Join us is Lewiston, Maine, for our 20th Anniversary Celebration!

S  U  N  D  A  Y   •    S E P T E M B E R     2  8 ,   2  0  2  5   •   2 : 3 0 P M

Performing

ChoralArt Masterworks Chorus
​ChoralArt Masterworks Chorus, consisting of 80-110 voices, has sung with the Portland Symphony Orchestra traditional symphonic literature—Verdi’s Requiem, Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem, and Haydn’s The Creationamong them—as well as more adventuresome literature: Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony and Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass. ChoralArt Masterworks sang Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem in 1991 with distinguished guest conductor Robert Shaw. In 2015, Masterworks presented the New England premiere of Robert S. Cohen’s Alzheimer’s Stories, a work for chorus, soloists, and instruments. (more) 

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Music Director Dr. Robert Russell
Dr. Robert Russell cannot remember a time when he did not sing. The Baptist tradition in Roanoke, Virginia during his formative years offered singing instruction in choirs for children as early as first grade; the teen choir sang once a week, every Sunday night, summers included! A full-time minister of music, supported by a part-time organist, led a rigorous program. Bob started piano lessons in second grade, and the combination of those lessons plus the numerous opportunities to perform in church as a singer, pianist and conductor laid the groundwork for a career as a musician.​ (more)

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Randall Mullin is a freelance musician who accompanies the choir of the Cathedral of St. Luke in Portland. He was also a featured performer with ChoralArt for “Grand Opera meets the Mighty Kotzschmar” in 2016 and for the Maurice Duruflé “Requiem” in 2019. He has played throughout the country with more recent recitals at Trinity Church in Boston, Methuen Memorial Music Hall in Methuen, Massachusetts, and Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

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Scott Vaillancourt is the music director at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine where he directs and oversees an active music program. He has taught for the University Maine system and Bowdoin College; was director of the band and chorus at the University of New England; and is the principle tubist and organist for the Norumbega Ensemble. (more)

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The Venue

Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul
Saints Peter and Paul Parish, founded in 1870, is the oldest parish for the French-speaking Catholics in the Diocese of Portland. For the French Canadians who began arriving in Lewiston in the mid-19th century, the Catholic church was, next to the family, the focal point of life. Under the guidance of the Church, virtually every spiritual, social, recreational, and educational need was taken care of.
These French Canadians who immigrated south looking for work in the Lewiston mills were proud, strong, and hard working people. Below is the timeline of how Saints Peter and Paul evolved.
The history of Saints Peter and Paul parish isn't just the chronicle of an old church, but of the amazing faith of the French immigrants whose struggles, patience, and great generosity built it. It reflects an aspect of the immigrant experience played out over and over again across the United States. In this way, the history of Saints Peter and Paul is an invaluable chapter on the history of this nation. (Read more here)

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The Casavant Organ at the Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul
It is not without justification that the pipe organ is called the "king of instruments".  As a single instrument, it can not only rival the full power of a symphony orchestra but imitate many of the orchestra’s individual subtleties.  The pipe organ produces its sound in much the same way as the human voice does, with air.  This makes the pipe organ an excellent accompaniment instrument for the voice, from a single person to a large choir.  With many different types of pipes, a pipe organ is also capable of a great variety of sound color. This diversity of sound has inspired many of Western music’s greatest masters to compose some of their greatest works.  Gabrieli, Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Franck, and Messien all wrote masterpieces for an instrument that not only represents a pinnacle of musical achievement, but in its construction is also a triumph of human mechanical ingenuity. (Read more here)

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