The Community Chorus at South Berwick will present its 35th annual Christmas concert in two performances on December 5 and 6. The 60-voice mixed chorus will sing “ A Christmas Garland” of traditional carols and contemporary choral works on the theme of “Noel, Alleluia”. The concert will usher in the holiday season accompanied by harp, piano, and instrumentalists. The Saturday, Dec. 5 performance will be at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 22 Fox Run Road in Newington, N.H., at 7:30 p.m.  The Sunday, Dec. 6 concert will be at the Wesley Kennedy Performing Arts Center of Marshwood High School, Route 236 in South Berwick, Me., at 3 p.m.

The Community Chorus at South Berwick has become a fixture among Seacoast music-lovers, drawing its singers and audiences from across the region. The performers range in age from twenties to seniors. While based in South Berwick, it is a regional group with singers from over 15 towns in Seacoast Maine and New Hampshire. Conductor/Director Dr. Harry Moon, who is beginning his tenth season with the group, notes that carol singing has long been part of the Nativity season, with roots in the French caroles, or dance-songs, of the common people rather than the church or court. Several of this year’s concert selections are in this French tradition as well as those of England and Appalachian America, including the familiar We Three Kings and The Holly and the Ivy.

Composers and arrangers represented in the program range from a sixteenth century French court organist to current San Jose University physics professor, Brian Holmes. Punctuating the program are four settings of an Alleluia text by twentieth century composers Randall Thompson, James Poulsen, Fredric Bayco, and Stephen Paulus. The highly popular choral composer, Eric Whitacre, is represented by his haunting Lux Aurumque.

Accompanying the chorus will be Audrey Adams on the piano, Melinda McMahon on the harp, Victoria Myer on the cello, and Jennifer Doiron on the oboe.

Tickets are $10 at the door ($8 for seniors and students) or $8 in advance at South Berwick Pharmacy, 287 Main Street, South Berwick; Gary’s Guitars, 800 Islington Street, Portsmouth; and York Flower Shop, 241 York St., York. Information is available at ccsb-sing.org or 207-384-7059.

As the Community Chorus at South Berwick begins rehearsals for a new season on September 14, 2009, it will be a far cry from the twenty-odd singers who faced an uncertain future and a new director just ten years ago.  Now recognized as one of the Seacoast’s premier singing groups, CCSB takes the stage with between 55 and 65 mixed singers drawn from communities across the Seacoast, and performs a diverse and challenging repertoire, accompanied by professional musicians, sometimes as much as a full chamber orchestra.

In 2000, faced with the retirement of founder-director Dianne Dean after 25 years, the chorus engaged Dr. Harry Moon, an accomplished “retired” musical educator, as director-conductor and pianist Audrey Adams as accompanist.  Led by Harry, as he is known by all, the chorus mapped a transition from a fine local chorus to a fine regional chorus, without abandoning its inclusive community roots.  Still the only requirement for joining the chorus is being willing to show up and work hard.  Dr. Moon believes that ordinary singers can produce extraordinary music together.  And the high musical standards of the chorus in turn attracted singers of high quality, including the leaders of other local singing groups.  .

Audiences responded.  Early in the transition, the small chorus was barely outnumbered by the audience on one stormy night in early April.   Now attendance tops 200 for a typical concert.  Growing audiences, corporate grants, and private contributions have permitted more ambitious productions and community outreach. CCSB commissioned and premiered two original choral works: Kevin Siegfried’s At the Water’s Edge in 2006, with a grant from Choral Arts New England, and Chip Kaufmann’s Spheres in 2008, with a grant from Kennebunk Savings Bank.  Also in 2006, the chorus sponsored a festival concert series with area youth and school choruses that drew over 500 listeners and demonstrated that singing can be enjoyed for a lifetime.  CCSB itself has had singers from seventeen to the seventies.

This year’s Christmas concerts on December 5 and 6 will feature seasonal music on the theme of “Noel, Alleluia” from early works to more contemporary selections by Randall Thompson and Eric Whitacre.  The principal work for the April program will be “An Hour to Dance,” a choral cycle by Gwyneth Walker.  It will also include other works inspired by movement and dance by composers from J.S. Bach to Benjamin Britten.

The first weekly Monday rehearsal will be at 7:00 p.m. on September 14 at the First Federated Parish Church on Academy Street at Main St. in South Berwick, Me. Prospective singers, preferably with choral experience, should plan to arrive 20 minutes early for registration and orientation.  Dr. Moon also welcomes inquiries at 207-384-7059.  The chorus Web site is CCSB-sing.org.

The open house will feature “imagination stations” where adults and children can help imagine the future library. Visitors will have a chance to explore the space and find out more about the project. This free event offers refreshments, children’s art activities, a poster contest and a book nook. All are invited.

