Turkey Tracks: January 6, 2015
Mount View Chamber Singers 2015-2016
One of my most favorite events of this past holiday season was attending an event on December 20th at The United Christian Church in Lincolnville, Maine–with my friend Rose Lowell and her friend and neighbor Dee.
My goodness, after an extraordinary peaceful hour passed in the candlelit church among the Mount View Chamber Singers, I left with renewed faith and belief in the young people of our nation.
The church is old–built in 1821. Inside were “old timey” church boxes–where one opened a gate to enter a pew.
As we got settled, dusk fell–which it does about 3:30 in the afternoon in December in Maine.
A hush fell over us all as the young people entered the church, each carrying two lit candles in jars, and spread themselves in a circle around the church–stopping at the music stands put up for each person down the side aisles and across the front and back of the church.
After each song, the singers rotated one stand to the right–so the audience kept hearing different voices among the total voices.
The young people–high school age I’m thinking–were dressed as if going to a party. The boys wore black tuxedos, and the girls wore stylish black dresses, heels, and stockings. They looked smashing in the flickering candlelight!
AND, the music was very challenging–all sung with no accompanying instruments. This music was from the middle ages for the most part. There were songs like “Hodie, Christus Natus Est,” a plain chant.
How many teenagers do you know who would spend the amount of time these young people have on this kind of an effort?
They gave about 30 performances all over Maine, beginning November 28th.
Here they are–these lovely young people from the Thorndike, Maine, area–which is very rural in nature:
Thank you all for an oasis of quiet, peace, music, candlelight, and renewed faith in people and the future of the earth.
This event may have been the best gift of the season.
Louisa Enright's Blog 
I would have to agree with that! Can’t wait to hear them again next year. They were far and away better than the Downeast Singers concert which has great voices but not a pleasing selection of music.