Circle of Song News

Come Sing with Circle of Song this Spring!

Another great choral season with Circle of Song is about to begin this February. The first rehearsal will be on Thursday, February 6 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the home of Julie Rawson and Jack Kittredge, 411 Sheldon Rd. in Barre. Finishing our 19th year, we are a group of singers who sing in four part harmony, are somewhat eclectic and love to push ourselves just enough to balance having fun with keeping ourselves musically challenged.

This season we will be performing a concert of Copland and other Notable American Composers. From Copland we will be singing the “Promise of Living” from his work “The Tender Land”. Additionally we will perform Ching a Ring Chaw and A Long Time Ago. Copland is one of those gifted performers who can make your heart ache and be joyous all at the same time.

Peter and Mary Alice Amidon are a composing and arranging couple from southern VT who specialize in traditional American music. From them we will perform “What a Wonderful World”, “Noah Heist the Window” and “Joy Shall Come in the Morning.”

John Rutter is another favorite American composer and arranger who makes sure you are paying attention, because his harmonies are always rich and always challenging, leaving the listener with a satisfying experience. We will perform “Down by the Riverside”.

Gwyneth Walker is a Vermonter and dairy farmer with an impressive musical resume and some remarkable compositions. We will perform the “The Rose, The Briar, and the Bicycle”.

Mark Hayes will take familiar tunes and put them into a jazz setting that livens and enhances them. We will be performing two of his arrangements – “This Little Light of Mine” and “Singing in the Rain.”

Finally Samuel Barber, another COS favorite composer, will be featured with “Sure on the Shining Night.” Music critic Donald Henahan stated, "Probably no other American composer has ever enjoyed such early, such persistent and such long-lasting acclaim." It took us an entire year to prepare his “Agnus Dei” which we performed at our recent Christmas concert.

We may add some instrumental accompaniment to some of these pieces and some will be performed a capella. Singers of all ages and experience are welcome to join Circle of Song. Can’t read music but love to sing? Not sure how well you sing? Come join us. Along with being part of a very inclusive group of people, you can enjoy dogs, kittens and other diversions before and after chorus – along with an occasional peach crisp. Membership is $30-$70/year. Call Julie at 978-355-2853, email at Julie@mhof.net or just show up on any Thursday evening, starting this Thursday, February 6. The concert will be sometime in mid-May. We will set the date soon.

Spring 2020 Music