Kearsarge Chorale, Colby-Sawyer to Expand Musical Horizons

Collaboration between two institutions benefits community

September 23, 2014 • Saved under Arts
Press release
Janet Howe, Chairman of the Kearsarge Chorale, and Tom Galligan, President of Colby-Sawyer College, signed a collaboration agreement that provides rehearsal and performance space for the Chorale and an opportunity for Colby-Sawyer student to participate.
Janet Howe, Chairman of the Kearsarge Chorale, and Tom Galligan, President of Colby-Sawyer College, signed a collaboration agreement that provides rehearsal and performance space for the Chorale and an opportunity for Colby-Sawyer student to participate.

Musical collaborations are nothing new – think Gilbert and Sullivan, Rogers and Hammerstein, Sonny and Cher. But a different kind of musical collaboration is being developed in our community.

Kearsarge Chorale, known for the last five years for bringing high-quality choral music to enthusiastic audiences, has entered into a collaboration with Colby-Sawyer College designed to expand musical horizons for both organizations.

The Chorale was conceived in 2008 when David Almond, then organist and choirmaster at First Baptist Church in New London, issued an invitation to area singers to join in a tribute to the great English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The result was a performance of Vaughan Williams’ Pilgrim’s Journey, based on the 1678 allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.

The experience was so rewarding that most of the singers voted to continue singing together, and in 2009 the Kearsarge Chorale was born. Andover residents Nancy Tripp and Margo Coolidge and Andover business owner Linda Barnes are members of the Chorale.

Since its inception, the Chorale has regularly offered two concerts a year, with a wide and varied repertoire including, for example, Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Requiem, and Kearsarge Chorale Goes to the Theater – a potpourri of show tunes and opera choruses.

As Artistic Director, David Almond brings to the Chorale a lifetime of experience in conducting, arranging, and composing, as well as a deep commitment to the joy of making music. Last spring’s concert included the world premiere of David Almond’s original composition, Reflections.

The agreement with Colby-Sawyer College provides rehearsal and performance space for the Chorale in the Sawyer Center Theater. The collaboration also provides an opportunity for student participation in the Chorale’s programs, enriching the students’ musical and college experiences.

The Chorale will continue to be operationally and financially independent. Both the Chorale and the staff of the College are enthusiastic about the possibilities inherent in this collaboration.

The next concert – An American Songbag, music by American composers based on our heritage of folk music – will be held at the Sawyer Center Theater on the College campus on Sunday, November 16, at 3 PM. As with all the Chorale’s concerts, attendance will be by general admission, and a suggested donation of $10 will be requested.