★ Newsroom ★

Celebrating the season with music drawn from the classic French carol tradition

Pilgrim Festival Chorus (PFC), the region’s principal community choral ensemble, presents its holiday season concert, “Joyeux Noël,” on Friday, December 2 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, December 3 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, December 4 at 4 pm, at St. Bonaventure Parish, 803 State Road, Plymouth. The chorus is led by Artistic Directors William B. Richter and Elizabeth Chapman Reilly.

“Joyeux Noël,” includes some of the great French music composed for Christmas, such as the Saint-Saens’s “Christmas Oratorio” (1858) and Charpentier’s “Messe de Minuit pour Noël” (est. 1690). This charming piece incorporates ten traditional French noels (Christmas carols), capturing the joy and anticipation of Christmas eve.

In addition, PFC performs several French Christmas carols, including “Noël Nouvelet,” and “Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella.” The concert concludes with John Rutter’s moving setting of the classic carol, “O Holy Night.”

Since 1999, PFC has provided South Shore audiences with classical choral music concerts. More than 80 vocalists of all adult ages fill out the ensemble. In addition to the winter concert, PFC presents an annual “Messiah Sing” in December, a larger choral work in spring, and summer concerts featuring pops-style programming.

Tickets for “Joyeux Noël” are $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens and $15 for students over 14. Children age 14 and under are admitted for free. Advance tickets may be purchased online at pilgrimfestivalchorus.org/tickets and from PFC members. Tickets are also available at the door.

For more information about PFC, please visit pilgrimfestivalchorus.org, or follow Pilgrim Festival Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.

About Pilgrim Festival Chorus

Pilgrim Festival Chorus is a volunteer, not-for-profit choral ensemble dedicated to presenting diverse choral works that educate, enrich, and engage both its members and its audiences. PFC is funded in part by grants from a number of the region’s Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. PFC performances are produced in part by cooperation with See Plymouth and Plymouth County Commissioners. For more information about PFC, please visit pilgrimfestivalchorus.org, or follow Pilgrim Festival Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.

First Congregational Church of Hanover (FCCH) presents the New England Ringers community handbell ensemble in a performance of “Christmas Past and Presents,” on Sunday, December 4, 3 pm, at the church’s sanctuary at 547 Hanover Street, Hanover. A complimentary fellowship reception immediately follows, offering coffee, cider and sweets. Admission is free, donations supporting New England Ringers are gratefully accepted.  FCCH is fully accessible, with parking available in adjacent parking lots.

In a highlight of the holiday season, New England Ringers, a premier community handbell ensemble, performs a program of holiday-themed music.  This 14-ringer choir performs on six octaves of English handbells, six and one-half octaves of Choirchimes, as well as additional assorted instruments. The performing artists helm from Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire for biweekly rehearsals in Oxford.

For nearly 35 years, New England Ringers has presented concerts throughout New England and the northeast, yielding several recordings, and has participated in numerous handbell festivals, workshops, seminars, and other events. Other concerts this season include performances in Sandwich, Attleboro, and Oxford, as well as Warwick, RI.

To learn about First Congregational Church of Hanover, visit fcchanover.org, or follow First Congregational Church of Hanover on Facebook or Instagram.  For more information about the New England Ringers, visit newenglandringers.org.

About First Congregational Church of Hanover

Founded in 1728, First Congregational Church of Hanover (FCCH) was established about the same time that the town of Hanover was incorporated.  A United Church of Christ (UCC) parish, First Congregational Church of Hanover has long been a leader in equality.  FCCH is committed to serve as a community of inclusive love that has no walls or barriers, where all who enter are loved, respected, and accepted for who they are, reaching beyond social class, gender, race, and sexual orientation, welcoming all.  It is a community of growth and transformation, reaching beyond the status quo as a community filled with the love and compassion of Christ, invoking our faith into action and prayer daily.

First Congregational Church of Hanover’s sanctuary is located at 547 Hanover Street, Hanover.  FCCH offices are located at Riley Hall, 17 Silver Street, Hanover. For more information, call 781-826-4762, visit fcchanover.org or follow First Congregational Church of Hanover on Facebook or Instagram.

