CHORUS
PROFILE
WHO'D JOIN A SEA CHANTEY CHORUS?
We're an eclectic group with
singers and musicians who have performed around
the world; others are well known for their great
arias while driving in heavy traffic! Here's a
glimpse of just a few of our crew:
John Allen (AKA Johnny
Boy to friends and family) is a
forty-something sailor, psychologist and lover of
the sea. His only greater passion is his
girls -- wife Lezlie Suzanne and daughter Mariah
Grace. Raised summers along the shallows of
Vineyard Sound, he spent his youth working
his way up from sunfish to sloop to topsail
schooner. If you can't find him counseling
courageous people recovering from physical injury
or illness; and if you can't find him romping
along south cape beaches with his girls; you
may very well find him at the wheel of a
"cat", singing some ditty in a
following breeze.
Tor Bendiksen has
been a serious choral singer and plays handbells
at the Pilgrim United Church. However,
Tor's family has been connected to the sea for
generations and he continues that tradition as a
net designer and maker and singer of sea
chanteys.
David Brownell has
sung with the Greater New Bedford Choral Society,
Tryworks Chantey group, and Calabàn. He
owns and operates of Aries Sheep Farm in South
Dartmouth.
Judy Cormier began
playing flute at 12 and played in the Bishop
Stang band and orchestra. She discovered
sea chanteys at the annual Eisteddford music
festival at SMU in 1975 and sought them out every
year. Judy began playing native American flutes
in the late nineties (12 so far! ) and discovered
the African Djembe (hand drum) in 1999. She
was part of the First Unitarian
Universalist Drum Circle of New Bedford for
five years.
Jack Dean plays
clarinet, guitar, piano and enjoyed singing in
his college chorus. He left the musician's
life to become a consultant in the field of
electrical engineering.
Jack Dolan reports
that the show biz bug bit him at the tender age
of six, when he performed a rousing rendition of
"Shake the Apple Tree" for his second
grade class. This led to years of
experience in school and church choirs. He
would eventually become a vocal soloist and the
business manager of the Harvard-Radcliffe
Collegium Musicum, where he performed with the
Boston Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and
the Toronto Symphony. "But," says
Jack, "all of this pales in comparison
to my current stint with the New Bedford Harbor
Sea Chantey Chorus!" When he's not
singing, Jack's a lawyer and a fly-fisherman.
Daisy Desautels-Morin
sang with the Stetsonaires for years and
performed in many a minstrel show at St. George's
Church. She occasionally takes tap and jazz
dance lessons.
Polly Gardner came to
the chorus after years of singing at campfires,
in school choruses, and with her college a
cappella group. Polly 's latest musical
challenge is mastering traditional tunes on a
$7.95 tin whistle (once known as a penny
whistle.) You can find her in the yurt on
Monday nights for a weekly jam session.
Katherine Gaudet is a
4th grade teacher at Friends
Academy. Katherine actually had no prior
singing experience except for a stint in
boyfriend's jug band in high school playing
the spoons! The one thing she has going for
her is that, " I LOVE to sing."
Iain Geddes, born in
Glasgow, Scotland, says this about his musical
family, "My grandfather played the banjo and
fiddle - though not simultaneously - and mom
played the piano accordion and always said she
married my father because she needed someone to
carry it!" Iain got his first guitar
at age 11, became involved in school operettas,
and played with a Celtic group called The Corbies
in the 1960's (don't look for any old LPs
on Ebay!) When sea chanties became part of
his repertoire, he learned the Anglo concertina
you’ll hear in our fo’c’sle band.
Luther Damon Howard III spent
four years in high school choral groups. He
also participated in the 1969 war moratorium and
peace march in Washington, DC. The sea
called to Damon and he spent a year going around
the world working on an oceanographic vessel from
Woods Hole. He published research of the
roots of Native American cultural connections to
the Old World, through spoken language links and
inscribed stories in the New World.
Charlie Howland is a
singer at heart, participating in the New Bedford
Choral Society, Berkshire Chorus, and his high
school glee club. Charlie is also plays the
accordion.
Elizabeth Jacobsen
played violin and trumpet, was a member of her
high church choir. “All of this
musicianship has been developed through years of
intensive rehearsal in the shower and by the
campfire,” claims Liz. She was a sixth
grade teacher and now enjoys gardening, hiking,
kayaking, and writing.
Janet Langlois shares
her vocal talents with the St. Lawrence Martyr
Church Choir and the Church Women United Choir
and a member of Pilgrim Handbell Choir. She is a
Eucharistic Minister, a mother of 4 daughters,
and a grandmother of 2 grandsons. Joe
Langlois is Janet's sidekick. He also
sings at St. Lawrence Martyr Church. Joe
has been a psychotherapist for 30 years at the
state psychiatric hospital.
Tim Lyden is our
resident pirate. He's been playing guitar
for 16 years and has played with a variety of
rock bands. He "caught the classical
bug and began playing Bach" in recent years,
which has led to frequent appearances at
Renaissance fairs and festivals around New
England. When not playing guitar, Tim
enjoys mountain climbing, hunting, fishing, SCUBA
diving, building historical furniture
reproductions, riding his Harley, and (as any
pirate would) treasure hunting.
