News from CONCORA: Research confirms that music is essential to well-being

Don't miss Extraordinary Shakespeare, CONCORA's first concert of the season, when five high school choirs and their directors will join CONCORA to present beautiful choral music inspired by William Shakespeare.
Tickets: http://www.concora.org/extraordinary-shakespeare.html or 860-293-0567

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Researchers Confirm What We Already Know:
Concertgoers Are More Satisfied With Life
Recent research from Australia confirms what we have known forever: that “people who regularly attend musical events ... reported higher levels of well-being than those who did not.” The study affirms “the important role of engaging with music in the company of others” – as distinct from listening to recordings in any form. The researchers found that “total wellbeing scores were significantly higher for people who reported that they danced or attended musical events” compared to people who did not participate in these activities. And those of us for whom choral music is as essential as air will agree with this finding: “Singers felt similarly positive about their lives, so long as they were in some sort of ensemble ... People who sang with others had higher scores on almost all domains. Singers ranked statistically higher than their non-singing peers on two areas in particular: Their standard of living, and their sense of “community connectedness.” We knew that! Source

So...what's the best way to improve your sense of well-being?
Come to a CONCORA concert, of course!
Tickets are now on sale for the 2016-2017 season.

First up: Extraordinary Shakespeare on November 12, followed by Christmas with CONCORA on December 10 (and yes, the famous sing-along is back!) Details are below -- please join us!

"If music be the food of love, play on!"

Continuing a long tradition of inclusion and outreach, CONCORA will be joined by five extraordinary Connecticut high school choirs in a program that features memorable choral settings of texts by William Shakespeare, marking the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death. Participating high schools include Glastonbury (Ethan Nash, director); Greenwich (Patrick Taylor, director); Guilford (Kevin Buno, director); Hall High School (West Hartford; Lorri Cetto, director); and Manchester (Edward Tyler, director). Each of the five high school choir directors will also conduct CONCORA in concert.

Extraordinary Shakespeare
Saturday, November 12, 2016 7:30 PM
St Thomas the Apostle Church
872 Farmington Avenue
West Hartford, CT
Tickets: $55 premium; $35 general admission; $30 senior; $15 student
Order before November 9 to take advantage of early-bird pricing on most tickets.

In the half century since Oxford University Press released the first volume of its popular sets of Carols for Choirs, these sparkling Christmas carol settings have become essential to the choral holiday repertoire.

CONCORA presents a sleigh-full of these immortal a cappella carol arrangements by Sir David Willcocks, John Rutter, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and others. And in keeping with the beloved “Christmas with CONCORA” tradition, the audience is invited to sing along in a number of beloved Christmas carols.

Christmas with CONCORA
Saturday, December 10, 2016 7:30 PM
First Lutheran Church
77 Franklin Square
New Britain, CT
Snow Date: Monday, December 12, 7:00 PM
Tickets: $55 premium; $35 general admission; $30 senior; $15 student.
Order before December 7 to take advantage of early-bird pricing on most tickets.

Wine, Jazz, & Song
Saturday, January 21, 2017
6:00-9:00 PM
Porter Memorial
First Church, 75 Main Street
Farmington, Connecticut
Snow date: Sunday, January 22, 2017, 6-9 pm

Enjoy fine wines and plentiful, delectable hors d’oeuvre in a casually elegant atmosphere, with a silent wine auction and write-your-own song dedications. This midwinter festivity is hosted by CONCORA’s Friends of Bach in support of .CONCORA's April 30, 2017 performance of J.S. Bach's cantatas 29, 190, and 191.

Tickets $50 per person.
Available here. Click on "Reserve your seats."

Save the Date!
CONCORA Singers
in Recital
Sunday, May 14, 2017, 4:00 PM
St. John’s Episcopal Church
679 Farmington Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06119

Celebrate Mother’s Day with CONCORA’s singers as they present a bouquet of solo songs in an intimate recital setting. Enjoy music of various periods and genres about mothers and motherhood, a mother’s love, lullabies and cradle songs, and perhaps even some motherly advice! All proceeds benefit CONCORA’s artistic programming.
Tickets go on sale soon!

CONCORA had a blast with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in the October 22 performance of the 2016 Emmy Award-winning Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton. Were you there? What did you think? Drop us a line!

Since its founding in 1974, CONCORA has built an extraordinary reputation for artistic excellence throughout New England.

Under the direction of Chris Shepard, now in his second season as Artistic Director, CONCORA’s versatility is displayed in its wide range of repertoire and in the selection of the choir’s singers to produce an extraordinary range of choral color and dynamic variety.

Artistic Director Chris Shepard

Tickets are now on sale for
CONCORA's 2016-2017 concerts.
www.concora.org contact@concora.org 860-293-0567.
Tickets are also available at the door for all concerts.