My View of Life on the Dock
Due to the incoming rough weather this evening we have decided to postpone Kory Curcuru’s film presentation Timeline Cape Ann to Thursday, February 27 at 7:30pm.
Please update your community calendars and help us to get the word out today if possible.
Many thanks,
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FREE EVENT: NAVIGATING HEALTHCARE ON CAPE ANN
On Saturday afternoon, April 13th at 1:30pm the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation will host a symposium called Navigating Health Care on Cape Ann. The event is an interactive way for everyone in our community to learn more about how to access services in a variety of situations.
We all have friends or family members who are struggling with health problems, health care insurance, or getting medical appointments. Knowing whom to call and understanding the available resources in our community can resolve many of these issues or prevent serious illness. A school age child with acute anxiety, an older friend living alone who suddenly feels tired and run-down, a friend who might have an addiction problem, a recent arrival who needs to change their insurance plan and find a primary care doctor—these are just some of the situations that will be addressed in the April 13 symposium. Hearing news stories about hospital closures, crowded emergency rooms and nursing shortages can also cause worry or confusion. The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation has invited representatives of the organizations providing health care to our community to make presentations and answer your questions.
Our speakers will include Paul Lundberg (Trustee, AGH/Beverly Hospitals), Dominique Hurley (Gloucester’s Director of Public Health), Margaret Brennan, MPH (President and CEO of North Shore Community Health – Gloucester Family Health Center), and Kimberly Perryman, MMHC, RN, NEA-BC (Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Beverly Hospital), followed by an audience Q&A session.
After a break for refreshments, the second half of the program will offer a panel discussion with real-world scenarios of health and medical care challenges that people often experience in our communities. The panel will be moderated by Dick Prouty, and will include Vivian Argento, MD (Geriatric Medicine), Jason Andree, PharmD (Vice President of Addison Gilbert Hospital), John Morris (President of Beauport Ambulance), Brian Orr, MD (Brian Orr Pediatrics), Amy Kamm, MSW (Director of Mental Health & Social-Emotional Learning in the Gloucester Public Schools) and Stacy Reilly, RN (Nurse Manager at Senior Care, Inc.). This will be followed by an audience Q&A session facilitated by Karen Bell and Heather Atwood.
The historic Gloucester Meetinghouse, home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, is located on the green at 50 Middle Street. Note: the green is under renovation but our main entrance is open. Please seek parking on the street and in lots nearby. A side entrance with an elevator for persons with disabilities is located at 10 Church Street. The symposium is free and open to the public. More info at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
________________________________________________
SPONSORS OF THE AUTUMN-WINTER-SPRING MEETINGHOUSE SERIES
GUARANTORS: H. Woody Brock and Scobie Ward
PLATINUM: J.J. & Jackie Bell, Karen Bell, Peter Calkins & Susan Casey, Linzee Coolidge
GOLD: John & Janis Bell, Cape Ann Savings Bank, Susan Gray, Patricia Roach & Robert Martin, Andrew Spindler & Hiram Butler, Nancy Steele
SILVER: Beth Graham & William Schulz, JoeAnn Hart & Gordon Baird, Institution for Savings, Charles Nazarian, Patricia Poore, Geoffrey Richon, Sandra & John Ronan
BRONZE: Anthony & Dodge CPA, Phillip Cutter
SPECIAL THANKS: Massachusetts Cultural Council, Essex County Community Foundation
ABOUT THE GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION
The mission of the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation (a non-profit founded in 2015) is to preserve the historic building, completed in 1806 for the first Universalist Church in America, as a civic hub, family entertainment venue, and community gathering center. For more information about the Foundation, a full schedule of upcoming concerts and events, and to sign up for the GMF newsletter, please visit: www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A REVISED RELEASE BASED ON THE SUBSTITUTION OF ONE OF THE FILMS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 18, 2022
GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION PRESENTS AN AFTERNOON OF SILENT MOVIES WITH LIVE ACCOMPANIMENT
BY KEYBOARD ARTIST JEFF RAPSIS OCTOBER 30 AT 3:00 P.M.
Bring the whole family to the Gloucester Meetinghouse at the corner of Church and Middle Streets on Sunday, October 30
for an entertaining afternoon of classic silent movies with live keyboard accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis.
