Maine Balkan Choir all subgroups joint rehearsal April 22nd in Hallowell

The Maine Balkan Choir has been preparing a program of Ukrainian folk music this winter. We have gathered weekly in three subgroups – Ellsworth, Belfast and Portland. The goal is to sing as authentically as possible. The tunes for this event include love songs, pop tunes and lullabies. The charity event will take place May 21st in Portland.

All three subgroups will sing together for a daytime rehearsal in Hallowell at the Multicultural Center. It is not too late to join and see what it is about. We expect forty singers to be there that day. Newcomers are asked to send an email to [email protected] so we can send a copy of the sheet music and other aides, via the internet.

We start at 09:45 and will review the songs. We sing in Ukrainian, which may seem daunting except that we have techniques for learning Slavic languages that help. The songs are often in minor keys with haunting melodies and Slavic harmony. We are humbled to include some native-speakers of Ukrainian and Russian in our ranks for this event and we invite recent arrivals to Maine to join us.