The Windham Chamber Singers performed for its home community on Saturday, April 5, at North Windham Union Church, ahead of a spring tour across Maine and Quebec.

The Windham Chamber Singers in its current form was founded by Richard Nickerson. They first caught the attention of the wider world in 1996, when the group won the Prize of Vienna at the 25th International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna. Since then, they have performed on national television programs such as the Today Show, in renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, and even for political figures such as Gov. Janet Mills and, in the wake of their victory in Vienna, President Bill Clinton’s White House. The group’s flagship show, the American Family Holiday concert, is held every December, and has featured performers such as Jodi Benson and Noel Paul Stookey, the latter of Peter, Paul and Mary.

Nickerson said the spring tour normally takes place every year, but was canceled in 2024 due to a major snowstorm. In addition to the main performances, which will include one night each in Lewiston and Skowhegan, and two nights in Quebec City, the choir will hold private performances for local schools. On some days, Nickerson said, they will give up to three or four performances a day.

The two-hour concert saw the students performing over 500 years worth of music, ranging from traditional Elizabethan hymns to the 2015 stage musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” The concert also included two student-led compositions, with the girls performing a mashup of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” while the boys performed Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”

Saturday’s concert, the first time the Chamber Singers had performed in North Windham Unified Church since 2019, was also a celebration of the importance of the choir to the Windham community. Nickerson, who was the minister of music at the church for several years, noted that 10 students performing that night were second generation Chamber Singers, including one whose mother was part of the acclaimed performers in Vienna.

For a performance of Dougie MacLean’s “Caledonia,” which Nickerson dubbed as the anthem of the Chamber Singers, several alumni came up to join the choir, and Nickerson announced that a full reunion performance would be held in June of 2026.

“Even though it’s been a year,” said Ralph Leavitt, a Chamber Singers alum who graduated last year, “it feels nice (to be back).”

Rose Underkofler, an elementary school orchestra teacher at RSU 14 (Windham and Raymond), who has done five tours with the Chamber Singers, said that she was proud of the students, many of whom she had taught when they were younger. Also accompanying the students will be pianist Darrell Morrow, former choir director at Gorham High School, who has been performing with the Chamber Singers for 16 years. Meanwhile, Bella Bragdon, a senior at Windham High School and Nickerson’s assistant conductor, told Lakes Region Now that she was most excited to see new places and make lasting memories with the group.

“It’s so great to see these kids take responsibility over their craft, not just in this state, but also internationally,” said Underkofler.

When asked about how the tour would be affected by the current state of U.S.-Canada relations, Nickerson, a Canadian himself, said that he wasn’t worried because he knew the country and people well. The job of the Windham Chamber Singers, he said, was to be the best ambassador for their school, their community, their state, and in this case, their country. While Nickerson has prepped the students about the negative feelings that Canadians may have toward Americans right now, he said that he looks at every experience as an adventure in learning.

“If we were to get a negative reaction because of the current political situation,” he said, “I look at that as a learning situation.”

The tour begins Wednesday, April 9, at the Frankel Center in Lewiston. On Thursday, April 10, the Chamber Singers will  perform at the Federated Church in Skowhegan. On Friday, April 11, they will cross into Canada, performing at Laval University in Quebec City for a joint concert with the college’s choir. On Saturday, April 12, they will perform at Quebec City’s cathedral.