Mad River Chorale
Spring Concert 2023 SPRING JOY!
Friday May 12 7:30 pm
Saturday May 13 7:30 pm


For Tickets (good either evening) click here .

About the Mad River Chorale:
Rehearsals begin January 23, 2023
in the chorus room at Harwood Union High School,
Rte.100 Duxbury. All rehearsals from 7-9 pm.

GENERAL INFO:
REHEARSALS ARE HELD EVERY MONDAY EVENING FROM 7:00 TO 9:00 PM.
DUES ARE CHARGED TO HELP PAY FOR OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF, BUT NO SINGER IS EVER TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF ABILITY TO PAY.

NEW SINGERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED WARMLY.  THERE ARE NO AUDITIONS,  BUT SINGERS MUST BE ABLE TO MATCH PITCH AND SING WITH THEIR VOCAL SECTION, AND ARE EXPECTED TO SPEND TIME OUTSIDE REHEARSAL LEARNING THEIR MUSIC.  AFTER THE THIRD REHEARSAL, ADMISSIONS ARE USUALLY CLOSED FOR THE CURRENT TERM. THIS SPRING MAY BE DIFFERENT AT THE DISCRETION OF THE DIRECTOR.

Dues-  Spring 2023  $75
Pay at Square with your credit or debit card. Click here
If you cannot pay online, bring check to rehearsal.

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Still available :
Holiday Concert “Towards the Light”
originally posted December 21, 2020
and
Gala On-Line Fund-Raiser Concert
originally posted Friday, August 15, 2020  7:30
see details for this entertaining & up-close presentation

(Spring Concerts
May 16 and 17, 2020
were, sadly, cancelled
due to Coronavirus pandemic.)

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SOME HISTORY:

In January 1993 Mad River Chorale
started rehearsals for our debut concert.

In 2013-14 Mad River Chorale
celebrated the start of our
Third Decade.
In 2018 we welcomed our long-time accompanist,
Mary Jane Austin, as our new Conductor.
    Alison Cerutti joined us full-time as our
rehearsal and performance accompanist.

The Chorale is delighted to work with
this star-studded team.

2021 was the start of our 29th year.
We are now officially approaching the end of our third decade!

Our community chorus usually presents two concerts each year.  One is always in late November or in December, usually a holiday offering, and one is in late spring or early summer. Programs range from classical music through jazz, traditional, contemporary and Broadway, in a variety of venues.

Singers are welcomed whether experienced, inexperienced or returning after years away from the chorus.  Although we are non-auditioned, singers must be able to match pitch and sing with their section. 

New singers can always take a few weeks to decide whether to commit to singing with us.

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RECENT HISTORY:

Gala Fund-Raiser in August 2021  Live at Camp Meade- Erik Kroncke, Mary Jane Austin, their voice students, and Allison Cerutti. (Seven MRC members also were singing live onstage in August for nine performances of HMS Pinafore at Unadilla Theatre, directed by Erik and Mary Jane, and Allison on piano.)

Spring Concert 2021- We attempted an ambitious virtual concert of Brahms and a few short pieces (Road Home, Turn Around),  but Covid exhausted us so we trimmed the Brahms and had a mini online virtual concert.

Holiday Concert 2020-   On-line virtual holiday concert with full chorus, small groups
 Go here for program

Gala Fund-Raiser 2020 in August-  On-line  virtual fundraiser- big success.
Go here for program

Holiday Concert- 2019  Live concerts at Waitsfield and Waterbury Churches

Spring Concert 2019
Carmina Burana  conducted by Mary Jane Austin and Thompson’s Alleluia conducted by Erik Kroncke
Joint concerts with the South Burlington Community Chorus at St Michael’s college and Harwood Union High School.

Holiday Concert 2018
Mary Jane Austin conducting with Alison Cerutti at piano.  Harp and oboe accompaniment was a evocative addition to our holiday selections.
On the program were Britten’s Ceremony of Carols,  Paulus’ Three Nativity Carols, and pieces by Thompson/Frost, Rutter, Lauridsen, and Thomas.  The whole audience sang along to traditional carols. Many audience members  joined the Chorale singing Handel’s Hallelujah chorus.

