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- The Kent Singers - A Brief History The Kent Singers first performed in December 1973, in Kent. Since then, the group has maintained the highest standards in bringing the best choral music to its audience. Twice a year, the Kent Singers offer concerts in Kent and nearby towns. Founded by Jon Lafleur, the Kent Singers always draw singers from Litchfield County, and at times, from adjacent New York State and Massachusetts. They come from as far south as Brookfield and Danbury, from as far north as Salisbury and Lakeville. Cornwall, Sharon, and of course, Kent are represented. They are amateur singers who love to make music. Members have included a Cornish bard, a Methodist minister, students, teachers and administrators from local public and private schools, a potter, a waitress, a newspaper editor, and local business owners. Past music directors have included: · 1973-1992 Founding conductor Jon Lafleur. His tenure culminated with the spring 1992 performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion that included full orchestra and professional soloists. · Spring 1993 Interim conductor Roger Claiborne, organist/choirmaster and instructor at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville. · 1993-1994 season Co-directors Jim Balmer and Mary Nelson, music directors and teachers at Avon Old Farms School. · Fall 1994 Beth Samuels, a member of the Kent Singers and one of the area's most accomplished alto soloists. The Holiday Concert was a collaboration with a local school of the arts. Costumed children literally danced in the aisles. · 1995-Spring 1998 Conductor and Music Director Susan Wiles, is a graduate of the Yale School of Music and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. With her enthusiastic assistance, the Kent Singers commissioned Epitaphos by the renowned American composer Gerald Near to celebrate their 25th Anniversary season 1997-1998. · Fall 1998 Interim conductor Steven Thomas, also a graduate of Yale's School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music, featured Vivaldi’s Gloria for the Holiday Concert. Since January 1999, Artistic Director Marguerite Mullée has been lauded for her musical conversations with the audience. Highlights of her tenure include Purcell’s Cantate Domino, Vivaldi’s Magnificat, Bach Cantatas 36, 140, 142, 191, the Charpentier Messe de minuit pour Noel, Poulenc’s Quatre Motets, and Ives’ Psalm 90. In the spring of 2000, Kent Singers commissioned two songs by Ken Steen, Chair of the composition department at the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford. In August 2000, the Kent Singers were invited by Dennis Keene to perform at The Dennis Keene Choral Festival. In 2001, the Connecticut Composers Incorporated asked the Kent Singers to perform and record their music. The resulting compact disk entitled Spectra is distributed by Capstone Records, available nationally, and locally at Colonial Records, in Kent. In their Gala 30th Season (2002-2003), the Kent Singers performed Handel’s Messiah with the baroque instruments of the Fanfare Consort for the 2002 holiday concert. In the spring of 2003, the program Choral Gems featured favorites from the past 30 years. At the invitation of Music Mountain in Falls Village, the Kent Singers presented a summer concert, Made in America. The program included a variety of works by American composers -- from spirituals and traditional songs to the music of Thompson, Barber and Copeland. Music written by Allen Brings, a member of the Connecticut Composers Incorporated, was accompanied by the composer. The 2003-2004 season included a Young People’s Concert with
commentary by Dr. Mullée in November. The holiday concert, An English
Christmas, evoked treasured traditions with music, both familiar and
unfamiliar, from the 16th through 20th Century. In the spring of 2004, the
Fauré Requiem was featured in a program that included the 20th century works of
French composers Poulenc, Duruflé, and Hindemith. For the holiday concert, Dr.
Mullee chose Italian Renaissance music by Gabrieli, Monteverdi and others
associated with St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, accompanied by a brass quartet
in some works, and with antiphonal choruses. In the Spring of 2005, a program
entitled Gloria featured 20th century composers including
Ginastera, John Tavener, Daniel Pinkham and Francis Poulenc. |