Hot Summer Nights Concert is at Central School tonight at 6:30 PM with Joyce Andersen and  Brian Killough (roots, traditional, rockin’!) and openers Isa Burke and Lina Tullgren , Marshwood High students.    Stop by the Open House and then follow the path from the future library to the concert at the school.

Dan Blakeslee, left, opened the 2009 Hot Summer Nights Concert season. Slaid Cleaves, right, put on a great show for his hometown fans

If you couldn’t make it to last week’s kick off concert for Hot Summer Nights with Slaid Cleaves and Dan Blakeslee, you are probably wondering how it went given the miserable weather that day.  As a result of the rainy weather, the concert moved to Marshwood High School auditorium.  Nicole St. Pierre, one of the dynamos behind Hot Summer Nights sent an update along with some pictures by Lisa Toole, another HSN dynamo.

Nicole St. Pierre reports the show was a great success, “It was a GREAT show – Slaid called it a “very sweet gig” and was thrilled to play in the amazing MHS auditorium.  The room was almost full – including the balcony!  So, a great turnout on a very rainy kick-off…    Dan was fun, too!”

Next up in the series on July 9, 6:30 PM is High Range (bluegrass) with opener James Gilmore, a Marshwood High School grad.  The forecast for tomorrow says “clouds yielding to sun.”  So go out and do your sun dance tomorrow and get yourself to Central School lawn for the concert (even if it’s raining , go anyway, it’ll be at Town Hall).

More information on shows, musicians and rain announcements, at www.hotsummernightssobo.com.

Unless there is a complete weather reversal….

Tonight:  Hot Summer Nights, July 2 – Slaid Cleaves (with Dan Blakeslee opening)
6:30-8:00  at Marshwood High School Auditorium
Pizza and drinks will be sold prior to the show.

Come support our “homegrown” musicians!

The beautiful gardens and sweeping view of the Salmon Falls River provide a picture perfect setting for these relaxed late-afternoon concerts.  Pack your picnic basket and lawn chair and come prepared to enjoy some of the Seacoast’s most popular musical performers.

Sunday, July 5 – Harvey Reid kicks off the series.  A well loved local musician, Reid has performed extensively and garnering national recognition as one of the true treasures of American acoustic music.  Reid’s music includes a range of influences from folk to rockabilly and a vast repertoire of traditional and contemporary songs, which he weaves seamlessly together with his own compositions and wry humor.

Sunday, July 12 – David Peloquin and Bob Webb bring their “Good Music for Hard Times” Concert to the garden.  Peloquin and Webb will offer American folk and popular music from our collective past, a celebration of all the great music created by regular American folk during the past 150 years. Peloquin and Webb perform with nearly 80 years of experience between them and present a varied and unusual repertory from the American song bag, performed in harmonizing tenor and baritone voices, with accompaniment on guitars, concertina, and America’s “own” musical instrument, the 5-string banjo.  “Good Music for Hard Times” is a presentation unlike any other and one that’s not to be missed!

Sunday, July 19 – Local favorite Jon Nolan will perform. Former frontman of the Newmarket, NH, based indie band Say Zuzu, Nolan is renowned for his rootsy pop sensibility.  His music has been called a smart and introspective combination of Americana, pop, and roots rock anchored in stirring and emotive vocals.  Nolan’s most recent recording, When the Summers Lasted Long, has received praise from fans and critics alike.  Nolan’s acoustic performance in the garden is a unique opportunity to see a singer-songwriter legend in the making.

Sunday, July 26 – Cellist/singer-songwriter Kristen Miller concludes the series. Miller electrifies her antique cello to redefine the instrument in the tradition of folk, rock, and world music. In her live performances, Miller uses digital recording to layer earthy cello timbres with percussion, spoken word, and singing. The result is a rich tapestry of harmony, rhythm, and deep melodic contour that Billboard writer Bobby Borg calls “hauntingly, charmingly, brilliant.”

This year’s concert series is sponsored in part by Kennebunk Savings Bank.  Proceeds help support the Hamilton House and gardens.  Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $4 for Historic New England members and children, free for Historic New England Garden and Landscape Members.  In case of rain, concerts are held in the garden cottage.

Hamilton House is open for tours Wednesday- Sunday until mid-October.  Tours begin at the garden cottage on the hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  House tours are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $4 for children, and free to Historic New England members.  The price of the house tour is not included with concert admission.

Hamilton House is located on Vaughan’s Lane, adjacent to Vaughan Woods State Park, a mile off Route 236 in South Berwick.  The site is one of 36 house museums owned and operated by Historic New England, the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional heritage organization in the country.  For more information, please contact the South Berwick Office of Historic New England at (207) 384-2454 or visit www.historicnewengland.org.

