Author name: Marty Sauser

Spring Concert 2025 – The Gift to Sing

The Gift To Sing

Sometimes the mist overhangs my path,
And blackening clouds about me cling;
But, oh, I have a magic way
To turn the gloom to cheerful day—
I softly sing.

And if the way grows darker still,
Shadowed by Sorrow’s somber wing,
With glad defiance in my throat,
I pierce the darkness with a note,
And sing, and sing.

I brood not over the broken past,
Nor dread whatever time may bring;
No nights are dark, no days are long,
While in my heart there swells a song,
And I can sing.

James Weldon Johnson, 1871 – 1938
(This poem is in the public domain.)

Don’t miss our Spring concert for 2025, featuring a newly commissioned setting from composer Jonathan Woody of this uplifting poem by James Weldon Johnson. The program also includes Stephen Paulus’ setting of “The Road Home” by the American poet Michael Dennis Browne, which was performed in January at the funeral service for President Jimmy Carter.

  • Sunday, March 23, 2025
  • St. Andrew’s Church in Kent, CT at 3:00 PM
  • Tickets available here: tickets

The commission project is supported in part by an Alfred Nash Patterson Grant from Choral Arts New England.

Knox on WMNR’s Fine Arts Forum

Our director, Knox Sutterfield, appeared on WMNR’s Fine Arts Forum on March 16, 2025. Use the player below to listen to his conversation with host Bob Anderson about our 2025 Spring concert. Knox tells how the magic happens as he selects, rehearses, and conducts choral music.

Practice Playlist for Spring Concert 2025

Here is Knox’s practice playlist for our Spring concert.

  • Spotify (14 songs)
  • Youtube (same 14 songs, plus Dream of a Blessed Spirit)

Click here for a recording of The Choir Invisible on Youtube (not included in Knox’s practice playlist, therefore please use for notes only and not musical interpretation). Also included in audio player below.

Click here for practice aids for I Conquer the World with Words, including a introduction video by composer Jonathan Woody and an audio player that displays the music as it goes along (very cool). Be sure to scroll down and you will find all sorts of really great practice aids for Conquer, including each part separately with a click track to keep time. There’s also a player that leaves out each part, for example you hear SAT without bass, so you can sing along with the bass part (likewise for all four parts). All of this is really helpful!

And last but not least, here is “The Gift to Sing”, also by Jonathan Woody, which we commissioned for this concert!

  • Click here for the music PDF
  • Sing along with our rehearsal run-through on March 19.
  • Listen to a synthesized audio performance in the audio player below (our concert will be the world premiere!)
  • The audio player also has two slowed versions of “I Conquer the World with Words” (Skylark Vocal Ensemble), and “The Choir Invisible” (2009 ACDA High School Honor Choir).

Holiday 2024 – Once, As I Remember

December 7 & 8, 2024
St. Andrew’s Church, Kent CT
James Knox Sutterfield, cond.

Our opening concert for the 2024-25 season follows the form of the Festival of Lessons and Carols presented annually by the King’s College choir in Cambridge, England, but with poetry readings in place of the traditional scripture lessons, drawn from diverse sources both religious and secular. Musical selections include many beloved classics of the season, as well as some modern pieces with their own poetic texts rich with imagery and metaphor.

Click here to see concert program

Once, As I Remember Concert Recording 2024

Best Tracks

Both performances were very good, but Sunday was generally the better of the two in my opinion. This playlist has the Sunday version of all songs and readings except a few that, for technical reasons, sounded better in the Saturday recording (Shortest Day, Noel, Once as I remember, Journey of the Magi, Starlight Night). I also replaced the organ intro on “Midnight Clear” with the Saturday version, because there was a little bobble in the playing on Sunday.

Saturday, December 7, 2024

Click here to listen to the entire Saturday concert

Here is a player for individual songs (Saturday):

Sunday, December 8, 2024

Click here to listen to the entire Sunday concert

Here is a player for individual songs (Sunday):

Click here to access the music files for downloading (Disc 1 is Dec 7, Disc 2 is Dec 8)

Photos and Program

You can find everything you’re looking for in the Concert Archive pages.

(As always, we’re making these recordings available to you, our members, for your private enjoyment only. Please don’t copy them to any streaming services or publish them in any way.)

A Memorable Start to Our 2024-25 Season

Our opening concert for 2024-25, “Once, as I Remember,” was appreciated by two large audiences at St. Andrew’s Church in Kent, CT. The program followed the form of the Festival of Lessons and Carols presented annually by the King’s College choir in Cambridge, England, but with poetry readings in place of the traditional scripture lessons, drawn from diverse sources both religious and secular. Musical selections included many beloved classics of the season, as well as some modern pieces with their own poetic texts rich with imagery and metaphor.

Don’t miss our other upcoming concerts for the 2024-25 season!

Spring Concert – The Gift to Sing

Featuring a newly commissioned setting from composer Jonathan Woody of “The Gift to Sing” by James Weldon Johnson.

  • Sunday, March 23, 2025
  • St. Andrew’s Church in Kent, CT at 3:00 PM

Summer Major Works Concert

Featuring Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass.

  • Sunday, June 8, 2025
  • St. John’s Church in New Milford, CT at 3:00 PM

Tickets for both concerts are available here: tickets

Ad Sales for 2024-2025 season

As we begin our 52nd season, we hope you will join our celebration by placing an advertisement again this year or joining our community of local business supporters for the first time. We appreciate your support!

We can help you compose your ad. It’s also possible to vary the ad content in each program (for the holiday, spring and summer seasons).

