A Choral Celebration of 20th-Century Masterpieces

Amethyst Chamber Ensemble invites you to an inspiring evening of choral music featuring two electrifying 2oth-century choral masterworks:

Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb; alongside the more intimate works by Samuel Barber: Chorale for a New Organ and Agnus Dei (a vocal transcription of Barber’s famous Adagio for Strings)

This vibrant program performed with organ, showcases the emotional power, rhythmic vitality, and luminous harmonies of two of the 20th century’s most beloved composers.

Join us on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brunswick, where the rich sonorities of voices and organ come together in music that is both joyful and profound.

Suggested donation: $25
Reserve tickets:amethystchamberensemble@gmail.com

Experience the Amethyst Chamber Ensemble in a concert that celebrates the brilliance and drama of modern choral music.

An Evening of Chamber Music

An Evening of Chamber Music offers a richly textured program spanning Romantic warmth, intimate song, and rhythmic fire. The evening features Brahms’s Piano Trio No. 1, the lyrical beauty of Brahms’s Zwei Gesänge for mezzo-soprano, viola, and piano, William Bolcom’s Let Evening Come for soprano and viola, and the electrifying energy of Astor Piazzolla’s Piano Quintet.

Bringing this vibrant and expressive program to life are Margaret Cerjan, violin; Matt Consul, viola; Ben Noyes, cello; with Randy Day & Marlene McCarthy piano; Mary Sullivan, soprano and Joelle Morris, mezzo-soprano for an immersive evening of collaboration, contrast, and musical storytelling.

Join us on Saturday, April 18th at 7:30pm at the gorgeous Bowdoin College Chapel

From hushed introspection to irresistible rhythm, this concert promises a compelling and memorable chamber music experience

Suggested donation: $25
Reserve tickets at: amethystchamberensemble@gmail.com

An Afternoon of Chamber Music

An Afternoon of Chamber Music invites you on Sunday, March 1st at 3pm in the gorgeous Bowdoin College Chapel to enjoy a richly varied program showcasing some of the 20th century’s most captivating voices. The concert features the dramatic intensity of Sergei Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata, the shimmering exoticism of Maurice Ravel’s Shéhérazade, and the wit and lyricism of Francis Poulenc’s Flute Sonata among other works.

Bringing this compelling and imaginative program to life are Ben Noyes, cello, Joëlle Morris, mezzo-soprano, Sandy Kauffman, flute, and Randy Day, piano, coming together for an intimate and expressive afternoon of chamber music that highlights both virtuosity and collaboration.

Join us for an engaging musical journey filled with color, contrast, and compelling storytelling.

Suggested donation: $25
Reserve tickets: amethystchamberensemble@gmail.com

Brahms Requiem Community Sing!

Join us for a Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem Community Sing-Along, on Saturday, February 7th from 10am-12 at Studzinski Hall in Bowdoin College, for an uplifting and inclusive musical gathering open to singers of all backgrounds.

Anchored by singers from the Amethyst Chamber Ensemble and led by Kari Francis, Director of Choral Activities at Bowdoin College, this informal event invites you to flex your sight-reading skills or dust off your Brahms chops while experiencing one of the most beloved masterpieces in the choral repertoire.

Choral parts will be supported by pianist Sean Fleming, with cellist Ben Noyes and pianist Randy Day providing accompaniment. Featured soloists include Mary Sullivan, soprano, and Dylan Evans, baritone.

Scores will be provided, or feel free to bring your own.

We will sing the Requiem in German - please feel free to review the pronunciation with this guide.

To reserve your spot, please contact amethystchamberensemble@gmail.com or fill out the form below and let us know which vocal part you’d like to sing.

Free and open to the public. Audience welcome.

Come for the music, stay for the community!

Friday, January 2nd at 7pm

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brunswick

We are delighted to announce that our postponed Messiah has been rescheduled for Friday, January 2, 2026 at 7pm  - fittingly the ninth day of Christmas (nine ladies dancing!) and the feast day of St. Basil.

This day traditionally honors St. Basil’s legacy of philanthropy through the sharing of vassilopita, a bread baked with a hidden coin and given in the spirit of generosity—making it a perfect occasion for a fundraiser!

