By MARY CARTER
Eagle Times Correspondent
CLAREMONT, NH — Karen Fitch Parker was born and raised in Claremont. She loved being within walking distance to school and to the Fiske Free Library where her mother worked. Pleasant Street was a wonderland of stores and restaurants in Parker’s younger years and today, she delights in calling Claremont her home.
Her father, Stan Fitch, was a quiet man and a humble force in the forefront of many community endeavors. Devoted to his family, Fitch enjoyed making crafts and decorating for the holidays. Parker remembers her dad carefully hollowing out eggs to make ornaments, many of which were given to his children’s teachers as gifts.
Another source of happiness for Fitch was singing with the Claremont Choral Society. When that group disbanded in the 1960s, many of its members found their way into what would become the Area Choir. Following her father’s lead, Parker began singing with the Area Choir as well. Years later, Parker’s daughter Katie would also join, making it a three-generation joy for Parker’s family.
The Area Choir was founded in 1953 by Malcolm Rowell of Newport and Blanche Bailey of Sunapee. Rowell, then director of music at South Congregational Church, decided that his choir would benefit by collaborating with other area artists. He teamed up for a series of workshops with Bailey, who was the choir director and organist for Sunapee’s United Methodist.
Word caught on, and members from other churches joined in. This first group of 40 were known as the Combined Choir. Performing on Palm Sunday, donations were collected for what they hoped could be another year of performances. With changes along the way in name, numbers and performance dates, 2023 marks the Area Choir’s 70th public celebration.
Newport’s South Congregational is a postcard-perfect New England church. Decorated for Christmas with a festive tree and bowed swags draped over the Victorian era lamps, the church is “simple and elegant all at once,” said Parker. She remembers concerts where, with more than 100 vocalists on stage, some seemed to be perched in the branches of the tree.
“The concert in all of its elements—church, people, music—seems like a moment of perfection suspended in time, as beautiful, unique and transitory as a bubble,” Parker said. The feeling of camaraderie and unity with the other choir members fills Parker’s heart with happiness. She likens it to “singing with the angels.”
The present choir of 50, directed by Susan Cancio-Bello, represents 15 churches from eight communities. They are accompanied by Alexander Stewart on piano, Parker’s daughter Katie Parker Ames on flute and Beverly Caldon on church organ.
The church’s Earle Pollard Memorial Bell Choir is also set to perform. Norwich VT’s Sterling String Quartet will appear, made possible by a generous grant through the Choral Arts Foundation of the Upper Valley.
This year’s performances at Newport’s South Congregational Church will be on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 3, at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. This wonderful seasonal experience is free to the public with donations accepted.
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