Rangeley Friends of the Arts will sponsor two programs to celebrate the Christmas season:  December 7^th Christmas Concert by the Rangeley Community Chorus and December 11^th “Walk to Bethlehem” pageant.

The 34th annual “Walk to Bethlehem” to be held in Rangeley on Sunday, December 11^th is a gift to the community from The Rangeley Friends of the Arts. Walkers and carolers are invited to join the beautifully costumed pageant participants as they stroll through the streets of Rangeley, stopping at each of the four churches (Catholic, Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal) asking for a place to stay.  Each year, this reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago is a joyous evening in Rangeley.

Each year, a local couple with their new baby portrays Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.  Many townsfolk portray shepherds, angels, Three Wise Men.  The elegant costumes created by Barbara Meservey decades ago are still used today.  The celebration begins at 5:30 PM on the steps of The Rangeley Inn as the proclamation is read: “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^] the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:1-15)

The evening concludes at the Church of the Good Shepherd with a program that highlights local musicians and performers.  This year’s program will feature the Rangeley Bell Ringers, Rangeley Community Chorus, Young Children’s Choir, the RLRS Choir and a dance number by the Lakeside Dance Academy.  The pageant participants will process to the front of the Church of the Good Shepherd as the Christmas scripture is read.  “Silent Night” will conclude the program as everyone will then gather in the Undercroft for refreshments and continue the celebration as a community.

2010 Photo of Walk to Bethlehem Pageant

Mary, Joseph and the Babe..                                                          Lindsay, Brad, Elyse Kennett

Three Wise Men……………Rudy Davis, Les Hoekstra, George Washington

Shepherds…………………. Ian Lillis, Nash Gagnon, Joseph Emerson

Angels…………………….…Sophie Chu-O’Neil, Amber Morrill

Chamber Music Concert August 10, 2011

The Woodland Chamber Ensemble, which drew a large enthusiastic
audience last summer, will perform again on Wednesday, August 10, at
7:00 P. M. in the Church of the Good Shepherd.  Sponsored by the RFA
(Rangeley Friends of the Arts,) the concert will feature musicians Sue
Downes-Borko:flute, piano, and voice; Lee Lenfest: French horn; Helen
Plotkin: cello; Henry Plotkin: violin and viola;  Gail Russ: oboe,
clarinet, and English horn; and pianists Barbara Ulman and Andrea
Keirstead.

The concert encompasses compositions from the Baroque era
through the classical to contemporary.   Some of the music to be
presented includes Mozart’s trio for clarinet, viola, and piano; a
Haydn trio for flute, violin, and cello; a piece for flute, oboe,
viola, cello, and keyboard by Baroque composer Janitsch;  Gaubert’s
Tarentelle for flute, oboe, and piano — a perpetual motion depiction
of a myth about tarantulas; and compositions by Randall Thompson,
ensemble member Barbara Ulman, and several others.

About the Musicians:

Sue Downes-Borko received a Music Education degree from the
University of Massachusetts.  She has been a high school music
teacher in the state of Alaska, a staff accompanist for the College
of New Jersey, and a member of several flute quartets.   Sue is the
director of the Rangeley Community Chorus and has participated in
many local music productions.  Currently, she operates a private
lesson studio and is the Minister of Music for the Rangeley
Congregational Church.

Andrea Keirstead, of Farmington, studied social anthropology at
Harvard University.  She teaches at Mt. Blue Regional School
District, and has performed on the piano for many events in this
area.  Recently she was the pianist for Footloose in Rangeley.

Lee Lenfest is a retired civil engineer who completed 33 years
with the U.S. Geological Survey before moving north to enjoy the good
life Maine has to offer.  Lee has played horn with orchestras and
bands at duty stations in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Virginia.  He is
currently principal horn with the Augusta Symphony Orchestra and U.
of Maine – Farmington Concert Band, and has also enjoyed engagements
at Monmouth Theater and the Waterville Opera House.

Helen Plotkin grew up in a musical household, playing cello with her father (Henry) and other family members.   She studied at Swarthmore College, University of Michigan, and Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.   She spends her summers on Lake  Mooselookmeguntic with her family.  During the academic year, she teaches Biblical Hebrew and ancient Hebrew texts at Swarthmore
College, and she works as a rabbi-educator in the local Jewish community.

