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Wings of Song

Effective date for entry: 1/30/2024

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Located in Sturbridge, MA 01518

Rough Seas, Safe Harbor: Wings of Song

STURBRIDGE – Wings of Song, a community chorus that draws its 50+ members from many communities in south-central Massachusetts and northeastern Connecticut, has begun rehearsing for a one-of-a-kind musical program that it will offer three times this Spring: on Saturday, May 11 at 7:30pm in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church, 16 East Main Street, Webster; on Saturday, May 18 at 7:30pm in the First Church of Monson, Congregational, 5 High Street, Monson; and on Sunday, May 19 at 3pm at St. Anne-St. Patrick Parish, 16 Church Street, Fiskdale (Sturbridge). Admission to all three concerts is free, with a freewill offering collected at intermission.
“Rough Seas, Safe Harbor” will take audiences on a huge sea voyage, much of it aboard a whaling ship that might have left New Bedford, Mass. in, say, the 1850s, and sailed practically around the world, separating crew members from their families for as long as two years. Nym Cooke, who served as Music Director for a similar program presented by the Revels organization based in Cambridge, Mass. (the “Sea Revels”), has combined 29 stirring, eloquent songs of the sea into a seven-part odyssey. The individual sections of the program are titled “Home Port,” “Setting Sail,” “At Sea,” “Shipwreck!,” “Foreign Ports,” “Wives and Mothers at Home,” and “Return and Reunion.”

The individual songs vary tremendously in their points of origin, but collectively they weave a moving tapestry of life at sea—and also of life at the home port, for those left behind. There are recently-composed choral works such as Allister MacGillivray’s “Away from the Roll of the Sea” and Leon Dubinsky’s “We Rise Again.” There are many short, anonymously-composed sea songs, including chanteys (work songs) with titles like “Blow, Ye Winds, in the Morning,” “Away Rio!,” and “Cape Cod Girls” (all of these capstan, or pumping chanteys).
There’s a dockside street cry, “New Oysters!,” and the part-song “To Portsmouth”; both are sung as rounds, and hail from 17th-century England. There are classics of the sea-faring repertory, songs such as “What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?” and “Blow the Wind Southerly.” There’s an 18th-century New England fuging tune, “Ocean” by Supply Belcher of Farmington, Maine, and the U. S. Navy’s signature hymn tune, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.”
There’s “The Last Hymn,” the gripping narrative of the aftermath of a shipwreck, that will surely leave no eye dry. There are passionate songs of parting (“Fare You Well, Mary Ann,” “Adieu, Sweet Lovely Nancy”) and of homecoming (“The Jamestown Homeward Bound,” “Rolling Home to Old New England”).

There are choral arrangements by Music Director Cooke (“Sailing Away,” “Where Am I to Go?”); there’s a song about a young lady committed to an insane asylum by her cruel parents while her lover is at sea (“I Love My Love”); there are unforgettable, moving anthems of the ocean like “The Mingulay Boat Song,” “Leave Her, Johnny,” and “The Seamen’s Hymn.” And, as always at Wings of Song concerts, there are audience sing-alongs, seven of them this time, including “Somos el Barco” (“We Are the Boat”), “Deep Blue Sea,” and some of the songs already mentioned.

Wings of Song will sing a cappella; with piano accompaniment by Brooks Milgate or Nancy Ducharme; and with a “fo’c’s’le band” comprised of guitar and pennywhistle (Tim Loftus), concertina (Chris Maden), fiddle (Hunter Foote), stand-up bass (Ellen Bradley), banjo and harmonica (Leslie Sweetnam), and percussion (Sarah Jo Burke).

This is sure to be an unforgettable adventure—both musically and narratively—and the concert venues are sure to be crowded, so be sure to arrive early for a good seat. All venues are handicap-accessible. Audience members are invited to join the chorus for tasty (and free!) refreshments after each concert. Last but certainly not least, these concerts are sponsored in part by the Monson and Sturbridge Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Wings of Song is grateful for this support—and for the continued support of their many faithful audience regulars, supplemented by first-timers whom we’re always glad to see!

Anyone needing more information is encouraged to email Music Director Cooke at nymcooke@gmail.com or Wings of Song President Carol Curtin at carolcurtin77@gmail.com.

