The Northeast Men's Summer Chorus announces its sixth annual Performance Tour at local churches in West Brattleboro, Grafton, and Walpole, New Hampshire, Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 7–9.
The chorus sings a variety of numbers in glee club style in the tradition of the Yankee Male Chorus which sang in southern Vermont and New Hampshire for 65 years. Selections are taken from musical theater, vintage pop, rock, country, spirituals, hymns, and patriotic genres. This year they'll be singing "God Bless America," "My Special Angel," "Oklahoma!" and "Sweet Caroline" (with audience participation), among others.
The chorus eagerly welcomes local singers to join their group. They offer a program for youth (high school/college) singers to earn a stipend or scholarship for their participation, starting at $250 for first-year singers with choral experience.
Youth are accepted right up to and including the first concert day. Practice occurs at 1 p.m. on the first day, Aug. 7. Community members and youth are encouraged to look into this opportunity, organizers say, as "commitment is small and rewards are great."
The chorus is conducted and accompanied by Kate Butterfield, a retired middle school choral director from Keene, New Hampshire, and Paul Scatenato, conductor of of the Mendelssohn Club of Kingston, New York. Singers hail from Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and South Carolina.
On Thursday, Aug. 7, a performance will be at West Brattleboro's First Congregational Church at 880 Western Ave. Friday's concert will be at the First Congregational Church at 15 Washington St. in Walpole, and Saturday's will be at the Grafton Community Church at 55 Main St. in Grafton.
For further information, visit the Chorus website at singingvacation.org or their Facebook page: @ttbbnortheast. You may also email [email protected] or call 802-233-1875.
All concerts are free and begin at 7 p.m. A free-will offering to defray the costs of the hosting church will be collected.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.