In the spirit of our original Christmas event, and now enriched by the meaning of St. Basil’s feast day, we invite you to join us for Part I of Messiah, performed with professional soloists and orchestra under the direction of Maestro Sean Fleming, with all proceeds benefiting Mid-Coast Hunger Prevention Program in Brunswick.

Amethyst presents the 5th annual Messiah sing-along!

“The orchestra was so fine, and the soloists were amazing – and all from Maine! … I can’t even put into words the feeling of singing together – there was a glow that filled the room. It made my whole holiday season!”

Featured Amethyst Soloists:

Mary Sullivan, Erin Chenard, Caroline Koelker, Janet Thatcher - Sopranos

Joelle Morris, Jazmin DeRice, Jenna Guiggey - Mezzo-sopranos

Aaren Rivard - Tenors

Josh Miller - Bass

______________________________

Bring your own score or borrow one when you come.

Singers and merry-makers alike are welcome to join!

Suggested donations: $15 Adults & $5 Students

All proceeds to go to MCHPP

Limited Seating. For tickets and information: amethystchamberensemble@gmail.com

Please take note: Those with prior reservations will need to make a new reservation for the rescheduled date.

Proceeds to benefit MCHPP
Proceeds from this concert go to the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program (MCHPP), due to the generosity of our hosts St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Brunswick, and the generosity of our professional singers and orchestra players, who donate their time and talent for this occasion.

We were proud that last year, we donated $1500 through this event, to help address food insecurity in the greater Brunswick area.

Our friends at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church have generously created a donate link if you wish to donate to MCHPP in lieu of attending the concert.

Please be sure to list your donation as 01 -Messiah Sing Concert in the drop-down menu

donation link:
https://stpaulsmaine.org/giving/

Get ready to fa-la-la your way into the season! Join us for a festive Christmas Sing-Along packed with all your favorite carols, sprinkled with show-stopping solos from our amazing Amethyst singers all led by the one and only Aaron Robinson at the piano, and jazzed up by the sensational Scott Martin Jazz Trio!

The Abbey will be serving up merry-and-bright specialty drinks and delicious holiday bites to keep the cheer flowing. No reservations needed, but space is limited — so come early, bring your best holiday spirit (and a healthy thirst for fun!), and let’s make it a night of joyful noise!

Wednesday, Dec. 17th from 7:00-9:00pm at The Abbey in downtown Brunswick.

Sunday, October 19th at 3pm

Bowdoin College Chapel

Tickets $25 - suggested donation.

Ticket reservation at amethystchamberensemble@gmail.com

Join the Amethyst Chamber Soloists, the Amethyst Project, organist Sean Fleming and cellist Ben Noyes for an inspired and transcendent afternoon of sacred music, featuring masterworks that span centuries of spiritual expression. At the heart of the program is Arvo Pärt’s serene and luminous The Beatitudes, alongside the haunting beauty of Allegri’s Miserere, a choral masterpiece steeped in Renaissance tradition.

The ladies of Amethyst will take center stage in Francis Poulenc’s Litanies à la Vierge Noire, a fervent and mystical invocation for women’s choir and organ. Complementing these works are the chants of Hildegard von Bingen—including vibrant, rhythmically charged selections such as Sed Diabolus—and contemporary echoes from Janika Vandervelde, weaving ancient and modern threads of devotion and energy. Rounding out the concert will be musical selections by Maurice Duruflé, Morten Lauridsen and Pablo Casals.

This is a concert that moves between stillness and fire—celebrating the sacred with music both contemplative and boldly alive.

Saturday, June 7th at 7pm

Bowdoin College Chapel

Tickets $25 - suggested donation.

Ticket reservation at amethystchamberensemble@gmail.com

Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music is a radiant celebration of musical beauty, weaving 16 soaring vocal lines with lush musical textures. With its shimmering harmonies and heartfelt lyricism, Serenade to Music creates a dreamlike atmosphere, evoking reverence and wonder. Deeply expressive and uplifting, it remains one of Vaughan Williams’ most beloved works, a luminous tribute to the transcendent power of music.

Join the Amethyst Chamber Soloists and Amethyst Project for a beautifully evocative celebration of the summer night in the Bowdoin College Chapel. The program features Barber’s Sure on This Shining Night, Berlioz’s Nuits d’été, Margaret Bonds’ Three Early Songs, and Debussy’s Beau Soir, culminating in Vaughan Williams’ luminous Serenade to Music.

