GUILFORD — Friends of Music at Guilford's third annual A Cappella à la Carte on Saturday, June 9, will be especially robust.
It features three groups from Brattleboro Union High School in a brief warm-up set, as well as nearly two dozen singers in the Vermont-New Hampshire group “House Blend.” The performance is part of a full evening of Friends of Music activities at Guilford Community Church, with the public welcome.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a 30-minute annual membership meeting of Friends of Music at Guilford. Members of the public are most welcome to attend this first segment, and may even join Friends of Music on the spot and thus vote for trustees for the ensuing year and on other matters.
Immediately following is a Community Potluck from 6:30 to 7:30. Everyone is welcome to bring an item for supper: casseroles, salads, bread, and other offerings are all welcome. If you bring a dessert, it will be set aside to be served after the concert.
The 7:30 concert will begin with performances by the three a cappella groups from Brattleboro Union High School. Interestingly, these ensembles are all organized and run by the student performers, and not the music department, very much in the spirit of the college groups that have become popular in recent years.
The groups include the all-male “Shoulder Narrows,” and two all-female ensembles: “Spiralia” and “Renegade.” These groups average about eight singers and will each do a couple of their best tunes, which will include: “Chain of Fools,” “I'll Be There For You” (“Friends” theme song), “Loch Lomond,” and “Rhythm of Love.”
“House Blend” then steps on stage to perform an eclectic program of works, some old favorites from their wide-ranging repertoire and some newly rehearsed for this event.
That repertoire includes precisely blended early music, contemporary arrangements by local composers, songs from American folk traditions such as spirituals, soulful gospel numbers, hill songs of Appalachia, and jazz, as well as lush Italian and Spanish ballads, South African freedom songs, village music of Italy, France, Québec and the Republic of Georgia, Renaissance madrigals, songs from the Jewish choral tradition, contemporary Latin chant, and Bach.
The nearly two dozen voices in this group of experienced singers share responsibility for song choice and leadership. They perform in a variety of venues such as established concert series, benefits for local or world concerns, weddings, festivals, and concert tours which include the Loire Valley region of France. Their harmonious “brew” and infectious energy are notable; when they're not singing, they are found teaching in area schools, designing websites, piloting planes, doing carpentry, and much more.
The evening closes with a major dessert table, prepared by Friends of Music's board of trustees and those who bring potluck sweets.
Guilford Community Church is located at 38 Church Drive, just off Route 5 south of the Guilford Country Store. Admission is by donation. For further information, call 802-254-3600 or visit www.fomag.org.