(Note: July 2 opener with Slaid Cleaves and Dan Blakeslee will be held at Marshwood High School Auditorium)

On Thursday nights in July and August, residents of the area will once again be able to tote picnics,blankets and babies into the village to listen to music in the social, relaxed setting of downtown South Berwick. Most of the concerts start at 6:30 pm with opening acts, often students from the area, and continue until 8 pm.

Although the concerts are all free, and always will be, Hot Summer Nights welcomes donations. In order to keep the concerts free from pressure or guilt, Hot Summer Nights only solicits donations once during the season. This year, organizers are raising money to buy a PA system so they can offer even better acoustics at the outdoor venue.

Students from the incoming junior class at Marshwood High School will be on hand at concerts selling food and beverages.

More information on shows, musicians and rain announcements, and even a taste of the music is available on the brand new, interactive website at www.hotsummernightssobo.com.

The full schedule is as follows:
July 2, 6:30 PM- Slaid Cleaves (Americana); opener Dan Blakeslee (Note: will be at Marshwood High School Auditorium)

July 9, 6:30 PM – High Range (bluegrass); opener  James Gilmore (Marshwood High School grad)

July 16, 6:30 PM – Joyce Andersen with Brian Killough – (roots, traditional, rockin’!) ; openers Isa Burke and Lina Tullgren (Marshwood High School)

July 23, 6:30 PM – Chronic Jazz Syndrome  (jazz, obviously!);  opener Noah Landis (Berwick Academy)

July 30, 6:30 PM – Mango Groove (steel drums); Opener Amelia Hazen (Berwick Academy)

Aug 6, 5:00 PM – Sobopalooza (a performance entirely of young musicians – starts early!) 5pm – dark.

Aug 13, 6:30 PM – Baby Grand (classic rock) ; opener Avalon (from Berwick Academy)

Aug 20, 6:00 PM – PB&J  ( traditional and contemporary covers); opener Taygra Longstaff (Marshwood High School)

Elysium Arts Folk Club is located in the Lower Mills in Rollinsford, NH. The Folk Club provides a forum for performers in a comfortable, homey, family oriented atmosphere where the music can shine.   Food and beverage offerings include local favorites, White Heron Tea and Carpe Diem Coffee and snacks from local bakeries and caterers.

Elysium Arts Folk Club ~ Lower Mill at Salmon Falls ~ PO Box 285 ~ Rollinsford, NH 03869 ~ 603.743.4700

Preorder tickets by sending an email or calling 603.743.4700

Jun 04, 2009, 8:00 pm
Caroline Cotter
$10.00 ~ kids $5.00
Singer songwriter Caroline Cotter is going to be doing a mini residency with us! Meaning she will be doing two shows in the month of June!!  So catch her debut on the 4th of June and then tall all yur friend how great she is and come back on June 13th!! http://www.myspace.com/carolinecotter

Jun 05, 2009, 8:00 pm
The Pawn Shop Poets
$10.00 ~ kids $5.00
The Pawn Shop Poets an Acoustic-Synthphonic Duo That’ll Rock your Socks Off!! Who are The Pawn Shop Poets? Rob Roy/Ken Mercado and they will be here in June check ‘em out!
http://www.myspace.com/pawnshoppoetsduo

Jun 06, 2009, 8:00 pm
Sara Cox & Abi Tapia
$12.00 ~ kids $5.00
We are in for a treat with two powerful Song Writers this evening. Portland Maine’s Sara Cox and Austin Texas’ Abi Tapia.  http://www.myspace.com/saracoxmusic http://www.myspace.com/abitapia

Jun 12, 2009, 8:00 pm
Susie Burke & David Surette, and Highland Soles: an evening of folk and Celtic music and dance
$12.00 ~ kids $5.00
Join us for an evening of folk and Celtic music and dance with Susie Burke & David Surette, and Highland Soles.  Susie and David may also be joined by their daughters Isa and Julianna on fiddle and vocals.  http://www.burkesurette.com/
Highland Soles is Ed Pearlman & Laura Scott with Lilly & Jesse Pearlman, a family band featuring fiddle, piano, and Highland and step dancing.  http://www.highlandsoles.com/

Jun 13, 2009, 8:00 pm
Caroline Cotter
$10.00 ~ kids $5.00
Singer songwriter Caroline Cotter is going to be doing a mini residency with us! Meaning she will be doing two shows in the month of June!!  So catch her debut on the 4th of June and then tall all yur friend how great she is and come back on June 13th!! http://www.myspace.com/carolinecotter

The critically acclaimed Community Chorus at South Berwick will perform Messiah Parts II and III, which some call the “Easter Messiah,” over Palm Sunday weekend in Dover and Exeter, N.H.  It will be presented much as it premiered in April 1742, with soloists and a full chamber orchestra.

