ChoralFest
July 15 - July 21, 2023
July 15 - July 21, 2023
Description
Schedule
Songs We've Sung
Conference Leadership
Pricing
Description
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ChoralFest is A Summer Choral Experience for Women.
Who should attend
All women singers are welcome at ChoralFest, regardless of experience or proficiency. Choir directors, experienced choral singers, and "shower singers" all sit side-by-side to make music in an easygoing and encouraging environment. Whatever your choral background, you will leave relaxed, rejuvenated, and inspired. If you love to sing and love the company of supportive women, come join us by the ocean! Overview of ChoralFest We sing every day at ChoralFest! We rehearse each morning and afternoon, exploring the harmonies that only women’s voices can make singing together. Our repertoire includes a variety of choral works ranging from simple chants and rounds to complex multi-part selections that stretch us technically and vocally. We always prepare some fun pieces to sing Thursday night at the Talent Show with GAYLA, the gay men's conference who share Ferry Beach with us during our week of ChoralFest. Our week culminates with an inspirational chapel service when we blend choral performance and worship in a unique and memorable way, all in the majestic setting of Ferry Beach’s outdoor chapel in the pines. Our Music Director Molly J. Webster
"When we searched for a new music director during the fall of 2019, we were delighted to find the perfect person. The decision to choose Molly was confirmed when she gamely took on her first conference with us via Zoom in 2020, despite the pandemic. Our delight was confirmed when we were able to benefit from Molly's expertise and joy in person in 2021. She is not only the Music Director at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor in Maine, but is also the director for 3 other choral groups, gives voice lessons, and has a Master’s degree in choral conducting. Molly writes: “I am incredibly excited to be offered this opportunity to share my love of singing with everyone at ChoralFest and can’t wait to get to know everybody! There’s nothing better than the sharing of a sincere love of fellowship, singing, and the ocean!"
ChoralFest Benefits
As singers, we all know that singing lightens our moods, calls on our creativity, and sharpens our thinking. In our usual lives, we have the opportunity to tap into all of these feelings for just a few hours a week. At ChoralFest we are immersed in song for a full week. The rest of the hours are yours to walk the beach, swim, gaze at the ocean, or relax on one of the many porches. You will share experiences and stories with new friends who share your love of music. If you are like most of us who have attended ChoralFest for many years, you’ll count being at ChoralFest as one of your most memorable vacations. When the sun streams through the windows of our seaside music room…when the majesty of the pines moves the spirit within us during chapel…when we see a glint of sunlight dancing on the incoming waves—how can we keep from singing?! 
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ChoralFest Newsletters
What past ChoralFest participants have said
"What a super experience Choral Fest is: sun, surf, sand, singing, good friends and good food. What could be better?! As a choir director, I learned so much about vocal technique and production as well as directing techniques. I will bring it all home to my church and take my already good choir to the next level!" ~ Heidi, ME “When you come together to sing and create music with people in a unique environment of acceptance and love, there is deeper meaning to the music. As a music educator, I learn more about singing in a choir through the eyes of people with varying backgrounds, degrees of musical skills and vocal colors, than when I’m the person in charge. I can listen, learn, participate in something I love and be a part of something greater than myself." ~ Naomi, VA “Singing with others is unlike anything else we can do. It is spiritual practice and ministry at the same time. Spiritual practice strengthens our own spirit giving us the resilience to face all the ups and downs of life with a bit more equanimity. Ministry is a gift of spirit we give to others, our fellow singers and the audiences we sing for. I got and I had the opportunity to give, both equally important to me.” ~ Rev. Jackie, IL |
Schedule
Highlights of the ChoralFest schedule
Check-in
Once you are checked in with Ferry Beach, please visit the ChoralFest check-in table in the Dolphin room, just through the lobby of the Quillen building. Dolphin is our rehearsal room overlooking the ocean, and it is our primary meeting place and musical home during our week together. There we will greet you and provide your conference packet, which includes all the music we will be learning and performing during the week. Attendees are asked to cover the cost of this music ($20 or less per attendee), and the music is yours to take back home after the conference.