Choral Art Society of the South Shore (CAS), the region’s community choral ensemble, presents “’Tis the Season: Music of Comfort and Joy!”, on Sunday, December 4, 4 pm at House of Prayer Lutheran Church, 916 Main Street, Hingham. The chorus is conducted by Artistic Director Danica A. Buckley, accompanied by CAS accompanist Ellyses Kuan, piano, featuring Julie Reimann, cello and Cheryl Przytula, trumpet.

“This is the musical version of a cozy winter afternoon with a cup of hot chocolate,” shares Danica A. Buckley, the chorus’s longtime artistic director and conductor.

“’Tis the Season: Music of Comfort and Joy!” offers a winter-themed choral concert program of energetic and seasonal music, featuring Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” Handel’s “Messiah,” and CAS’s popular singalong of familiar carols and songs.

Make your conducting dreams come true!  CAS hosts an online auction welcoming bids to conduct the chorus and audience in its performance of “Hallelujah” from Handel’s “Messiah” during the concert. Visit the homepage on choralartsociety.org to bid. This always popular “pop-up” moment in the concert allows audience members to join the chorus on stage to sing along if they wish; scores are available to borrow on site.

Tickets for “’Tis the Season: Music of Comfort and Joy!” are $22 for adults; youth ages 18 and under are admitted for free. Tickets can be purchased from CAS members, at the door, or advance online at choralartsociety.org. For more information about Choral Art Society, visit choralartsociety.org, or follow Choral Art Society of the South Shore on Facebook.

About Choral Art Society

Choral Art Society (CAS) is a South Shore choral ensemble, founded in 1958, dedicated to the performance of all genres of choral music, from Renaissance to 21st century. A non-auditioned chorus, the Society performs challenging music for the enrichment and education of its members and audiences. A non-profit organization, CAS features 40 singing members from Scituate and surrounding towns. The ensemble rehearses and performs in Scituate, offering one winter and one spring concert each year. For more information, visit choralartsociety.org, or follow Choral Art Society of the South Shore on Facebook.

This performance is supported in part by grants from several regional Massachusetts Cultural Council chapters, the Scituate Education Foundation, South Shore Music Circus, as well as sponsorship by Coastal Heritage Bank.

About Danica Buckley, Artistic Director

Danica A. Buckley has been artistic director and conductor of the Choral Art Society of the South Shore since 2005. Under her leadership, the chorus performed a sold-out performance of Mendelssohn’s St. Paul in 2009, for the 200th birthday of Mendelssohn and the 50th anniversary of the Choral Art Society. Other performances have included a variety of programming from English part-songs to Viennese choral chamber music, to songs about the environment, and major works such as Mozart’s Requiem, Christ Lag in Todesbanden (Bach), Magnificat (Bach), Mass in Time of War (Haydn) , Dona Nobis Pacem (Vaughan Williams), all with the Choral Art Society Orchestra. She also directs the Simmons University Chamber Choir, Cape Cod Chorale, and served as guest conductor of the Colleges of the Fenway Chorus and Orchestra.  She is a Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Ms. Buckley holds the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Boston Conservatory, where she studied with Dr. William Cutter.

Pilgrim Festival Chorus (PFC), the region’s principal community chorus, presents its eleventh annual “Celebrate! – Messiah and Carol Sing-along” on Friday, December 16, at 7:30 pm, at First Congregational Church, 6 Plympton Street, Middleborough.

William B. Richter, a PFC artistic director, leads the audience in carols and the familiar choruses from the Christmas portion (Part I) of Handel’s masterpiece “The Messiah”, concluding with the “Hallelujah Chorus”. Elizabeth Chapman Reilly, also a PFC artistic director as well as the First Congregational Church’s organist, accompanies the Sing on the church’s 1887 S. S. Hamill pipe organ, together with guest instrumentalists. Soloists are drawn from talented PFC singers.

In “Messiah Sings,” popular throughout the area for many years, the audience can either sing or listen. For some, there’s no better way to start off the Christmas season.

