Nighttime Odyssey with Shoreline Chorale

         The Shoreline Chorale’s concert, “Nighttime Odyssey” on May 14, will express experiences, emotions, creatures, and escapes of the night with a full concert program of choral and instrumental music.  The concert includes renditions of ‘Sure on This Shining Night’ by Samuel Barber, the dramatic ‘Night, Sleep, Death and the Stars’ by Daniel Gawthrop, the comedic Animal Crackers by Eric Whitacre, and spirituals of nighttime escapes to freedom. 

          Featured Guest Artist, harpist Jessie Gutgsell will perform Claude Debussey’s ‘Claire de Lune’ and Alphonse Hasselmans’ ‘La Source’ and will accompany the Chorale in ‘Night, Sleep, Death and the Stars’ by Daniel Gawthrop,  as well as a women’s ensemble singing ‘Come to Me, Mt Love.’  Ms. Gutgsell has been a professional harpist for over a decade. She began her harp studies in Cleveland, Ohio at the age of six.  Jessie received her Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University under the renowned guidance of Susann McDonald and Elzbieta Szmyt.  Jessie has always loved will s classical harp repertoire but also enjoys exploring the jazz and popular music capabilities of the harp.  When she is not playing the harp Jessie enjoys spending time with her husband Joe, hiking, reading and cooking at their home in New Haven, CT.  Jessie will receive the Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School on May 21^st, and she and Joe will be moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan this summer where she will begin serving as Assistant Rector of St. Clare of Assisi Episcopal Church.

As yet another crowd-pleasing attraction, the popular group, ‘The Shoreliners,’ will perform a rollicking version of ‘In the Still of the Night and the Day’ arranged by chorale member Charles Houlihan. 

This concert marks the inaugural year under Music Director Sarah Kaufold, who also serves as Minister of Music at St. Mark’s Chapel in Storrs.  The Shoreline Chorale is delighted to have Sarah as our Music Director.  Her experience, sophistication, and vocal teaching expertise will helps the Chorale to continue and build our tradition of exploring the choral arts through learning and performing a variety of musical styles and genres.  We look forward to our theme-based concerts, which often include guest artists to present exciting, well-rounded concert experiences.  
            Ms. Kaufold has an accomplished career in solo, choral, voice instruction and choral conducting performance in California, Missouri, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.  She is an experienced conductor, teacher, and singer who strives to interweave the teaching of vocal pedagogy into the choral experience.  Sarah holds a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from University of Connecticut after extensive graduate study in choral conducting at California State University, Los Angeles.  She has studied conducting under Jamie Spillane, Donald Brinegar, William Belan, and Iris Levine.  Before pursuing her master’s degree, she obtained a B.A. in Psychology from California Polytechnic University, Pomona where she also began her studies as a music educator.  Her choral teaching experience includes four years as a choir teacher at the junior and high school level in California, as well as directing the Women’s Choir and Collegiate Choir as a graduate student at UConn.
          Sarah has sung professionally throughout the Los Angeles area and in New England while maintaining a private vocal studio for almost 15 years.  She is currently a member of the professional chamber choir, Novi Cantori, in Springfield, Massachusetts.  She has directed church choirs for over 10 years in Southern California and Missouri, and is currently the Minister of Music at St. Marks Chapel in Storrs, where she has directed the adult choir and coordinated the children’s music program since 2012.  She resides in the “quiet corner” of Connecticut with her husband, Bill, and their three vivacious children.  

Accompanist Joyce Baxter also serves as Music Director at the Clinton Congregational Church.  

The concert will be performed at 4pm Saturday, May 14 at the Madison First Congregational Church, 26 Meetinghouse Lane, Madison.  Suggested Donation is $15-20 with children under 12 free.  A reception will follow the concert.  For more information, call 203-421-4483, email info@shorelinechorale.org, or visit www.shorelinechorale.org.

Since its founding in 1982 by the Shoreline Arts Alliance, The Shoreline Chorale has presented choral arts in a variety of genres for the enjoyment of concert attendees and singers alike.  The Shoreline Chorale will perform “Nighttime Odyssey” at 4pm on Saturday, May 14 at the First Congregational Church of Madison, on the Green.

As yet another crowd-pleasing attraction, the popular group, ‘The Shoreliners,’ will perform a rollicking version of ‘In the Still of the Night and the Day’ arranged by chorale member Charles Houlihan.  This concert marks the inaugural year under Music Director Sarah Kaufold, who also serves as Minister of Music at St. Mark’s Chapel in Storrs.  The Shoreline Chorale is delighted to have Sarah as our Music Director.  Her experience, sophistication, and vocal teaching expertise will help the Chorale to continue and build our tradition of exploring the choral arts through learning and performing a variety of musical styles and genres.  We look forward to our theme-based concerts, which often include guest artists to present exciting, well-rounded concert experiences.

