ROCKPORT — The Midcoast Community Chorus opened its winter concert Sunday night to a full house in Camden Hills Regional High School's Strom Auditorium, and from their first song, Clear Horizon, by Jan Harmon, to their last, Music Down In My Soul, an African American spiritual arranged by Moses Hogan, the venue was filled with the sweet sounds of community singing together.

The Jan. 11 concert, titled “Music Down In My Soul,” was a fundraiser for the nonprofit community chorus, established in 2008, with a mission to "Sing as a community for the community." And that's what they did. In fact two of the selections, I'll Fly Away, words and music by Albert Edward Brumley with soloists Wanda Cooper, Jo Desmond and Lucia Elder, and May the Circle Be Unbroken, were sung as community songs, with the audience standing and joining in on the choruses.

May the Circle Be Unbroken is a traditional Appalachian song, with new lyrics by Besty Rose, Cathy Winter, Marcia Taylor and Shelley Johnson, and with soloists Cindy Anderson and John Pincince.

Mimi Bornstein is Midcoast Community Chorus' founder and artistic director. She is a professional choral director, song leader, pianist, singer, composer and workshop and worship leader. The Midcoast Community Chorus is a non-auditioned multigenerational chorus, whose membership Sunday night included singers spanning the age spectrum from 14 to 91.

In addition to a mission of singing as a community for the community, MCC, which averages 130-140 members, provides a place for people to find voice and give voice to the "issues of our time."

"I try to choose music of peace, love and spirit," said Bornstein Monday, after taking a well-earned morning to sleep in. "It's the spirit of humanity, not religion. And we can sing it in Spanish, Zulu, German or any other language, because the message is the same, no matter how you say it."

To prepare for the group's two annual concerts, winter (January) and summer (June), Bornstein said the chorus holds 14 rehearsals for each. And for those who join mid-way, the theme is “Don’t worry too much if you forget the words, there are 139 other people who know them.”

The winter concert raises money to fund the chorus, and the summer concert raises money for an annually chosen nonprofit organization serving the community.

The upcoming June 13 concert, again at the Strom but at 7 p.m., will be raising money for Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry in Rockland. Since its founding in 2008, Midcoast Community Chorus has donated more than $65,000 to area organizations, averaging $10,000 per concert.

"What we try to do for the spring concert is select program pieces that lift up the message of the beneficiary," said Bornstein. "Not every song will be about social injustice, equality or hunger, but we will organize the concert around the injustices in place that cause organizations like AIO to be created."

She said that not only are they raising money, but they are working to educate people, which include the audience, and the singers too.

"During rehearsals, we educate the singers about the organization we are benefiting and when we raised money last year for the Knox County Homeless Coalition, we gave the singers real numbers each week of who sought shelter and why, how people become homeless, the numbers of homeless in Maine and then also provided them with things they can do to help."

By educating and then hopefully growing compassion and empathy, the Midcoast Community Chorus' 130+ members become advocates and stewards of change for a variety of causes and concerns and needs in the community.

Adding to Sunday night's two-hour concert were instrumentalists Sean Fleming on keyboards, Jeff Densmore on percussion, Matt Meyer on percussion, Chuck McGregor on bass, Phil Clement on guitar, Carter Logan on banjo, Julia Plumb on fiddle, Chris Moore on mandolin and Steve Weston on flute.

The program included the following songs:
Clear Horizon – Music and words by Jan Harmon
Carry It On – Traditional Applachian song oringally a civil right anthem, arranged by J. David Moore with soloists Shelley Johnson and Ginger Lane.
Homeward Bound – Words and music by Carl Strommen with soloist Dusty Batley
Riversong – Words and music by Roger Emerson
I'll Fly Away – Words and music by Albert Edward Brumley with soloists Wando Cooper, Jo Desmon and Lucia Elder
Senzenia – Zulu civil right song, soloist Valerie Wells
Big Sky – Words and music by Seth Houston
Waitin' For the Light to Shine – Words and music by Roger Mill, arranged by mark Bryner.
Won't Let Go My Faith – Wrods and music by John Mark Harrison, performed by Chorale
Earth Song – A Choral that speaks of a cry for peace in a work-torn world, with words and music by Frrank Ticheli, performed by Chorale
I Will Lift My Weary Eyes – Words and music by Kinley Lange, performed by Chorale
May the Circle Be Unbroken – Traditional Appalachian song with new lyrics by Betsy Rose, Cathy Winter, Marcia Taylor and Shelley Johnson, and featuring soloists Cindy Anderson and John Pincine.
Down In The River To Pray – Traditional Appalachian song and old-time bluegrass hymn sung by Alison Krauss in the move O' Brother, Where Art Though?, arranged by J. Davis Morre with soloist Rana Radar
Durme, Durme – A lullaby of Ladino original, a Judea-Spanish language of Sephardic Jews, Words and music by Bill Whenlan with soloists Meredith Batley and Beth Wilson
Home and the Heartland – A song that speaks of the melodies and memories that make a place, a home,
Music Down In My Soul – African American Spiritual, arranged by Moses Hogan.

