Bagaduce Chorale
Bronwyn Kortge, director
Colin Graebert, pianist
Loren Fields, horn
Megan Howell, winds, piano, violin
Richard Hsu, violin
Steve Witkin, cello
Beau Lisy, percussion
A Festive Christmas
Festival Gloria
Craig Courtney
Ding! Dong! Merrily on High
Traditional French Carol, Tune Thoinot Arbeau; Arr. Howard Helvey
Sing We Now of Christmas (Noel Nouvelet)
Traditional French Carol; Arr. B.W.Kortge
O Magnum Mysterium
Tomas Luis de Victoria
It Was a Night of Wonder
Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians; Arr./Adapted B.W.Kortge
Audience Sing-Along:
O little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie,
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light,
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
Gesu Bambino
Pietro Yon; Arr. B.W.Kortge
featuring tenor Frank Bachman
Still, Still, Still
Austrian Carol; Arr. Norman Luboff
Gaudete!
Jistebnice Cantional, 1420, Jacobus Finno; Arr. B.W.Kortge and Colin Graebert
Go Tell It On the Mountain
Traditional American Spiritual, Arr. Donald McCullough
Carols of the Night
O Holy Night: Adolphe Adam
Stille Nacht: Franz Grüber
Setting: Craig Courtney
Audience Sing-Along:
v2: Silent night, holy night, Shepherds quake at the sight,
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing, "Alleluia!"
Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born.
v3: 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, Jesus, Lord, at They birth.
Here We Come A-Caroling
Traditional English Carol; Arr. Molly Ijames
Audience Sing-Along:
Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains,
And the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains:
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be which inspire your heavenly song?
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Traditional English Carol; Arr. B.W.Kortge
Gloucestershire Wassail
Collected by Ralph von Williams; Arr. B.W.Kortge and Colin Graebert
The Boar’s Head Carol
Macaronic 15th century English Carol, Arr. B.W.Kortge
featuring baritones Richard Shute, Geoffrey Knowles, Steve Gormley
Sussex Carol
Traditional English Carol, Arr. B.W.Kortge
Son of Maria
Traditional, Arr. Karl Jenkins
Benediction: The Lord Bless and Keep You
Peter C. Lutkin
A Message From the Music Director
Friends in Music: Thank you so much for being here with us for this joyous holiday celebration! I am excited to share this program of traditional and contemporary seasonal songs that I hope will kindle a warm glow of good fellowship here in the depths of our cold winter.
It has taken true grit for our members to persevere through some of the challenges the past few years presented. I am truly grateful for the generous commitment and passion of our singers. And I am grateful for your presence and support. You are helping us to weather the storms and upheavals that impacted so many arts organizations.
Though the winter is still dark and cold, we are filled with the brightness and warmth of your presence and delighted to reconnect with you here, in person! Our 70-voice ensemble of singers is keen to raise our voices in songs that we hope will remind all of us of the wonder of the season as well as the pure joy of live musical performance!
Whether this is your first Bagaduce Chorale concert or you have been coming for years, we hope this program will ring bells of good cheer in your heart and shine a light that will send you forth with gladness and great joy!
Bronwyn Kortge
Music Director
Who We Are
The Bagaduce Chorale was founded in 1974 by Mary Cheyney Gould so that she might share the joy of choral singing with her friends and the community at large on the Blue Hill Peninsula. From those early days when a small group of like-minded singers gathered at Mary’s home, the Chorale has grown into a 80-voice ensemble that brings choral music to audiences from throughout downeast Maine and beyond. In 2001, Brownyn Kortge assumed the role of Music Director, bringing her own unique and intrepid energy to the Chorale. Building on the solid foundation Mary provided, Bronwyn has greatly expanded both the repertoire and the scope of the Bagaduce Chorale’s performances.
The singers of the Bagaduce Chorale are members of our community, some have professional experience, others simply love singing and choral singing in particular. We are a volunteer organization and our goal is to focus all our available resources on bringing great choral music to our community.
Our mission is to perform choral music at the highest artistic level. We are dedicated to building a musical community, fostering a deeper interest in the choral arts, and achieving choral excellence to enrich and inspire both audiences and performers.
We are excited that you are here in the audience today to share our great joy as singers and we hope you will be inspired to support the Chorale in whatever way you can. We are always looking for new singers, so we urge you to follow our website to learn about our upcoming season. And, if singing with us is not in the cards, we hope you will consider becoming a Friend of the Bagaduce Chorale by supporting us financially in whatever way, no matter how small or large, you can. Visit bagaducechorale.org for more information.
Thank you!
Richard Shute
Board President
Donate to the Bagaduce Chorale Today and Double Your Gift!
