Music is a pillar of our community at UU Middleboro. We strive to build a musical community, whether that’s congregational or choral singing, sharing a musical offering, or participating in a musical workshop or activity. We invite our members to explore a variety of musical styles, to focus on excellence rather than perfection, to support Sunday Morning worship, and to carry our ministry out into the world. For more information, please contact Susan Hotchkiss at music@uumiddleboro.org.
Summer Music Musings
Many kudos to the many singers and instrumentalists who came together to present Requiem by John Rutter on Music Sunday, May 21st. This was our first in-person Music Sunday since spring 2019 – that’s four years ago! Our 2019 program was ambitious, but this year’s surpassed it! It was hard, rewarding work—and for me, pure pleasure bringing a masterwork to life for a worship experience.
It’s hard to believe we’re wrapping up the church year this month. The Song Circle gathers on Friday, June 9, and the final meeting for the Music Committee, led by our new chairperson, Bet Giddings, is Wednesday, June 14. The Music Committee is already hard at work planning a fall concert, a vocal workshop for the choir, and a drumming workshop for the congregation and community.
Many of us will attend music camps and conferences this summer, bringing ideas back to share. Valerie Fontaine will once again host the choir party on August 26. Weekly choir rehearsals will resume on Tuesday, August 29.
Have a super summer and sing LOTS!
Susan Hotchkiss, Director of Music
Upcoming Music events
More about Music at UU Middleboro
The Music Committee
The Music Committee is a part of First UU Society of Middleboro, operating under its mission and focused on helping to support our church’s music ministry and music director. It is our intent to help enrich the goals of the Society, including spiritual and personal growth of congregants and outreach to the community at large. We strive to help build a program of inclusivity as well as excellence. We wish to promote diversity, creativity, fun, fellowship, and community through music.
(Statement of Purpose, revised May 2023)
Members of the Music Committee:
Dody Adkins-Perry
Katie Allen
Cindy Benard
Valerie Fontaine
Bet Giddings
Nicola Wilbar
Our Music Makers: Singers and Instrumentalists
The Chalice Choir is open to all and sings every other Sunday, making room for other solos and ensembles to share their musical offerings on alternate Sundays. Tuesday evenings are set aside for choir rehearsal from 7:00-8:30. Sunday morning is set aside for musicians to prepare for worship.
As needed, we form Caring Choirs to visit members and friends who are shut in and would like to hear or sing music from our two hymnals, Singing the Living Tradition and Singing the Journey. Larger Caring Choirs participate in programs for nursing homes, shelters, and community events. Caroling is always a popular activity.
We support music in children’s Religious Education by sending choir members into Sunday morning classes and creating a Family Choir for special services during the year.
We have many fine instrumentalists in our congregation who share their gifts in worship as well as for fundraising activities. Instruments include guitar, ukulele, mandolin, flute, recorder, crumhorn, trumpet, percussion, double bass, and hammered dulcimer. We are open to more!
Our Instruments
Installed in the chancel, we have an historic Woodberry & Harris tracker organ, circa 1890. The original manual pump was replaced with a motor when Middleboro Main Street was wired for electricity. There are two manuals (Swell and Great) plus a 27-note pedal board, and the mechanism is fully mechanical. The organ was most recently refurbished by Andover Organ Company in 2014 and is listed in the Organ Historical Society Database.
In the spring of 2019, the church purchased a new Mason & Hamlin baby grand piano. This piano was hand-made in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and produces state-of-the-art depth and quality of sound.
