CCSB presents “With Voices of Singing” as Spring 2013 concert. The Community Chorus at South Berwick is preparing a unique and special concert for this spring, to be performed April 13 and 14. With Voices of Singing will include the 65 singers of CCSB and special guests the Sandpipers Seacoast Children’s Chorus . The concert will be a wonderful combination of classics by Mozart, Schubert, and Vivaldi performed by CCSB, followed by performance of short works by the Sandpipers, and culminate in CCSB and the Sandpipers combining on very appealing works written for two choirs. A string ensemble will accompany works in both sections. Check for future notices, but mark your calendars!



CCSB presents “Gloria in excelcis Deo” as Winter 2012 concert. Gloria in Excelsis Deo (glory to God in the highest), the liturgical phrase most readily identified with Christmas, was the theme for this year’s holiday concert, accompanied by brass – in this case, a brass quintet along with percussion and piano. The program opened with the driving tempo and jazzy rhythm of Kent Newbury’s 1988 setting of Gloria in Excelsis Deo, sung in Latin, followed by the fluid, canonic interweaving of melody lines passed from one voice part to another in three motets by Renaissance composer Hans Leo Hassler.The chorus then sang Glory to God by Randall Thompson, two Israeli Chanukah songs, sung in Hebrew, works by New England-based composer Gwyneth Walker, and then progressing chronologically from the 16th century with their performance of Claude Goudimel’s Gloria in Excelsis Deo motet, 20th century American composer Ned Rorem’s Christmas motet While all things, and ending with Brian Holmes’ 2001 setting of a G.K. Chesterton poem.
In keeping with a CCSB Christmas concert tradition, the audience was encouraged to sing along, but this time listeners and chorus members alike needed to pay close attention to the conductor for their participation.
The concert closed with yet another setting of Gloria in Excelsis Deo, this one a fast-paced chime-like piece written in 1991 by American composer Eleanor Daley.


CCSB presents “On the Bookshelf” as Spring 2012 concert. The theme for the concert was a musical “browsing”, as if in a library spending an unhurried afternoon wandering from topic to topic. Dr. Moon’s program was seemingly eclectic, but was beautifully united musically ad with this theme of browsing. The concert included a wide range of works that spanned subjects, time, and the globe. Subjects included folksongs of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Sacred Verse, Weather and Climate Change, Shakespeare, Folks songs of America, and American spirituals; and works ranging from Lotti’s Crucifixus, to Henry Mollicone’s National Weather Forecast, to Chapman’s homage to Shakespeare’s sonnets Love and Shapes High Fantastical, to a remarkable moving setting of The Streets of Laredo, and more. This theme presented the opportunity for CCSB to address one of its missions: to engage and participate with the local community with a collaboration with the Friends of the South Berwick Library. The Friends are committed to raising funds to supplementing Town funding of the facility, which is being completed in 2012. The Friends promoted the concert and shared in the ticket proceeds as a fundraiser.



CCSB Celebrates Italian Traditions with Laud to the Nativity in December 2011. Christmas music rooted in Italian traditions was the inspiration of CCSB’s December 2011 concerts, titled Laud to the Nativity . The concert continued with our Christmas Garland tradition, titled and featured the chorus performing a capella, with our wonderful accompanist Audrey Adams, and with a full woodwind ensemble. The concert included Italian works from the Renaissance to the present. A series of Italian carols was followed by contemporary works, and then by baroque and renaissance music of Italy. The closing highlight of the concert was Respighi’s wonderful ‘Laud to the Nativity’ a telling of the nativity story with rich choral singing, soloists, and woodwind ensemble. The work is colorful, dramatic, and inspirational ! It is not often performed, but should be! The concert also included community carols with audience, chorus and wind ensemble in rich singing of traditional favorites.


CCSB Celebrates the Earth with 'Our Island Earth' April 9 and 10, 2011. The Spring 2011 concert was a musical celebration of Earth, its place in the cosmos, and the stewardship of Earth. The program started with “Island in Space” by Kirke Mechem based on the words of an Apollo Astronaut who saw the Earth from the Moon, and never looked back, with works by Belmont, Gjeilo, Vaughan Williams, Boulanger, and Pfautsch that explored different elements of the stars, sun, and Earth, including madrigals performed by CCSB’s chamber singers. The highlight of the concert was the premiere performance of “This Fragile Blue Orb” written by CCSB’s own Dr. Harry Moon for this concert. This large and exciting work featured the chorus with English Horn, gong, and CCSB’s accompanist Audrey Adams with a major piano accompaniment, explored the concepts of peace as means of caring for the planet, starting and ending with “dona nobis pacem”. Because of the concerts’ environmental theme, environmental groups were invited to come and display information on their programs to the audience at the intermission and after the concerts. Many came, and this added to the meaning and depth of the event.


CCSB Reveres Bach’s influence with Christmas Concert. The December 2010 concert was a celebration called ‘Friends and Family of J.S. Bach’ and featured the chorus with full chamber orchestra in performances of works by Bach, his sons, friends, and some of those influenced by Bach. Introduced by a single Bach chorale, the program proceeded with seasonal works by Buxtehde, Telemann, W.F. and J.C. Bach with chamber orchestra. Carol-inspired works concluded with “Seven Joys of Christmas” by Mechem with the chamber orchestra.