Branford Messiah’s FREE 28th Annual Holiday Performance of Handel’s Messiah

A Shoreline performance of the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah is scheduled for Sunday, December 20 at 5:30pm in the First Congregational Church of Branford (on the Green). This will be a special performance this season as we celebrate the life of Ettie Minor Luckey, founder and artistic director of this wonderful holiday tradition 28 years ago, who passed away this past spring. In her honor the Branford Messiah will continue to bring this beloved piece of oratorio music to the citizens of the Shoreline.  Seasonal performances of Handel’s Messiah, for many, are as popular as performances of The Nutcracker and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show. The Branford Messiah production is offered to the community for free.  Ettie’s vision when she started this project was to present this classical piece at no admission cost so that all could enjoy this beautiful story set to music.  In many of Handel’s oratorios the choruses are overshadowed by the intricate and extensive solo parts.  But in Messiah, says Laurence Cummings, director of the London Handel Orchestra, "the chorus propels the work forward with great emotional impact and uplifting messages" (Smithsonian.com).  With these choruses, alternating with beautiful solos and outstanding orchestral accompaniment the host Churches on the Shoreline have been filled to capacity for 25 years and for many this performance is a highlight of the holiday season.   

It is because of the generosity of local businesses and individuals that this program has been sustained since its inception in 1987.  This 28^th annual performance is once again being directed by Wesleyan University professor Roy Wiseman. Roy Wiseman is a conductor who has premiered dozens of works by American composers; he has conducted at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Kennedy Center, the Oregon Festival of American Music, the Goodspeed Opera House, the Yale Center for British Art, and the Palace Theater (New Haven). He is currently serving as Conductor of the Wesleyan University Orchestra, and is the founder and Artistic Director of both New World Consort, a chamber ensemble that specializes in American music, and Elite Syncopation, a ragtime/early jazz ensemble that tours nationally.  Soloists for the performance will be: Lielle Berman-soprano, Krysty Swann-mezzo soprano, Ed Hull-tenor and Jorell Williams-bass.  Joining them will be more than 50 community singers and a 14-piece orchestra. The performance is free to attend though a free will offering is greatly appreciated.  As this performance is always well attended it is suggested that you plan on arriving at least 20 minutes early to be assured of a seat.

More than 250 years after the death of George Frideric Handel , his oratorio Messiah has become synonymous with the Christmas season.  Though this work was originally created as an Easter offering and first performed in April of 1742, now it is performed regularly at this time of the year in concert halls throughout the world.  Handel composed this masterpiece in the summer of 1741 in less than four weeks, musically scored around the text written by Charles Jennens, a prominent librettist of the time.  Handel then premiered the work that following spring in Dublin, Ireland.  His choice of Dublin rather than London is often compared to the Broadway producers trying their shows out in New Haven before bringing them to the New York City audience (Smithsonian.com). It provided Handel the opportunity to gage reaction before presenting it to the London aficionados, which he successfully then did in March of 1743. 

For anyone who has ever attended a performance of this masterwork one knows that it is common practice for all to stand for the finale chorus “Hallelujah.”  Have you ever wondered why this is done?  I expect that there are many stories or reasons to explain this occurrence and many theories abound, the most common being that King George II, attending that London premiere of  Messiah in March of 1743, was so moved by the “Hallelujah’’ that he stood up - and if the king stands, everybody stands!  Whatever the reason, it is a wonderful tradition and a wonderful tribute to the orchestral and vocal performers (Smithsonian.com).

Film Screening: “Letter from Italy, 1944: A New American Oratorio” on September 21 August 12, 2015

This special on-campus screening will be September 21 at 4pm at the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall Street, New Haven. The event is open to the public, and sponsored by the Association of Yale Alumni in Medicine, Yale Veterans Association, Yale Student Veterans Council and Jonathan Edwards College.

Every generation is affected by war and its' aftermath. 'Letter from Italy, 1944: A New American Oratorio' is a new one hour documentary narrated by Meryl Streep and directed by five-time Emmy Award winning filmmaker Karyl Evans (Yale Fellow) about the creation of an oratorio written by two sisters about their father, Dr. John K. Meneely Jr., a doctor trained at Yale Medical School (1941) and a medic in the elite 10th Mountain Division during World War II, who returned home from Italy with post-traumatic stress disorder. The film explores the history of the 10th Mountain Division, the effects of war on a soldier and on his relationships with his wife, Delia Page Marshall, a nurse trained at Yale School of Nursing (1941), his family, as well as the creative process of producing the oratorio about his life.