Tickets to “Celebrate! – Messiah and Carol Sing-along” are $10 for adults and youth ages 12 and up. For children under the age of 12, there is no charge. Advance tickets may be purchased online at pilgrimfestivalchorus.org/tickets or bought at the door. Scores are available to borrow on site, or attendees are welcome to bring their own. Funds raised from this performance support PFC’s annual operating expenses.

For more information about PFC, please visit pilgrimfestivalchorus.org, or follow Pilgrim Festival Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.

About Pilgrim Festival Chorus

Pilgrim Festival Chorus is a volunteer, not-for-profit choral ensemble dedicated to presenting diverse choral works that educate, enrich, and engage both its members and its audiences. PFC is funded in part by grants from a number of the region’s Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. PFC performances are produced in part by cooperation with See Plymouth and Plymouth County Commissioners. For more information about PFC, please visit pilgrimfestivalchorus.org, or follow Pilgrim Festival Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.

Concord Women’s Chorus (CWC), fostering the power of women’s voices in song, presents the holiday season concert “Songs of Peace and Promise,” on Saturday, December 17, 4 pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street, Concord.  The performance is conducted by CWC Artistic Director Jane Ring Frank, with accompaniment by Alexander Lane, piano, and Beth Welty, violin.

“Songs of Peace and Promise,” offers a celebration of the wintry season of light in song through familiar holiday tunes, poignant Chanukah pieces and a mash-up of mass movements.  The program features creative arrangements of “Coventry Carol”, “I Saw Three Ships,” and other beloved works from composers including Gabriel Fauré, Nicola Porpora, Cécile Chaminade, Z. Randall Stroope, and Bob Chilcott. A carol sing welcomes the audience to raise their voices, joining in on seasonal favorites including “Silver Bells,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and “The First Noel.”

Tickets to “Songs of Peace and Promise” are $25 adults, $20 seniors and students, $5 children ages 12 and under,  available at concordwomenschorus.org and at the door.  Masks are required for all attendees.  Trinity Episcopal Church is fully accessible.  For more information, performance details or to join Concord Women’s Chorus, email Chorus Manager Patsy Eickelberg at manager@concordwomenschorus.org, visit concordwomenschorus.org, or follow Concord Women’s Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.

About Concord Women’s Chorus

Concord Women’s Chorus (CWC), based in Concord, Massachusetts, is a 45-singer ensemble fostering the power in women’s voices through song. Singers hail from Concord and the greater Boston area. Artistic Director Jane Ring Frank conducts the chorus performing a wide variety of choral music, ranging from early music to contemporary repertoire, with an emphasis on works written for women’s voices.

CWC’s commitment to the mastery and performance of a dynamic repertoire for women transforms the act of choral singing into an instrument for collaboration, education, and connection. The ensemble features confident singers who care deeply about creating, through women’s voices, a source of strength and inspiration for themselves, the audience, and the world around us.

The chorus began in 1960 as the Concord Madrigals, a small group of women who expressed, through song, the strength of female community. Over the years the group has increased in size and capacity and greatly expanded its repertoire. In 2005, the Concord Madrigals became Concord Women’s Chorus, a name that reflects not only the evolution of the chorus but the abiding power of women’s voices.

In addition to concerts, CWC often engages in other performances and projects. The ensemble has performed during several concert tours in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. For more information or to join CWC, email Chorus Manager Patsy Eickelberg at manager@concordwomenschorus.org, visit concordwomenschorus.org, or follow Concord Women’s Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.

Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra (CCCO), the Cape’s professional collaborative orchestra, presents its winter concert “Summer Holiday,” on Sunday, December 18, 3 pm, at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 533 Rte. 28, Harwich Port.  The orchestra is conducted by founding Music Director Matthew Scinto.

CCCO’s holiday concerts provide welcome seasonal entertainment for all to enjoy.  “It has been my vision to use our chamber orchestra as a vehicle to raise awareness and funding for the many amazing organizations here on the Cape, which is why we are excited to be benefiting WE CAN,” says Scinto. This benefit for WE CAN (Women’s Empowerment through Cape Area Networking) celebrates the organization’s 20 plus years of serving women on Cape Cod. WE CAN was founded in 2001 to empower Cape Cod women by providing unique services that inspire hope and bring increased stability, self-sufficiency, and opportunity to their lives.

For Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, summer has come early. The “Summer Holiday” concert program delivers mid-winter warmth featuring soprano Kelley Hollis in Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville, Summer of 1915”. Barber paints an idyllic, nostalgic picture of Knoxville, Tennessee based on text by James Agee. The work is a simple, dreamlike depiction of an evening in the American South, narrated by a child. CCCO also performs the “Andante” movement from Florence Price’s String Quartet No. 1, concluding with Charles Ives’ trip to camp with his Pulitzer Prize winning Third Symphony “The Camp Meeting”.

Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra prides itself on exceptional programming and its collaborative performances, a highlight of every season.  Committed to artistic integrity and excellence, CCCO’s mission is to connect the diverse arts communities and individuals of Cape Cod inclusively. By collaborating with other disciplines of art and culture, the Orchestra aims to create unique concert experiences while providing exciting, enriching, and memorable orchestral music.  Spotlighting living composers is at the forefront of the orchestra’s mission; bringing audiences closer to the music of modern time, positioned as an essential and educational element to each performance program.  Other repertoire emphasizes the championing of works of living composers, as well as the music of the classical canon.

Tickets to “Summer Holiday” are $35 general admission, children and students attend for free. Tickets to all Season Four performancesare available at capecodchamberorchestra.org, by calling 508-432-1668, or at each venue door by cash or credit card.

For more information visit capecodchamberorchestra.org, email info@capecodchamberorchestra.org, or follow Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra on Facebook and Instagram.

Program:

IVES: Symphony No. 3 “The Camp Meeting”

BARBER: Knoxville, Summer of 1915

PRICE: Andante Moderato

Americana Theatre Company (ATC), Plymouth’s professional theatre company, premieres the first production of “An Americana Christmas Carol,” a new original work, performing on select dates from December 10 through 18, at Plymouth Center for the Arts, 11 North Street, Plymouth. “An Americana Christmas Carol,” is written by ATC Co-Artistic Directors Derek Grant Martin and Jesse M. Sullivan, directed by Derek Grant Martin.

“We’ve always anticipated producing ‘A Christmas Carol,’ but visualized adding a uniquely Americana stamp on the classic.  Born from a brainstorm between Jesse, myself and a few company members, we conceptualized combining the beauty and redemption themes from the original Christmas Carol story, combined as a mash up with the wild comedic farce elements of ‘Noises Off,’” shares Derek Grant Martin, playwright and ATC founder.  “We hope our audiences enjoy Dickens’ original story’s key moments portrayed in our new work that they know and love, while embracing an original, lively spin for this new production debut.”

In ATC’s new work “An Americana Christmas Carol,” the show must go on! It’s opening night of “A Christmas Carol,” produced by formerly married couple Charles and Isabella Richardson, and everything has gone awry. Isabella is desperately trying to hold the production together, as Charles wreaks havoc on the cast while portraying the role of angry, cruel, and bitter Ebeneezer Scrooge – both onstage and off. Can the three ghosts of Christmas change his heart and save the production, his marriage, and Christmas as we know it? Take a seat and become enamored with a captivating 10-person cast in a wildly funny, poignant, and entrancing theatrical debut.

“An Americana Christmas Carol” features Jesse M. Sullivan as Charles Richardson, with ATC company members David Friday, Erin Friday, Connor Northcutt, Jesse Winton, Kelly Ann Dunn, and Payton Gobeille also among the cast.

“An Americana Christmas Carol” performances are held on December 10, 11, and 13 through 18, at 7 pm, with 2 pm matinee performances on December 11 and 18.  Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for students and seniors. The show content is appropriate for all ages and runs about 90 minutes.

To purchase tickets, or for more information about Americana Theatre Company, visit americanatheatre.org, or call 508-591-0282. Plymouth Center for the Arts is handicap accessible, and public parking is available street side and in nearby public lots.

