NEW LONDON — The Kearsarge Chorale is starting its sixteenth season, with something a bit different in its program. In addition to a reprise of “Mass in Blue” by Will Todd, which will be performed after intermission on November 23, the first half of the program will be devoted to small-group and solo performances, with a guest appearance by Sunapee Singers.  Given the amount of preparation involved in learning music for a full program, this option offers a full program of music to the audience without straining singers who may not have time to learn and rehearse additional music beyond the complex “Mass in Blue,” in six movements, all in Latin.

Weekly rehearsals began on Labor Day for the fall program, “‘Mass in Blue’ and Holidays Too,” to be performed at Kearsarge Regional High School in North Sutton, on November 23, at 3 PM.  Approximately 40 singers this year come together each week to rehearse in New London from area towns, including Andover, Bradford, Salisbury, New London, Elkins, Goshen, Sunapee, Sutton, Newbury, and Warner.  Those participating range in age from about 30 to nearly 90. And of those 40, about half are putting in extra rehearsal time for the potpourri of seasonal songs that constitute the first half of the program.

Chorale members who sang “Mass in Blue” in 2015, under the direction of Founder and then-Artistic Director David Almond, urged current Artistic Director Alex Ager to consider singing it again. Ager, who joined the Chorale in the fall of 2017 as a singer in the bass section, has been Artistic Director since 2019. He holds a Master of Music in Music Education from Boston University and a BS in Music Education from Plymouth State University.  

A classically-trained musician, he admits to the challenges of conducting a piece in the blues and swing styles, noting, “I am not a jazz musician.” During his tenure as Director, Kearsarge Chorale’s music has ranged from 16th to 21st century, classical to pop. 

Ager is the K–12 music teacher for the Sunapee School District where he teaches elementary general music and middle and high school band and choir. Previously he was the K–8 music teacher at Andover Elementary/Middle School for five years. 

Ager’s wife Jaclyn Ager will sing the ambitious soprano solo part in “Mass in Blue.” Jaclyn is a New Hampshire native who found her love for singing at a young age around the piano with her dad. Once she caught the music bug, she never looked back. 

She has studied classical voice with Erma Mellinger and Rebecca Shorstein and has sung with groups such as the Dartmouth Sings and Handel Society during her time as a student at Dartmouth College. She has recently joined the voice faculty at the Upper Valley Music Center and is excited to continue sharing her love of music with the community.  Instrumentation to accompany the soloist and the Chorale includes piano, bass, saxophone, and drum, with musicians from the Upper Valley Music Center participating.

New to the Chorale this year as collaborative pianist is Isa Rex of New London. She fills a vacancy left when David Almond, who had served as Artistic Director for six years and later served as collaborative pianist, retired after the spring 2024 concert. Isa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Smith College and a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan. She began singing soprano with the Chorale in 2008 and occasionally accompanied it for previous concerts.  

In addition, she was Treasurer from 2013 to 2019. Isa has performed and been a guest musician in the area and has also presented sessions on composers for Colby-Sawyer College’s Adventures-in-Learning. Isa presently is Treasurer of Summer Music Associates and is also a member of the New London Garden Club.

The first half of the program will offer voices of 21 singers in groups and also soloists, singing familiar seasonal songs including “Autumn Leaves,” “September Song,” “Still, Still, Stil,” and “In the Bleak Midwinter.” The Kearsarge Chorale offers a sense of community to audiences and singers alike.  

Beyond the concert, 20 members of the Chorale will also be providing music for Christmas at the Fells Family Night in Newbury, on November 8, with piano accompaniment again by Isa Rex.  The group will first gather at the main house at The Fells, at 6 PM, to sing carols around the piano and then move to the pavilion where children will be invited to sing along to kid-friendly songs as they decorate cookies and ornaments. This too, like the first part of the concert, requires additional rehearsals from singers.

The Chorale is guided by Chair Linda Barnes, the group’s fifth such leader since its incorporation in 2009 and one of its original singers. She has found joy in singing since a child and has sung in choirs from the age of six. She studied voice for three years in New York City, but unlike her two sisters, who became professional singers and perhaps like it a little less than before, Linda has remained an enthusiastic amateur.  

Rehearsals and concerts leave her “joyful, relaxed, and filled with pride at the camaraderie and achievements of our group.” After a career as an elementary school teacher and later a lawyer, Linda moved to Salisbury from New York in 2003.

Join your neighbors on Saturday, November 23, at 3 PM, at Kearsarge Regional High School in North Sutton, for a program of inspiring musical works. Tickets go on sale November 1. You can purchase tickets online and follow the Kearsarge Chorale on their website at www.kearsargechorale.org; alternatively, tickets are available at Morgan Hill Bookstore and Tatewell Gallery in New London.  

The group also has a Facebook page. Those interested in singing with the Chorale in the spring concert should contact kearsargechorale@nullgmail.com.