Advertisers (and their website links) will also be listed on the Kent Singers website and included in email blasts sent to our entire mailing list. If you purchase a large or extra-large ad, you will also receive 2 complimentary tickets to one 2024-2025 concert!

You can purchase an ad using the PayPal buttons below, or by sending a check to Kent Singers, PO Box 774, Kent, CT 06757. (If you mail your order, please include your business name, phone number and email address. To make it easy, here is our ad form. It’s also helpful to enclose your business card.)

Questions? Send an email to ads@kentsingers.org.

Extra Large (up to 7″ x 7″ – full page ad)

$160.00

Type your business name here:

Large (3.75″ x 3.25″ – half page ad)

$100.00

Type your business name here:

Medium (3.5″ x 2″ – business card size)

$75.00

We accept either horizontal or vertical orientation.

Type your business name here:

Ad Sales Campaign for 2024-2025 season

This year we are starting by soliciting ads to local businesses by mail. Later we may ask our members to follow up in person with businesses who have not responded, if necessary.

A mailing to previous advertisers and potential new advertisers suggested by our members is already being prepared, but it’s not too late to reach out to other possible advertisers if you know of some good prospects. Ad orders are due by November 1.

If you have any questions about the ad sales campaign, the easiest way to contact Jill Sauser is to send an email to jill.sauser@gmail.com.

Tickets for 2024-2025 season

SEASON TICKET: Now you can buy a full season ticket for all three Kent Singers concerts in one easy step! (And save $5 off the regular advance ticket price!)

HOW TO BUY MORE THAN ONE TICKET: When you click “Add to Cart”, you can select the number of tickets you wish to purchase.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR: For the June concert, tickets are $30 at the door. For other concerts, tickets at the door are $20.

CHILDREN: 12 and under, no ticket required.

ACCESSIBILITY: St. Andrew’s in Kent is wheelchair accessible via the ramp on North Main Street. Accessible bathrooms are available in the adjacent Parish Hall. St. John’s in New Milford is wheelchair accessible at the side entrance on Whittlesey Ave. Accessible bathrooms are available on the same floor as the sanctuary.

After you complete your online purchase, you will receive an email confirming that your name has been added to our list of attendees for the concert date(s) you selected. Please identify yourself to our greeters when you arrive for the concert. (We don’t use paper tickets so you don’t need to print or bring anything with you.)

If you want to include attendee names or any special instructions with your ticket order, type your message in the boxes provided below.

If you have any questions about your ticket purchase, please contact us at tickets@kentsingers.org.

Holiday Concert, December 7, 2024 at 3 p.m, St. Andrew’s Church, Kent, CT

Once, as I Remember, an homage to the Festival of Lessons and Carols, featuring poetry and carols both traditional and modern.

$20

Tickets available at the door for $20. Tickets may be exchanged for the December 8 performance (no later than Dec. 4).

You can type a message here:

Holiday Concert, December 8, 2024 at 3 p.m., St. Andrew’s Church, Kent, CT

Once, as I Remember, an homage to the Festival of Lessons and Carols, featuring poetry and carols both traditional and modern.

$20

Tickets available at the door for $20. Tickets may be exchanged for the December 7 performance (no later than Dec. 4).

You can type a message here:

Spring Concert, March 23, 2025 at 3 p.m., St. Andrew’s Church, Kent, CT

Featuring a newly commissioned setting from composer Jonathan Woody of “The Gift to Sing” by James Weldon Johnson.

$20

Tickets available at the door for $20.

You can type a message here:

Summer Major Works Concert, June 8, 2025 at 3 p.m., St. John’s Church, New Milford, CT

Featuring Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass.

$25

Tickets available at the door for $30.

You can type a message here:

All three concerts, 2024-2025

$60

Season ticket subscribers will receive reminder emails for upcoming concerts, with instructions for selecting the desired Holiday performance date.

You can type a message here:

Each time you click “Add to Cart” it will open a new PayPal window with your cart. If you’re not ready to check out, you can go ahead and close all those extra windows — PayPal will not forget what you’ve added to your cart! When you’re all done, click “View Cart” to complete your purchase.

Don’t worry, the “Add to Cart” button never costs you any money. PayPal will give you a chance to see what you’ve added to your cart before you complete your purchase, and you can easily remove unwanted items.

The PayPal window will give you a chance to create a PayPal account if you don’t already have one, or you can use the “Check out as Guest” option. Either way you’ll need to enter your email address and shipping address. PayPal requires this information, but we will not ship anything to your home. You will receive an email from Kent Singers acknowledging your purchase and confirming we’ve added your name to our list for the concert you selected (and the number of tickets). It may take a day or two before you receive the email from Kent Singers, but when you do receive it, you can be sure that one of our singers has processed your order and we are looking forward to sharing our music with you!

Announcing Our 2024-25 Season

Holiday Concert – Once, as I Remember

An homage to the Festival of Lessons and Carols, featuring poetry and carols both traditional and modern.

  • Saturday, December 7, 2024
  • Sunday, December 8, 2024
  • Both concerts at St. Andrew’s Church in Kent, CT at 3:00 PM

Spring Concert – The Gift to Sing

Featuring a newly commissioned setting from composer Jonathan Woody of “The Gift to Sing” by James Weldon Johnson.

  • Sunday, March 23, 2025
  • St. Andrew’s Church in Kent, CT at 3:00 PM

Summer Major Works Concert

Featuring Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass.

  • Sunday, June 8, 2025
  • St. John’s Church in New Milford, CT at 3:00 PM

Tickets for all three concerts are available here: tickets

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