Grammy-nominated composer Sarah Meneely-Kyder and her sister, noted poet Nancy Meneely, both Connecticut residents, have written the compelling two hour oratorio in collaboration with the Greater Middletown Chorale's Artist Director Joseph D'Eugenio. The film follows the creative process of writing the oratorio's lyrics, which are based on Dr. Meneely's poetic letters home from war, writing the music, staging of the oratorio by theater director Sheila Garvey, as well as the rehearsal process with the Greater Middletown Chorale (now called the “GMChorale”) and the soloists including tenor Jack Anthony Pott and Metropolitan Opera soprano Patricia Schuman. The film uses archival images and interviews with the creators, singers, three World War II 10th Mountain Division veterans, historians, audience members, community participants, and other veterans to weave a compelling story about a veteran and his family and the way a shared artistic experience can help heal the trauma of war.

The screening is open to the public, and will be followed by a panel discussion." The following panelists are expected:

 *   Moderator: Karyl Evans - Filmmaker

 *   For the first time in public talking about the film chronicling their father's wartime experience and the writing of their oratorio - sisters:

    *   Nan Meneely - poet and lyricist

    *   Sarah Meneely-Kyder - composer

 *   Medical Experts:

    *   Laurie Harkness, Ph.D. - Founder and Director, Errera Community Care Center, VA Hospital, West Haven, CT

    *   Alice Forrester, Ph.D. - Executive Director, Clifford Beers Clinic, New Haven, CT

    *   Hadar Lubin, M.D., Co-Director, Post Traumatic Stress Center, New Haven, CT; Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine

 *   Veterans:

    *   Amy Otzel

    *   Adrian Bonenberger (10th Mountain Division - Afghanistan)

Gala World Premiere of Karyl Evans’ Documentary Film Letter from Italy, 1944: A New American Oratorio Narrated by Meryl Streep

L to R: Nan Meneely, Joseph D'Eugenio, Sarah Meneely-Kyder, Meryl Streep, Karyl Evans

Greater Middletown Chorale will celebrate Flag Day with the World Premiere screening of a moving documentary about PTSD and music, entitled “Letter from Italy, 1944: A New American Oratorio.” The film, by Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Karyl Evans and narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Meryl Streep, chronicles the creation of Letter from Italy, 1944 (LFI), which was presented to a standing-room-only audience by GMChorale in April of 2013. The screening of this powerful documentary will begin at 3:30 pm on Sunday, June 14, at the MHS Performing Arts Center, 200 LaRosa Lane, Middletown, CT. There is a suggested donation of $25.

After a recent screening of the documentary for a Yale veterans’ group, Professor Andy Morgan from the University of New Haven commented, “In her film, Karyl Evans achieves something that many filmmakers only aspire to do: She inspires! While letting us share an intimate portrait of the love and the losses created by war in one family, she gives us the opportunity to experience a stunning work of art and to remember that we are not spectators to war and its effects; we are fellow human beings who share the toll exacted by war and who can also find solace and resolution in music and poetry.”

In 2010, Grammy-nominated composer Sarah Meneely-Kyder and her sister, noted poet Nancy Meneely, saw GMChorale’s staged production of Mendelsson’s Elijah, and were so impressed with the performance that they chose GMChorale to bring their music, based on their father’s poetry and war-time love letters to their mother, to the public stage. The oratorio, conceived by the two sisters, is the story of their father, Dr. John Meneely, a medic with the 10th Mountain Division in WWII, who returned home with emotional wounds— what we now term PTSD.

The Chorale commissioned the work, according to Artistic Director Joseph D’Eugenio, to “create something very new and very innovative,” blurring the lines between several genres—opera, choral music and theater—thereby expanding its appeal to a larger audience. The completion of the oratorio resulted from a collaborative effort between Director D’Eugenio and the sisters to create a story line, with the music being composed around the poems, and to decide which pieces would be choruses, arias, duets and trios. Sheila Garvey, who had staged the Chorale’s performance of Elijah, was brought in to operatically stage LFI.

Early on, Karyl Evans (karylevansproductions.com) was approached about the possibility of documenting the preparation and performance of the oratorio and expanding the message of Dr. Meneely’s story, which is also the story of any soldier who goes to war and returns home to struggle with the effects of that experience. The film includes many interviews, including three with WWII veterans from the 10th Mountain Division (two of whom are from CT) who attended the performance and spoke of their military experiences.

