New England Summer Concert Tour

 

Northeast Men’s Summer Chorus and More

August 2026

             Marjorie has a week in July at Wiawaka Canter for Women on Lake George, her 2^nd summer as an “artist in residence” with 7 other artists (now good friends). So why shouldn’t I get to go to “summer camp”? I learned about the Northeast Men’s Summer Chorus from Mendelssohn Club brother Mike Wright. Founded in 2019, participants come from at least 5 states and many singing organizations “to gather for a singing vacation.” Haven’t been to camp since Massaweepi, my Adirondacks Boy Scout camp.

            The chorus will present 3 evening concerts in churches in small towns in southern Vermont & New Hampshire. Church dinners before the concerts, plus 2 “Afterglows” for post-concert conviviality. There is substantial free time, and a list of “things to see and do” is provided. I reserve at Best Western Springfield VT, discounted rate for NMSC.

The 2^nd week in July I receive from organizer Marty Edelman (from the Mendelssohn Club in NYC; there’s at least 1 chorus member from the Kington Club) pdf & mp3 files to rehearse at home the 18 songs we’ll be performing. The music ranges from patriotic (God Bless America, Armed Forces Medley, This is My Country) to show & pop tunes (Nothing Like a Dame, Sweet Caroline, Unchained Melody) to spiritual/religious (Ride the Chariot, River in Judea, Lord, Listen to the Children); I’ve used a couple as titles for my daily accounts below. Many I’ve sung before, tho somewhat different arrangements. The chorus numbers 23 across 4 voices, from around NY, NJ, & New England, 1 from Florida. Concert dress code: short-sleeve white button-down dress shirt (have to search for this, mostly Fall stuff in stores now!), black pants/socks/shoes.

          Marjorie enjoys her week at Wiawaka. Creates lots of beautiful art, mostly alcohol ink, that I enjoy during one of their Open Houses (when men allowed on campus). Back to Beverwyck she has a show & reception, her art exhibited along a corridor. Other family also traveling: percussionist son Matt to Bali with Talujon Percussion Ensemble, then Lake Tahoe for another music festival; daughter-in-law Anthea to Greece as Executive Director of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, then joining Matt at Lake Tahoe; grandson Miles to Scotland to stage manage at the Fringe festival. No wonder I want a getaway of my own!

          Meanwhile, by our 4^th month we have settled into life in our new Beverwyck home. Marjorie says our 1-bedroom apartment has gone from “crowded” to “cozy;” but we’re waiting for a 2-bedroom. Enjoying time with old friends and making lots of new friends; it’s like “speed dating,” lots of names & faces to learn. Plenty of good dining. Lots of activities: wine & cheese gatherings, music, movies, a picnic along the Hudson. Marjorie already has a garden plot in good shape. 

We’ve sort of made our mark by arranging some special music opportunities: Marjorie got free tickets and filled a bus to the finale of Mostly Modern Festival at Skidmore (where Matt had performed earlier), lots of good reviews. I arranged a patriotic July 3^rd concert by a subset of the Mendelssohn Club. The audience filled the room, a standing ovation, lots of positive feedback. Other entertainment includes exciting World Cup soccer; Spain unseats defending champion Argentina & Lionel Messi 1-0 in extra time.

But I digress.

Thursday, 8/6: “Let There Be Music”

           

           Fueled by eggs & toast a la Marjorie, I’m off for the 2-hour drive to Newfane VT. Forecast is hot & muggy, scattered showers & storms in the PM, but nice sun to begin. My 1^st reliance on GPS with phone connected via Android Auto to our new red Honda HRV. [It’s good to have, drives will range from beautiful & interesting to “challenging,” dirt or “road work” (or needs it).] A pretty drive to begin. A 1-lane holdup for utility work (the 1^st of many) offers a photo op. And 1^st covered bridge.

Newfane describes itself as “a historic, quaint, and welcoming West River Valley community of 1,650 filled with natural beauty and home to historic taverns, charming restaurants, and unique shops.” I have no trouble finding the beautiful Congregational Church (approaching its 188^th year) in an area with several impressive buildings: Union Hall, Courthouse, Inn & Tavern. 

