News Releases

CONCORD, NH – Peggo Horstmann Hodes, director of the Songweavers chorus at Concord Community Music School, will offer a “Stretch Your Sound” class for community members on Wednesdays, January 9 through February 6, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Music School, 23 Wall St., Concord.

Toning is from the Latin word tonus, which means stretched sound. Toning vibrates every cell in our bodies, expanding our awareness of sound, our voice and ourselves. Toning is a natural foundation for improvisation, both vocal and instrumental; it frees up our breath, body and voice. Come to tone with this class, and leave happy, energized and re-inspired.

This class is open to all singers and instrumentalists age 18 and older. No singing experience is necessary.

Tuition for the five classes is $75. To register or for more information, call 603-228-1196 or visit www.ccmusicschool.org.

Peggo Horstmann Hodes (soprano), holds master’s degrees in elementary education from Lesley College and vocal pedagogy from the New England Conservatory. Horstmann Hodes has been a soloist with the New Hampshire Symphony, the Granite State Symphony, the Boston Civic Symphony, the Concord Chorale and the Musicians of Wall Street. In recital, she has premiered works written for her by William Fletcher and Thomas Oboe Lee. Horstmann Hodes is a founding member of femme m’amie, the seven-woman a cappella ensemble, which has recorded two highly acclaimed CDs. She is also half of the duo Peggo & Paul, the New Hampshire recording artists who have gained an international reputation for their original family recordings, two of which won Parents’ Choice Awards. Horstmann Hodes teaches a workshop called Vibrant Voice, which combines creative singing and writing to free the voice and soul. She has led workshops in Hawaii, California, New York, Maine and New Hampshire.

CONCORD, NH – Songweavers™, the popular a cappella women’s chorus at Concord Community Music School, invites new members to an Open Sing on Tuesday, January 8 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. or Wednesday, January 9 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. There are no auditions to join; women of all ages and musical experience are welcome.

Based on the belief that everyone can (and should) sing, the members of this chorus learn songs by ear in the African-American tradition; music-reading skills are not expected or required. Songweavers rehearse in two groups (Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings) and present an annual spring concert.

Singers with young children are welcome to bring them to the Wednesday morning sessions. This year’s theme is “The Rhythm of Life.”The cost to register for Songweavers is $110. For more information about Concord Community Music School or to register to join Songweavers, visit www.ccmusicschool.org.

Peggo Horstmann Hodes (soprano), Songweavers director, holds master’s degrees in elementary education from Lesley College and vocal pedagogy from the New England Conservatory. Horstmann Hodes has been a soloist with the New Hampshire Symphony, the Granite State Symphony, the Boston Civic Symphony, the Concord Chorale and the Musicians of Wall Street. In recital, she has premiered works written for her by William Fletcher and Thomas Oboe Lee. Horstmann Hodes is a founding member of femme m’amie, the seven-woman a cappella ensemble, which has recorded two highly acclaimed CDs. She is also half of the duo Peggo & Paul, the New Hampshire recording artists who have gained an international reputation for their original family recordings, two of which won Parents’ Choice Awards. Horstmann Hodes teaches a workshop called Vibrant Voice, which combines creative singing and writing to free the voice and soul. She has led workshops in Hawaii, California, New York, Maine and New Hampshire.

CONCORD, NH –   The Bach’s Lunch Series, running from November through June, offers free, informal lunch-hour lectures the first Thursday of every month and a related concert the following Thursday in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord. On December 6th, David Pook will present a lecture entitled “Christmas Chestnuts: A History of Holiday Hit Tunes.” The following Thursday, December 13th, Jane Berlin Pauley, Peggo Horstmann Hodes, and Hannah Murray, members of the voice faculty, who perform together as Trillium, will present “A Chorus of Hallelujahs: Seasonal Selections and Sing-along.” Both the lecture and concert begin at 12:10 p.m. and end by 12:50 p.m.

Everyone knows the lyrics to their favorite Christmas song, whether it heralds the onset of winter—“White Christmas” and “Let It Snow!”—or brings back fond memories of Decembers long ago (“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”). But how did these Christmas tunes become favorites—why Bing Crosby and not someone else?  Mr. Pook will take a behind the scenes look at some of the most famous songs of Christmas (and throw in a movie or two) to discover what made them the indelible soundtrack to the holiday season. The following Thursday, the vocal ensemble Trillium, sopranos Jane Berlin Pauley, Peggo Horstmann Hodes, and Hannah Murray, will present a holiday sing-along preceded by a selection of a capella offerings. The Bach’s Lunch Series received a 2007 Best of NH Award from New Hampshire Magazine, named as an Editor's Pick - “best place to bring a brown-bag lunch.” The Bach’s Lunch Series is sponsored by The Timothy and Abigail B. Walker Lecture Fund. Call 603-228-1196 for information, or visit the website www.ccmusicschool.org.

About the speaker and artists:

David Pook is a local high school and college teacher and national educational consultant who speaks regularly about issues in the humanities and the Common Core State Standards. He is a regular speaker at the Concord Music School and most recently gave a talk on “Harmonizing the Christian and Jewish Holidays.” David has his Master’s and doctorate in Philosophy from Indiana University, and his teaching awards include the American Star of Teaching from National Presidential Scholars Program. He lives in Warner with his wife Elizabeth, their two year old daughter Bee, and an Old English Sheepdog named Morangie.