Children and adults of all ages will be delighted with the musical interpretation of keyboard artist Jeff Rapsis as he infuses new life
into three works from the early era of cinematic history. Rapsis has entertained audiences of all ages across New England with his
fresh interpretation of this lost technique. The three films were selected for their wide appeal featuring non-stop action and knee-slapping
comedy routines. Presented on a large screen with live keyboard accompaniment, the afternoon of silent films offers a unique artform
and an unforgettable experience for all.
Tickets are available online at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org or at the door. General seating $15; students with ID $5; children under 12 free.
The three films to be shown on October 30 are:
The Haunted House (1921)
Buster Keaton stars in this film about a gang of robbers, a crooked bank manager, and the bank’s teller who converge on a booby-trapped house
decorated to appear haunted in order to fool the authorities. A series of uproarious encounters between the antagonists leaves the audience
wondering who the true villain really is.
The Floorwalker (1916)
Charlie Chaplin stars in his signature role as The Tramp in this early comedy. The antics of an unruly customer (Chaplin) foil the crooked manager’s
plans to make off with the store’s cash. This film features sight gags galore with an early version of an attempt to run down the up escalator and one
character “mirroring” the movements of another.
The Kid (1921)
Written, directed, and produced by Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin plays the role of The Tramp who cares for a young boy whose mother left him for adoption.
The three lives become intertwined in this heartwarming story of reconciliation and reunion.
ABOUT THE GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION
Founded in 2015, the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is dedicated to preserving the landmark building as a civic hub, entertainment venue, and
community center. In addition to its work to preserve the historic 1806 Meetinghouse, GMF is currently raising funds to restore Meetinghouse Green.
The GMF has received a $130,000 grant from the Community Preservation Act and a $2,000 grant from the Essex Heritage Partnership Grant Program
towards a total project goal of $340,000. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2023.
For more information, a full schedule of upcoming concerts and events, and to sign up for the GMF newsletter, visit www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org.
From our friend Jerry Ackerman
GLOUCESTER SPRING CLASSICAL
CONCERT SERIES RESUMES,
LIVE IN THE MEETINGHOUSE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MARCH 10, 2022
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is pleased to announce its Spring 2022 series of three classical concerts, beginning and ending with musical celebrations of Johann Sebastian Bach and featuring, in the middle, a Holocaust Memorial Concert that will premiere a specially commissioned work, “The Grip of Evil: The Endurance of Hope,” written and conducted by American composer Leslie Steinweiss.
The series marks the resumption of live, in-person concerts at the Gloucester Meetinghouse, at the corner of Middle and Church Streets in downtown Gloucester, as COVID-19 pandemic conditions have begun to ease. The season will begin Sunday, March 20, at 4:30 p.m., marking the J.S. Bach’s 337th birthday with harpsichord works performed by Mary Jodice and Charles Nazarian, violin works by Emily Hale, and voic solos by soprano Caroline Teague and counter-tenor Cameron Dobson.
The event is free, with a collection to be taken to support Ukranian war relief work by the International Rescue Committee. It also will be simulcast for home viewing via the Meetinghouse Foundation’s YouTube.channel and available there afterwards.
The opening concert’s visual centerpiece is a Flemish double harpsichord made by celebrated keyboard-instrument builder David Jacques Way. Nazarian, its owner will discuss the instrument’s workings and demonstrate its varied sounds, followed by Ms. Jodice on the harpsichord and Ms. Hale on baroque violin playing the Bach Violin Sonata in C-minor; a Bach violin solo by Ms. Hale; Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” sung by soprano Caroline Teague; and selections from Bach’s Mass in B-Minor sung by counter-tenor Cameron Dobson accompanied by Ms. Jodice The concert will end with Ms. Jodice’s performance of Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C-minor, on the Meetinghouse’s 1893 Hutchings/Fisk pipe organ.
The series continues Sunday, May 1, at 3 p.m. with Steinweiss’s Holocaust Memorial Concert featuring the world premiere of his “The Grip of Evil: The Endurance of Hope. Presented jointly with Gloucester’s Temple Ahavat Achim, this concert was organized by Stephen Bates, of Manchester, who will perform on clarinet and flute. Bates was a clarinetist and bass-clarinet chair for 36 years with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
This program will include individual Holocaust remembrances plus narration by storyteller Judith Black. The ensemble includes Janine Solheim, soprano; Wes Hunter, tenor; Abigale Reisman, violin; Rebecca Hallowell, viola; Anna Seda, cello; and Kathleen Forgac, piano.