Barbara Marshall's
performance credits begin with the New Bedford
High School Chorus (a few years ago) and continue
with her current membership in the Center School
Intergenerational Chorus. During her
working career, Barbara was a paralegal.
John McCoy is a
retired New Bedford firefighter who is just
beginning his singing career. It's about
time he learned some chanties: he once served as
a crew member aboard the HMS Bounty and has
"plied the oars" as a member of the
Whaling City Rowing Club.
Kate McGonigle, an
English and Latin teacher at Dartmouth High
School, has been involved with music
"forever," since Santa brought her a
shiny red phonograph and records to play on
it. "Singing everywhere" followed
naturally, through college and into the
"real world," where/whenever
possible. Her affinity for the sea and love
of sailing led her to the New Bedford Sea Chanty
Chorus as soon as it was advertised. When
they are in dry dock, she keeps her pipes oiled
with the New Bedford Choral Society.
Marian Menard made
music her career. She taught for 34 years,
10 of those were as a music, recorder, and drama
teacher at Acushnet Elementary School. While a
student at Framingham State College, Marian
played a pirate and policeman in Gilbert and
Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance."
Helena Monty,
originally from Chelsea, has had a life long
affection for music. During her school
years, she sang in grammar and high school
choruses. After moving to the New Bedford
area, Helena sang with a local group, The
Stetsonaires, for over 30 years. She even
cut an LP with them! In addition to the Sea
Chantey Chorus, she also sings with the Center
School Intergenerational Chorus. Helena is
a retired LPN who was on staff at St. Luke’s
Hospital and did private duty nursing and cared
for AIDS patients.
Rick Ober is enjoying
his first year with the chorus. In the
past, he studied piano and guitar. His last
choral performance before joining the group
occurred when he graduated from eighth grade when
the class sang, “I Believe.” Rick
and his wife are preparing for “an empty
nest” as their third son leaves for college
in the fall.
If our HMS Pinafore carried
and contingent of marines, Marc Olson would
command them! He is a transplant to the
South Coast area from Newton. He is also a
member of the Sippican Choral Society.
Chris Parks performed
with several choruses in high school and sang in
her church choir. Chris also plays piano
and is a bookbinder and a sale associate
for the Joyce D. Lopes Realty Corp GMAC.
Julie Pratt also has
shared her singing talents with the Somerset
Choir.
Jane Reilly is in her
second year with the chorus. Her singing started
while in grammar school and in church EVERY
SUNDAY. She also learned accordion in her
younger days and sang in all-girl chorus in high
school. Jane confesses to singing at all
times while underway - that would be while
navigating traffic in the car! Jane works as a
therapist and vocational counselor.
Chuck Smiler played
the saxophone and sang in high school and then
went on to join the Harvard Freshman Glee Club
and the Harvard Glee Club. He was a member
of the Choraleers Community Chorus in Barra, VT,
the Baroque Court, a select renaissance and
baroque group, and had a lead role in the play
“Kiss Me.” Chuck and his wife,
Ruth, are the new owners of the Capt.
Haskell B&B. They look forward to
welcoming you or your visitors to New
Bedford’s newest B & B.
Joan Stopka began
singing in grade school and continued with a
madrigal group in high school. She also
played French horn and trumpet and was a member
of the jazz band, concert band and marching
band. Joan joined the Collegium Musicum
while at college and is currently learning how to
play the mandolin. Joan is an avid knitter
and can be seen on local highways and byways at
the controls of her BMW motorcycle!
Vi Taylor is a music
teacher at Friend’s Academy. She is
also a cellist in the New Bedford Symphony.
When Vi’s not making music, she can be found
volunteering at the New Bedford Whaling Museum or
enjoying local waters in her kayak.
Woody Underwood
learned every song on the LP “Whaler out of
New Bedford” about 40 years ago; he was a
natural to become "ship's fiddler" in
our fo'c'sle band.
David Ward comes to
the chorus as a World War II Navy veteran and and
a retired teacher with 31 years in the
classroom. He was the owner and
director fro 46 years of Camp Sea Space and
the Sea Space Sailing School. He and his
wife Harriet sailed to Florida and the Bahamas
twice and he also sailed across the Atlantic
Ocean in a 36-foot boat. David currently
competes in the Winter and Summer Senior Olympics
earning medals in skiing during the 2003
competition.
Polly Zajac chose to
play the flute in third grade after seeing an
episode on the PBS show, ZOOM. She played
through high school and college in marching,
concert and jazz bands and, yes, really enjoyed
band camp! She was a member of the pit band
for the New Bedford High Drama Club
musicals. She also began playing the guitar
in high school and dreams about playing the
blues. Polly is a former classroom teacher
and now serves as Program Coordinator for
Schooner Ernestina, running after school
programs, writing and directing plays for New
Bedford middle school students, leading community
activities and sailing on the ship whenever
possible. She also lives vicariously
through her children who can sing a whopping
“Johnny Come Down to Hilo” and are
learning to play the violin and piano!
zzz
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The Schooner
Ernestina was granted $1000 to help
support the all-volunteer New Bedford
Harbor Sea Chantey Chorus Concert Series
in 2003. 