Conference rehearsal sessions
The morning rehearsal sessions are 10:00-12 and afternoon sessions are 3:30-5:00. These are the most important sessions to attend, so that we have enough time to learn our repertoire and build community together as an ensemble. Other than these rehearsals and our two performances, all other activities are optional.
Free time
Lunch is at noon, and free time is scheduled between 1-3:30. Attendees often use this time to visit the beach, take a meditative walk together, go shopping, chat on the porch, play music, or just take a nap! Following the afternoon rehearsal session there is the opportunity for a social hour with the GAYLA brothers who share the campus with us, followed by dinner.
Morning/Chapel Choir
Mornings are another chance to visit the ocean to catch a sunrise, take part in an early morning Polar Bear Swim, dance in a Sunrise Circle, or just sit on the porch with your morning coffee. After breakfast there is a short Daily Chapel service, held outdoors under tall pines in The Grove, weather permitting. All singers are invited to rehearse at 8:15 am each morning to form a pick-up choir for that day’s chapel service. Chapel participation is optional except for our ChoralFest performance, which will take place during Daily Chapel at the end of the week.
Evening programs
Saturday evening is our chance to meet together as a group for the first time. We will introduce ourselves, outline what will happen during the week, answer questions, get to know each other, and most of all - sing together! Every evening after that there is a short optional check-in circle for ChoralFest members, where we offer support to one another as the week unfolds.
Thursday evening is our time to present a couple songs at the Talent-No Talent show (TNT), which we share with the GAYLA brothers and is always a highlight of the week. As singers know, there is a special energy to be standing in the lights on stage and putting all your energy into inspiring words and music, especially when shared with such a friendly and appreciative audience!
The other evenings are fairly unstructured, with some optional activities offered but also a chance to just rest and relax. After dinner GAYLA and ChoralFest share a 15 minute Friendship Circle on the beach, and GAYLA often invites ChoralFest to take part in some of their fun evening activities. ChoralFest often hosts an evening sing-along, and this year that may include a ukulele jam! Evening options will be listed on the final schedule that you will receive in your packet when you arrive.
COVID Precautions
We know that singing can be considered a risk for spreading COVID, and each summer for the past two years we have had to remain flexible and sensitive to the needs and concerns of all our singers. For example, last year some of our singers were not comfortable performing indoors, so we performed our songs for TNT outdoors. The year before that we offered a hybrid conference, with some singers at the Beach and some on Zoom. In addition to Ferry Beach's general COVID precautions, we will continue to adapt to the continually changing guidelines. We anticipate using some of the same mitigation strategies we implemented last year, such as maintaining proper ventilation (using fans instead of AC in Dolphin), distancing between singers at rehearsal, and wearing masks as desired.
Check-in
Once you are checked in with Ferry Beach, please visit the ChoralFest check-in table in the Dolphin room, just through the lobby of the Quillen building. Dolphin is our rehearsal room overlooking the ocean, and it is our primary meeting place and musical home during our week together. There we will greet you and provide your conference packet, which includes all the music we will be learning and performing during the week. Attendees are asked to cover the cost of this music ($20 or less per attendee), and the music is yours to take back home after the conference.
Conference rehearsal sessions
The morning rehearsal sessions are 10:00-12 and afternoon sessions are 3:30-5:00. These are the most important sessions to attend, so that we have enough time to learn our repertoire and build community together as an ensemble. Other than these rehearsals and our two performances, all other activities are optional.
Free time
Lunch is at noon, and free time is scheduled between 1-3:30. Attendees often use this time to visit the beach, take a meditative walk together, go shopping, chat on the porch, play music, or just take a nap! Following the afternoon rehearsal session there is the opportunity for a social hour with the GAYLA brothers who share the campus with us, followed by dinner.
Morning/Chapel Choir
Mornings are another chance to visit the ocean to catch a sunrise, take part in an early morning Polar Bear Swim, dance in a Sunrise Circle, or just sit on the porch with your morning coffee. After breakfast there is a short Daily Chapel service, held outdoors under tall pines in The Grove, weather permitting. All singers are invited to rehearse at 8:15 am each morning to form a pick-up choir for that day’s chapel service. Chapel participation is optional except for our ChoralFest performance, which will take place during Daily Chapel at the end of the week.
