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Registration for Down East Singers is now open for fall semester 2024. Registration will continue through September 24. The first rehearsal will be on Tuesday, September 10.

Fall repertoire includes Holst's "On this day earth shall ring," movements from Rachmaninoff's "Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom," and Vaughan Williams's "Fantasia on Christmas Carols." Rehearsals are held at Watts Hall, 174 Main Street, Thomaston, from 6:45 to 8:15 on Tuesdays. Performances will be Friday, December 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Watts Hall in Thomaston and Sunday, December 8, at 2 p.m. at Rockport Opera House. These performances will be in collaboration with Halcyon String Quartet.

Membership fees for fall semester are $80. Scholarships are available. New singers of all voice parts are welcome. A voice placement check is required. This will set proper section placement and determine the ability to match pitch and control vibrato. Sight reading skills are desired but not required. Students under 18 years of age sing for free. Members are expected to work on their music between rehearsals and to attend rehearsals regularly. Study aids for the music will be provided. A maximum of three absences is allowed.

For the first rehearsal, doors will open at 6 p.m. New singers are encouraged to come early to take care of voice placement checks prior to the rehearsal.

Down East Singers was founded in 1979 by Marion Gray and has performed masterworks from the Baroque to the contemporary period. Their past performances can be viewed on the group's YouTube channel. The group's commercial recording of the Rachmaninoff Liturgy is available for sale at rehearsals.

Upcoming Concerts

Friday, December 6, 2024 at 7:30 p.m., Watts Hall, Thomaston and Sunday, December 8 at 2 p.m., Rockport Opera House

Down East Singers and Halcyon String Quartet present multi-media performances of Gustav Holst's On this Day Earth Shall Ring, selected movements of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, chamber music to be announced, and Ralph Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on Christmas Carols. Purchase tickets to the Watts Hall performance here.** Purchase tickets to the Rockport Opera House performance here.

*Please note, unless you select otherwise, the ticket form includes a $5 donation to Zeffy, a free online fundraising platform for nonprofits.

**The elevator at Watts Hall is temporarily out of service, making the concert inaccessible to individuals with mobility challenges. If this affects you, we encourage you to attend the Sunday concert at the Rockport Opera House instead.

Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, 2025 at 5 p.m, Watts Hall, Thomaston

Down East Singers and Mozart Mentors Orchestra present Antonin Dvorák's Requiem with soloists Erin Chenard, soprano; Jazmin DeRice, contralto; David Myers-Wakeman, tenor; and John David Adams, bass.

Admission $25. Students 18 and younger admitted free, but must have a ticket.

Down East Singers, founded in 1979 by Marion Gray, is a musical organization specifically incorporated to create opportunities for participation and enrichment for community members to perform quality choral music under professional leadership and to bring affordable live choral music performances to community audiences. This experience enables those with talent and musical interest to develop their musical potential, while at the same time striving for excellence in musical performance.

Our Most Recent Concert

Josef Haydn's Mass in a Time of Anxiety, also known as The Lord Nelson Mass or Mass in D minor

Down East Singers and Mozart Mentors Orchestra present Josef Haydn's Mass in a Time of Anxiety, also known as The Lord Nelson Mass or Mass in D minor, with soloists Erin Chenard, soprano; Jazmin DeRice, contralto; David Myers-Wakeman, tenor; and John David Adams, bass.

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