Members of the Chorus:

Soprano
Cynthia Anderson
Jan Baldwin
Diane Batley
Meredith Batley
Mary Alice Bird
Charmarie Blaisdell
Mary Bok
Ann Breyfogle
Barbara Brooks
Susan Bryant
Wanda Cooper
Liz Donald
Susan Dorr
Hildy Ellis
Barbara Grossbaum
Sally Horne
Jinx Hufnagel
Grace Kemberling
Ginger Lane
Joyce Lawrence
Sandhya Maltby
Linda Mann
Susan McGovern
Karen Meyn
Janet Moller
Carol Morrison
Noreen Mullaney
Laura Murray
Lauren Murray
Beedy Parker
Lucy Pincince
Dana Rader
Bonnie Rukin
Meraiah Singer
Deanna Zoe Smith
Erin Spencer-Mullen
Jan Spencer
Asha Stager
Leela Thiem
Paulette Ulmschneider
Karen Vellekamp
Ruth Wall
Gabrielle Wicklow
Vicky Willey
Corinne Wilson

Alto
Kay Allan
Christine Anderson-Morehouse
Polly Armstrong
Norma Athearn
Donna Atwood
Shereen Bang
Emma Beaudry
Barrie Brusila
Valerie Clemons
Susan Davenport
Nancy Dell
Jo Desmond
Penny Dunning
Ginnie Fanelli
Barbara Forti
Kim Gallagher
Liz Garber
Lucy Goulet
Dottie Hokkanen
Elaine Isakson
Liga Jahnke
Shelley Johnson
Vicky Johnson
Dora Lievow
Lois Lyman
Jen McFarland
Lindsay Moore
Claudette Nadeau
Linda Parent
Phyllis Parsons
Lisa Pohlmann
Sharon Pree
Karen Quinn
Teresa Roth
Anita Sandefur
Angela Simonton
Susan St.John
Katrina Thompson
Hayden Williamson
Beth Wilson
Hannah Woodman
Sandy Yakovenko

Tenor
Dusty Batley
John Bird
Bed Brady
Glenn Buckingham
Karen Cease
Rickey Celentano
Beth Davis
Lucia Elder
Vicki Evans
Louise Gephart
Daryl Hahn
Roy Hitchings
Laura Jackson
Patty King
Greg Marley
Thomas Maynard
Jo McAlary
Jennifer McIntosh
John Meyn
Martha Mitchell
Meg Quijano
John Sage
Heather Sinclair
Denise Singer
Richard Walton
Valerie Wells

Bass
Richard Anderson
John Bird
Bill Bullock
Eric Evans
Ross Faneuf
John (Fred) Jones
Paul Kemberling
William Kunitz
Michael McFarland
Roger Moody
Will Moss
John Pincince
Peter Proeller
Joern Steinort
Robert Wall
Owen Weyers
Brendan Whittaker
Jonathan Williamson

Serving in MCC leadership roles, alongside Bornstein, are Dusty Batley, executive director, Sean Fleming, assistant director, Steve Weston, children and youth chorus director and Jane Maynard, administrative assistant.

Bornstein may have a leisurely start to her week following last night's concert, but later this week, on Thursday, the Community Children's Chorus (ages 7-11) begins meeting Thursday, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Jan. 15 to May 28th. This is one of three expanded program offerings at Midcoast Community Chorus.

Another children's chorus, for ages 11 and up, will begin meeting Thursdays for six weeks April 9 to May 28. The rehearsals will culminate in a benefit concert to raise money for a local nonprofit organization. Both childrens' choruses will be under the direction of Steve Weston.

For those new to singing and reading music (Level 1) as well as those looking to refresh or enhance their choral reading skills (Level 2), MCC offer music literacy and voice classes Tuesdays, Jan. 13 – Feb. 17.

Times for all of the above opportunities to sing vary, and details and registration can be found at www.mccsings.org.

Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.