Thanks to Generous Friends Who Will Match Your Gift Dollar for Dollar!
And A Big Thank You To Our Business Partners!
Bronwyn Kortge, director
Colin Graebert, pianist
Loren Fields, horn
Megan Howell, winds, piano, violin
Richard Hsu, violin
Steve Witkin, cello
Beau Lisy, percussion
A Festive Christmas
Festival Gloria
Craig Courtney
Ding! Dong! Merrily on High
Traditional French Carol, Tune Thoinot Arbeau; Arr. Howard Helvey
Sing We Now of Christmas (Noel Nouvelet)
Traditional French Carol; Arr. B.W.Kortge
O Magnum Mysterium
Tomas Luis de Victoria
It Was a Night of Wonder
Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians; Arr./Adapted B.W.Kortge
Audience Sing-Along:
O little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie,
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light,
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
Gesu Bambino
Pietro Yon; Arr. B.W.Kortge
featuring tenor Frank Bachman
Still, Still, Still
Austrian Carol; Arr. Norman Luboff
Gaudete!
Jistebnice Cantional, 1420, Jacobus Finno; Arr. B.W.Kortge and Colin Graebert
Go Tell It On the Mountain
Traditional American Spiritual, Arr. Donald McCullough
Carols of the Night
O Holy Night: Adolphe Adam
Stille Nacht: Franz Grüber
Setting: Craig Courtney
Audience Sing-Along:
v2: Silent night, holy night, Shepherds quake at the sight,
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing, "Alleluia!"
Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born.
v3: 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, Jesus, Lord, at They birth.
Here We Come A-Caroling
Traditional English Carol; Arr. Molly Ijames
Audience Sing-Along:
Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains,
And the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains:
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be which inspire your heavenly song?
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Traditional English Carol; Arr. B.W.Kortge
Gloucestershire Wassail
Collected by Ralph von Williams; Arr. B.W.Kortge and Colin Graebert
The Boar’s Head Carol
Macaronic 15th century English Carol, Arr. B.W.Kortge
featuring baritones Richard Shute, Geoffrey Knowles, Steve Gormley
Sussex Carol
Traditional English Carol, Arr. B.W.Kortge
Son of Maria
Traditional, Arr. Karl Jenkins
Benediction: The Lord Bless and Keep You
Peter C. Lutkin
A Message From the Music Director
Friends in Music: Thank you so much for being here with us for this joyous holiday celebration! I am excited to share this program of traditional and contemporary seasonal songs that I hope will kindle a warm glow of good fellowship here in the depths of our cold winter.
It has taken true grit for our members to persevere through some of the challenges the past few years presented. I am truly grateful for the generous commitment and passion of our singers. And I am grateful for your presence and support. You are helping us to weather the storms and upheavals that impacted so many arts organizations.
Though the winter is still dark and cold, we are filled with the brightness and warmth of your presence and delighted to reconnect with you here, in person! Our 70-voice ensemble of singers is keen to raise our voices in songs that we hope will remind all of us of the wonder of the season as well as the pure joy of live musical performance!
Whether this is your first Bagaduce Chorale concert or you have been coming for years, we hope this program will ring bells of good cheer in your heart and shine a light that will send you forth with gladness and great joy!
Bronwyn Kortge
Music Director
Who We Are
The Bagaduce Chorale was founded in 1974 by Mary Cheyney Gould so that she might share the joy of choral singing with her friends and the community at large on the Blue Hill Peninsula. From those early days when a small group of like-minded singers gathered at Mary’s home, the Chorale has grown into a 80-voice ensemble that brings choral music to audiences from throughout downeast Maine and beyond. In 2001, Brownyn Kortge assumed the role of Music Director, bringing her own unique and intrepid energy to the Chorale. Building on the solid foundation Mary provided, Bronwyn has greatly expanded both the repertoire and the scope of the Bagaduce Chorale’s performances.
The singers of the Bagaduce Chorale are members of our community, some have professional experience, others simply love singing and choral singing in particular. We are a volunteer organization and our goal is to focus all our available resources on bringing great choral music to our community.
Our mission is to perform choral music at the highest artistic level. We are dedicated to building a musical community, fostering a deeper interest in the choral arts, and achieving choral excellence to enrich and inspire both audiences and performers.
We are excited that you are here in the audience today to share our great joy as singers and we hope you will be inspired to support the Chorale in whatever way you can. We are always looking for new singers, so we urge you to follow our website to learn about our upcoming season. And, if singing with us is not in the cards, we hope you will consider becoming a Friend of the Bagaduce Chorale by supporting us financially in whatever way, no matter how small or large, you can. Visit bagaducechorale.org for more information.
Thank you!
Richard Shute
Board President
Donate to the Bagaduce Chorale Today and Double Your Gift!
