Music on the Hill presents a full calendar of classical music for summertime enjoyment, beginning with a concert of the 15th annual Summer Chorus on Thursday, July 27, at 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church (WEPCO complex, 36 New Canaan Road/Rte. 106).

The chorus will sing Franz Schubert’s Mass in E-flat, one of the composer’s last major works, rarely performed but filled with the lyrical beauty for which he is admired. Artistic director Ellen Dickinson conducts.

Concert tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door; students are free. Tickets may be ordered online, or reserved in advance via email or by calling 203.529.3133.

The Summer Chorus draws new and returning singers–including students–from across the region to perform a major choral work each July. New singers are always welcome.

August Summer Sings

Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 8, Music on the Hill will host a series of Tuesday evening Summer Sings at the Wilton Presbyterian Church at WEPCO. These are four, music-reading sessions, each featuring a different composer(s) and different conductor. It’s not a performance; instead, the audience participates as the chorus.

Summer Sings will run from 7-9 p.m., on the following schedule:

Aug. 8:  Reformation Cantata and other music by J.S. Bach, led by David H. Connell;
Aug. 15:  TBA (visit musiconthehillCT.org closer to the date);
Aug. 22:  “Best Anthems in the World” (including Handel, Mendelssohn, and more), led by Craig Scott Symons;
Aug. 27:  Fauré Reqiem, led by Fiona Smith-Sutherland

Singers are invited to join in for a particular favorite piece of choral music or to try something new; to join in for one session or for many. Summer Sings are a fun and relaxed way to sing with others. Donations are welcome.

Music on the Hill promotes engagement with music by offering workshops, the August Summer Sings series, and four performing ensembles–Summer Chorus, Festival Chorus, Chamber Chorus and the Jubilate Ringers handbell choir–all under the leadership of its artistic directors, David H. Connell (D.M.A.) and Ellen Dickinson (M.M.).

Ensembles are project-based:  participants join for one project–one rehearsal/concert cycle–at a time. New participants are always welcome.

Music on the Hill is an independent non-profit organization funded by generous donors and by a grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.