Saturday, April 4 at 8:00pm, First Parish Church, Dover, NH
Sunday, April 5 at 3:00pm, Christ Episcopal Church, Exeter, NH

Get all the details…

Marshwood Spring Musical

Marshwood High School presents Rogers and Hammerstein’s“OKLAHOMA”

April 2, 3 amd 4 ,  2009.  7:00 PM (Thurs. Friday and Sat. nights), Marshwood High School, South Berwick

For ticket information…

A WICKED GOOD TIME AT TOWN HALL!: Celtic Songs and Stories featuring Jennifer Armstrong.

Saturday, April 4, 7:00pm & Sunday, April 5, 2:00pm, South Berwick Town Hall, Main St., South Berwick, ME.

!!Friday morning 9:30 AM-This update from Poolyle Productions!!

“Not only is it mud season, but it’s also cold, flu and in Jennifer Armstrong’s case, pneumonia season, so she will be unable to perform this weekend. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Jennifer called in a personal favor, and storyteller, musician and folklorist, Dillon Bustin has agreed to entertain us with stories and songs from his Irish heritage.

“A modern-day bard” with an “earthy soothing voice”(middlesex beat), Dillon has performed at Passim in Cambridge, the Iron Horse in Northampton, the Woods Hole Folk Music Society, the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston, The Sea Music Festival in Mystic, the Westerly Center for the Arts and Old South Meeting House in Boston to name a few. We feel very lucky to have found such a talented performer to grace our stage.

Thanks for your patience and support! In the words of Helen Keller, “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all.”
Susan Poulin

For more details…

March 21 & 22   “A Visit With Ida”
April 4 & 5         “Celtic Songs and Stories”
May 2 & 3           “Mid-Life Crisis Cabaret”

Fed up with shoveling? Ice storms? News about the economy? You’re in for a treat! This winter, “A Wicked Good Time at Town Hall” returns to South Berwick, bringing you affordable entertainment once a month, through mud season and into spring. We could all use a little diversion right about now, and Poolyle Productions has risen to the challenge! Join us upstairs at the South Berwick Town Hall for Maine humor, songs, stories and laughter, in a handicap accessible space with plenty of parking. Oh, and did we mention that our famously low ticket prices are the same as they were in 2006? Well, they are!

“A Wicked Good Time at Town Hall” kicks off with “A Visit With Ida” March 21 & 22. The star of “Ida: Woman Who Runs With the Moose,” “Ida’s Havin’ a Yard Sale!” and “A Very Ida Christmas”, Ida has been called “the funniest woman in Maine.” She will crack you up with her insights into love, sex and the Pine Tree State of mind. Guaranteed to put you in touch with your “innah Mainah,” Ida has Moxie, and she’s not afraid to drink it! Be forewarned: in the words of one concerned audience member, “You really should have “Depends” by the door for some of us!”

“A Visit With Ida!” will be followed by “Celtic Songs and Stories” featuring Jennifer Armstrong, April 4 & 5. This amazingly talented musician and storyteller shares her Scottish border clan heritage in a delightful program of Scottish songs, stories, toe-tapping fiddling, Gaelic mouth music, bagpipes and ballads. Fun for the whole family!

The series concludes with “Mid-Life Crisis Cabaret,” a celebration of the not-quite-Golden Years, with Pat Spalding, Susan Poulin and Gordon Carlisle, May 2 & 3. If you can’t remember what you did in the 60’s, or where your keys are, this is the show for you! Does a night out with friends include hard to read menus, antacids and decaf? In the last week, have you had a conversation about aging parents, insomnia, knee, hip or hormone replacement? You may think a colonoscopy is nothing to sing about. We beg to differ!  Rated GP 30: you must be over thirty to understand what we’re talking about!

“A Wicked Good Time at Town Hall” begins with “A Visit with Ida”, March 21 & 22, and continues with “Celtic Songs and Stories,” April 4 & 5, and “Mid-Life Crisis Cabaret!”, May 2 & 3. Performances are Saturdays at 7:00pm, and Sundays at 2:00pm, at South Berwick Town Hall, Main St., South Berwick, ME. There’s plenty of parking behind Town Hall and on Main Street. Tickets are $16, $13 for students, seniors and South Berwick residents, $6 for children under twelve. Or buy a Wicked Good Deal Pass (one ticket to all three plays): $41.95/$32.95, or a Not Too Shabby Pass (one ticket to two plays): $28.95/$22.95.  Tickets are available at the door, or to reserve, call:  207-384-4526, or email: info@poolyle.com http://www.poolyle.com