Page 40 - Susquehanna Chorale 40th Anniversary Book

MT GRETNA
Mount Gretna
Since 1993, the Susquehanna Chorale has performed as part
of Mt. Gretna’s “Summer at the Tabernacle” concert series. The
open-air tabernacle is located in the Camp Meeting section of
Mt. Gretna, a tree-shaded village founded by the Pennsylvania
Chautauqua Society in the 1890s. The Mt. Gretna performance
concludes the Chorale’s spring season and is presented to
not only a full house in the tabernacle but also to those sitting
on front porches of the surrounding homes. Conductor Linda
Tedford remarked, “We always look forward to singing at the tabernacle and love performing for the wonderful Gretna audience. An open-air concert on a warm summer evening makes for a very special experience.”
The setting is intimate, less formal than a concert hall, and subject to the whims of nature. In 2019, a violent thunderstorm knocked out power during the concert. Unfazed, Linda led the audience and Chorale in an impromptu sing-along of Amazing Grace with Dan Dorty providing an improvised accompaniment. At the words “bright as the shining sun,” the tabernacle’s generator suddenly kicked in and the lights came on. The concert continued without further interruption, but singers still had to find their way back to their cars in the darkened village using cell-phone flashlights.
Our concert was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. In 2021 the Chorale returned to perform for the Mt. Gretna audience.
Mt Gretna 2019
Mt Gretna, 2021
40
Celebrating 40 Years
Mt Gretna 2021 cover Mt Gretna