Angels & Demons of Mendelssohn and Schubert
Blanche Moyse Chorale, Director Mary Westbrook-Geha

Friday, April 30, 8 pm, Hastings House, Walpole Unitarian Church, Walpole, NH
Sunday, May 2, 4 pm, Centre Congregational Church, Brattleboro, VT

The Blanche Moyse Chorale, directed by Mary Westbrook-Geha, will perform “Angels & Demons” with a repertoire of Felix Mendelssohn’s “Die Erste Walpurgisnacht” and a number of Schubert Part Songs.  There will be a forty-five minute pre-concert talk by Larrimore Crockett one-hour prior to each performance free of charge.  Former and current members of the Blanche Moyse Chorale are invited to a reunion following the concert on Sunday, May 2.

“Die Erste Walpurgisnacht,” which some refer to as “The First Witches’ Night,” is a setting of a ballad which Goethe wrote in 1799.  It refers to the Walpurgis Nacht, a festival that had its origins in the Harz mountain region of Germany and has been celebrated in northern Europe on the eve of May 1st for centuries, up to the present time. The name of St. Walpurga, an 8th century Celtic missionary in Germany, became associated with this pagan festival through a coincidence of dates.  With roots in pre-Christian ceremonies, it brings together elements of spring fertility rites, fires evoking the return of the sun and interaction with occupants of the netherworld (witches, goblins, etc.), somewhat similar to Halloween.  Goethe and Mendelssohn wrote and composed this dramatic piece with core questions regarding Christianity, Paganism and Judaism utilizing the characters of druids, Christians, heathens and people along with references to the natural world of owls, werewolves and the seasons.  Soloists include Robert Honeysucker, baritone; Patricia Cristofaro, M.D., alto; and Justin Kenney, tenor. Pianists Pei-yeh Tsai and Hsin-chieh Lin from Boston, MA will perform the four hand piano reduction.

The Chorale will also perform five of Franz Schubert’s Part Songs.  Two songs written for women, which were commissioned by Schubert’s friend, Ann Frolich, include “Psalm 23” and “Gott in der  Natur”(“God in the Nature”).  The men will perform “Ständchen” with Mary Westbrook-Geha singing mezzo soprano solo and “Widerspruch” (“Contradiction”).  The full Chorale will perform “Mirjam’s Siegesgesang” (Miriam’s Truimphant Song) with soprano soloist Junko Watanabe.  Robbie Merfeld will play piano for all the Schubert compositions.

The Blanche Moyse Chorale, a program of the Brattleboro Music Center, was formed by BMC founder Blanche Moyse and it continues in the tradition of a small chamber ensemble under the baton of Mary Westbrook-Geha.

Tickets can be purchased online (below), in-person at the BMC, 38 Walnut Street in Brattleboro, UU Church in Walpole, NH and The Putney Inn in Putney, VT or by phone at 802-257-4523.

The Hastings House is the Parish House behind the UU Church on Union Street in Walpole, NH, and the Centre Congregational Church is located at 193 Main Street in Brattleboro, VT.

Tickets: Adults $18, students 18 and under $10

Purchase tickets by calling the BMC at 802-257-4523 or
On-line through BrattleboroTix: 
Friday, April 30 in Walpole or Sunday, May 2 in Brattleboro