Page 17 - Fall 2017 Tags and Swipes Newsletter
P. 17
Cranberry Shores Chorus Tags and Swipes, Fall 2017
CSC Enjoys a Special Guest for Summer 2017 The Vassar College Choir was a mixed chorus
Cranberry Shores Chorus is experiencing a that did older repertoire and often did larger
special treat this summer. works, such as Haydn's Missa in Angustiis. She
Several weeks ago, Melanie Donnelly, a recent was also in the Madrigal Singers, a smaller group
graduate of Vassar who majored in music with a auditioned from the other two choirs that did a lot
focus in vocal performance, contacted us to see if of madrigals as well as some alternative, more
she could join for the summer. Her grandparents difficult repertory, all a cappella. She also sang
live on the Cape and she’s been visiting every with two other groups - Camerata and
summer since she was little, so after graduating, Mahagonny, two student-led early music and
she came to the Cape for the summer to find a modern chamber music groups.
summer job and to figure out what she would do
after graduation. When she performed a Google search on
“singing groups” on Cape Cod, she was mostly
(Pictured: Left, Paulette Rio, CSC Membership looking for an outlet for singing, to keep up with
Chair; Right, Melanie Donnelly) her sight reading and group singing skills, and
she found us, and we are so glad she did! We
At Vassar she sang with a number of groups - were delighted to add her rich, resonant voice to
the Vassar women's chorus with four-part our baritone section, and her sight reading ability
women’s pieces for soprano and alto, with a allowed her to join right in and sing the baritone
tendency toward more modern choral music. part of most of our repertoire – and that’s not
easy!
When asked what she thinks of the barbershop a
cappella style, Melanie, who sang very little
popular music with her college groups, says she
is “enjoying the tight harmonies and toe-tapping
nature of the barbershop tradition.
It’s been really interesting to see these treble
arrangements, some of which are really
amazing!”
She will continue to join rehearsals and sing with
us until she leaves after the summer, and of
course she is always invited to come back.
Paulette Rio
North Atlantic Region 1 Sweet Adelines 17