The GMChorale-commissioned documentary expresses the Meneely sisters’ hope that writing this oratorio would honor their father’s life, as well as all who go to war and those who wait for them at home. In the words of tenor Jack Anthony Pott, who sang the role of Dr. Meneely, “If this story touches one person, it has done its work.”

The Premiere Gala, GMChorale’s major fund-raiser, will follow this event at 5:30 pm at Wadsworth Mansion, 421 Wadsworth St., Middletown. Join the GMChorale and film celebrities as they gather to celebrate with food, drink and song! Gala admission is $100 per person, which will include the screening of the film. Visit www.gmchorale.org or call 860-316-4854 for information.

World Class Opera Voices Headline Master Works Concert

Cappella Cantorum MasterWorks Chorus is indeed most fortunate to have two outstanding operatic female voices headlining the production of Bach Magnificat & Vivaldi Gloria, December 7. Performance takes place at St. Mark The Evangelist Catholic Church in Westbrook at 3pm.

Soprano Patricia Schuman has performed previously with Cappella Cantorum MasterWorks Chorus, most recently with our production of Poulenc Gloria and Bass Christmas Ornaments in 2008.
Recently, Miss Schuman made her role debut as The Duchess in Thomas Ades’ Powder her Face with the Opera Company of Philadelphia to great critical acclaim.  Preceding that, she appeared at the Glimmerglass Festival in a double bill as Estelle Oglethorpe in John Musto’s Later the Same Evening and as Carlotta O’Neill in a world premiere of A Blizzard at Marblehead Neck by Jeanine Tesori.  Miss Schuman made her debut with the Houston Grand Opera in the title role of Florencia en el Amazonas by Daniel Catàn, which she also recorded for Albany Records.  She can be seen on video as Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Donna Elvira(Don Giovanni) from the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, and Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) from Madrid Opera.  In the last few years, Miss Schuman has concentrated on recital and chamber music.  In January of 2013, she appeared with husband, David Pittsinger, in recital at the Essex Winter Series.  Following that, she premiered a new oratorio, Letter from Italy, by composer Sarah Meneely-Kyder and Connecticut poet Nancy Meneely, led by Joseph d’Eugenio and the Greater Middletown Chorale.

While this will be the first time contralto Heather Petrie has performed under the Cappella Cantorum MasterWorks Chorus banner, several members of Cappella Cantorum had the pleasure of singing with Ms. Petrie with the collaborative production by Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Connecticut Lyric Opera Chorus, New Britain Chorale and Paderewski-Polonia Choir where she headlined their production of Verdi Requiem last year.

Ms. Petrie returned last season to debut the role of Mary in Wagner’s der Fliegende Holländer, and was alto soloist in Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater.  In Manhattan, she performs frequently with Musica Sacra, the choir of St. Ignatius Loyola, and Voices of Ascension, and has also sung with the Holy Trinity Bach Vespers series, and at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This past spring Heather made her Carnegie Hall debut with the American Symphony Orchestra, as alto soloist in Ernst Bloch’s Israel Symphony.  At Symphony Space, she has given concert performances of Suor Angelica(La Zia Principessa) and Hänsel and Gretel (The Witch).  Other opera roles include Larina in Eugene Onegin, Baba in The Medium, Miss Todd in the Old Maid and the Thief, Arnalta in L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro.  She has also been a member of the chorus at both Bard Summerscape, and the Princeton Festival.

To purchase tickets click here.

Bach’s Magnificat in D major (BWV 243) is a setting of the Magnificat text by Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach first composed a version in E flat major (BVW 243a) in 1723 for Christmas Vespers in Leipzig and then reworked that music in D major in 1733 for the Marian Feast of the Visitation which was celebrated on July 2.  This second version had its premiere at the Thomaskirche on July 2, 1733.
The Latin text is the canticle of Mary, mother of Jesus, as told in the Gospel of Luke.

Vivaldi’s Gloria (RV 589) is the most familiar and popular piece of sacred music by Vivaldi; however, he was known to have written at least three Gloria settings.  Only two survive (RV 588 and RV 589) whilst the other (RV 590) is presumably lost and is only mentioned in the Kreuzherren catalogue.  The two surviving settings were written at about the same time (it is disputed which came first) in the early 18th century.  This piece was composed at the same time during Vivaldi’s employment at the Pieta.  The work remained relatively unknown, until its revival by Alfredo Casella during “Vivaldi Week” in Siena (1939).  Vivaldi’s Gloria (RV 589) enjoys well-founded popularity and has been recorded on almost one hundred CDs.