Henry Plotkin is a chamber music enthusiast who has played his violin and viola in ensembles in Rangeley as a summer resident and in his home in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.  He is a
physicist, and has served as science researcher and manager at the US Army Signal Corps, NASA, and UMBC (University  of Maryland, Baltimore County) while continuing his parallel musical avocation. After acquiring his Oquossoc home in 1992, he became a competitor in the Rangeley Fiddlers Contest, and later participated as a judge.

Gail Russ teaches instrumental music in Maine School Administrative District 58, which includes Phillips, Kingfield, Strong, Stratton and Salem.   Since moving to Maine in 2005, she has played oboe, clarinet, and English horn for the Camden Pro Musica Orchestra, Monmouth Theater, Lewiston/Auburn Community Theater, the Bangor Symphony, and other bands and orchestras in the area.   She says, “I have the best ‘job’ ever: children and music; I have been blessed!”

Barbara Ulman began piano lessons at age seven, and has had an active musical life.  She earned a B.A. from Harvard/Radcliffe, while also studying piano chamber music at the nearby Longy School of
Music.  In 1989 she completed a second B.A., in Music Theory and Composition, at California
State University, Fresno.  Off-season, she lives in the foothills near Yosemite  National Park. She has
spent summers on Rangeley Lake all her life, at a camp that has been in her family since 1915.   She plays chamber music for fun and for public performance, and also composes art songs and music for small ensembles and for chorus.

Tickets for the concert ($15) can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce and also at the door on August 10.   For further information, please call Barbara at 864-3629.

RFA DIVA

Rehearsals are well underway and the excitement is building.  Award Winning Divas sing award winning songs!–The RFA Diva shows will be held July 27, 28, 29 at the Saddleback Base Lodge in Rangeley at 7:30 PM.  This very popular show has a new location with beautiful sunsets and expansive views and new time.  Reserved seat ($20) and general admission ($15) tickets are available at the Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce 6 Park Road– stop by to select your seats (864-5364). The extremely talented performers have been rehearsing and preparing a very powerfully entertaining show that you will not want to miss.  Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Carrie Underwood, Queen, Rosemary Clooney and many more will delight the audience.  One thing is for sure; this show will explode with talent and be filled with many surprises

Rangeley Friends of the Arts kicks off a busy summer season with 4 performances of the exciting musical FOOTLOOSE on July 4^th weekend.  The performances will be held at the Lakeside Theater at 7PM on July 1, 2, 4, 5.  Reserved seat tickets ($15) are available at The Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce on 6 Park Road in Rangeley 864-5364.

When Ren (Connor Durgin) and his mother (Sue Downes-Borko) move from Chicago to a small farming town, Ren is prepared for the adjustment to his new high school. What he isn’t prepared for are the local laws – including a ban on dancing.  When Ren hears of the town’s ordinance “no dancing of any kind is allowed at any time anywhere within the town limits of Bomont”, Ariel’s best friends – Rusty (Jaycee Mullen), Urleen (Ashley Quimby) and Wendy Jo (Ellie Brooks) – pull him aside to explain that this law dates back five years to a car accident that claimed the lives of four Bomont teenagers. In the flood of grief and guilt that followed that tragedy, the Rev. Moore (Tim Straub) managed to convince the Town Council to ban dancing. When the Reverend’s rebellious daughter, Ariel (Dagmar Wetherill) sets her heart on Ren, her boyfriend, Chuck (Hudson DeRaps) tries to sabotage Ren’s reputation and many of the locals are eager to believe the worst about the new kid.

This talented cast of 27 has several veterans of RFA productions and many newcomers.  The music is exciting, the dancing is wonderful, and the show will delight everyone in the audience.  The talented, small pit orchestra will provide a musical evening not to be missed.

Footloose Dancers

July 1, 2, 4, 5, 2011 at 7PM, Tickets now on sale at the Rangeley Lakes Chamber of
Commerce 207-864-5364

$15.00 Reserved seats

FOOTLOOSE explodes onto the stage with classic 80s anthems including Holding Out For A Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear It For The Boy, and of course the title track, Footloose.

Life in small-town Bomont is peaceful until City boy, Ren, arrives. Breaking every taboo, Ren brings dance back to the heart of a town held back by the memory of a tragedy.

Based on the hit 80s movie (which launched the careers of Kevin Bacon, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jon Lithgow), FOOTLOOSE has become a stage musical phenomenon. From Broadway to the West End and touring across the UK, there is just no stopping the music.

