- North Country Chorus Fall 2024 Season!
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 6 2024
Brand new Member registration:
https://forms.gle/4ADeT1XX4W1TUFZs9
(after filling out this form, your access to the Member section of the website is a manual process that takes a couple days to complete)
Returning singer registration: indicating your availability on the Fall 2024 Season Registration page (login required to do so) Dues payment: https://donorbox.org/ncc2024-25 or by check at rehearsal
Dear Singers,
Though the start of every season makes me a little anxious, that nervousness disappears with the arrival of old friends and new voices as we start the process of bringing beauty through song. While the group already has demonstrated a robust sound, we will continually address the process of achieving our best blend and balance.
Next week we will start on the Carols and Lullabies. The challenge with this work will be the text. Many of the older scores have phonetic pronunciations. I hope to have a sheet with those printed out next week to avoid too much time spent on this in rehearsal. I do enourage you to listen to a recording to help in that process. www.northcountrychorus.org/ learnyourmusic
I also hope we can memorize the Hodie in Ceremony. Traditionally, this is done a cappella and as a procession. Hopefully, we can achieve that.
The biggest news is that, by what appeared to be overwhelming support, we have decided to start rehearsals at 6:45 and end at 8:30. Certainly, if this means for some that you will have to arrive late, that will not be a problem. THIS CHANGE WILL START ON SEPTEMBER 24.
I look forward to seeing you all next week!
The performance dates will be Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6th and 7th for this program. We will also be sponsoring a Messiah Sing for the community on Dec. 8th at 3:00 pm. This will be a new venture for the chorus. Although we will focus on Part 1 (the Christmas section), we will also include some of the more familiar choruses from Parts 2 and 3. My plan, at this point, is to have the instrumentalists up front and the chorus and audience singers together in the pews.
My best,
Alan
- North Country Chorus Holiday Concert
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Date Posted: Tue, Nov 14 2023
The North Country Chorus presents its
75th Annual Holiday Concert
Friday, December 1 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 3 at 3:00 PM
South Church Hall on the campus of St. Johnsbury Academy
Admission is by donation.Featured work:
"Hodie"
by Ralph Vaughan WilliamsPerformances also by:
Academy Hilltones & NCC Youth Chorus
Under the steady, patient leadership of our fine director, Alan Rowe, the 70 members of the North Country Chorus present R. Vaughan Williams’s beloved Christmas cantata, “Hodie." The chorus will also sing Morten Lauridsen’s lush choral setting of James Agee‘s poem “Sure on This Shining Night.”
Additional performances by the St. Johnsbury Academy Hilltones, also under the direction of Alan Rowe.
We are delighted to announce that the North Country Youth Chorus will also be with us. Our music program for students in grades 3 through 8 has returned under their wonderful new director, Cintia Lovo.
We are pleased to again open the doors to our concerts by donation. Our audiences have shown their appreciation for this policy; concert revenue has been comparable to ticket sales in previous years.Attachment: 
- Fall Season Starts Sept 12!
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Date Posted: Mon, Aug 7 2023
Welcoming new & returning singers through Tuesday, September 26. Rehearsals at 7:15 pm at the Morse Center for the Arts on the St. Johnsbury Academy campus (55 Fairbanks Drive, number 20 on this map, parking adjacent to number 21)
We're doing Vaughan Williams’s “Hodie” [see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YOZ86sEU0o] as our major work and his “Fantasia on Christmas Carols”. Both are familiar to the seasoned members of NCC and we are excited to share these wonderful works with our more recent members.
Concerts will be the first weekend in December (1st-3rd). Specific dates and times TBD.
If you plan to sing this fall, please register for the Fall 2023 season by following these three steps:
1️⃣Log into the Members section of the North Country Chorus website https://www.northcountrychorus.org/dbpage. php?pg=membersonly Here's a video tutorial on logging in: https://youtu.be/ oazoBVz3yzs (If your username or password isn't working, click on the Forgotten your username or password? link underneath the login to have your username and password emailed to you. If you're still having trouble, please email webmaster@ northcountrychorus.org). If you are brand new to the chorus, please fill out the New singer registration: https://forms.gle/D34Tah8iUNCiEopBA in order for us to create a website Member login for you. If you are considering joining and have questions feel free to email the music director, Alan Rowe: musicdirector@northcountrychorus.org
2️⃣Scroll down the Members page to the Events - My Attendance/Availabilitysection. Next to the Fall 2023 Season Registration, click on Availability not stated and select I will be attending the upcoming season. Click on the blue Update Attendances button at the bottom. This serves as your registration.
3️⃣Pay your $40 dues (for both Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 seasons)- Online (optional, but highly recommended): https://donorbox.org/ncc2023-24
- In person by check at the beginning of rehearsal
- Spring Rehearsals Start Jan 17!
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Date Posted: Sat, Jan 7 2023
Login to the Members section of this website for additional details.
We start singing January 17th!
Dear singers past, present and future!
I hope your holiday break has left you well fed, rested and ready to start singing on January 17th.
I am very excited to get started on our spring production of “Considering Matthew Shepard” and know that many of you share the same feeling.
