Director's Notes and Upcoming in 2025

Dear Patrons, February 2025

Welcome to our concert, which makes a vain attempt at answering its title question, “What is this thing called love?” Pretty pleasures? A honey tongue? Cares to come? No matter – we will cover all the bases. You will hear “Swingle-y” madrigals on texts by Elizabethan-era poets; lush and lovely songs about roses, those ultimate symbols of love; and a diverse batch of popular songs from 1913 to 2016.

In all of this we’re supported by a jazz trio assembled and directed by our wonderful collaborative pianist, Shawn McCann. We welcome Justin Meyer and Abe Finch to our performances this weekend – it’s been a blast to sing with the trio.

We are continuing our tradition of featuring an Emerging Artist during our season and are thrilled to work with Sofia Santoro. Sofia is studying voice with a focus on jazz studies at Ithaca College and studies with Kim Nazarian of New York Voices.

NVC’s 2024-2025 season has been busy. In November we collaborated with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, Cynthia Woods, Music Director, and the Choral Ensembles of UMass Lowell, Jonathan Richter, Conductor. Our sopranos and altos ensconced themselves into small spaces to belt out beautiful ‘Ahhs’ in The Planets by Gustav Holst, while the entire Chorale was fortunate to sing again the Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan Williams under Jonathan’s wonderful direction. The Chorale also sang in the holiday concert presented by the Gateway City Orchestra, Jared Bloch, Music Director, and of course in the always-magical Worcester Youth Orchestras Holiday Concert, under the baton of Jonathan Colby. The Chorale appreciates very much your support throughout this full season.

After this weekend, we will turn our attention to the glorious Ein Deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms. We will perform it on April 27, accompanied by the four-hand piano version that Brahms created. Our pianists will be Shawn McCann and Abigail Charbeneau; our vocal soloists will be Deborah Selig and David McFerrin.

Rehearsals for our final concert will begin on Monday, February 3, 2025 at Acton Congregational Church. We welcome all vaccinated singers. Please go to www.nvcsings.org for more information.

We also are always looking for those persons who love choral music and love the Chorale and who may want to help out by serving – on the Board, on a committee, or by helping with a special project. Please contact us via our website, www.nvcsings.org or by phone (978-540-0088) if you’d like to volunteer.

Thank you for supporting the Chorale and attending our concerts. We feel doubly fortunate to be able to learn such glorious music in rehearsal and to present it to you in performance.

Anne Watson Born