Cappella Cantorum is the lower Connecticut River Valley and Shoreline’s premiere non-auditioned community choral organization whose primary purpose is to learn, perform and enjoy great choral music while striving for excellence and the enrichment of its singers and audience.

The Dialogue Continues - Things That Really Matter

The New Haven Chorale will present "The Dialogue Continues - Things That Really Matter,” a program of choral music and panel discussion, on Thursday, June 12, 2014 at Trinity Church on the Green free to the public. A panel of community religious leaders will explore important social issues confronting our communities today, with choral music complementing and emphasizing these topics. This event will continue a dialogue begun in panel discussions that accompanied the Chorale’s 2013 New Haven and Hartford performances of "Understanding" which explored common ground among religions.

Christopher (Kip) Bergstrom, Deputy Commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development, will moderate a discussion among the following panelists, with audience participation.

Mehlaqa Samdani is founder and executive director of Critical Connections, a Massachusetts-based non-profit committed to improving understanding of the Muslim world and Muslim Diaspora, and a peace-building associate at the Karuna Peacebuilding Center in Amherst, MA, developing a proposal to address sectarian violence in Pakistan.

Fr. James Manship of Saint Rosa de Lima Church in New Haven was named “Person of the Year” by the New Haven Register and featured in the Hartford Courant for serving as an advocate for people suffering racial discrimination.

Rabbi Joshua Rattner, of Congregation Kol Ami in Cheshire, CT, was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary where he was a Joseph Neubauer Fellow and earned a Master's Degree in Midrash and a Certificate in Pastoral Care. Passionate about interplay between Judaism, culture, and public policy, he has worked as a rabbinic fellow for both the Rabbinical Assembly and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. He previously earned a JD from Columbia Law School and practiced law for five years before deciding to become a rabbi.

Rev. Frederick J. Streets served as the Yale University Chaplain and Senior Pastor of the Church of Christ in Yale from 1992-2007, where he established a model for multi-faith campus ministry. Jerry currently serves as Pastor of the Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ. The Reverend Dr. Streets is no stranger to his current post, having served there as an intern during his seminary years.

To develop “The Dialogue Continues,” the Chorale gathered a working group last fall of community religious leaders, several of whom had also participated in developing the “Understanding” project, to frame its vision and plan the forum for community and religious leaders and the public to talk about pressing social issues affecting the community. It is hoped that upon leaving the event, attendees would:
1.   Recognize that we, as faith communities, are not doing enough to address severe social, economic, and health challenges impacting the larger community;
2.  Understand the web of causation and the challenges impacting inner cities in general;
3.   Recognize that no one faith community can solve the problems alone, and that stronger relationships, better understanding, and commitments to work together must be developed in order to address these challenges;
4.   Appreciate that even one small act of kindness can change a life, and that many acts of kindness can change communities.

The Chorale invites members of community organizations, senior residences, educational institutions, and the congregations of area churches, mosques and synagogues to this event since the social issues affect so many individuals and the quality of life in the community.

While not a religious organization itself, the New Haven Chorale believes that music is a universal language, and that choral music offers a powerful opportunity to eloquently communicate words of great impact and understanding. Since much of its repertoire is based on religious texts which express timeless insights into humanity’s search for meaning and purpose in life, the Chorale helps build community by collaborating with partners to put the power of choral music, with its great themes, to work. In so doing the New Haven Chorale hopes to expand interest in choral music and encourage civic engagement by other individuals and groups.

Press Release from New Haven Chorale

Greater New Haven Community Chorus will perform the world premiere of Voices of One, a commissioned choral piece by award-winning composer Jake Runestad at its 50th anniversary spring concert – Spirit – on Saturday evening, May 31 at 8:00 p.m. at Battell Chapel on the Yale University campus.  A special pre-concert presentation by the composer will take place prior to the concert at 7:00 pm.

The choral composition Voices of One, is the final stage of the chorus’ year-long creative development process:  Photography and poetry contests encouraged amateur photographers and poets from the Greater New Haven area to contribute to the creative process through their art forms.  Poems, based on winning images chosen in the photo contest, were then offered to Runestad as a basis of the text for the choral work, which he set to music.

The concert will also include Rejoice in the Lamb by Benjamin Britten, as well as works by Gwyneth Walker, Gerald Finzi and Frank Ticheli.  Tickets are on sale at www.gnhcc.org or at the door the evening of the performance.  More program information can be also be found at their website.

