Bringing ‘60s back in a concert for the ages

MARION — The Rolling Stones may not have gotten satisfaction, but the Sippican Choral Society is all set to bring some of its own in celebration of its 60th anniversary.

For six decades, singers across the South Coast have come together to sing in the Sippican Choral Society, and now the group is set to celebrate in an upcoming ‘60s themed concert.

“One of the reasons that we’re so proud to be 60 is that people come and go, people die, people move away, yet we still can keep a choral group,” said Kelli McSweeny, president of the Sippican Choral Society and a Marion resident.

A chorus of 40 singers will perform “An Anniversary Concert: ‘60s Songs for 60 Years” on Sunday, May 4 at 4 p.m.

The performance will transport listeners back to the 1960s with artists not usually on the group’s set list, including the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell.

The Sippican Choral Society was founded in 1965 by Shirley Cowell and others who wanted to organize a choral group that sang songs other than church music, McSweeny said, explaining that the group sings pieces from the Renaissance through the 21st century.

In celebration of its anniversary, the group will begin their concert with the first two pieces they sang 60 years ago: “Honor and Glory” by Johann Sebastian Bach and “Stomp Your Foot!” by Aaron Copland.

“They’re a little dated, but we’re going to sing them anyway because we thought that would be a good thing to do,” McSweeny said.

Mattapoisett resident and former choir president Mike Chaplain, who has sung with the Sippican Choral Society since 2006, said he’s excited for the program because he was a kid in the 60s and remembers the music as “so much fun.”

“There were a couple of artists that were requested,” he said. “There’s some that you don’t have to request — you know you’re going to get the Beatles, you know you’re going to get Bob Dylan.”

For the 60th anniversary concert, the group wanted to sing songs that were popular in the 60s to honor its beginning years but also to perform music more people would be familiar with and attract an audience who wouldn’t normally attend a concert that’s classically oriented.

“People like to go and hear what they know,” McSweeny said. “It’s that kind of feeling we would like the audience to have.”

Mary Denker, who recently moved to Mattapoisett, joined the Sippican Choral Society this year after searching for a place where she was “allowed to sing.”

She said it’s significant that the group has reached its 60th anniversary because members of the group love to sing and strive to do a great job but aren’t trying to be perfect.

“We’re just local people. For us to be able to bring music to our neighbors, it’s an opportunity that’s very rewarding,” Chaplain said.

While Denker said she would have been fine singing any songs with the group, she said singing songs from the 60s has been fun because she listened to them during that era.

“The songs that have been picked are from an era of fun and light, so [the audience] can expect to see a bunch of people who enjoy singing together, who are honoring 60 years of this choral group but also those songs from that era,” she said.

The concert will be held at the Wickenden Chapel at 86 Spring Street in Marion and costs $20 for general admission and $10 for students, and is free for children 14 or under and anyone born in 1965.

Tickets can be purchased from Choral Society members, at the door with either cash or check, or online at https://sippicanchoralsociety.org.