Spring Concert 2018
Mary Jane Austin conducting with Alison Cerutti at piano. The featured collection was Randall Thompson’s Frostiana, as Frost’s poem were lit up with harmony.  Additional pieces featured  Belafonte, Bernstein, DeCormier, Paulus, and Verdi

Holiday Concert 2017 The Splendor of Christmas
   Arthur Zorn conducted the MRC accompanied by Mary Jane Austin,  Alison Cerutti as Guest Pianist, with  Beth Ann Willey on tympani, bells, and the Inora Brass Quintet, on  Saturday Dec 9 at the Waitsfield UCC Church  and Sunday Dec 10 at the Waterbury UCC Church.  Most of Vivaldi’s Gloria,  and many contemporary holiday songs, some with audience singalongs delighted two full houses.  Manor- Unto Us a Child is Born, Niedman Unto Us a Son is Born  and All my Heart,  Wilberg- Christmas is Coming, Hobby- Go Tell It on the Mountain, Leavitt- Ose Shalom, Forrest-Hark the Herald Angels and First Nowell.  And Handel’s Hallelujah with audience welcomed. Zach Zorn put his excellent video recording of the Waterbury concert on

Spring Concert 2017  Spring Into Song
    Arthur Zorn conducted the MRC and Mary Jane Austin at Piano in chorale music by Leavitt, Schram, Beck, Besig, Walker, Mendelsohn, Rutter, Dickau, Haydn, Brahms, and Martin. Poets Walt Whitman and Robert Louis Stevenson were represented.  Concerts were May 6 at Waitsfield Church, May 7 at Waterbury Church

Holiday Concert 2016  Harmonious Holiday Harmonies
Dec 10/11  Waitsfield/Waterbury    Arthur Zorn led the MRC accompanied by Mary Jane Austin in a mixed selection of sacred and secular holiday music at Waitsfield and Waterbury Churches.  Rutter, Pergolesi, Saint-Saens, and six other composers were represented. We were joined by soloist Mary Bonhag and the Monteverdi Young Singers Chorus (Sat. only)  Zach Zorn put his excellent video of the Waterbury concert on Vimeo,

Spring Concert 2016  Songs My Mother Taught Me
 Mary Bonhag conducted the MRC accompanied by Mary Jane Austin, and Alison Cerutti as guest pianist,  at Warren/Waitsfield churches on May 6 and 7.  The program included Brahms, Dvorak, DeCormier, Strommen Copland, Ravel, Potter, Durufle, and Wilder.  A medley of songs taught to MRC singers by their mothers was sung in small groups and by soloists.

Holiday Concert December 2015   Magnificat A Family Holiday Concert
“Magnificat” included Vivaldi’s Magnificat,  Poulenc’s Magnum Mysterium, four lovely songs about snow, including ones by Berlin, Elgar, and Thompson, three carols arranged by Paulus,  and Holst’s arrangement of Christmas Day. Snow 19 Waitsfield UCC Meeting House. Presented Saturday Dec 19 at the Waitsfield UCC Meeting House, and Sunday afternoon Dec 20 at the Waterbury UCC Church. Mary Bonhag conducted with Alison Cerutti  at the organ and piano. We also had John Dunlop on cello, Jane Bearden and Letitia Quante on violin, Elizabeth Reid on viola, and Keri Anderson and Sandra Cathey on oboe.

Spring Concert, June 2015  I Hear America Singing
“I Hear America Singing” was a red, white and blue joyful mixture of songs by and about America and Americans, finishing up with the beautiful Vermont anthem “These Green Mountains” which reminded us all how privileged we are to live in this amazing State.
MRC conducted by Mary Bonhag with Mary Jane Austin at piano.  Music by Shaw, Larsen, Seeger, Copland, Premo Grantham, Jamison, Jackman, Flummerfelt, and Thomas

Holiday Concert December 19 and 21, 2014  A Ceremony of Carols
Our first concert with Mary Bonhag directing. The program featured Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and included a number of other holiday
songs and spirituals. Lauridsen, Caldwell and Ivory, Rutter, Petker, Thomas, Christiansen And — of course — there were sing-a-longs with the audience. Concerts took place Friday evening December 19, 7:30 p.m. at the Waitsfield Church, Route 100 north of the village and Sunday afternoon December 21st, 4:30 p.m. at the Warren Church, in Warren Village.  They were roaring successes! Mary Jane Austin at piano. Jacqueline Kerrod on harp, Evan Premo on double bass, and Nicola Cannizzaro on percussion.

The 2014 Spring Concert was  “First Glorias” !
The Warren Church was packed for “First Glorias” as we reprised
some early favorites on June 16th.
We performed Glorias by Vivaldi, Puccini, and Shoenherr, and parody in Latin of Laura Branigan’s 1982 hit single “Gloria.”  Mary Jane Austin was at the Shigeru piano, and a string quartet backed us on two of the Glorias.
Sadly, our conductor of 19 years, Piero Bonamico, announced his resignation and we sang the final Gloria with tears in our eyes.  But we moved on, as he did, to more Glorias.  Mad River Valley TV filmed the concert, and it is available for purchase. You can order a DVD for $10.00 on the MRVTV.com web site.

For MORE HISTORY OF MRC GOTO  OUR HISTORY

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