Community Chorus Carries on Tradition

A 12-year tradition continues tonight, July 3, when the Island Community Chorus sings to open the 2009 season of summer concerts at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs.

With Garrett Brown at the Tabernacle’s 12-foot Steinway grand, director Peter Boak will lead the chorus in a festive concert program that ranges from show tunes and spirituals to a rousing rendition of God Bless America.

The concert, presented in one performance only, closes another season for the community chorus, which will now take the summer off, resuming rehearsals after Labor Day for its holiday concert in December. “Singing in the Tabernacle is always a special experience for the chorus, and it’s our chance to show the Island’s community of summer visitors what we’ve been up to in the off-season,” Mr. Boak said.

Randall Thompson’s setting of the Robert Frost poem, Choose Something like a Star, promises to be a highlight of the concert program. The show will also feature brief performances by two recipients of the Peter R. Boak music award — Jonathan Ryan, who received the award four years ago and has just graduated from college, and Rebekah Nivala, who has just finished her freshman year.

The concert begins at 8 p.m. at the Tabernacle. A freewill offering will be taken.