‘A joy to sing with’: Jane Ring Frank to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from Choral Arts New England
THE CONCORD BRIDGE – Choral music, with its complex harmonies and soaring singers’ voices, can induce goosebumps. It was that way during a recent rehearsal of the Concord Women’s Chorus.
The 45 members of the group, 15 of whom live in — or were longtime residents of — Concord, express through song the power of women’s voices.
Jane Ring Frank, their artistic director, has led the chorus for more than 30 years. She is being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Choral Arts New England. The honor recognizes Frank’s decades of leadership, artistry, and contributions to the vitality of New England’s choral community.
The ceremony will take place October 26 at First Congregational Church in Winchester. The event, open to the public, will feature a brief performance by the chorus, with opportunities for the audience to sing along.
A creative music maker
Under Frank’s leadership, “We learn so much about the music we are singing, about vocal technique, and about how to be a better chorus. It is a joy to sing with Jane,” says Jane Fisher of Concord, a chorus member and chair of its board.
“I’m honored and grateful,” says Frank, a Cambridge resident. After a long career working with choral organizations and musicians in Greater Boston, Franks says the women’s chorus “has been an exciting landing place, affording me an outlet for creative and excellent music making.”
Frank has conducted ensembles, served on the faculties of Harvard University and Emerson College, directed chapel music at Episcopal Divinity School, and is the founding director of Boston Secession, where she created programs and recordings that earned national acclaim.
The chorus, established in 1960, performs a variety of selections ranging from early music to contemporary repertoire and focuses on works written for women’s voices. It has toured in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain.
Recently, the chorus received an Alfred Nash Patterson grant from Choral Arts to support its current recording project involving three new choral works it has commissioned to date.
The group’s concerts this season will be “Radiant Light: A Celebration of the Season” on December 6 and “A Light Exists in Spring” on May 9.
The award ceremony begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 26, at First Congregational Church in Winchester. For more information, visit concordwomenschorus.org.
By Laurie O’Neill, The Concord Bridge