Runestad (b. 1986) is noted for his versatility and wide range of expressive capabilities with music driven by soaring melodies, driving rhythms, and lush textures.  Considered “highly imaginative…with big ideas” (Baltimore Sun) and “stirring and uplifting” (Miami Herald), Jake has received commissions and performances from leading ensembles such as Seraphic Fire, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, VocalEssence, the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Cantus (Minnesota), and the Rockford Symphony Orchestra.  A diverse composer, Mr. Runestad’s prolific body of work represents many genres – including music for wind band, chorus, orchestra, chamber ensembles, jazz ensembles, and opera.  He has received awards and grants from ASCAP, the American Composers Forum, the Peabody Conservatory, the Otto Bremmer Foundation, VocalEssence, the Virginia Arts Festival, the National Association for Music Education, the Association for Lutheran Church Musicians, and the American Choral Directors Association of Minnesota.

Jake Runestad holds a Master’s degree in composition from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University where he studied with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts.  He has also studied extensively with acclaimed composer Libby Larsen. Mr. Runestad currently lives in Minneapolis, MN.

Mr. Runestad, who is also a conductor and has worked with student, volunteer, and professional ensembles across the U.S. will lead a sight reading workshop for choral singers on May 28 at Hamden High School sponsored by GNHCC. An advocate of new music, he has conducted the premiere of several of his own works.  His acclaimed choral work I Will Lift Mine Eyes will be used in the workshop.  Registration for the event can be found at www.gnhcc.org.

Greater New Haven Community Chorus is a non-auditioned chorus of approximately 100 voices which draws its membership from throughout the greater New Haven area.  GNHCC strives to embrace the wide diversity of the community and is committed to making quality music accessible and approachable for audiences and members alike.  Greater New Haven Community Chorus was founded in 1963 as a venture in community singing and continues to perform with pride and distinction.

For more information about GNHCC, please visit www.gnhcc.org or email: info@gnhcc.org.

Rhythms of Dancing

With a rhythmic concert program “The Shoreline’s Own” Shoreline Chorale will present “Rhythms of Dancing” at 4pm Sunday, April 27 at the Westbrook High School.

Choral selections emphasize the rhythmic qualities of numerous dance styles, including German waltz, Hungarian, Latin (tango, Cachucha), African (Nigerian, Shona), and American (folk, Shaker) styles. Some rhythms move in smooth cadence, some step intricately, while others drive boisterously.

The Chorale’s lively Shoreliners Quintet will perform "Soft Shoe Song” (The Dance My Darlin' Used to Do), composed by Sid Bass with lyrics by Roy Jordan, in a rendition arranged for this concert by chorale and quintet member Charles Houlihan. With its very smooth and leisurely cadence, the soft shoe style was made famous by Fred Astaire, George M. Cohan and Pat Rooney, and has withstood the test of time. This number is sure to bring memories of that era of American music and dance.
And what would dance music be without dancing? Performance teams from the Westbrook Dance Academy will demonstrate their award winning routines, as groups and pairs will perform the lyrical “Pianoman,” the ballet “Adagio,” and the contemporary “Haunting.”

Ballroom dance champions Barbara Malinsky and husband Richard, will perform a tango during the choral selection called “Tango to Evora.” The Malinskys are Madison residents and Barbara also sings in the Chorale. As nationally ranked US amateurs they won first place in all single dances in the 1997 United States National Championships in Delaware, and ranked as third place champions in the Championship Division in the 2000 National Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. The Malinskys have been dancing together for 25 years, and have won numerous first place awards in regional competitions on the East Coast.

Instrumentally, clarinetist Russ Becker and accompanist Joyce Baxter and will perform a tango duet by Astore Piazzola. Piazzolla created the ‘new tango’ style, called the Argentine Tango, and was recognized by American music critic Stephen Holden as “the world’s foremost composer of tango music".

After deciding to perform a concert of rhythmic dance music, the Chorale needed to distinguish that this is a choral concert, rather than a dancing event. So the title “Rhythms of Dancing” was selected to emphasize the musical aspect of the theme. A silhouetted couple dancing tango was also selected to represent the popular Latin style to be performed in several of the selections on the program.

The chorale’s Music Director Rachael Allen also serves as director of choral music at Westbrook High School, and accompanist Joyce Baxter also serves as Music Director at the Clinton Congregational Church.

The concert will be performed at 4pm Sunday, April 27 at the Westbrook High School, 156 McVeagh Road in Westbrook. Tickets are $15 with children under 12 free. A reception will follow the concert. For more information, call 203-245-2887 or visit www.shorelinechorale.org.

Guilford Generations Jubilee Kick Off December 31

On Tuesday, December 31, Guilford Generations Jubilee launches a year of signature celebrations marking the founding of Guilford in 1639. The day-long event (12-8 p.m.) takes place at several venues on and around the Guilford Green.