A sign for “Free Concert;” that’s us! Two men in the church suggest for lunch the Newfane Store (est. 1822) across the street. I chat with the clerk who sings with a rock group that will be rehearsing next door to our concert tonight! I also chat up our concert to a couple of locals.

           Back to the church to relax and meet people as they come in. We’re a mix of veterans & newbies (like me). Our music folders arrive. Name tags help to get to  know each other. Up to the church for a long (1:00-5:00) rehearsal. We’re led by 3 excellent conductors: Kate Butterfield, Paul Scatenato, & Bruce Wagner. They divvy up the songs, each with his or her style. Kate is very energetic, and effusive in telling us how great we are! Bruce seems more stern & forceful (I tell him he scares me). Paul is more laid-back. They agree on the usual conductor’s plea: “Watch me!” [How many conductors does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Nobody knows, nobody watches.] Kate & Paul also serve as accompanists. Rehearsal goes well, tho some difficulties with a number of songs where the music requires moving back-and-forth. It’s a fine group of singers, much like my own Mendelssohn Club. And we even have a whistler extraordinaire in Steve Herbst to lead off “Happy Wanderer”!

          Dinner served by ladies of the church. A classic: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas, blueberry cobbler. Cheers for the ladies (at all 3 dinners). Very warm & humid inside the church. A decent-sized audience, maybe 50. We sing well. Audience participation that continues in our other concerts: “There is Nothing Like a Dame” encourages some women to dance; the audience is urged to add Fenway Park Red Sox chants to “Sweet Caroline.”  Also repeated at each concert: for the “Armed Forces Medley” service members & their family members asked to stand to be recognized, former members of Yankee Male Chorus (the original source of NMCS) invited to join in on “River in Judea,” the beautiful traditional last song. We get a standing ovation.

         

            My GPS gives me an adventurous drive to the Best Western. Dark & curvy roads, one dirt road. Few other cars and (thankfully) no deer. [Overall, drives range from beautiful & interesting to “challenging,” dirt or “road work” (or needs it).] Happy to get to the hotel—and air-conditioning! A number from our group are also here.

 

Friday, 8/7: “Sculptures and Raptors”

 

           Up early. After an extensive continental breakfast—eggs, sausages, bason, waffles, and more—it’s time to be a tourist. Storms possible but not until late PM. A cloudy start that clears to a gorgeous AM, tho hot & muggy again. I follow the Connecticut River Byway to Artisans Park in Windsor VT, a collection of 8 Vermont businesses, from river trip outfitters to cheese. I’m here for the Path of Life Sculpture Garden, “a landscape shaped by a revelation of the human spirit and inspired by our relationship with the natural world;” 18 works of art illustrate elements of human life, on 14 acres along the Connecticut River. I spend some time walking around.

            Across the Cornish-Windsor Bridge, longest covered bridge in the US, longest 2-span in the world, into New Hampshire. 

Up to Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish that preserves the home, gardens, & studios of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), one of the foremost US sculptors. This was his summer residence, then permanent home until his death. The grounds are landscaped with hedges & terraced gardens, with reproductions of his works. Pretty flowers around the house, then I work my way thru hedges with views of sculptures. A chat with an artist doing watercolors on the porch of the impressive Little Studio built 1903–04. The Park has had a sculptor-in-residence since 1969, the oldest continuous artist residency in the National Park Service. The main house, built 1816–17, not open yet; oh well, I’ve seen lots of old houses.

 

           Back over the bridge. Local news on the radio: a surge in the black bear population has caused a spike in bear-human “interactions.” I continue north to Quechee Gorge, viewed from a bridge 163’above the Ottauquechee River. The gorge was formed by glacial activity 13,000 years ago. 

On to nearby Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Lots of school groups & young families.  The highlight is enclosures with dozens of beautiful birds of prey, or raptors: hawks, eagles, vultures, falcons, owls, ravens that are unable to be released into the wild.

            I-91 back to Springfield. A stop at Circle K market across from the hotel to get a lunch of ham-and-cheese sandwich & Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (it is Vermont, after all!). I manage a brief nap before heading off to Acworth NH, a community of less than 1,000 settled in 1768, incorporated 1772. The Cold River provided water power for sawmills & a gristmill; woolen, bobbin & peg factories; and a boot & shoe manufacturer. Acworth is also a source for museum-quality crystals such as beryl. 