The final concert in the series, Sunday, May 22, at 3 p.m., will return to Bach, featuring some of his most beloved orchestral works played by a Baroque ensemble, The Appleton Consort, on period instruments and directed by Mark Dupere.
This program includes the Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major (BWV 1068) for two oboes, bassoon, strings, and continuo; the Sinfonia from Cantata Non sa che sia dolore (BWV 209) for flute, strings, continuo; the Violin Concerto in A minor (BWV 1041) for solo violin, strings, continuo; the Sinfonia from Cantata Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbatas (BWV 42) for two oboes, bassoon, strings, continuo; and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major (BWV 1050) for solo flute, solo violin, solo harpsichord, and strings. This concert is sponsored by H. Woody Brock and Scobie Ward.
Tickets for the two May concerts are $45 for preferred seating, $30 for general seating and $10 for students. They will be available at the door or ordered online at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org.
The Meetinghouse is the home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church and is handicapped-accessible via a side entrance at 10 Church Street. Limited parking is available on the Green in front. Publlic health rules, including social distancing and possible use of masks, may be in effect and may vary among performances.
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established in 2015 is to restore this architectural masterpiece that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a concert venue, civic hub and community gathering center.
More information is available online at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org.
* * * * *
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
PIZZA, PUPPETS, STORIES, SERPENTS AND SEA-SHANTIES
GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION
PROUDLY PRESENTS ANOTHER FEBRUARY
VACATION ENTERTAINMENT LINEUP
Kicking off February school vacation, another FREE Children’s Program of entertainment is on tap for
Saturday, Feb. 19 – right in your home, via virtual internet Zoom broadcast – presented by the
Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation to start Cape Ann public schools’ 2022 Winter Vacation.
From 12:30 to 2 p.m., the lineup includes story time with book readings by popular Cape Ann authors
and performers Stan & Daisy Nell, Alice Gardner, Peter Berkrot, and Pat Johnson; a puppet show by
Through Me to You Puppeteers, and a sea-shanties singalong led by Rockport musician Corey Wrinn.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Sign up by 5 p.m. February 18 and you’ll get an email with a link for
connecting to Zoom AND an option for a $10 discount
(one per family, February 19 only, limit 40 so sign up soon!)
on a large pizza at Sebastian’s, 56 Washington Street, downtown Gloucester.
You will also get an option to download a free printable PDF of Daisy Nell’s
new coloring book Moxie and the Whale; the printed version is for sale now
at Maritime Gloucester.
Registration and more info at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org/events
Program:
ALVIN FOSTER AND THE SOUL ECLECTIC BAND ROCKS AT FINAL
GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE CONCERT
Friday, September 6 free concert on Meetinghouse Green
Alvin Foster and his Soul Eclectic Band will have you boogying to the beats of Motown and Soul, at the final concert of the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation’s summer concert series, Music on Meetinghouse Green, on Friday, September 6, from 6:30 PM to 8 PM. Foster and his band will take you back in time to the 60s, 70s and 80s. “We will play soul music underpinning Black people’s courage to be happy and celebrate life, love, spirituality, and growth, in the face of racism,” explains Foster.
Boston-based Foster found his musical passions through youthful immersion in Hip-Hop, Soul, and Jazz. His musical influences include Miles Davis, James Brown, Lou Rawls, Anita Baker, and Aretha Franklin. He has been performing to great acclaim in the Boston area for over ten years. Foster and the Soul Eclectic Band use timeless gems to deliver a fun-filled and thoughtful musical experience.
Alvin Foster is a vocalist, music director, songwriter, and faculty member of the Berklee College of Music, his alma mater, where he teaches Ensemble. He has arranged, directed, or performed for events honoring Berry Gordy, Harry Belafonte, and Lena Horne to name a few. He currently serves as Executive Director for SaveOurSelves Productions, a multi-faceted musical platform that produces live concerts, studio recordings, publications, and educational clinics.
Each week Music on Meetinghouse Green partners with a different non-profit organization to raise awareness for the services they provide to the local community. At the September 6 concert, the audience is invited to contribute a freewill donation to the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation, founded in 2015. The mission of the Meetinghouse Restoration Project is to complete a historically informed but fully functional building restoration, both to preserve this important landmark and to be a cultural gathering place for all of Gloucester and Cape Ann. Gloucester-based restaurant The Causeway will provide delicious seafood.
