The choirs of the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton and the UU Society of Wellesley Hills will be combining on March 19 and March 26 for two Music Sunday services featuring the beautiful Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen. “The five movements of Lux Aeterna are based on various references to light from sacred Latin texts: perpetual light, light risen in the darkness, Redeemer-born light from light, light of the Holy Spirit, light of hearts, most blessed light, eternal light — all supporting an earthbound spirit seeking not only mercy, understanding, and consolation but also renewal.” (Carol Talbeck) We will be singing at UUSWH on March 19 and at FUUSN, with an instrumental ensemble, on March 26.

Come and hear the wonderful musicians of the First Unitarian Universalist Society in concert on Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 2pm in the FUUSN Sanctuary. This year’s concert is a fundraiser for the UU Urban Ministry. You’ll hear renowned pianist Lois Shapiro, professional saxophonist and composer Geoff Wadsworth, and our intrepid FUUSN Band. There will be a fantastic array of musical styles and moods: classical works, bluegrass tunes, original jazz compositions, and more. We’ll continue our tradition of Cookies at Intermission!

The concert is free and open to the public. Donations will be gratefully accepted for the UU Urban Ministry (www.uuum.org).

Our FUUSN musicians are joyfully returning to rehearsals, and we’d love to have you with us! We will kick off the new year with an outdoor potluck at FUUSN on Wednesday September 14 (6pmish) – all are welcome to come and enjoy some social time. Of course, if you’d like to stay for choir rehearsal, we will happily find you a seat, some music, and a choir buddy.

Throughout the year, we will sing together. We affirm our beliefs by singing hymns during the services; we come together in jolly community during Instant Choir (the first IC will be on Sept. 18); and we’ll share our favorite songs in pre-service Hymn Sings (the first Hymn Sing will be on October 16).

As always, our worship services will be enlivened by music, presented by the newly-rejuvenated Sunday Morning Family Choir, the Sanctuary Choir, our Band, our congregational soloists and songwriters, and by CreationDance. Please know that you are welcome to join us – for a few weeks or for the year – as a singer, an instrumentalist, a dancer, or maybe the ever-important tech geek.

Here are some ways to make music at FUSN:

• Sanctuary Choir – open to all, no experience necessary. We rehearse on Wednesdays, 7.30-9pm in the Parish Hall, and Sundays 9-10am in the Sanctuary. We help to lead worship almost every Sunday.
• The BAND, a fearless group willing to play pretty much anything at any time. They play in our services throughout the year and generally rehearse on the Sunday mornings they’re playing, at 8.30am. The Band puts together a rocking show for the Annual FUUSN Musicians Concert, to be held this year on February 26, 2023. We’re also planning a Folk Music Sunday in April.
• The FUUSN Family Choir is made up of children and their families, singing and having fun together. The Family Choir will meet on some Sundays at 9:45am to learn a song which they will sing in that morning’s service. Easy-peasy! Our first song will be “Who Did Swallow Jonah?” on October 2.
• Music Sunday Choir – open to all, sings twice a year (Nov. 6, 2022 and March 26, 2023). We rehearse the Music Sunday music from 7:30-8 or 8:30 on Wednesdays.
• Other ensembles – chamber music groups, low- and high-voice choirs, Flute Choir, etc. If you play an instrument or want to sing a solo, or have a song you’ve written, don’t be shy – we can find a place for you.
• CreationDance adds beautiful movement to our services. For information, email Helena Froelich at creationdance99@gmail.com.

Questions? Email me at music@fusn.org.

-Anne Watson Born

“If You’re Ready (Come Go with Me)”

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 Music Sunday, Sing Out, My Soul, March 28, 2021. The choir sang music with texts by MLK, William Henry Davies, and more. Bob MacWilliams, Lois Shapiro, and Akela Franklin performed and CreationDance danced to Vivaldi’s “Spring” concerto.

Music Program Overview

In addition to our very active Sanctuary Choir, several FUUSN ensembles have sprung from congregational impetus: the FUUSN Band, CreationDance, and the FUUSN Family. The music budget includes monies for orchestras to accompany the choir on Music Sundays, and for occasional guest artists, which have included drummers from Mali, professional Baroque trumpet players, and Klezmer musicians.

Rehearsals:

The Family Choir, for children and their families and friends, meets on select Sundays at 9:45am. They learn a song and sing it in that day’s service. Very fun, very easy!

The Sanctuary Choir helps to lead worship on most Sundays; rehearsals are on Wednesday nights from 7:30-9pm and Sunday mornings, 9-10am.

The FUUSioN Band plays for many Sunday services and rehearses as needed.

2018-2019 kept FUUSN musicians busy. We sang the Fauré Requiem at First Parish Church in Arlington, MA and at FUUSN; we performed John Kramer’s Immigrant Experience in Concord as part of a benefit concert for BIJAN (pronounced like “beyond”), the Boston Immigrant Justice Accompaniment Network, and sang it again at FUUSN (benefitting the Newton Brookline Asylum Resettlement Committee). In February 2019 we hosted a benefit concert for the UU Urban Ministry; and on April 28 we participated in the Communities Without Borders benefit concert.