Thanks to Generous Friends Who Will Match Your Gift Dollar for Dollar!
And A Big Thank You To Our Business Partners!
The Bagaduce Chorale
Soprano
Linda Bell
Mia Callahan
Paulette Coty
Claire Daniel
Sydney Farnin
Heather Ford
Julia Gilmore
Susan Gormley
Dede Johnson
Mackette Kark
Elizabeth LaStaiti
Sue Loomis
Marsha Lyons
Sarah Kip Miller
Jenn Ryan
Leah Tenney Keating
Amy Van Meteren
Lexie Watson
Alto
Hedy Ardito
Carol Benson
Debra Bjornard
Kathy Brown
Carolyn Friedell
Karen Froehly
Sandra Henderson
Eliza Hill
Rosamond Johnson
Susan Jordan
Deborah Kiley
Sara Leighton
Deborah Marshall
Greer Pearce
Lynn Seippel
Pamela Smith
Pat Taniashvili
Dalyne Tuttle
Marty Ward
Jackie Wilson
Tenor
Frank Bachman
Merle Bisberg
Molly Bogue
Ann Boudreaux
Tim Ensworth
Gerry Freeman
Michael Hewes
David Jordan
Diane Klausmeyer
Nancy Lowry
Ray Vonder Haar
John Wilson
Bass
George Deans
John Epstein
Steve Gormley
Lloyd Harmon
Jon Hopkins
Steve Johnson
Nicholas Jordan
Geoff Knowles
Rick Lindquist
Bill McArtor
David Porter
Richard Shute
Nikos Singelis
Bob Walker
Dave Ward
Ken Weeks
Doug Wilson
Support The Bagaduce Chorale. Give Now To Friends of the Bagaduce Chorale And Double Your Gift!
The Bagaduce Chorale is extremely grateful to the many generous supporters who make it possible for us to spread the joy and inspiration of great music.
Right now, thanks to the generosity of several Friends of the Chorale, we have a dollar-for-dollar challenge match of $7,000!
The past few years have been financially challenging for the Bagaduce Chorale, expenses increased while donations and audiences, our primary sources of revenue, all but disappeared. The Board has set a goal of raising $15,000 by the end of 2022 so that we can continue to bring the great programs of choral music that we have shared with our community for over 45 years!
Help support the future of the Bagaduce Chorale today and double your gift! Let’s build the future together!
Go to bagaducechorale.org GIVE page & click on the DONATE button to make a secure online donation - or mail your check to Bagaduce Chorale, PO Box 516, Blue Hill, ME 04614
When making your donation online, please use the space marked "Write A Note" to let us know how you would like to be listed in the program, or if you prefer to remain anonymous. Thank you for your generous support!
A Crescendo of Thank You’s To All Our Donors in 2022!
Bravo!: $1,000 & Up
Sandra Henderson
Jon & Peggy Hopkins
Richard K. Howe
Richard & Elaine Shute
Marilyn Trainor
Robert S. Walker MD
Steve Witkin
Fortissimo: $500 & Up
Michael & Elaine Hewes
Stephen P. Lindsay
Nikos Singelis
John Wilson
Crescendo: $250 & Up
Timothy Ensworth
Gerald & Dawn Freeman
Keith Hutchison
Carol Merrifield
Pamela Smith
Katherine Thompson
Sustainers: $100 & Up
Merle Bisberg
Paulette Coty
Mary A. Felton
Carolyn & David Friedell
Rosamond Johnson
Georgia & Steven Johnson
Barbara J. Kourajian
Ruth Lamdan
Elizabeth LaStaiti
Susan Loomis
Deborah Wedgwood Marshall
Paul & Barbara McNulty
Sara Pebworth
Ellen Pope
Patricia Hall Taniashvili
Marty & Dave Ward
George & Elizabeth Zentz
Accentacata: Up to $100
Marta Clayton Rieman
Claire Daniel
Anne W. Ferrara
Nancy P. Lowry
William A. McArtor
Judith McGeorge
Christopher Nelson
David Porter
Christopher C. Raphael
Doug Wilson
Jacqueline Wilson
Thank You! We Couldn’t Do This Without You!
Special Thanks to The Individuals & Organizations Who Helped Make These Concerts Possible
Acadia Law Group
First National Bank
Harcourts Waterfront & Fine Properties
[email protected]
Bagaduce Music for use of the Rehearsal Hall
First Congregational Church of Blue Hill
St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church of Bar Harbor
Full Circle Printing
Doug Wilson and the Riser & Fall Crew
Gerry Freeman, Artistic Consultant
Mike Hewes Staging Platforms
And heartfelt thanks to our longtime Registrar Sue Loomis!