The Gloucester Meetinghouse, home of the Unitarian Universalist Church, is located at the corner of Church and Middle Streets. The concert is handicapped accessible. Event parking is available on the green and at additional parking lots nearby in the Historic District. Folding chairs will be provided or bring your own beach chair or blanket. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be held inside the Meetinghouse.
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is grateful to our 2019 sponsors who made this series possible:
Hero: Scobie Ward
Platinum Tier: J.J. & Jackie Bell, Cape Ann Savings Bank, Harry & Mary Hintlian
Gold Tier: John and Janis Bell, Bomco, Michael & Mary Ann Bresnan
Silver Tier: Anonymous, Gib and Sarah Carey, JoeAnn Hart & Gordon Baird, Charles Nazarian, John and Sandra Ronan
Bronze Tier: Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, Bill & Rose Hausman
All 2019 Music on Meetinghouse Green concerts are dedicated in honor of Linzee Coolidge and the late Beth Coolidge for their vision and generosity.
Stacia Kraft will be performing with her band at the second free Gloucester Meetinghouse Summer Concert Series concert July 13, 6 – 9 pm, at the corner of Church and Middle Street.
Stacia Kraft sings the American Songbook with classic style; a big alto sound with an honest approach to the lyrics.
Her program will feature jazz standards, folk songs, Broadway tunes, and spirituals with a superb group of swinging musicians: Tony Malionek – piano, Jon Dreyer-bass, Tom Duprey – trumpet, Miki Matsuki-drums. Trained at the New England Conservatory, Kraft brings emotion and sensuality to each song. You are sure to have a romantic evening of song under the stars, and leave wanting more.
The concert is free. In the spirit of giving to the community, concert-goers are encouraged to make free-will donations to Backyard Growers, which provides support to establish vegetable gardens at homes, housing communities, organizations, and schools.
Bring cash or a checkbook, beach chairs or blankets. Food is provided by Crepes du Jour. In case of rain the concert will be held inside the Meetinghouse. Parking is available in lots nearby and at St Peter’s Square.
Music on Meetinghouse Green’s sponsors include Linzee and Beth Coolidge; J.J. and Jackie Bell; Michael and Mary Bresnan; JoeAnn Hart and Gordon Baird; Harry and Mary Hintlian; Charles Nazarian; Dick and Doris Prouty; Sandra Ronan; Tom and Kristin Zarrella, and Cape Ann Savings Bank.
Music on Meetinghouse Green is back: Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation announces their 2018 line-up
First up Berklee Be-Bop Guitars on July 6 to benefit Pathways for Children
More info: www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
From FOB Charles Nazarian, president Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation
MASTERWORKS BY HAYDN AND SCHUBERT ON SUNDAY, MARCH 18
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation hosts a performance of Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, and Schubert’s Magnificat in C on Sunday, March 18 at 3:00 p.m. at the Gloucester Meetinghouse on Middle and Church Street. The performance features the outstanding Cambridge-based Spectrum Singers, distinguished soloists, and a large orchestral ensemble.
Spectrum Singers Music Director, John Ehrlich, describes the two monumental works. “Haydn’s Mass in Time of War bristles with abundant energy and amazing choral and orchestral effects,” he notes. “The trumpets and tympani are boldly featured, painting the sounds of war that were occurring nearby as Haydn composed the music in 1796. Schubert, whose work bridged the Classical and Romantic periods, is renowned for his treatment of melody and harmony. His Magnificat in C, written when the composer was just 18 years old, amply demonstrates this fine gift.”
Also on Sunday’s program are three intimate vocal quartets by Schubert, the 23rd Psalm, Gebet, and Des Tages Weihe.
“This is a rare opportunity to hear masterworks of this importance in the superb acoustics of the Gloucester Meetinghouse,” notes Charles Nazarian, President of the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation. “As a concert venue, the Meetinghouse delivers a warm and inviting space and an unforgettable musical experience.”
Tickets are available online at http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org or at the door. Prices are $65 for preferred seating, $45 for general seating, and $30 for students and seniors. Children under age 12 are admitted free. Sponsorships to support this annual Oratorio Series presented by the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation are available at three levels and include preferred seating and special recognition. Please contact c.nazarian@gloucestermeetinghouse.org for more information.
