Granite State Choral Society Presents Holiday Concert

ROCHESTER—
The Granite State Choral Society will be performing a holiday concert entitled Gloria! featuring a number of holiday classics. The program will include two spirituals, Round the Glory Manger and Hail Mary as well as some classical repertoire such as Gloria In Excelsis by Mozart and a few choruses from Messiah (Glory to God and the Hallelujah chorus). Randol Alan Bass, has written some absolutely stunning music for the holiday season and we will be preparing two of his larger works. Gloria! (which lends its name to our concert title) and A Feast of Carols.
The concerts will be held on Saturday, Dec. 12th at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13th at 3 p.m. Both performances will take place at the First United Methodist Church, 34 South Main Street in Rochester.
Now in its thirty-fifth season, the Granite State Choral Society is a non-auditioned community chorus dedicated to presenting quality choral performances, ranging in styles from classics to Broadway, and to promoting the appreciation of the choral arts. The members come from all walks of life and range from experienced singers to novices just discovering the joys of choral singing.
The director, Seth A. Hurd, is a native of Maine and resides in Acton. Mr. Hurd earned a Bachelor of Music Degree with emphases in Organ and Conducting at the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management at the University of Phoenix (AZ). He is currently an administrator at Berwick Academy in South Berwick and a member of the drama faculty. He has been the Music Director for the Upper School Musicals, coaching recent productions of The Boyfriend, Oklahoma!, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, and Oliver.
Mr. Hurd is the Director of Music and Organist at the North Parish Congregational Church in Sanford, Maine, a former Director of the Sanford Community Chorus and a former Director of the Seaglass Chorale in Kennebunk.
Tickets for general admission are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased at Care Pharmacy or from any GSCS member. For more information, call (207) 457-1576 or visit us at www.gschoralsociety.org.
Photo caption: The Granite State Choral Society will perform this weekend in Rochester (www.gschoralsociety.org photo)

A Christmas Carol: Musical Version Strikes Responsive Chord in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH—
Every December an overabundance of stage versions of A Christmas Carol proliferate through theaters across the country.
Stage adaptations are almost too numerous to count: Because Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas novella has long been in the public domain, dozens upon dozens — perhaps hundreds — of scripts have been specially created for many theaters. Often these are written by the theaters’ artistic directors themselves.
Some of these versions are perfectly faithful renditions of Dickens’ beloved ghost story, but most add an artistic twist or two. A prime example is the version which opened last weekend at Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth.
It’s distinguished by two salient features. First, it’s a musical version, with original songs interpolated among several familiar Christmas carols. The total effect strikes a very responsive chord. Second, there’s an intriguing method of framing the story for the stage.
Seacoast Rep’s version of the script is obviously successful; it was produced for nearly two decades at Massachusetts’ prestigious North Shore Music Theater. The book was written by Jon Kimbell, David Zoffoli and David James, while lyrics were penned by Kimbell and James with original music composed by Alby Potts and James Woodland.
Seacoast recently acquired the rights to this show and is introducing it in Portsmouth. Last weekend was the first time I’d seen this version, and I was quite favorably impressed.
Veteran professional actor David Coffee plays the pivotal character of Ebenezer Scrooge — the ill-humored curmudgeonly miser whose transformation at the hands of a trio of ghosts represents the heart of the story. Coffee’s Scrooge is a tour de force of acting, a delightful rendition honed by many years of experience in the role at North Shore Music Theatre. It was much appreciated by Seacoast Rep’s sellout crowd.
Gordon Baird, another veteran professional actor, delivers a stellar performance as the Ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s long-dead business partner who haunts him on Christmas Eve. And Baird’s horrific makeup job deserves an award for green room excellence!
Christopher Bradley, a Seacoast Rep regular, delivers a sincere and convincing interpretation of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s long-suffering employee and struggling family breadwinner.
I also liked the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Present, played by Sara Thomas and Jim Burkholder respectively. (The Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come doesn’t say a word, but I felt that his overtly Darth Vader-style costume and light sword were too far out.)
And kudos to Carolyn Hause, who plays two small roles. Her vocal expression, body language and demeanor were delightful.
The Narrator, played by Ryan Bates, is a role that is introduced by North Shore’s version of the script. At first I thought the role was created to simplify the theatrical framing and assist the presentation of Dickens’ narratives.
But the Narrator’s surprise revelation in the denouement is simply enchanting. Definitely outside Dickens’ story — but totally in keeping with the author’s spirit.

Somersworth Youth Connection holds “Got Art?” Contest

SOMERSWORTH—
The first “Got Art?” contest was an enormous success, with over 120 Somersworth Middle School students submitting their artwork to be chosen for the first Somersworth Youth Connection art calendar. Students of all grades participated. This was an annual fund raising event for SYC, the after school program located at Somersworth Middle School. The contest began on Oct. 15 and ended Nov. 6. Thirteen works were chosen for the calendar by nine judges from the community. With so many submissions and so many talented artists in the Middle School, it was very difficult to choose just 13. The order forms are now available for the 12-month, full color calendars, which will be delivered by Dec. 14. The cost of the calendar is $12.
The winners were announced on Nov. 9. They are: Mason Cashman, Kathryne Cotler, Sophie Rancourt, Mychal Croteau, Taylor White, Chamaar Ollivierre, Jaimie Sharpe, Rhiannon Amereo, Dakota Paine, Dannon McGarrity, Tia Cloutier, Hilsa Parinding, and Kulin Krishan.
SYC would like to thank the generosity and support of those in the Somersworth community who were full banner sponsors, including Tri-City Dodge, Eastern Propane, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, Profile Bank, DF Richard, and partial banner sponsors, including Labelle Building and Siding, Wicked Good Software, Anderson Computer, End the Violence, and Borderline Fuels.
If you are interested in purchasing a calendar or would like more information about the SYC program call Maureen Jackman at 603-692-2126, ext. 209.