It is hard to believe that summer days are drawing to a close. I am excited to begin my twenty-second year at the church, and I look forward to another year of collaboration with the choir, organist, Jeffrey Mead, soloists, Susan K. Navien and Peter Owens, Carilloneers, the Ripley Presents roster, the youth, the ministerial team, and the congregation of this vibrant community.

This year, at a significant time of rebuilding and remembering those who are no longer with us, I want to issue a sincere and open invitation to the whole congregation: you are welcome to JOIN THE SENIOR CHOIR (middle schoolers and up!!).

The choir is a place of belonging – a safe “small group” where we share our lives, our prayers, our challenges, and our joys, while working to create music that supports our faith. We also have tons of fun! It is my great privilege to walk the journey with so many of you. We have no attendance rules. No auditions. Just know that you are welcome.

Thursday evening rehearsals, 7:30 pm, Chancel. Sunday mornings, 9:15 am, Chancel.

Our first rehearsal? Thursday evening, September 5, 2024, 7:30 pm.

AND, if singing is not your thing, maybe ringing is! The Carilloneers are a wonderful group of dedicated folks, who love to bring the shimmer and sparkle of handbells to our worship services. Contact Jeffrey Mead if you are interested in participating.

Jane

Jane Ring Frank, Minister of Worship and the Arts

But this coming week we have a rare opportunity to actually sing together. On Thursday, March 18, the choir will gather in the parking lot of Medford High School, parked in a double arc configuration, rehearsing together in a new and creative way. Last October, Lynne Rahmeier kindly sent me an article from the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/arts/music/coronavirus-choir.html), and I jumped at the possibility of joining the Driveway Choir movement!

What is the Driveway Choir? Choral singing has really suffered during the pandemic, because it involves substantive groups of people singing inside, seated or standing close together (to hear one another) in often poorly ventilated spaces. But Kathryn and Bryce Denney of Marlborough, MA found a way around this problem. The Driveway Choir provides a safe way to sing together, with no latency, using audio gear, individual microphones, and an FM radio station. The Denneys have @30 sterilized microphones, one for each singer. Others can also attend the event, tune into the FM radio station, listen and sing along, but not be amplified through the sound system. Each singer remains in their car, windows up, watching me conduct through their windshield. Jeffrey will be with me on an electric keyboard. AND WE ALL HEAR EACH OTHER and make music together – simultaneously. We will be using the time to visit some of our favorite FCC anthems: Come Dwell in Solomon’s Walls, This Is the New Day, Marchin’ to Zion. A moment of strange but beautiful normalcy.

I want to thank Jenn Richter for agreeing to accompany us on this adventure. Jenn will be photographing the event for the church so that we have documentation of the project. It is important to thank masterminds Kathryn and Bryce Denney, who refuse to take any money for their project, including the sound system, microphones, keyboard, podiums, recording equipment, mixing boards, etc. Our Driveway Choir rehearsal will be recorded. We hope to capture one of our beloved anthems in the course of the rehearsal. Thank you, Lynne, for setting me on the Driveway Choir path! Stay tuned!