St. Cecilia Chamber Choir holds auditions

St. Cecilia Chamber Choir is holding auditions for all voice parts as we begin preparing our December “Ceremony of Lessons and Carols” concert. Drawing inspiration from the world-famous King’s College Cambridge Service of Lessons and Carols, our program blends carols both sacred and secular with seasonal readings, accompanied by a professional string quartet, performed in beautiful Bowdoin College Chapel and Damariscotta Baptist Church.

St. Cecilia Chamber Choir is a fully-auditioned community group comprised of singers from talented youth to seasoned performers. We perform the very finest challenging choral repertoire spanning the centuries from medieval to modern, under the direction of husband-and-wife team Linda Blanchard and Sean Fleming of Damariscotta. In the English choral tradition, we sing with a straight tone, enabling attention to fine-tuning rich harmonies. Much of our repertoire is a capella, and we frequently are accompanied by a professional chamber orchestra. We present two to three concerts per year, typically in December and May.

We’re a dedicated and friendly bunch, eager to welcome new members, and we especially encourage gifted students to audition. Rehearsals are high-energy and challenging. “We work hard,” says Blanchard, “but we keep the rehearsals upbeat and fun. We provide practice materials to use at home, so singers can come to rehearsal feeling prepared and ready to go!”

Singers wishing to audition should have good vocal control, and sopranos and altos should be able to sing without vibrato. The ability to read music is preferred, but those who cannot read may participate by spending extra time learning the music at home with the aid of provided practice materials.

Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM starting on Sept. 13, at St. Andrew’s Church, Glidden St. in Newcastle. To schedule an audition, call Linda Blanchard at (207) 380-2768 or email [email protected]. For more information about the Choir, please visit our website at ceciliachoir.org.

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St. Cecilia Chamber Choir Presents A Ceremony of Lessons and Carols on December 9 and 10

St. Cecilia Chamber Choir will present its annual Lessons and Carols Christmas concerts on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 4:00 p.m. at the Bowdoin College Chapel in Brunswick, and Sunday, Dec. 10 at 3:00 p.m. at Damariscotta Baptist Church. Linda Blanchard is St. Cecilia’s artistic director and conductor, assisted by organist and pianist Sean Fleming. Advance tickets are strongly encouraged for these popular concerts.

A beautiful setting of "Frohlocket, ihr Völker auf Erden" by Felix Mendelssohn will be featured. Swiss composer Carl Rütti's setting of "A Patre Unigenitus" will be sung, as well as Richard Francis' perennially-popular "People, Look East" based on Eleanor Farjeon's Christmas poem. "Wassail Song" arranged by Vaughan Williams will be performed, as well as several of David Willcocks' sing-along arrangements of carols. A favorite piece used for many Christmas concerts, Rutter's “Candlelight Carol,” will be sung. A professional string quartet will accompany the group on select pieces. With audience sing-along caroling also, this concert is sure to be a treat for the whole family.

For 29 years St. Cecilia Chamber Choir has been providing challenging musical opportunities and music scholarships for gifted local youth. Since the Choir’s inception, over 26 gifted young students have sung with us, many continuing to study and perform music in college and beyond. Tickets will be available soon. For more information, please email [email protected], visit facebook.com/stceciliachamberchoir and ceciliachoir.org, or call 207-380-2768.

St. Cecilia will perform their 2024 spring program at 3:00 p.m. on May 4 and 5 at Damariscotta Baptist Church

To learn more about St. Cecilia or to set up an audition, just use our Contact form, and we’ll get in touch.

We look forward to hearing from you!