Dear singing friends,

Early Press…Rough Seas, Safe Harbor, and you have time to join us in rehearsals beginning Monday, February 5, 2024 at 6:45PM at at St. Anne's Church, St. Anne/St. Patrick Parish, in Sturbridge (Fiskdale), Massachusetts. We eagerly welcome tenors and basses in particular, but would love to have new members from any vocal part; all we ask is that you have accurate pitch and rhythm! And, we'd love to increase our youth contingent: pre-teens and teens, ages 12 and up, are more than welcome to join us. You don't even need to be able to read music! Just show up, and we'll welcome you into the Wings of Song family.

STURBRIDGE – This area’s premiere community chorus, Wings of Song, are excitedly preparing a one-of-a-kind musical program that they will offer twice in May. Saturday, May 18, 2024, 7:30pm: First Church of Monson, Congregational, 5 High St., Monson and Sunday, May 19, 2024, 3:00pm: St. Joachim Chapel at St. Ann-St. Patrick Parish, 16 Church St., Fiskdale (Sturbridge).
“Rough Seas, Safe Harbor” will take audiences on a huge sea voyage, much of it aboard a 19th-century whaling ship that might have left from Portsmouth, New Hampshire—or Portsmouth, England—and sailed practically around the world, separating the crew from their families for as much as a year or two. Nym Cooke, who served as Music Director for a similar program presented by the Revels organization based in Cambridge, Mass. (the “Sea Revels”), has combined 33 stirring, eloquent songs of the sea into a seven-part odyssey. The individual sections of the program are titled “Scenes at the Home Port,” “Leaving Home, Setting Sail,” “Sailors Out at Sea,” “Shipwreck,” “Stops Along the Way,” “Women at Home,” and “Return Journey, Arriving Home.”

The individual songs vary tremendously in their points of origin, but collectively they weave a moving tapestry of life at sea—and also of life at home, for those left behind. There are recently-composed choral works such as Allister MacGillivray’s “Away from the Roll of the Sea” and Leon Dubinsky’s “We Rise Again.” There are many short, anonymously-composed sea songs, including chanteys (or work songs), with titles like “Blow, Ye Winds, in the Morning,” “Away Rio!,” and “Cape Cod Girls” (all capstan, or pumping chanteys).
There’s a dockside street cry, “New Oysters!,” and the part-song “To Portsmouth”; both are sung as rounds, and both hail from 17th-century England. There are classics of the sea-faring repertory, songs such as “What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?” and “Blow the Wind Southerly.” There’s an 18th-century New England “fuging tune,” “Ocean” by Supply Belcher of Farmington, Maine, and the U. S. Navy’s signature hymn tune, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.”
There’s a gripping narrative of a shipwreck and its sole survivor, a real potboiler titled “The Last Hymn,” that will surely leave no eye dry. There are solo songs such as “The Shores of Lac Lahn” (sung a cappella by QVS’s own Sarah Jo Burke, formerly of the Burke Family Singers) and James Taylor’s moving song “Sugar Trade” (sung by QVS tenor/bass Nicholas Marszalkowski, accompanying himself on guitar). There are passionate songs of parting (“Fare You Well, Mary Ann,” “Adieu, Sweet Lovely Nancy”) and of homecoming (“The Jamestown Homeward Bound,” “Rolling Home to Old New England”).

There are choral arrangements by Music Director Cooke (“Sailing Away,” “Where Am I to Go?”); there’s a song about a young lady committed to an insane asylum by her cruel parents whilst her lover is at sea (“I Love My Love”); there are unforgettably moving anthems of the ocean like “The Mingulay Boat Song,” “Leave Her, Johnny,” and “The Seamen’s Hymn.” And, as always at QVS concerts, there are several audience sing-alongs: “Somos el Barco” (“We Are the Boat”), “Deep Blue Sea,” and other songs already mentioned.

This is sure to be an unforgettable adventure—both musically and imaginatively—and you have an opportunity to join us as a singer. Check us out at https//www.wingsofsong.org

• No auditions required
• Dues required
• No commercial recordings

Chorus contact Person: Paul Lapenas, Chorus Publicity Committee, tel: 508-637-1479

Data last updated: 2024-04-14 22:02:40.

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