About the Gloucester Meetinghouse
Built in 1806, the Gloucester Meetinghouse is the oldest standing church in Gloucester. It is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places and the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places for both its historic and architectural significance. The founders of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, the first Universalist Religious Society in America, led the way in Massachusetts for the legal separation of church and state. Later, the concept of separation of church and state was fully embraced in the first amendment to the United States Constitution. The Meetinghouse is located at the corner of Middle and Church Street in downtown Gloucester and is handicapped-accessible through the entrance at 10 Church Street.
About the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation
Now in its third year, the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation’s mission is to preserve this landmark building for generations to come as a civic hub, entertainment venue, and community center. For more information on future concerts, events, and opportunities to support the Foundation’s work, visit the website at http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org.
MASTERWORKS OF HAYDN AND SCHUBERT ON SUNDAY
November 8, 2017 North of Boston Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony will honor
Mayor Romeo Theken and Jeanne Hennessey, Beauport Hotel
November 11, 2017 2-6PM – Gloucester Meeting House Foundation Preservation & Architectural Sustainability SYMPOSIUM TownGreen|2025 Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church
Monday, Nov. 27, 10 am, JOIN MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL POWER OF CONNECTION TOUR at Gloucester’s Rocky Neck Art Colony, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA 01930, with Mayor Romeo Theken, Senator Bruce Tarr & Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante of Gloucester. RSVP here.
November 29, 2017 Dogtown Public Presentation and Meeting- archaeological survey and pursuit of National Historic district designation
December 17, 2017 Cape Ann Cinema & Stage Oscar winner Chris Cooper will personally host a screening of the role that won him the Gold for Best Supporting Actor…horticulturist John Laroche in Spike Jonze’s superb, darkly comic 2002 drama, “Adaptation.” The evening benefits The Jesse Cooper Foundation.
Message from Anita Walker the Power of Culture- MCC has a new logo for its 50th year
Gloucester Mother’s Day Concert to Feature Ipswich Orchestra in Copland’s “Appalachian Spring”
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is pleased to announce that the Ipswich-based community orchestra, ‘The Orchestra on the Hill,’ will perform renowned composer Aaron Copland’s prizewinning “Appalachian Spring” on Sunday, May 14, in the historic Gloucester Universalist Meetinghouse.
This Mother’s Day concert begins at 3:30 p.m., led by conductor and orchestra founder Tom Palance, a member of the music faculty at Salem State University and at the Boston Conservatory of Music. This will be the 20-member orchestra’s first concert appearance in Gloucester.
Along with the orchestral suite “Appalachian Spring” the program will present Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “Suite for Viola and Orchestra,” and a new work by Ipswich musician and composer Chris Florio, “The Banquet.” Copland’s scoring of familiar melodies in “Appalachian Spring” won him the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1944.
This is the finale in GMF’s fall-winter 2016-17 concert series. The Meetinghouse, an icon on Gloucester’s skyline, is located at the corner of Church and Middle Street in downtown Gloucester. Parking is available on the green. Accessible side entrance with a lift at 10 Church Street.
A summer series of free Friday evening, outdoor concerts on the Meetinghouse lawn starts on July 7th. ‘Music on Meetinghouse Green’ features a different musical ensemble each week with a partner North Shore non-profit as the beneficiary via free-will offerings from the audience.
Tickets to the May 14 concert are $45 for preferred seating, $30 for general seating, and $25 for students and seniors. Admission is free to persons age 17 and under. Tickets are available at the door or may be purchased in advance at http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation’s mission is to preserve Gloucester’s last-surviving historic Meetinghouse, as a civic hub, entertainment venue and community center. The landmark 1806 Meetinghouse is home to the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, whose founders led the way in Massachusetts for legal separation of church and state as now enshrined in the First Amendment.
The Orchestra on the Hill is a community organization formed in support of professional music performances and performers on the North Shore. Its mission is to enrich Ipswich and surrounding communities through exceptional concerts of orchestral music, and provide opportunities for non-professional adult musicians to rehearse together coached by professional conductors and players.