Evening programs
Saturday evening is our chance to meet together as a group for the first time. We will introduce ourselves, outline what will happen during the week, answer questions, get to know each other, and most of all - sing together! Every evening after that there is a short optional check-in circle for ChoralFest members, where we offer support to one another as the week unfolds.
Thursday evening is our time to present a couple songs at the Talent-No Talent show (TNT), which we share with the GAYLA brothers and is always a highlight of the week. As singers know, there is a special energy to be standing in the lights on stage and putting all your energy into inspiring words and music, especially when shared with such a friendly and appreciative audience!
The other evenings are fairly unstructured, with some optional activities offered but also a chance to just rest and relax. After dinner GAYLA and ChoralFest share a 15 minute Friendship Circle on the beach, and GAYLA often invites ChoralFest to take part in some of their fun evening activities. ChoralFest often hosts an evening sing-along, and this year that may include a ukulele jam! Evening options will be listed on the final schedule that you will receive in your packet when you arrive.
COVID Precautions
We know that singing can be considered a risk for spreading COVID, and each summer for the past two years we have had to remain flexible and sensitive to the needs and concerns of all our singers. For example, last year some of our singers were not comfortable performing indoors, so we performed our songs for TNT outdoors. The year before that we offered a hybrid conference, with some singers at the Beach and some on Zoom. In addition to Ferry Beach's general COVID precautions, we will continue to adapt to the continually changing guidelines. We anticipate using some of the same mitigation strategies we implemented last year, such as maintaining proper ventilation (using fans instead of AC in Dolphin), distancing between singers at rehearsal, and wearing masks as desired.
Songs We've Sung
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Conference Leadership
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Molly J. Webster, Music Director
We are excited to welcome back Molly J. Webster as our choral director for 2022! This will be Molly’s third year leading us in song and we can’t wait to see what she has planned for us this year! Molly is the Music Director at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, Maine. She also directs New Renaissance Singers Community Choir, is the founder and director of Husson University Singers, directs The University of Maine’s non-auditioned Collegiate Chorale, and is the Founder/Artistic Director of Divisi, a select, auditioned choir that performs exclusively contemporary a cappella choral works. Molly graduated from The University of Maine in 2007 with undergraduate degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance and received her Masters degree in Choral Conducting in 2010. While at UMaine, she participated in Athena Consort (an all-female choir) as well as Renaissance (an all female a cappella group) and also sang with the University Singers under the mentorship of Dr. Dennis Cox. Molly has been grooming new singers with private voice lessons for over 13 years and teaches voice classes at the college level. She has a strong understanding of the female voice and we love when she shares her knowledge of vocal techniques during our ChoralFest rehearsals! |
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Tim Horne, Accompanist
Tim Horne returns for his 13th year as ChoralFest’s accompanist. Tim’s musicianship makes him a masterful accompanist who accurately plays any music. His sensitive collaboration with our directors and knowledgable assistance to us singers are part of what makes ChoralFest such a wonderful week. We also rely on him to step in wherever needed for both ChoralFest and GAYLA, always with a smile. He is the music director at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta, NY. He is also the accompanist for the Catskill Choral Society, Hartwick College Choir, and Oneonta High School. |
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Michele Kelly, Musician of the Week
We are delighted that Michele Kelley will once again be the Musician of the Week (MOW) for our conference week. As MOW she will direct the chapel choir for the morning services under the pines in the Grove. She’ll also lead singing Ferry Beach songs after some of the dinners and will help organize the Thursday night Talent Show. We will be happy to have her singing second soprano for ChoralFest and hopefully lead some sectional rehearsals! During the school year, Michele teaches general music and directs three choruses at Millbury Street Elementary School in Grafton, MA. On Sundays she is the Music Director for the Universal Singers at the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Franklin, MA. In addition, she is an accompanist/vocal coach for a variety of musical theater groups in Massachusetts, and a songwriter who has performed solo and in various musical groups over the years. |
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Bobbi Giardina and Barb Weber, Conference Coordinators
The Conference Coordinators are responsible for planning the summer program. Bobbi and Barb are the new ChoralFest Coordinators for 2022, following in the footsteps of longtime Coordinator Suzanne Adams. The fact that it takes two people to replace her shows just how devoted Suzanne has been to ChoralFest over the years! Suzanne continues to help behind the scenes as Barb and Bobbi learn the ropes, and for that they are very grateful! |
Barb Weber
Barb has been attending ChoralFest since 2010. She discovered ChoralFest at a time in her life when she was in need of renewal and found exactly what she was looking for at Ferry Beach.
