The Bellingham Bulletin January 2011 : Page 1
The Bellingham Bulletin ~ News updates Hometown at www.BellinghamBulletin.com • Become a fan on Facebook! Bellingham’s Favorite “Good-NewsPaper” for the past 16 years! January 2011 Patron Postal Bellingham Bulletin Since 1994 Bellingham, ma 02019 PRST-STD U.S. Postage 1 Bellingham BULLETIN Permit No. 107 Bellingham, MA P A I D S t i l l D i re c t -M a i l e d i n to e v e ry Ho m e & B u s i n e s s i n B e l l i n g h a m F R E E O F C H A R G E ! i t e, m , ebs letin.co s w ul ur te it o amB da Vis ellingh nt up e Thanks for w. B qu w w o r f re delivering f to: Volume XVII, Issue 4 Bellingham’s Hometown Newspaper Since 1994 JANUARY 2011 Student Talent Showcased at BWOT Comes Through Yet Annual BHS Holiday Concert Again for Those in Need Members of the BHS Chorus at their annual Holiday Concert The Bellingham High School Holiday Concert, held in early December, continued some well-loved traditions and added new music not heard at other concerts. Director Marie Forte’s enthusiasm and gentle spirit set the tone for the evening as she worked to provide music that brought out the best in her students. The chorus’s a cappella rendi-tion of “The Star-Spangled Banner”began the evening, and the traditional holiday sing-along, led by the band and chorus, ended it. In between were lots of holiday stan-dards and other pieces that highlighted the strengths of both the band and the chorus. The chorus sang a selection from the movie Lord of the Rings that was ghostly, nicely done. A Broadway show tune from the musical Sweet Charity followed directly after, providing a stunning change of pace, a challenge for the singers, who were clearly up to the task. A lovely Italian madrigal quartet was next, sung by Colby Gallant, Mackenzie Leahy, Kayle Niro, and Domi-nique Pacitto. The selection that provided the most serious part of the evening was a musical rendering of words inscribed on a cellar wall in Cologne, Germany, by Jews who had hidden from the Nazis during WWII. Senior Mackenzie Winsor provided the brief narra-tion that explained the context of the lyrics. The chorus brought the inscribed words to life: “I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining, and I believe in love, even when there’s no one there. And I believe in God, even when he is silent, I believe that through any trial, there is always a way. But sometimes in this suffering and hopeless despair, my heart cries for shelter, to know someone’s there. But a voice rises within me saying, ‘Hold on, my child, I’ll give you strength, I’ll give you hope, just stay a little while.’ ” A very moving piece. CONCERT —continued on page 20 photo by Steve Saraceno, ABMI Inc. Members of the Bellingham chapter of the Women of Today joined with telethon chairperson Lynn Ulsh and her co-host Linda Trudeau and Santa, of course, to wish all of their viewers a Merry Christmas. The Bellingham Women of Today along with ABMI Inc. produced the 24th annual Santa’s Elves Telethon on Tuesday, Dec. 7. The 3-hour live event was again co-hosted by BWOT Telethon Chairperson Lynn Ulsh and ABMI’s Linda Trudeau. Santa helped host the activities, and a hotline of elves handled toy requests from Belling-ham children. Throughout the evening, school classes, scout troops and local talented artists were shown giving their holiday greetings. There was also a live auction of donated gifts from local area businesses The eve-ning raised $3,870 in cash as well as at least $5,000 worth of toys and gifts. All of these items were given to the local food pantry to give to families in need during the holidays. Jamison Mendall Tree Removal “Serving all your tree needs” Pruning, Storm Damage, Aerial Bucket & Bobcat Services Stump Grinding, PLOWING & more... L icensed & i nsured • F ree e stimates 1-508-958-0747 Member, Bellingham Business Association
Student Talent Showcased At Annual BHS Holiday Concert
Marjorie Turner Hollman