The day opens in front of Guilford Town Hall, where Katharine Kiernan Photography will take an aerial photo of all gathered below from the bucket of a firetruck. Following the photo, Grand Marshal Sam Allery, the Guilford student who came up with the name Guilford Generations Jubilee, will lead a band of pot-banging, horn-blowing noisemakers in a discordant gig around the Green.
During the afternoon, young and old can participate in varied activities and games, such as glitter tattoos at the Guilford Free Library, and the following at the Community Center:

    Face painting by “Z” Face Painting
    Photo-taking in the Studio 99 Productions photo booth
    Dance lessons – hula, Latin, aerobic, Tai Chi, ballroom line dancing – from groups taught by
    Joanne  Wilder, Christine Reasks, Barbara Corso,   Martin Reichgut, and Karen Pfrommer
    Browsing of Arts & Crafts handmade by senior citizen students Emer Gearhart, Carlotte DeGrado,
    Loise Terrible, and Juliet Calabrese
    Kids Arts & Crafts activities, including snow globes, masks, and mural drawing/painting
    A hands-on, interactive presentation of exotic and unusual animals
    A pool tournament
    Carnival-type games

Not enough to pique your interest? There’s more!
Stop in at the meet-and-greet reception for Anne Kubitsky, creator of the “Look for the Good” Project. Share your own good things 2013 has brought by adding them to the “door,” and learn how you can spread the message in 2014.

Join in on the Bubble Wrap Stomp, courtesy of the Guilford UPS Store and DJ Ron Glick from Studio 99 Productions. Stomp to your heart’s content – all ages welcome!

Also in the afternoon, nearly 20 musical groups will present concerts at Christ Episcopal Church, Christian Science Church, First Congregational Church, and St. George Church (wristbands needed-click here for cost and information). The music and dance festival will provide nonstop musical entertainment – Broadway, classical, jazz – by 16 individual artists and groups. Coordinated by Kevin Buno, they will include:

    Schuyler Beeman
    Bravura Strings
    Kevin Buno
    Joe Cardinale
    Diana Dart Harris
    Brian Gillie
    Guilford Brass Ensemble with Joe Boughton, Dan Fisher, Jeff Tucker and Brian Wolek
    Chad Hardin and Michael Gracco
    Lara Herscovitch
    Keely Baisden Knudsen and Stephanie Stiefel Williams
    Emily Pecoraro
    Apollo Smile
    Mark Sullivan
    The Conn Artists
    GHS Voices and the Student Coffee House Showcase

At twilight, a bonfire will be lit at the northern end of the Green for all the vexations of 2013 to make way for a fresh beginning in 2014. All are invited to watch, get warm, or help fan the flames with bad paperwork, including report cards and “Dear John” letters you’ve received throughout the year.

Lighting up the darkened sky and capping the Guilford Generations Jubilee will be a high-shoot fireworks display visible from the Green and surrounding streets.

Are you ready now to join us? It’s a party for all Guilford Generations and visitors, family and friends and will be remembered by Generations to come!

Lights of the Season

 I have always loved the sights, sounds and smells of this holiday season.   Checking out the window displays in the stores in New York City, smelling the chestnuts on the vendor carts lining the streets, seeing the light display in Rockefeller Plaza and then of course the huge tree twinkling with lights and ornaments has been something that I look forward to each December.  But if a trip into Manhattan is not on your calendar there are plenty of wonderful sights, sounds and smells locally.

Many of our Shoreline towns took advantage of the Thanksgiving weekend to hold their annual tree lighting ceremony.  But many are still to come!  This Thursday, December 5, New Haven will hold its annual tree lighting festivities on the New Haven Green beginning at 4pm - including performances by Neighborhood Music School, opportunities to purchase holiday crafter and of course a visit from Santa Claus.

On Friday, December 6 you can head to Company 1 Firehouse in North Branford for their annual event, which features the North Branford High School Chorus singing holiday songs.