About Americana Theatre Company

Americana Theatre Company (ATC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional theatre company serving the Greater Plymouth region. Founder and Executive Director Derek Martin, Managing Director David Friday, Artistic Director Jesse Sullivan and Director of Education Erin Friday are the leadership team charged with continuing the founding vision of opening a professional theatre in America’s Hometown, a dream fulfilled in 2011.  ATC’s audiences find that story is paramount. Stories entertain, teach, and thrill us … they can inspire us toward the betterment of mankind, and help reveal the hidden mysteries of life.  ATC is committed to hiring directors, actors, and designers of the highest caliber, with an aim to enliven the cultural atmosphere of the Plymouth community by offering excellent, entertaining theatre and theatre education to residents and visitors alike. For more information, visit americanatheatre.org, or call 508-591-0282.

SELA: The International Private School, the region’s  only Spanish full immersion school, with locations in Norwell and Hingham, hosts its “All-School Open House,” on Saturday, January 7, at its Hingham campus, 75 Sgt. William B. Terry Drive, Hingham.  Families can peruse SELA’s Private Elementary School programs (Kindergarten through Grade 5, programs in Hingham)  from 9 to 10 am, while families interested in programs for infants through children aged 5 learn more about its School of Early Global Education (programs in Norwell and Hingham) from 10 to 11 am.  The event is open to the public and admission is free, welcoming both prospective and returning students and their families.

The “Elementary School Open House” (9 to 10 am), begins with an informational presentation from SELA’s Director of Admissions Alexandra Perry, and Director of Elementary Education Eric Simon. Families are welcome and encouraged to explore SELA’s engaging classrooms, technology and science labs.  Specialist educators are on hand to answer any questions and share more about curriculum details.  A Q & A session and interactive parent/student panel follows the tour, encouraging families to seek immediate answers to their questions on site.

SELA’s “School of Early Global Education Open House” thrills youngsters and young-at-heart alike with an “Encanto” movie-themed event (10 to 11 am). The session begins with an informative presentation by Director of Admissions Alexandra Perry, informing families on the global value of SELA’s full immersion Spanish education, the school’s curriculum, the admissions process and more. Then young guests adventure through an “Encanto” themed scavenger hunt through different classrooms, visiting each of the program’s age groups, including infant, toddler, preschool, and JuniorK (Pre-Kindergarten).

Founded in 2004 in Cohasset as Su Escuela Language Academy, the private school launched with the goal of preparing English-speaking children to excel linguistically, academically, and socially in global society through instruction in a second and third language. In July of 2011, the academy expanded and opened the doors at its flagship campus in Hingham. Now established as SELA: The International Private School, its educational model has continued to expand, now offering programs for infants through age 5, in addition to the Private Elementary and Middle School programs for Kindergarten through grade 8.  Today, with locations in Hingham and Norwell, SELA is the first and only Spanish full immersion school in Southeastern Massachusetts.

To register for either “Open House” program, email Director of Admissions Alexandra Perry at  admissions@suescuela.com or visit selaprivateschool.com/open-house.  For more information about SELA: The International Private School, its programs, tuition, and more, visit selaprivateschool.com, call 781-741-5454, and follow SELA on social media.

About SELA: The International Private School

Founded in 2004 in Cohasset as Su Escuela Language Academy, the private school launched with the goal of preparing English-speaking children to excel linguistically, academically, and socially in global society through instruction in a second and third language. In July of 2011, the academy expanded and opened the doors at its flagship campus in Hingham. Now established as SELA: The International Private School, its educational model has continued to expand, now offering programs for infants through age 5, in addition to the Private Elementary and Middle School programs for Kindergarten through grade 8. Today, with locations in Hingham and Norwell, SELA is the first and only Spanish full immersion school in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Currently, SELA serves nearly 300 students residing in 26 of the region’s communities. Nearly 70 highly-educated faculty members teach in full immersion programs, which includes three spoken languages at its school campuses. SELA’s flagship campus, offering programs serving children from infancy through grade 8, is located at 75 Sgt. William B. Terry Drive, Hingham.  Its recently opened second campus, currently enrolling programs for children up to age 5, is located at 137 Washington Street, Norwell.

For more information about SELA: The International Private School, its programs, tuition, and more, visit selaprivateschool.com, call 781-741-5454, and follow SELA on social media.