Peggo Horstmann Hodes, soprano, is widely hailed as an extraordinarily versatile performer. She holds masters’ degrees in Elementary Education from Lesley College and in Vocal Pedagogy from New England Conservatory. Director of the Songweavers women’s chorus at the Concord Community Music School where she also presents Vibrant Voice workshops, Peggo has been a soloist with the New Hampshire Symphony, the Granite State Symphony, the Concord Chorale and the Musicians of Wall Street. In recital, she has premiered works written for her by William Fletcher and Thomas Oboe Lee. In 2009, Peggo premiered “Kaddish,” a new work about the Holocaust by Lawrence Siegel. Peggo is a founding member of femme m’amie, the seven-woman a cappella ensemble which has recorded two highly acclaimed CDs. Peggo is also half of the duo Peggo and Paul, the New Hampshire recording artists who have gained an international reputation for their original family recordings, two of which won Parent's Choice Awards. Peggo has recorded six CDs with her husband, Paul Hodes, in their groups Peggosus and Peggo & Paul. Peggo's first solo recording, Peggo: In Love, a striking collection of timeless love songs, was released by Parma Records in 2010. Peggo loves to sing anytime...anywhere.

Hannah Murray, soprano, received her master’s in music from Westminster Choir College. Additional studies include Connecticut College (B.A.), the Royal Academy of Music in London, and Middlebury College’s Deutsch fur Sängerin program. Mrs. Murray has been a member of the voice faculty at CCMS since 2000, and is currently a music faculty member at St. Paul’s School. She has also taught at Endicott College, Boston Conservatory outreach program, and the Community Music School of Springfield. Mrs. Murray has performed throughout the Northeastern United States, been a soloist for the Nashua Symphony, and the Paul Madore Chorale, Trinity United Methodist Church in Springfield, and The Opera Circle. Mrs. Murray is an active member of NATS.

Jane Berlin Pauley, soprano, received her bachelor of music in performance from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts and her master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. She pursued further studies at Westminster Choir College, Manhattan School of Music, Aspen Opera Theater Center and the Tanglewood Music Center. Her opera and concert engagements include Rutgers Summerfest, New England Lyric Operetta, Dartmouth Handel Society, Longwood Opera and Opera D’amore. Her teachers include Susan Clickner, Bruce Kolb, Cynthia Hoffman and William Sharp.

CONCORD, NH – In what has become a favorite tradition, the Concord Community Music School invites you to usher in the holiday season with its annual Holiday Folk Concert featuring David Surette, Susie Burke and Kent Allyn. The concert is scheduled for 7:30 pm, Saturday, December 15, in the Music School’s Recital Hall at 23 Wall Street in Concord.

The concert will feature vocal and instrumental arrangements of Christmas carols and seasonal songs, along with folk and acoustic fare from their standard repertoire. With influences and styles ranging from folk to jazz, Celtic to rock, blues to Broadway and beyond, this trio presents the seasonal repertoire with warmth, flair and energy.

Surette’s technique on guitar, banjo and other instruments is “impeccable, and his touch and phrasing are immediately recognizable,” according to Acoustic Guitar. Burke “possesses one of the finest, purest ballad sopranos heard in folk music today,” reported The Boston Globe. Allyn, called “everyone’s favorite sideman,” has played piano, bass and guitar in numerous recordings and with a host of performing artists from around the country. Burke and Surette perform regularly throughout New England and have toured nationally. They have more than half a dozen CDs between them and have collected numerous awards.

Surette and Allyn are members of the Concord Community Music School faculty. This year’s folk department concerts are sponsored by Sanborn, Head & Associates, Inc.

Get your tickets soon, as this performance frequently sells out. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at the Music School as well as at www.ccmusicschool.org. For more information, call (603) 228-1196.

About the artists:

Warmth, vitality, and spontaneity mark the performances of Susie Burke and David Surette, and have earned them a reputation as one of the finest acts on the lively New England folk scene. Susie’s beautiful, complex voice and David’s graceful, nimble-fingered string playing combine with extraordinary results on their own blend of contemporary, traditional, and original folk and acoustic music. Together since 1988, Susie and David have built a steady following for their music, a following that is continuing to grow with the release of their When the Small Birds Sweetly Sing CD in 2008. Recipients of Individual Artist Fellowship awards from the NH State Council on the Arts, Susie and David are also on the Council's Touring Arts roster. Between their solo and duo projects, they have released eight albums since 1990 on the Madrina Music label, to positive response from both critics and audiences. Together, they bring skill, taste, feeling, and pure enjoyment to their music, and are bringing their music to an ever-widening circle of listeners.

Kent Allyn is widely considered to be everyone’s favorite sideman by both audiences and performers. In addition to his work with Susie and David, his long list of recording and performing credits includes Ben Baldwin & the Big Note, Cosy Sheridan, Brooks Williams, and The Night Heron Consort, to name just a few. Kent is on the faculty of the Music School and also teaches at Berwick Academy in South Berwick, Maine.