Music in the Fields

Heading down the St. George River, you’ll pass many places where our conservation easements offer protection of the river and open spaces, including 35 acres protected on Hyler Cove in Cushing. Tony Antolini, the landowner, is a choral director who refused to give up singing during the pandemic, and instead, came up with a creative way to sing in person and keep the choir safe.

His well-known choral group, Down East Singers, renamed themselves “The Lemonade Choir”, and joined up with Bay Chamber Concerts to produce a wonderful video concert (see below) for the holiday season. The choir met in Tony’s field where he’d placed lobster buoys, color-coded for each section and spaced 12’ apart. Everyone was fully masked, except for the brass quartet who played set away from the singers, and down-wind — all very much Covid-conscious.

The videographer did a great job capturing the voices, the singers, and the beautiful setting. As one singer said, “When I sing with a mask on, I can hear myself really well, but it’s very hard to hear anyone else. I’ll admit that I was skeptical as to how the final result would turn out, but felt the effort was well worth the sense of victory over the virus by simply singing together. And seeing the final video, I’m amazed!”

The concert features The Lemonade Choir and Halcyon String Quartet and stars the natural beauty of the St. George River in Cushing.