The Congregational and Baptist churches united in 1965 to form Acworth United Church. A beautiful church, both exterior & interior. A “class photo” of the chorus taken in front of the church. Inside is a long pull cord to ring the bell; nobody tries it.

            After a brief rehearsal another fine dinner: tasty marinated chicken, capped by an array of pastries. A bit smaller audience, but the concert goes well. 

Afterglow at a nearby beautiful dairy farm of chorus member John Luther. Another dark & winding route back to Springfield. Some heavy storms elsewhere overnight; only a little rain here overnight.

 

Saturday, 8/8: “Happy Wanderer”

            Up early again, breakfast at the hotel, then off for more exploring. Small Baltimore Covered Bridge near the hotel. Past a local transit “Moover” bus decorated like a cow. Cloudy to start, but sun breaking out. 

A short drive to Chester, a town of 3,100. A pretty town median. Beautiful buildings. A pamphlet in the Visitor Center  guides me to the Stone Village Historic District. These stone buildings were built in the 1830s-1849s by native Chester stonemasons (not Scottish immigrants, as frequently reported). They used a distinctive "snecked ashlar" design with stones up to 24” thick reinforced with moss & horsehair. The First Universalist Parish Church is particularly impressive.

 

 

          I continue on a pretty drive to Weston [our new car has more bells & whistles; e.g., a voice says: “police reported ahead”!] and the Vermont Country Store. This and a sister store in Rockingham offer “an authentic shopping experience,” plus online & catalog sales. Vrest and Mildred Ellen Orton opened this store in 1946, the 1st restored rural general store in the nation. Mildred's Table & Dairy Bar offer comfort food & treats. The store is ready for Halloween & Christmas. Pretty nature trails. But I find the nearby Weston Village Store (since 1911) more picturesque.

            Another short drive to Grafton. More pretty farms, stone walls, houses, churches. Can’t photograph everything! 

A stop at small Nature Museum, opened 1989. Various camps & programs during the year, including a Fairy House Festival in September. Exhibits on the natural history of northern New England, including a very large bear and lots of other animals. I chat with a friendly woman in the museum and 3 gardeners outside (one is a tenor-composer-arranger). I talk up our concert. The 4 acres here include Chapman Meadow, Magic Forest Playscape, a native pollinator garden, and a small frog pond. More than I can manage. 

Back to the hotel at noon, another Circle K lunch. After a short nap another singer tips me off to a reenactment at Fort No. 4. But too hot, too tired.

            A pretty afternoon followed by a lovely evening. Back to Chester and our concert venue: Chester Baptist Church, organized in 1905, 1^st church building in 1908 was on the same land as the current beautiful church. Cemetery next to the church. 

Another good dinner: pulled pork sliders, marinated chicken, potatoes, pasta salad, lots of pastries plus chocolate mousse.  Our biggest audience, maybe 75+. And the muggiest venue, sweat rolling off me. But another good concert, standing ovation. 

After a bit of struggle I locate the dirt road leading to our afterglow at chorus member Dave Lambert’s beautiful old farmhouse. Lots of munchies (as if we need more!). Sing-along led by Elmer on the piano. Another dark drive back to the hotel.

 

Sunday. 8/9: “Afterglow”

            A last sunny AM becomes a mix of clouds & sun for an uneventful albeit pretty 2½-hour drive home via Chester, Londonderry, and Bennington.

 

            Good times with new friends. Friendly people at the churches. Wonderful dinners by the “church ladies.” Singing so many songs a challenge, but fine singers & excellent direction made for memorable concerts. Despite being hobbled some by back problems I was able to see beautiful sights & museums in the area.

No complaints. Better weather than forecasted. We always seemed to get some sprinkles while waiting outside to make our concert entrances, but weren’t hit by storms around the Northeast, including Albany. GPS guided me well, just some brief lost service & glitches. This Yankee fan had to put up with Red Sox rooting, but “When in Vermont…”

Special thanks to Marty Edelman and Directors Tony Carrano, Elmer Joerg, Dave Lambert, Andy Lavigne, and Bill Titherington III for arranging this concert tour.