02/22/25
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Location
Studzinski Recital Hall
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME 04011
United States
TRIBUTE TO CLASS OF 1825: EVENING OF MUSIC & POETRY
Longfellow’s poetry set to music and voice, featuring compositions by Paul Sullivan, Stuart Gillespie, Ann MacDonald Diers, Jud Caswell, and Scott Woodruff. Performed by the combined Bowdoin Chamber Choir with chorus members from area community choirs. Directed by Stuart Gillespie and Will Bristol. In addition, spoken word poet, Taylor Mali will perform in tribute to the Class of 1825! And Brunswick community members will participate in readings of the poems orchestrated.
Paul Sullivan is an American Grammy Award winning pianist and composer whose music blends jazz and classical styles. He is a member of the Paul Winter Consort and has performed with some legendary orchestras, such as the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Boston Pops. Sullivan has worked in some of New York’s most prestigious jazz clubs as well. In the theater world, he has worked as a Musical Director, pianist, and/or conductor for many Off-Broadway and Broadway shows.
Ann MacDonald Diers (1925-2019) received a BA from the Hartt School of Music and an MA from Columbia University. Composing music was one of her driving passions, whether for chorus, children or as a soloist. Several of her pieces have been published and her anthem “Hold Your Hands Out Over the Earth” won first place in a national competition.
Stuart Gillespie retired in 2004 as Director of Choral Ensembles and Fine Arts Department Chair at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Connecticut. He began his choral directing career in 1965 as a baritone with the US Army Chorus in Europe. He is a published composer and has written many choral arrangements for the MSC Singers.
One of the leading singer-songwriters on the current scene, Jud Caswell is a master multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, banjo, cittern, whistles and Irish drums. Jud’s originals have won some of the most prestigious songwriting contests in the country, including the legendary Kerrville New Folk competition. His songs have been taught at Berklee, recorded by Judy Collins, and named “#4 Song of the Decade” by New York’s WFUV.
Scott Woodruff is a talented Midcoast Maine musician, sound engineer, and host of open mics. He enjoys mixing it up as a solo artist and band member with such bands as Leopard Girls. He has produced a CD, Them Old Bones, which is a collection of his songs written about his life experiences.
Bowdoin’s Chamber Choir is a vocal ensemble which delves into a wide variety of music from different genres and time periods. Singers in Chamber Choir work on developing healthy singing practices within the context of ensemble singing. The ensemble aims to be a place for singing together joyfully while also stretching themselves as musicians and artists.
Chamber Choir under the direction of Jeffery Christmas
Taylor Mali, 1978 graduate of Bowdoin college, is an accomplished slam poet, humorist, author and educator. He is one of the original poets to appear on the HBO series “Def Poetry Jam.” A four-time National Poetry Slam champion, he is the author of four collections of poetry and a chapbook, The Whetting Stone, which won the 2017 Rattle Chapbook Prize. He is the author of the acclaimed nonfiction book, What Teachers Make: In Praise of the Greatest Job in the World. For more information about Taylor, see his bio on the Blue Flower Arts website.
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