Barb is from Dayton Ohio, where she sings with her church choir as well as with the Dayton Philharmonic Chorus. She took community college choral classes for 20 years and has sung with the World House Choir.
Barb is a retired mental health therapist. Her interests besides singing include reading, knitting, hiking, and continuing to settle into the house she and her husband bought last year.
Bobbi Giardina
Bobbi was first introduced to Ferry Beach and ChoralFest in the summer of 2017, and it was love at first sight! All year she looks forward to coming back to experience the healing of the ocean, the caring community of Ferry Beach, and the joy of singing together.
Bobbi grew up on Long Island singing in church and school choirs, then settled in Storrs Connecticut where she has continued to sing with numerous choirs over the years including Choir Matrix, Windham Theater Guild, UConn Festival Chorus, ECSU Concert Chorale, and Heartsong (a hospice/comfort choir). She is also part of the Music Ministry and choir at her UCC church in Mansfield Connecticut.
Bobbi is celebrating 35 years in the field of early childhood education and has always used singing and music in her classroom to teach, soothe, celebrate, and build community. She is currently in a graduate program at NYU to earn a Kodaly Music Teaching Certificate. In addition to singing, teaching, studying, and spending time with her family and two dogs, Bobbi enjoys playing piano and ukulele - and is currently trying to learn to play the bass!
Barb has been attending ChoralFest since 2010. She discovered ChoralFest at a time in her life when she was in need of renewal and found exactly what she was looking for at Ferry Beach.
Barb is from Dayton Ohio, where she sings with her church choir as well as with the Dayton Philharmonic Chorus. She took community college choral classes for 20 years and has sung with the World House Choir.
Barb is a retired mental health therapist. Her interests besides singing include reading, knitting, hiking, and continuing to settle into the house she and her husband bought last year.
Bobbi Giardina
Bobbi was first introduced to Ferry Beach and ChoralFest in the summer of 2017, and it was love at first sight! All year she looks forward to coming back to experience the healing of the ocean, the caring community of Ferry Beach, and the joy of singing together.
Bobbi grew up on Long Island singing in church and school choirs, then settled in Storrs Connecticut where she has continued to sing with numerous choirs over the years including Choir Matrix, Windham Theater Guild, UConn Festival Chorus, ECSU Concert Chorale, and Heartsong (a hospice/comfort choir). She is also part of the Music Ministry and choir at her UCC church in Mansfield Connecticut.
Bobbi is celebrating 35 years in the field of early childhood education and has always used singing and music in her classroom to teach, soothe, celebrate, and build community. She is currently in a graduate program at NYU to earn a Kodaly Music Teaching Certificate. In addition to singing, teaching, studying, and spending time with her family and two dogs, Bobbi enjoys playing piano and ukulele - and is currently trying to learn to play the bass!
Pricing
Pricing per Person |
Adult: $480.00 (Includes Conference Fees + Meals) Youth: $360.00 (Includes Conference Fees + Meals) Off-Site Daily Fee (Commuter): $60.00 Adult / $40.00 Youth (Includes Lunch Only) On-Site Daily Fee: $19.00 (On Campus and Not Registered for Programming. Does not Include Meals) |
Lodging |
Lodging Prices Vary Base on Selection. See our Lodging Page for pricing information. |
Membership |
Membership must be paid to attend any Ferry Beach program and is due annually. Individual Membership: $35.00 Family Membership: $60.00 See our Membership Page to learn more and to purchase or renew a membership or add on to your reservation. |
Register |
Click here to register. For help with your registration, or to register by phone, call the office at 207-282-4489 or email registration@ferrybeach.org |
Our mission at Ferry Beach is to awaken hearts to explore, grow and renew the spirit of universal love.
We work by creating programing and events in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Spirituality, Sustainability, Personal Growth and Justice & Action.
We work by creating programing and events in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Spirituality, Sustainability, Personal Growth and Justice & Action.
