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Colby-Sawyer Singers Holiday Concert Features Tomie DePaola's An Early American Christmas and Carols From Around the World
NEW LONDON, N.H. — The Colby-Sawyer College Singers' 2006 Holiday Concert will feature carols from around the world and children's book author and artist Tomie dePaola as emcee. DePaola, a New London, N.H., resident, will read from his book, An Early American Christmas, with musical accompaniment by the Singers.
The concert will be performed on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. in the Sawyer Center Theater. Community members are welcome to attend this festive event, and admission is free.
The Colby-Sawyer College Singers are a choir composed of college students, faculty and staff, along with members from the New London area communities. The Singers are led by Director Michael Civiello, with accompaniment by Jean Liepold.
This year's Holiday Concert will feature three distinctive parts. In part one, the Singers will perform new and original carol arrangements from Germany, Dominican Republic, Japan and the United States. Each carol has national characteristics, including “Infant Joy,” a Japanese carol with lyrics based on a William Blake poem. Another piece, “Who is the Baby?,” merges elements of gospel and spiritual traditions.
The concert's part two will feature solos, duets, trios and ensembles by various choir members. Solo performances by students include Jennifer Kiely in “Where are you Christmas?,” TJ Coffrin in “O Holy Night” and Sarah Connor in “Lullaby.” A group of students including Mary Eid, Rebecca Spitz, Lauri Baudanza, Kyle Koch, Kara Watts and Alicia Harris will perform “Nativity Carol.”
Community members Alice Field, Wally Borgen and Brenda Balenger will perform a Calypso carol, “Mary's Little Baby.” A quartet of community members, Nancee Leach, Carol Foss, George West and Tom Maloof, will perform an old favorite, “Deck the Halls.”
In the concert's final part, Tomie dePaola will read his book, An Early American Christmas, a tale of how the holiday came to be observed in New England. DePaola's illustrations from the book will be presented on a large screen on stage during the reading, while the Singers perform a variety of Christmas songs.
Best known for his children's books, dePaola has written and illustrated more than 200 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers. DePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.
The Colby-Sawyer College Singers includes the following sopranos: Cindy Benson, Wally Borgen, Nancy Edwards-Cogswell, Sarah Connor, Nicole Cormier, Mary Eid, Alice Field, Marge Judge, Jennifer Kiely, Kyle Koch, Nancee Leach, Molly Mullen, Ashley Leukart, Deborah Reed, Magbé Savané and Priscilla Sargent.
Altos include Brenda Balenger, Lauri Baudanza, Pat Clement, Alicia Harris, Linda A. Lambert, Madeline Lenox, Katelin McNutt, Amber Richardson, Nina Rogers, Jane Solomon, Olivia Smith, Kathy Taylor and Kara Watts.
Tenors among the Singers include TJ Coffrin, Tom Ferguson, Carol Foss, Ashley Goulter, Pat McNamara and George West. Don Coonley, Tom DeMille, Jay Lambert, Tom Maloof, Herbert Spencer and Michael Warning are the bass singers.