Music Director, Sue Downes-Borko has assembled an awesome pit band, Artist Director, Susan Hamilton has a passion for this exciting musical.  With great dance numbers choreographed by Pam Ellis, Erin Smith, Susan Hamilton, FOOTLOOSE is packed full of electrifying dance routines, guaranteed to get you to your feet.

Dancing is not a crime; to miss Footloose would be!

Thanks to the Rangeley Friends of the Arts, 50 students from Rangeley Lakes Regional School in grades 3, 4, and 5 had the opportunity to attend a Portland Symphony Youth Concert at Merrill Auditorium. Conductor Robert Moody introduced the audience to the four instrument families highlighting each family in a variety of pieces. The students’ favorite piece by far was music from the film Avatar.  Students from Rangeley sat on the edges of their seats as the percussion family resounded with a lively piece and the 70 different instruments sounded like one. Conductor Moody then asked the audience, over 1000 school children, to purse their lips and make a buzzing sound to mimic the technique used by the brass players. For a moment it sounded as if the auditorium was being lifted off the ground by thousands of bumble bees!

As if that weren’t enough, the RFA also scheduled an afternoon visit to the Portland Museum of Art. Docents made connections to curriculum about geography and mythology through paintings and sculptures.

The students and staff at Rangeley Lakes Regional would like to thank the RFA abundantly for their vision and generosity. The day, rich with culture and awakenings, was unforgettable.

Students in the above photo are from left: 

Back:  Gage Savage and Jacie Smith

 Auditions for the summer musical Footloose will be held April 10 at 4 PM and April 11 at 6:30 PM at the Church of the Good Shepherd.  We are looking for actors – high school and adult, production staff, and all those who want to be involved in this uplifting, challenging, and fun production.  If you cannot make those dates and wish to be involved, please call 864-2963.  The show will be held at Lakeside Theater on July 1, 2, 4, 5.  Community Theatre is at its best when many people of the community become involved. 

 The season will be filled with Rangeley Community Chorus concerts, the annual Street Dance, Sidecar Heroes Concert, Summer Diva, Home Tour, Art in August, the Westerhoff Concert, the Woodland Chamber Ensemble Concert and other exciting events to enjoy this summer.

The locally-based, a capella vocal ensemble has been a regular part of seasonable celebrations in western Maine for over 25 years;  presenting local audiences with its unique and unusual style of early American and European music.  After missing last year’s holiday season, Northfield is back with a new, and slightly expanded, lineup.  They will be sharing their music for the season at concerts on the third weekend of December in Farmington, Belgrade, and Rangeley.

 Formerly an intimate ensemble of eight voices, Northfield has always performed its music without instrumental accompaniment – in the ancient and beautiful style called a capella (latin for ‘in the chapel’).  They have recruited some additional voices in the last year, adding three new voices to the group.  The new members, in addition to bringing new energy and enthusiasm, have added a new depth of sound to the group – without losing the intimacy of small-group singing.  Northfield’s performance style remains true to it’s traditions:  providing modern audiences with an entertaining and accessible look into the musical styles of our ancestors.   Their programs, including this season’s, also mix varying styles and sounds designed to be enjoyable to anyone who appreciates music made by the human voice.

 This year’s program is entitled “Night and Day”.  The theme is a reflection on the fact that our beloved winder holidays happen at a very dark time of the year.  Long and dark nights encourage introspection and melancholy, which Northfield explores in John Wilbye’s Draw On, Sweet Night, an English madrigal about love’s longing.  The mystery of the Savior’s birth – also in the dark of night – is also celebrated with songs, both familiar and unusual, as it has been for centuries.  Night, of course, leads to dawn; and winter to spring.  Northfield’s celebrations of the season include ancient and traditional songs, as well as compositions of the great masters of the European renaissance, including Monteverde, Byrd, and Gabrieli.  Light-hearted, modern adaptations for the season – supplied by Garrison Keillor and Peter Schikele – are guaranteed to provide some laughs.

Northfield’s 2010 Christmas Concerts will be presented at the following times and locations…

Friday, December 17 at 7:00, Belgrade Union Church, Rte 27, Belgrade Lakes; donation.

Saturday, December 18 at 7:30 PM, Nordica Auditorium, University of Maine at Farmington, sponsored by AIWM; donation

Sunday, December 19 at 4:00 PM, Church of the Good Shepherd, Main Street, Rangeley, sponsored by Rangeley Friends of the Arts; admission $10 available at the door