The Bellingham High School Holiday Concert, held in early December, continued some well-loved traditions and added new music not heard at other concerts. Director Marie Forte’s enthusiasm and gentle spirit set the tone for the evening as she worked to provide music that brought out the best in her students. The chorus’s a cappella rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner”began the evening, and the traditional holiday singalong, led by the band and chorus, ended it. In between were lots of holiday standards and other pieces that highlighted the strengths of both the band and the chorus.<br /> <br /> The chorus sang a selection from the movie Lord of the Rings that was ghostly, nicely done. A Broadway show tune from the musical Sweet Charity followed directly after, providing a stunning change of pace, a challenge for the singers, who were clearly up to the task. A lovely Italian madrigal quartet was next, sung by Colby Gallant, Mackenzie Leahy, Kayle Niro, and Dominique Pacitto.<br /> <br /> The selection that provided the most serious part of the evening was a musical rendering of words inscribed on a cellar wall in Cologne, Germany, by Jews who had hidden from the Nazis during WWII. Senior Mackenzie Winsor provided the brief narration that explained the context of the lyrics.<br /> <br /> The chorus brought the inscribed words to life: “I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining, and I believe in love, even when there’s no one there. And I believe in God, even when he is silent, I believe that through any trial, there is always a way. But sometimes in this suffering and hopeless despair, my heart cries for shelter, to know someone’s there. But a voice rises within me saying, ‘Hold on, my child, I’ll give you strength, I’ll give you hope, just stay a little while.’ ” A very moving piece.<br /> <br /> After a brief intermission to allow for set-up, the band presented some lovely pieces that showcased various instrument sections. “When the Black Hawk Soars,”a tip of the hat to the Bellingham schools’ mascot, began the band’s portion of the evening’s entertainment. Each section blended their tones nicely, not nearly as easy to accomplish as one might think, given the number of instruments in the band. The percussion section really shone in the playing of the classic “Sleigh Bells.”Joshua Mason, Fred Rioles and Andrew Mallgren matched any sound-effects team with their perfect timing of the sleigh bells, the clip-clop of the horses’ hoofs, and the perfect “crack!”of the whip throughout the song—great fun.<br /> <br /> The chorus joined the band at the end of the evening to encourage the audience to join in for their Christmas singalong tradition. The smiles on the performers’ faces gave the audience a hint of the pleasure these students experience as participants in the school’s music program. Music Director Marie Forte worked throughout the concert to direct the audience’s attention to her students. She noted the contribution of music technology students Eric Swanson, Dan Ramsey and Trevor Elderkin in the running of the sound board for the concert. She also recognized students who had participated in the Central District Music Festival auditions: Caitlin Hagarty, Emma Fairholm, Alyssa Wojdag, Lee DeOrsey, Alssa Legare, Joseph Sabourin, Kayle Niro, Mackenzie Leahy, Colby Gallant and Dominique Pacitto. Caitlin Hagarty went on from that competition to participate in the All New England Band Festival in Plymouth, New Hampshire.<br /> <br /> For those who weren’t able to make this concert, there are more planned for the spring. These concerts are not just for parents to enjoy. The efforts put in to preparing for these presentations are a gift from the school staff and students to the entire community.<br />
BWOT Comes Through Yet Again For Those In Need
The Bellingham Women of Today along with ABMI Inc. produced the 24th annual Santa’s Elves Telethon on Tuesday, Dec. 7. The 3-hour live event was again co-hosted by BWOT Telethon Chairperson Lynn Ulsh and ABMI’s Linda Trudeau. Santa helped host the activities, and a hotline of elves handled toy requests from Bellingham children.<br /> <br /> Throughout the evening, school classes, scout troops and local talented artists were shown giving their holiday greetings. There was also a live auction of donated gifts from local area businesses The evening raised $3,870 in cash as well as at least $5,000 worth of toys and gifts. All of these items were given to the local food pantry to give to families in need during the holidays.
