Evelyn C. McDonald
Arts & Culture Reporter
January 12, 2017 1:35 p.m.
One of our island groups has the honor of being selected to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York. The Island Chamber Singers will be part of a larger chorale group performing Poulenc’s Gloria in one of the Distinguished Concerts International New York concert series on February 18, 2017. Dr. Erin Freeman will be the conductor of the performance and clinician for the residency. What the term “residency” means is that the 5 days stint in New York won’t be all fun and games. There is an extensive rehearsal requirement.
The Island Chamber Singers was established in 2004 by Jane Lindberg, who serves as music director. Jane set up the group with a few like-minded friends who wanted an opportunity to sing classical choral music. From a group of about 24, the singers have grown to over 50 members. Their repertoire ranges from Bach to Brahms to Brubeck.
The Distinguished Concert Series is one of the premier concert providers in New York. Artists and conductors are drawn from all over the world. Past series have included choral groups from New Zealand, Russia and France. It is also not limited to adults as one concert featured a middle school choral group. The Island Chamber Singers will be part of “The Glory of Freedom: A concert to honor our veterans.” Groups are invited to provide audition tapes, which the Island Chamber Singers did last year.
The Island Chamber Singers perform a fall and a spring concert each year. In 2016, they presented John Rutter’s Mass of the Children in concert with the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus. In the fall, their concert was Charles Gounod’s Saint Cecilia Mass. All performances are at the Amelia Plantation Chapel. On April 7th and April 9th, they will perform the Poulenc Gloria at the Amelia Plantation Chapel April. This concert will also feature pieces by Debussy and Faure. This concert will have nearly 60 singers.
About 40 singers with friends, spouses, and such will be going on the New York trip. The singers are paying their own expenses and nearly a week in New York can be pricey. The group has had a fund raiser and has also received donations from community members. If anyone reading this piece would like to contribute to help this talented group with costs, send a check to Island Chamber Singers, 98031 Little Piney Island Point, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034. Any donations would be greatly appreciated.
I never knew this group existed. I suspect many of you didn’t either. This is a tremendous honor for them and an amazing testament to the variety and skills of arts and culture groups in our town.
Evelyn McDonald moved to Fernandina Beach from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. in 2006. She is a chair of Arts & Culture Nassau, a city commission charged with support of the arts in Nassau County. She serves on FSCJ’s Curriculum Committee for the Center for Lifelong Learning. She is also the chair of the Dean’s Council for the Carpenter Library at the UNF. Ms. McDonald has MS in Technology Management from the University of Maryland’s University College and a BA in Spanish from the University of Michigan.