Author name: Marty Sauser

Adolphus Hailstork: Arise, My Beloved

Performed December 9, 2023; James Knox Sutterfield, conductor.

Arise, my beloved, my fair one, and come away;
Arise! Flowers appear on the earth. Arise!
For lo the winter is past, Flowers appear on the earth,
The time of singing is here. The voice of the dove is heard in our land.

As an expression of indomitable hope, we present Adolphus Hailstork’s Arise My Beloved. Having grown up as a chorister at All Saints Cathedral in Albany, Hailstork describes himself as a “cultural hybrid” of predominantly white, Eurocentric music education and Black cultural and musical heritage. With text from the Song of Songs, this piece is bursting with complex, rhythmic vitality, exclaiming with delight that “lo, the winter is past,” and “flowers appear upon the earth.”

Matthew Culloton (arr.): Silent Night

Performed December 9, 2023; James Knox Sutterfield, conductor.

Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child.
Holy Infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar, Heavenly hosts sing, “Alleluia!
Christ the Saviour is born!”

Silent night, holy night! Son of God love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!

Silent Night likely needs no introduction, but it may surprise some to know that UNESCO declared this ubiquitous Christmas carol an “intangible cultural heritage” of the social practices of Austria in 2011. From their citation: “The song addresses the human desire for all-encompassing peace, conveys a feeling of fellowship, and promotes interpersonal exchange and mutual understanding. It has a transgenerational, unifying effect and brings together people of different age groups, faiths, and ethnicities, all of whom regard this song as part of their own festive culture.”

Matthew Culloton’s arrangement provides just enough embellishment to this classic to make it a choral anthem rather than a communal carol without obscuring its simple beauty.

50th Anniversary Season 2022-2023

Welcome Yule!
December 10 & 11, 2022
A Jubilant Song
March 19, 2023
Schubert & Haydn
June 11, 2023

Founded in 1972 by music director Jon Lafleur, the Kent Singers began its 50th season in December 2022 with Welcome Yule!, a collection of our favorite selections from past holiday concerts. The Spring concert, A Jubilant Song, on March 19, 2023, celebrated the power of music and song in our lives.

On June 11, 2023 we presented our Major Works concert for this year, featuring Schubert’s Mass No. 6 in E-flat and Haydn’s Te Deum No. 2 in C Major with soloists and orchestra. The audience responded to this final concert of our season with an enthusiastic standing ovation.

St. Andrew’s Church, Kent, CT
Schubert Mass No. 6 in E-flat
Pre-concert warmup for Welcome Yule!
Schubert soloists
Pre-concert warmup for Jubilant Song
Schubert dress rehearsal with orchestra
Audience gathering for Schubert & Haydn

Google Photos and Albums

We are using Google Photos to store our digital photos. The owner is our master Google account, admin@kentsingers.org.

We share read-only links to the albums in various places, such as the Concert Archives posts, and the list below. These links allow viewing and downloading.

We also share the albums, upon request, with individuals who want edit permission.

(There is a duplicate set of Photos folders on the Google shared drive. You can find the same photos in either place. Google Photos is easier for sharing and browsing. The shared drive is easier for linking photos to web pages.)

Here is a list of our albums:

Ad Sales Campaign for 2023-2024 season

This year we are starting by soliciting ads to local businesses by mail. Later we may ask our members to follow up in person with businesses who have not responded, if necessary.

A mailing to previous advertisers and potential new advertisers suggested by our members is already being prepared, but it’s not too late to reach out to other possible advertisers if you know of some good prospects. Ad orders are due by November 1.

If you have any questions about the ad sales campaign, the easiest way to contact our campaign leaders (Jill Sauser and Nancy Morse) is to send an email to ads@kentsingers.org.

Ad Sales for 2023-2024 season

As we begin our 51st season, we hope you will join our celebration by placing an advertisement again this year or joining our community of local business supporters for the first time. We appreciate your support!

Last year we changed our advertising format to include ads in all our concert programs rather than a separate advertiser booklet. The page size of our programs is now 8.5” x 11”, resulting in some minor changes to our former ad sizes.

We can help you compose your ad. It’s also possible to vary the ad content in each program (for the holiday, spring and summer seasons).

Advertisers (and their website links) will also be listed on the Kent Singers website and included in email blasts sent to our entire mailing list. If you purchase a large or extra-large ad, you will also receive 2 complimentary tickets to one 2023-2024 concert!

You can purchase an ad using the PayPal buttons below, or by sending a check to Kent Singers, PO Box 774, Kent, CT 06757. (If you mail your order, please include your business name, phone number and email address. It’s also helpful to enclose your business card.)

Questions? Send an email to ads@kentsingers.org.

Extra Large (up to 7″ x 7″ – full page ad)

$160.00

Type your business name here:

Large (3.75″ x 3.25″ – half page ad)

$100.00

Type your business name here:

Medium (3.5″ x 2″ – business card size)

$75.00

We accept either horizontal or vertical orientation.

Type your business name here:

Tickets for 2023-2024 season

HOW TO BUY MORE THAN ONE TICKET: When you click “Add to Cart”, you can select the number of tickets you wish to purchase.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR: For the June concert, tickets are $30 at the door. For other concerts, tickets at the door are $20.

CHILDREN: 12 and under, no ticket required.

ACCESSIBILITY: St. Andrew’s in Kent is wheelchair accessible via the ramp on North Main Street. Accessible bathrooms are available in the adjacent Parish Hall. St. John’s in New Milford is wheelchair accessible at the side entrance on Whittlesey Ave. Accessible bathrooms are available on the same floor as the sanctuary.

After you complete your online purchase, you will receive an email confirming that your name has been added to our list of attendees for the concert date(s) you selected. Please identify yourself to our greeters when you arrive for the concert.

If you want to include any special instructions with your ticket order, type your message in the boxes provided below.

If you have any questions about your ticket purchase, please contact us at tickets@kentsingers.com.

Vivaldi, Handel and Zelenka, June 2, 2024 at 3 p.m., St. John’s Church, New Milford, CT

$25

Tickets available at the door for $30.

You can type a message here:

Each time you click “Add to Cart” it will open a new PayPal window with your cart. If you’re not ready to check out, you can go ahead and close all those extra windows — PayPal will not forget what you’ve added to your cart! When you’re all done, click “View Cart” to complete your purchase.

Don’t worry, the “Add to Cart” button never costs you any money. PayPal will give you a chance to see what you’ve added to your cart before you complete your purchase, and you can easily remove unwanted items.

Concert Archives with videos and recordings

You can find videos, recordings, photos, programs, posters, and other materials for past concerts in the Concert Archives. There’s a link to the concert archives in the Members Page menu.

The concert archives content is for your personal use and enjoyment only. We’ll publish selected content in the Listen and Gallery sections of our website for the general public.

We have a lot of material, spanning our 50 year history, that we want to add to the concert archives. Please keep looking and be patient; it’s a big project!

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