvalleychorus.org.