March 29, 2024

Taunton Civic Chorus Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary - Diamond Memories

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Taunton, MA – The Taunton Civic Chorus will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary with a gala celebration on May 5, 2019 at 3:00 pm at the Pilgrim Congregational Church, 45 Broadway in Taunton. DIAMOND MEMORIES will mark 60 years of bringing music to Taunton and the surrounding communities.

For its sixtieth celebration, the chorus will present songs from the past six decades – something for everyone to enjoy, according to Music Director Matthew Haynes. The concert includes music spanning the decades from the late 1950’s, when TCC began, to present day. Haynes says, “The concert is all about storytelling. It’s about our story through the years that the chorus has been around.” Some of the selections include a Jersey Boys medley, “Mr. Sandman”, and an old TCC staple from the group’s archives, “Old Irish Blessing”, in which current and former members will join together to sing.

The 30-plus singers will be joined by nine musicians, surprise guests, and the annual high school Scholarship winner, who will also perform.

This is Haynes’s third season as Music Director with the Taunton Civic Chorus. He graduated last spring from Rhode Island College where he studied vocal technique and music history.

Before taking the reins as Director of the Taunton Civic Chorus, Haynes served as its assistant, and as assistant with the Southeastern Massachusetts Festival Chorus. Haynes has performed with several ensembles and groups, such as the Harmonic Move Show Choir, Triboro Youth Theatre, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, and the Massachusetts All-State Choir at Symphony Hall in Boston. He has worked as the Bass Section Leader for both the Rhode Island College Chorus and the Junior Providence Singers from the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School. He has also served as the President of the Rhode Island College Chamber Singers.

Haynes is also the Music Director of the West Dighton Christian Church Choir.

For the past three decades, the common thread for the Chorus has been Carolyn Melesky, the chorus’s accompanist. Melesky joined the Chorus to sing, and then in 1972 was asked to accompany the chorus by then Music Director George Dietzler who passed away four months ago. In total, Melesky has been with the Taunton Civic Chorus for 47 years. She is a native of Berkley, MA. Melesky was a 2nd grade teacher at Dighton Elementary School until she retired in 1994. She studied piano and organ privately, and has been an organist in churches in Dighton, Somerset and Taunton.

The Taunton Civic Chorus’ 2018 Christmas concert was one of its most well attended concerts; the group hopes this event will attract even more patrons for this tribute to 60 years of Diamond memories, especially since TCC is returning to Pilgrim Congregational Church which hosted many past performances.

Tickets will be available at the door. For more information, contact tauntoncivicchorus63@gmail.com or find us on Facebook.

Taunton Civic Chorus, concert, chorus

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