Contact Information:
For the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation:
Charles Nazarian president, 978-821-5291 & chasnaz@gmail.com
http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
For the Orchestra on the Hill:
Tom Palance, tompalance@yahoo.com
http://www.orchestraonthehill.com
PRESS RELEASE: GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE CONCERT
TITLE: Musica Sacra: George Frederic Handel’s oratorio ‘Israel in Egypt’
WHAT TO EXPECT: The biblical tale of the Exodus inspired Handel to write some of the most dramatic music of his career, depicting the story in vivid detail from the increasingly unpleasant plagues visited upon the Egyptians to the Israelites’ feelings of exultation and triumph in escaping their oppressors. Join Musica Sacra, their professional soloists and Baroque orchestra drawn from Boston’s best for this extraordinary musical journey. For more information and advance tickets please visit http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
WHAT’S SPECIAL? One of the largest and most poignant oratorios in the entire Classical repertoire, Handel sets to music the sufferings of the Israelites under Pharaoh’s terrible enslavement and the incredible Biblical story of their symbolic baptism and dash to freedom in the Promised Land through the parted waters of the Red Sea, blessed by a loving God. This is a musical depiction of the most definitive story of God’s power and engagement by hearing the sufferings of his chosen people and directing a leader in Moses to take them out of bondage, using the waters of the Red Sea to drown the hapless Egyptians who give chase. This magnificent oratorio concludes with a hymn of praise to the Almighty for mercy, miraculous power and deliverance as only Handel could conceive.
WHEN: Saturday, March 18th 2017, 7:30pm
WHERE: The historic 1806 Gloucester Meetinghouse (home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church), corner of Church & Middle Street.
ADMISSION (at the door or on-line at http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org):
$60 Preferred VIP Seating (reserved front rows & rear gallery)
$35 General
$25 College Students & Seniors (65+)
Under 17 free
PERFORMERS: From a choral repertoire spanning five centuries, Musica Sacra performs works both familiar and rare, with a crisp passion that awakens the listener to yearnings and joys, sorrows and delights—all that defines and inspires the best in human lives. In March 2015 the group performed J.S. Bach’s great Mass in B-minor at the Gloucester Meetinghouse to high acclaim.
Since 1959, Musica Sacra has been performing choral music with the highest standards of musical excellence and a sound that has been called “gifted,” “breathtaking,” and “uncommonly fresh and direct.” Director Mary Beekman, now in her 30th season, continues to thrill Musica Sacra’s singers and audiences with a varied and engaging repertoire.
The group has performed at the invitation of institutions such as the Boston Early Music Festival; WGBH Radio; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Fogg Art Museum of Harvard University. In 2003, Musica Sacra released their much-anticipated studio recording, Love, Lust, and Laudations: Flemish Choral Music of the High Renaissance. In 2004, Musica Sacra premièred Boston composer Daniel Pinkham’s Magnificat for chorus, soprano and wind quintet—a new work written especially for Mary Beekman and Musica Sacra.
SPECIAL MUSICIANS: Soloists are among Boston’s most acclaimed vocal artists:
Barbara Allen Hill, Soprano
Caroline R. Olsen, Mezzo-Soprano
Ian Pomerantz, Bass-Baritone
Janet Ross, Soprano
Jonas Budris, Tenor
Ulysses Thomas, Bass-Baritone
They will be joined by a large Baroque orchestra including strings, brass, woodwinds, timpani and organ continuo, as specified by Handel, drawn from New England’s finest players.
SPONSORSHIP: This Oratorio Series concert is made possible by our generous donors: J.J. & Jackie Bell, H. Woody Brock, Phil & Eve Cutter, Alec Dingee & Susan Gray, Charles Nazarian, and sole corporate sponsor, the Cape Ann Savings Bank. Additional sponsorships remain available. If you would like to be a donor in support of this annual Oratorio Series event please see our website for details:
http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
ACCESSIBILITY: Persons with disabilities may enter from the 10 Church Street side entrance where there is an attendant and an elevator to the Meetinghouse sanctuary level.
AFTERWARDS: There will be a gala reception downstairs in the Vestry after the performance to which the entire audience is invited to meet the performers.
MORE INFORMATION EVENT CONTACT:
Charles Nazarian, president
Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation
10 Church Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
978-821-5291
chasnaz@gmail.com
http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
MUSICIANS’ CONTACT:
Anne Riesenfeld
Executive Director
Musica Sacra
P O Box 381336
Cambridge, MA 02238
(617) 349-3400
ariesenfeld@musicasacra.org
http://www.musicasacra.org
Good Morning Gloucester 