The Guilford Chamber of Commerce will be sponsoring the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on the Guilford Town Green so mark your calendars and bring the entire family to this joyous community event, also scheduled on Friday, December 6 starting at 6:00 p.m., to ring in the holiday season.  From 4-5pm enjoy the Firelight Festival at the Henry Whitfield Museum to include a reading of The Night Before Christmas.  At 5:30pm The North Guilford Congregational Church Handbell Choirs will perform a program of holiday favorites at St. George Church (Whitfield Street on the Green).  Free will offerings will benefit Meals on Wheels.  The official tree lighting happens at 6pm after which you can choose from many activites and performances happening around the Green.  The Candlelight Stroll down historic Broad Street is a favorite sponsored each year by the Guilford Garden Club.  The street will be closed to traffic from 6 – 9pm.  Guilford High School Holiday Concert is taking place at the First Congregational Church.  Tickets are still available for the 9pm performances on both Friday and Saturday evening.  Tickets are available at La Rostecceria, 500 Village Walk, Guilford.  The nationally recognized United Girls Choir will be in concert at 7pm at the First Church of Christ, Scientist on Park Street on the Green.  Free will offering will also benefit Meals on Wheels.  Christ Episcopal Church is featuring a performance by the Christ Church Choir and the Greater New Haven Community Chorus- Chamber Choir titled Music for the Philippines.  Free will offering will benefit the typhoon relief efforts. And all are invited to enjoy free Cookies for the Community in the St. George Church Parish Hall sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

Lyme/Old Lyme will also have their annual tree lighting on Friday, December 6 from 4-5pm at the Town Hall.  Following the tree lighting one can visit the Florence Griswold Museum’s The Magic of Christmas: A Holiday Tradition celebration featuring Fantasy Trees, Miss Florence’s Artist Tree with 140 works by artists from across the country who have donated to this one-of-a-kind tradition, and the Griswold House decorated to celebrate Christmas in 1910. Or head to the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts for the Student Holiday Art Sale Opening Reception.  Or return to Old Lyme on Saturday for the third annual Light Up Old Lyme. |

Old Saybrook offers a Winter Stroll on December 6, 5:00-9:00 p.m. Join the Main Street Business Association for a fun evening of hayrides, a visit with Santa, music, treats and events at each business along Main Street.

Portland is going to be lighting 55-foot Blue Spruce at an annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Monument Square.  The tree was chosen by the city's forestry section and will be lit with more than 3,000 LED lights.  The event is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. Friday and includes performances by the Maine State Ballet and Rick Charette and the Bubblegum Band.

The Killingworth Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to attend Christmas at the Farm on Saturday, December 7th at Parmelee Farm on Route 81, Killingworth.  The Chamber has partnered with the Killingworth Lions Club and TD Bank to sponsor this annual holiday gathering. The event will open at 2:00 PM and conclude with the tree lighting at 4:30 PM. Come out and enjoy horse drawn carriage rides across the Farm's picturesque fields, storytelling with Santa, refreshments and crafts.  The highlight of the evening will be sing-a-long caroling with local children's choirs and the lighting of our fabulous Christmas tree on the Farm's front lawn. There will also be Shop Local opportunities from some of Killingworth's local businesses inside our heated tent. Vendors will offer gifts, crafts, gift certificates and food as well as home improvement and end of year planning advice.  Event parking is at the adjacent HK Middle School. There is a well-lit trail from the parking area to this FREE event.

The 25th Annual Niantic Light Parade & Winterfest 2013 will take place on Saturday, December 7th and promises to be the biggest and best ever. Two great events, one awesome holiday tradition. The day starts with the 2013 Winterfest beginning at 2:00 pm on Main St. This prelude to the parade, will feature the popular Chowder & Chili Cook-off, Pictures with Santa, Magic Shows, Face Painting, Horse Drawn Carriage Rides, Ice Sculptures and much, much more!  Then, beginning at 6:30 p.m., Fireworks will kick off the 25th Annual Light Parade. Come see the beautifully built and lighted parade floats, dance groups and Santa himself as they parade down beautiful Main St. in Niantic.

On Sunday December 8 you can venture to Madison and/or Westbrook for their annual holiday festivals.  Meet on the Westbrook Town Green at 4pm for the annual Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting.  Bring the family and visit with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, sing carols, make crafts, watch some great performances, decorate your bikes, take a carriage ride, or make S’mores.

In Madison, Santa will be available for children’s visits from 1:30 to 3:30pm on the porch of the Cafe Allegre, 725 Boston Post Road, Madison.  The parade will begin at 4pm at the eastern end of the Stop & Shop and continue down the Post Road, through the center of town and end at the Town Green for the tree lighting.  This year people are encouraged to march in the parade to help usher Santa into town.  Participants may start at the beginning of the parade route or join in the fun along the way, and pets are welcome.  Luminarias will light the parade route so that parade participants and Santa can find their way.  Caroling and cocoa will accompany the tree lighting. The Madison A Better Chance (ABC) Program will present its Holiday Concert at 4pm in the First Congregational Church.  This annual event features many local performers including the Shoreline Youth Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Hand High School’s ENCORE, Guilford High School’s Voices, Shoreline Chorale and a special appearance by Yale’s oldest co-ed a cappella group, Redhot and Blue.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Enjoy!