Fifty years is a long note to hold without missing a beat.
This weekend, the Minnesingers, the professionally run chorale and dance group of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School students, will join nearly 100 returning alumni in two concerts at the Performing Arts Center to celebrate half a century of lifting voices and stepping off dance numbers around the world.
“Pretty amazing isn’t it,” said Jan Wightman, who has directed the group since 2006, and is retiring this year. “We’re just blessed that the tradition started when it did, and that the community has been so incredibly supportive all through the years. The kids who come up all have an interest in participating is something that’s pretty special.
The Minnesingers perform about 15 concerts each year around the Island, highlighted by a trip to Europe each year.
Ms. Wightman said there is no specific kind of kid that becomes a Minnesinger, but they all benefit from learning how to work together and perform in front of an audience.
“I think that’s a huge benefit for life-long learning,” Ms. Wightman said. “Self confidence is huge, that feeling of being a part of something bigger than yourself, the team effort that it takes to put on something like this. They have to be able to work together, they have to put aside any personal issues or personal prejudices they might have because they come from every side of the Island, and style of kid.”
Nancy Rogers will accompany the Minnesingers for the weekend performances. She holds a special distinction in the large group of alumni that will be part of the shows. As a high school student, she was among the first to join the fledgling chorale group.
“I was in the original Minnesingers, 1968, 50 years ago,” Ms. Rogers said. “I don’t think we even had a notion in our head that it would go 50 years. Yet, it seems like the 25th anniversary was just a few years ago.”
Michael Anthony was also a member of the original Minnesingers. He is traveling from his Worcester-area home to sing in the reunion concert this weekend. His Minnesinger experiences led to a lifetime staging and performing in musical shows and choruses in his spare time. He is excited to be returning to the Island.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my Minnesinger high school friends, some of whom I haven’t seen in 50 years, some of whom I haven’t seen since the 25th anniversary,” Mr. Anthony said. “I’m trying to honor Vineyard institutions and to be able to say this artistic group from the high school has existed for 50 years. That’s an extraordinary fact that deserves celebration.”
Curtis Fisher, a regional high school senior from Oak Bluffs, and Katie Morse, a junior from West Tisbury, are two of the students who managed to pass the rigorous audition process to be part of the Minnesingers this year. Both are keenly aware of the sense of history surrounding the 50th anniversary of the group.
“The Minnesingers are really a community of people who enjoy singing,” said Mr. Fisher. “It says there’s a lot of talent on the Island, and there are a lot of people who are committed to being a part of our community, within the school, and within the broader community.”
“The atmosphere that comes when we perform is just a very unique experience that I feel like I can only get when I’m singing with the Minnesingers,” Miss Morse said. “Everybody on stage has the same love of music that I do, enjoys performing the same way that I do. The community that we’ve built together is just a really cohesive and family like bond.”
After a 22-year song and dance career that took him around the world, including a role in the Andrew Lloyd Weber Musical Starlight Express, Ken Romero returned to the Island five years ago. He sang with the Minnesingers in the 1980’s, and now helps the group with choreography.
He could not be more enthusiastic about his experience with the Minnesingers.
“It changed my life,” Mr. Romero said. “It was just a great place to be. We got to travel, we got to sing, we got to dance. It was the best part of high school for me. This is what I did for a career. I went into college for vocal performance, and then I did it as a career. The fact that it’s still part of me to this day, words cannot really express the pride you feel.”
The reunion will include a social event Friday evening, and rehearsal for the visiting alumni on Saturday afternoon. Performances are Saturday, May 12, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 13, 3 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center.
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