AVE MARIS STELLA - a cappella vocal ensemble based in midcoast Maine

	Ave Maris Stella New website by Thierry Bonneville coming soon!
	Photo by Jim Dugan

	Annual "Musike for the Nywe Yeare" 2010 Concert Series Presented by Ave Maris Stella Friday, January 22, 7:30 P.M. Phippsburg Congregational Church, Phippsburg Snow Date • January 23 ($8/$5) FMI: 389-1770 Saturday, January 30, 7:30 p.m. Belfast Free Library Belfast Snow Date • February 6 Sunday, January 31, 3:00 p.m. St. Thomas Episcopal Church Chestnut Street Camden Snow Date • February 7 Photo by Jim Dugan Ave Maris Stella, the highly regarded a cappella vocal ensemble based in midcoast Maine, will perform a wide-ranging program of mostly early music to celebrate the turning of the year. Repertoire will cover a wide range of time periods (from Medieval through twentieth century) and styles (from chant to polyphony and beyond). Opening the program will be an international journey, complete with works from or about Sicily, Italy, France, and the mythical land of Thule. Also featured will be two settings of the Marian text, Beata Viscera, followed by two settings, one old, one new, of Ave Maria: a contemporary one, by Gustav Holst, sung just by the women of AMS, followed by a polyphonic double-chorus setting by Tomas Luis de Victoria featuring all 19 singers. To brighten the dark days of winter, Josquin's setting of Tu Pauperum (Thou refuge of the destitute) from the motet "Magnus es tu, Domine" will open the second half, followed by a setting from the Worcester Fragments of the Kyrie and Agnus Dei from "La Messe de Tournai." A lively trip to the Republic of Georgia, replete with lullabies and traveling songs, will be followed by two stirring and complex twentieth century works: Kenneth Leighton's Lully, Lully, Thou Little Tiny Child featuring Dee Bielenberg as soprano soloist, and There Will Be Rest, by Frank Ticheli. Ave Maris Stella performs in wide a variety of languages and styles, from English to Italian to Latin to Spanish, and from sacred to secular to humorous. The group likes to bring unusual works to Maine audiences, yet more familiar music by such renowned composers as Byrd, Dufay, Monteverdi, Palestrina, and Josquin is also a large part of the group's repertoire. Ave Maris Stella has become well known for its work to educate audiences through extensive program notes and spoken introductions. Music Director Elena Hamilton said, "It's a challenge to put a specific label on what we do, but that's what makes our experiment so interesting. We pride ourselves on the diversity of music we perform. It spans thousands of years, encompasses many languages, including some that are pretty obscure - such as Georgian - and represents a wide range of styles. For our audiences, we've found that our concerts have something for almost everybody who loves vocal music." Indeed, in addition to the expected liturgical works, AMS sings Sephardic songs, madrigals in many languages, and selections from far-flung locales. While the focus is on early music, the ensemble has also delved into appropriate settings by contemporary composers such as Arvo Part, Francis Poulenc, Maurice Durufle, the Hungarian Lajos Bardos, the American Morten Lauridsen, and the late Kenneth Leighton. While the group mainly performs a cappella, appropriate instrumentation (recorders, percussion, strings) is occasionally added. Founded early in the twenty-first century, Ave Maris Stella (the name translates to "Hail, Star ofthe Sea") is unusual in that it is a collectively run, all-volunteer organization. Membership is by audition, and singers share the responsibility of bringing music selections to the group. They also take turns teaching and leading. AMS has developed a loyal following, and has performed as part of the VanderKay summer music series in Blue Hill, at Belfast by the Bay and the St. Margaret's Church music series in Belfast, and at various venues around Maine including Merrill Auditorium in Portland, the Henry Knox Mansion, the Camden Opera House and Public Library, St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Camden (the group's "home" venue), St. Denis Catholic Church in Whitefield, First Church in Belfast, Elan Fine Arts Gallery in Rockport, and as part of the Rockland Public Library's music series. Concert Poster Concert Program Admission is by donation, $10 per adult suggested. Tickets available at the door. For more information: 207-236-9413 " I used to drive to Boston to hear this kind of music at this level!" " All the way home, and now as I try to get into something else, I keep thinking of the evening's music. One moment I'm thinking about how amazing it is that such talented people live around me; people who can do what you do IN THEIR SPARE TIME. And the next I'm not thinking at all, but drifting off on a passage that comes back to me." " Suddenly the 'real world' around me evaporated. The music filled every crevice of my awareness. I didn't hear voices. I wasn't aware that people were singing. The music was JUST THERE, coming out of someplace beyond the air. It slipped through the molecules and left me transfixed. It was so BEAUTIFUL. I'm still on the verge of tears. It's vital to be reminded that humans can produce incredible beauty." " I'm sure you all enjoy what you do, but I hope you know that it's much more than that. Have you any idea of the powerful gift you give? I am still awe-struck -- and profoundly grateful."
	to audition: click here Members John Arrison Dee Bielenberg Jim Birch Andrea Boothby Laura Buxbaum Lara Campbell Cheryl Cosby Charlie Grey Elena Hamilton - Music Director John Gass Jane Hards Jane McFarland Gregory Moore Morten Moesswilde Peter Pfister Gretchen Piston Ogden - Executive Director Matthew Smith Kenelm Winslow Bill Zuber On Sabbatical Dominic Mercadante, Joe Mooney, Rachel Turner, Stephen Wallace In Memoriam Katherine Brand (1952 - 2005) Roy Salzman (1933 - 2006) Founders Katherine Brand Sharon Osborne
	Recent Performances: January 14,2009 St. Peters Episcopal Church Rockland, ME program January 2009 January 23, 2009 First Church Belfast, ME January 25, 2009 St. Thomas Episcopal Church Camden, ME press release June 2008 June 6, 2008 St. John Baptist Episcopal Church Thomaston, ME June 7, 2008 St. Thomas Episcopal Church Camden, ME June 8, 2008 St. Denis Catholic Church North Whitefield, ME April 19, 2008 "A Cappella Fest" Waldo Theatre, Waldoboro, Maine press release poster January 20, 2008, First Church in Belfast, Belfast, Maine January 25, Camden Public Library, Camden, Maine January 26, Blue Hill Congregational Church, Blue Hill, Maine June 17, 2007 Elan Fine Arts, Rockport, Maine June 15, 2007 First Church in Belfast, Belfast, Maine January 28, 2007 Camden Public Library Reading Room, Camden January 21, 2007 Episcopal Church of St. John Baptist, Thomaston October 6, 2006 - Celebration of Life Concert Camden Opera House June 16, 2006 - The Oval Room, Montpelier (General Henry Knox Mansion), Thomaston June 18, 2006, St. Margaret's Church, Belfast April 22, 2006, Voices of Hope Merrill Auditorium, Concert for the Good Shepherd Food-Bank January 6, 2006 - St. Denis Catholic Church 298 Grand Army Road, North Whitefield January 8, 2006 - Camden Public Library Thursday, November 3, 2005 - Harbor Square Gallery, Rockland opener for the International Film Festival of the Spirit