Friends of Music at Guilford regretfully makes official the already-obvious announcement of the cancellation of its annual Messiah Sing and Christmas at Christ Church concerts due to the COVID pandemic.
This year would have been the 50th Annual Community Messiah Sing at Centre Congregational Church with all door donations going to Groundworks to help the homeless and hungry. The whole church, even balconies, is packed with singers enthusiastically joining in the choruses, some bringing their own well-worn scores, others borrowing from FOMAG’s collection; all accompanied by Centre Church’s excellent organ, while an ensemble of soloists perform the arias and recitatives.
The Christmas concerts at lovely historic Christ Church in Guilford attract a loyal audience of all ages for Christmas, holiday and seasonal music, of varying genres year to year, the most recent in 2019 being “An Olde New England Christmas.” Each year, Don McLean reads a Christmas story in his inimitable way, a frequent favorite being Dylan Thomas’s “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” The highlight at the end is caroling, ending with “Silent Night” fading to a hummed final refrain while the church bell echos from the belfry. A highlight for some lucky child some years is helping to ring the bell!
FOMAG President Jenifer Ambler says the board and performers hope to be able to resume both holiday traditions in 2021, as well as FOMAG’s other annual events, once it is safe to gather and enjoy music together again.
Friends of Music’s archive of audio recordings — some video, too! — of these events goes back for many years, and selections will be made available on the organization’s Facebook page, along with photographs, stories, and other memorabilia, on the dates these concerts were originally to take place: the Messiah Sing on Saturday, December 5, and the Christ Church concerts on Saturday and Sunday, December 12 & 13.
Finally, during this time, Friends of Music continues to welcome your donation! You may make a gift here: https://checkout.square.site/pay/1d52ba03371646e59af2262a2423b36a
In solidarity with the other organizations we support, and in honor of the concerts we wish we could be holding, you may also share donations with Groundworks Collaborative https://groundworksvt.org/ and the Christ Church Guilford Society, 2129 Weatherhead Hollow Rd, Guilford. VT 05301. Tell them FOMAG sent you.
FOMAG is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfMusicAtGuilford/