I’ve been listening to two recordings, one by U of Michigan and the other by Bob Cole Music Conservatory. One is a presentation made for television, the other a more traditional concert setting. Both are excellent performances that we will refer to along the way. I have made a spread sheet that includes all the movements, solos, and vocal range along with a time stamp where they appear in the videos. I hope you will check out the recording if you are interested in a solo. There are also many speaking opportunities.
Regarding books, currently we have about 45 copies. I know many of you have purchased a copy or perhaps you still have your NCC copy from 2020. If so, please let me know either way so I can order extras if need be. If you wish, there are a number on Amazon to purchase.
For brand new singers joining this year: please register at: https://forms.gle/JdYYka8ViSq69kAe6 We rehearse Tuesdays from 7:15-9 PM at St. Johnsbury Academy’s Morse Center for the Arts (55 Fairbanks Drive, number 20 on this map, parking adjacent to number 21)
Performances are scheduled for Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7.
At our first rehearsal, plan to come early to register, socialize and enjoy refreshments. Those who would be willing to assist with refreshments, please e-mail my wife, Stephanie, (srowejjh@gmail.com) by Sunday January 15th to let her know what you could bring.
I look forward to getting started and seeing you on the 17th.
Alan
- NCC Spring 2022 Season
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Date Posted: Tue, Jan 4 2022
Rehearsal on Feb 22 will be at the Union Baptist Church, 932 Route 5, Waterford. As with all choirs, proof of vaccination and boosting are required to participate, and we ask that singers use CDC recommended masks (i.e. KN95,N95, surgical, singers masks).
▶️If you are planning on singing in the spring season, please indicate your availability online on the registration event page: https://www.northcountrychorus.org/dbpage.php?pg=view&dbase=events&id=150364 This serves as your registration for the spring 2022 season.
▶️If you paid your dues last fall, you do not need to pay your dues again. You only need to pay your dues online if you plan to sing in the spring season and did NOT pay dues in the fall. Dues are only accepted online at this page: https://donorbox.org/2021-22-dues due by or before the third rehearsal date (Feb 22) of the season.
▶️If you are brand new to the chorus, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/g6VQReHgHXH1HfRM7YouTube Video URL: Attachment:
- Spring 2020: "Considering Matthew Shepard"
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Date Posted: Sat, Dec 21 2019
The North Country Chorus's Spring 2020 season piece “Considering Matthew Shepard” is a recent work by Craig Hella Johnson. It is a moving, powerful, and uplifting work that explores our humanity through Matthew’s life and death, a “modern-day Passion." This musical exploration of the painful circumstances surrounding Matthew Shepard's murder help us to overcome hate and bigotry around us and within ourselves. The music is eclectic in style with solo and small ensemble opportunities throughout. To learn more about “Considering Matthew Shepherd”, watch this PBS Arts In Context documentary series episode: https://www.pbs.org/video/arts-context-considering-matthew-shepard/ (originally aired October 17, 2016).
Read-Through
We will read through the libretto on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at 7:15 pm at the St. Johnsbury Academy band room (Morse Arts Center). Click on the date (above) for directions to parking.
Regular rehearsals
Regular rehearsals begin on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 7:15 pm, and take place at the St. Johnsbury Academy band room (Morse Arts Center). We welcome new singers during the first three rehearsals of each season (through January 28). If you are considering joining and have questions feel free to email Alan Rowe, the music director. musicdirector@northcountrychorus.org
New Singer Pre-Registration
If you are brand new to the North Country Chorus for the Spring 2020 season, welcome! We're glad to have you sing with us. Please pre-register online here: https://forms.gle/gxFxH9ZfwqhfqM8BA After pre-registering, you will soon receive an email with log-in credentials for the members section of the North Country Chorus website.
Spring 2020 Registration
If you have sung in the North Country Chorus at any time in 2018 and/or 2019, we already have your registration info (you don't need to pre-register again). To register for the Spring 2020 season, please log into the members section of the North Country Chorus site, and indicate your availability for the "Register Here for Spring 2020 Season" event.
Learn Your Music
We hope you will take the time to listen to the performance and explore the full text. Links to both of these are on the Learn Your Music page: http://www.northcountrychorus.org/learnyourmusicYouTube Video URL: For more information, see: www.pbs.org/video/arts-context-considering-matthew-shepard/
- Youth Chorus Rehearsals Resume Fri, Oct 25 at Catamount Arts
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Date Posted: Tue, Oct 15 2019
North Country Chorus is pleased to announce that the Youth Chorus we have sponsored for the last two years will resume regular rehearsals at 3:30PM on Friday, October 25th. There are a number of changes this year. Thanks to our partnership with Catamount Arts, the rehearsals will be held there, on Friday afternoons, from 3:30-5 PM. A snack will be provided. Chelsea Chen will return as the accompanist. There will be a new director, Lewis Botelho-Gomes, who is also part of the EPIC program. He has an impressive background including extensive experience conducting a variety of children’s choruses. He brings movement, dance, and fosters curiosity to create a vibrant learning environment. Children from grade 3-8 are welcomed, there is no audition and no fee. Contact Lewis at lewisbg@catamountarts.org for more info and to sign up. Families within a 30 minute drive of St J can probably get their kids there in time for rehearsal! This is a rare opportunity for kids in the north country of Vermont and New Hampshire
