Second, our church -- recognized for its quality youth music program--was asked to choose a treble singer to sing the solo "This Little Light of Mine" at the Opening Worship of the 26th General Synod of the United Church of Christ (UCC) on June 22 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the UCC. Patrick King was the selected chorister and he was excellent. Everyone in the congregation was very proud of him.

Third, there has been a sizeable membership increase in our various choirs. The most significant increase has been seen in the Chancel Choir whose membership has grown from 21-31 choristers and now includes ages spanning as young as sixteen up to sixty and older. The membership increase in the Cantate, Cantabile and Mallets may have been because of the re-organization of the age groupings last year. Also, the excitement of the Ribbon Levels, as part of the Royal School of Church Music Program, was very strong this year: All of our Caroler Choir choristers received their Light Blue Ribbons (Level I) and the majority of the Cantate Choir earned their Dark Blue Ribbons (Level II) with many working on their Red Ribbon Level. Thank you to all the choristers and bell ringers, adult and youth, for your admirable dedication to our choir program.

Fourth, we were able to fund an additional section leader - one of Music Board’s long term goals to insure that all four vocal sections of our Chancel Choir are supported adequately. The section leaders this year were: Virginia Kousen, Soprano; Lola Elliott-Hugh, Alto; Josh Taylor, Tenor and Christopher Stone, Bass. This was a draw for new members, as they saw new faces in the choir and the growing numbers.

At the end of May, the Board of Music held their annual Music Scholarship Auditions and two young musicians were awarded scholarships: Evan Cogswell and Victoria Hervieux. These talented musicians each received a monetary gift of $450 to go towards their music lessons. They played for our congregation during worship as part of our special music in January and March of 2008.

Our music ministry continues to thrive as we welcomed back the Hot Cat Jazz Band on Homecoming Sunday; the Constitution Brass for our annual Festival Service of Nine Lessons and Carols and our triumphant Easter Services; The Mostly Baroque Players for our annual Messiah-Sing as part of our Music at the Meetinghouse Series; Our hosting of the Hartford Chapter’s Pipescreams in combination with the Twinkling Pumpkins event on the Town Green.

Our Music at the Meetinghouse Series started its season in good financial standing because of the success of last year’s programming. The series included the following artists:

September 29 AN OPERATIC FEAST
(Connecticut Opera’s Opera Express)

December 1 MESSIAH SING-ALONG
(The Mostly Baroque Players)

February 2 PAUL BISACCIA, PIANIST
(Clair de Lune – Music of the Masters)

March 15 NEW ENGLAND CHAMBER CHOIR
(Featuring Music for Lent and Easter)

May 3 VIRGINIA AND KEN KOUSEN IN CONCERT
(Oldies but Goodies: Music of the 40’s & 50’s)

The concerts all began at 7:00 p.m. with the exception of the March 15 concert that was scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The average attendance was between 50-100 people. The Music Board was pleased with these numbers.

In September, there was a change in directorship roles: Susan Falotico resigned as Cherub Choir Director and Peggy Hartman was hired to fill this position for one year. Susan Falotico agreed to stay on as the Director of the Bell Choir Program for one year and an option to continue. Directorship changes will be evaluated in June of 2008.

Our youth choir trips and special events kept the dynamic spirit of friendship and singing throughout the year. Our first trip was the annual Summer Choir Camp from August 19-22 at the Singing Hills Christian Conference Center in Plainfield, New Hampshire. Thank you to Charlene Dann who helped with the preparations and organization details of this camp, as well as her leadership in the craft sessions and opening and closing prayer circles. Our choristers made No-Sew scarves as their mission craft project to be given to the Women’s Prison as Christmas gifts for their children. Also, a special thank you to Susan Falotico for leading the Bell Program sessions and to the following chaperones: Peggy Hartman, Katherine Jalbert, Amy Thompson Jones, Courtney King, Kathleen Swahn and Florence Torregrossa. Choir Camp was a complete success and could not have happened without your help. Other choir events included the Fall Sleepover on October 9-10; The Boston Choir Trip on December 15 where the choristers sang Christmas carols at Faneuil Hall Market Place; and The Choristers Guild Choir Festival at Holyoke, Massachusetts, on April 26 where they sang under Helen Kemp, the internationally renowned Children’s Choir Director.

In closing, I would like to especially thank Sue Falotico for the wonderful job she has done directing the Bell Program and Peggy Hartman for her excellent job as the new Cherub Choir Director and to both of them for their excellent piano accompaniment throughout the year. Also, I would like to thank Courtney King, Peggy Hartman, Jen Kernisan, Nancy Leporowski and Alison Franklin, for their role as Head Choir Parent. We could not run this large program without their assistance. I would like to thank the members of the Board of Music for their continued support; Al Reid, Choral Librarian, Ann Shenk, Bell Music Librarian; Brian Fisher, Choral Library Database Specialist; the Church Council, Personnel Committee and the church office staff. It has been a great joy working with all of our ministers and our Christian Education Director, Kate VanDerzee. I look forward to another year of serving this church in its music ministry.

Respectfully submitted, Angela R. Salcedo

Bell Choir

This adult choir, directed by Sue Falotico, performs several times throughout the year at church services and special occasions. Rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings from 7:15 - 9:00 p.m. Using four octaves of Schulmerich Bells, three octaves of handchimes and state of the art equipment, the group plays a varied repertoire. Music reading skills are helpful for this group, but not essential. This choir actively participates in Bell Festivals sponsored by the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers (AGEHR) and the American Guild of Organists (AGO).