Author: Catherine

Heidi Dallin with the news from Cape Ann Symphony, a great theme from Musicians Unleashed for their next program.

“Cape Ann Symphony continues the Musicians Unleashed Concert Series with Moods of the Sea Concert, on Sunday, February 8, 2026 at 3:00 PM at The St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington Street, Gloucester.  The ticket price for Moods of the Sea Concert is $40.   Call CAS at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org to purchase tickets. 

Premiering in 2019, The Cape Ann Symphony’s Musicians Unleashed Concert Series are small intimate chamber concerts performed by members of the Cape Ann Symphony and guest artists at unique performance venues on Cape Ann. The Musicians Unleashed Concerts have become a wonderfully popular series with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic audience response.

The Moods of The Sea Concert combines music, literature and poetry performed by five string players and 2 vocalists. The program ranges from English poet John Masefield’s Sea Fever about longing for the freedom of life on the open sea set to music by John Ireland to Anton Dvořak’s String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77, 2nd Movement written for the unusual combination of string quartet and double bass and in the lively joyful style of folk dance. 

Moods of the Sea captures the stylistic choices of these works, with undercurrents and rippling chords.  The program brings together motifs from folk traditions that expand to create full movements of beautiful sounds. 

The concert program includes: 

Salina Fisher’s Mata Au; Edward Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Op. 37; Gustav Holst’s  St. Paul’s Suite, Op. 29; Sea Fever, Music by John Ireland, Lyrics by John Masefield; and Anton Dvořak’s String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77, 2nd Movement.

“Audiences can expect an eclectic afternoon of music, ” says Barbara Cox, Director of Marketing on the CAS Board, ” from beautiful vocals to soaring strings to joyful folk dances! We are excited to spotlight not only our CAS String players but also CAS Chorus member and Gloucester resident baritone John Fortado! Veteran Boston Mezzo soprano Alexandra Dietrich and cellist Taylor Stobinski make their Musicians Unleashed debut in Moods of the Sea. “

The musicians of Moods of the Sea are Cape Ann Symphony Principal Bass Richey Tally, a position he has held since 2009; CAS Violinists Margaret Cerjan and Oliver Klein, CAS Violist Brandon White and Greater Boston based teacher, recording artist and Cellist Taylor Stobinski.

Vocalists performing in Moods of the Sea are CAS Chorus member Gloucester’s John Fortado and mezzo soprano Alexandra Dietrich. A lifelong resident of Gloucester, MA, John Fortado has been singing as a tenor/baritone  soloist and in multiple choirs, among them Chorus North Shore, Share the Music, and Cape Ann Symphony Chorus. He studies with Rockport’s Wendy Betts.  He is an active soloist at the Orthodox Congregational Church in Lanesville as well as other churches and venues on the North Shore.  Alexandra Dietrich, a Puerto Rican American originally from Freeport, Maine, has performed with opera companies and orchestras including the Boston Pops, Odyssey Opera, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra, the Charlemagne Orchestra of Belgium, the Longy Chamber Orchestra, and MassOpera. “

The Musicians Unleashed Concert, Moods of the Sea is Sunday, February 8 at 3:00 PM at The St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington Street, Gloucester. The ticket price for Moods of the Sea is$40.  Call Cape Ann Symphony at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org for tickets.