Featuring:

Mary Sullivan, Molly Harmon, Michele Kennedy, Caroline Koelker, soprano

Joelle Morris, Jenna Guiggey, Sarah Tuttle, mezzo-soprano

Jonas Rimkunas, David Meyers, Jesse Wakeman, tenor

Josh Miller, Jonathan Scott, baritone

Sean Fleming, Randy Day, Morgan Lee, piano

Katherine Liccardo, violin

Ben Noyes, cello

And members of the Amethyst Project Singers

We are thrilled to reschedule this postponed concert to April 5th!

In a Soprano Hue: Folk Influences in Art Song

A fresh take on the art song recital, In a Soprano Hue reimagines the genre through a new lens. For this second installment, the ladies of Amethyst Chamber Ensemble delve into the rich repertoire shaped by folk influences in classical music.

Manuel de Falla’s Siete canciones populares españolas transforms Spain’s regional folk melodies into sophisticated art, with piano accompaniments that amplify their infectious rhythms and charm. Similarly, Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne brings to life the spirit of French rural life with richly orchestrated folk songs, featuring lullabies, love laments, and festive tunes in the traditional Occitan language.

Benjamin Britten’s Folk Song arrangements for voice and guitar stand out for their imaginative and deeply personal approach, unbound by conventional ideas of authenticity. In contrast, Libby Larsen’s Songs From Letters, inspired by Calamity Jane’s correspondence to her daughter, offers a dynamic and fiery showpiece for soprano and piano.

Amethyst Chamber Ensemble celebrates the incredible depth and versatility of vocal talent here in Maine. Join us for this gorgeous and spirited program, where folk traditions meet classical artistry.

Featuring:

Molly Sullivan, Molly Harmon, and Caroline Koelker, soprano

Joëlle Morris, Jazmin DeRice, and Jenna Guiggey, mezzo-soprano

Paul Kneller, classical guitar

Randy Day, piano

Tickets: $25, Students Free.

Tickets can be reserved in advance at amethystchamberensemble@gmail.com

"Wachet auf!", or "Awake, the voice calls to us", is one of the most beloved hymn tunes of all time. Written by pastor, poet, and composer Phillipp Nicolai in the 16th century as a "Mirror of Joy" in a time of plague and loss and fear, it gives us inspiration and hope still today. 

Our concert, for voice, vocal ensemble, and organ, follows the tune from its inspiration in a tune by Meistersinger Hans Sachs, through the Nicolai hymn, to its culmination in selections from the magnificent Bach Cantata 140; and later, as it inspired Mendelssohn, Wagner, Hugo Distler, and on to the present day. 

Featuring the professional vocalists of the Amethyst roster, the Amethyst Project singers, and the magnificent organist Sean Fleming, join us for Distler's strangely beautiful and playful "Wachet auf!" motet, Theodore Best's extraordinary organ transcription of the overture to Mendelssohn's St. Paul, the Distler "Wachet auf" partita, and even a brief chorus from - yes - Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg". 

Sunday, March 16, 4pm

St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Brunswick

Suggested donation $15

Ticket reservation at amethystchamberensemble@gmail.com

This Amethyst concert event is graciously hosted and offered by St. Paul's Episcopal church. Proceeds to benefit St. Paul's Outreach Programs.

Join us for a lovely afternoon of chamber vocal music with

with GRAMMY nominated baritone Aaron Engebreth,

and

Joëlle Morris, mezzo-soprano

Laura del Sol Jiménez, flute

Ben Noyes, cello

Randy Day, piano

Featuring

• Chansons Madécasses – Ravel

• Don quichotte à dulcinée – Ravel

• Let us Garlands Bring- Finzi

• Chanson d’amour - Amy Beach

• Piano Trio in G - Debussy

Tickets: $25 suggested donation

The professional singers and instrumentalist of Amethyst Chamber Ensemble offer a program of gorgeous melodies, French jazz, and piano four-in hands fireworks!

Sunday, Sept. 22, at 3 p.m., at the First Congregational Church in Searsport.

Appearing in a vocal quintet form, the ensemble will feature music of Brahms, Mozart, Debussy, Faure, Bernstein and others.

The concert is a free will offering. Proceeds go toward furthering the outreach concert series to the wider community. 

More information can be found at searsportfcc.org