FREEPORT – After 15 years and roughly a thousand student singers later, the Freeport-based Wescustago Youth Chorale continues its mission to provide a community based, non-sectarian youth choir dedicated to musical excellence and the promotion of mutual respect.
Founded by Ann Dillon of North Yarmouth in 1998, the chorale has shared the stage with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, sang at the Harlem School of the Arts in New York City, and performed the National Anthem at Fenway Park in Boston.
The longevity of the group is a testament to Dillon’s spirit of inclusiveness that she set out to nurture, said Wescustago manager Leigh Palmer of Yarmouth.
“She wanted to create a positive peer environment,” said Palmer. “It’s about inclusion and creating confidence in the kids.”
Palmer was a “founding” parent, as her then-15-year-old daughter Libby was one of the original 24 singers of Wescustago. At the time, the auditioned group included students in the sixth to 12th grades. Now, the chorale has grown into three groups: the Harraseekett Singers conducted by Falmouth music teacher Renovia Marro for grades 3-5; the three-part-treble choir Kennebec Singers conducted by Lise Dunn, a teacher at Mast Cove School in Freeport; and the Wescustago Singers, who perform under the guidance of Yale graduate Amanda Mahaffey of Portland.
The Wescustago group as a whole is made up of students from a number of Maine towns, said Palmer. The kids typically come pre-screened and recommended by a music teacher, though the audition process is open to anyone. With the myriad extracurricular options available to teenagers now, the group does experience some attrition, but the majority of members are motivated to stay.
“We have kids from Bath, Portland, Freeport, Yarmouth and beyond,” said Palmer. “It really creates a bond across many communities. The dedication and passion is amazing.”
For Palmer’s 15-year-old son Ben, joining the choral group has made him new friends and provides an outlet for his love of singing.
“It’s really cool and we sound great,” he said. “I look forward to it every week.”
Musical selections are up to the discretion of the conductor, and range from traditional Christmas carols for the winter program to contemporary songs by the likes of Billy Joel for the spring program.
To create a sense of musical and personal harmony, the older students of Wescustago have the option of attending a retreat in the fall.
“It’s such a huge bonding experience,” said Leigh Palmer. “They get a jump on the repertoire and experience this wonderful feeling of closeness.”
Her son agrees, and said he felt accepted from the beginning even though he was younger than many of the other attendees.
A 501 (c) nonprofit, the Wescustago management does charge members a modest tuition to perform with the group, and also hold an annual Spaghetti Supper Serenade. This year’s event is Saturday at the Freeport Community Center.
“It’s a great time and the kids really get into it,” said Leigh Palmer. “I just want to make sure everyone knows the parents do the cooking.”
The group rehearses every Monday night at the Mast Landing School. The Wescustago singers typically perform twice a year, guest appearances aside, and are a popular draw during the holidays.
The group has roughly 80 singers at the moment and will be performing the National Anthem on March 10 at the Portland Expo before a Maine Red Claws basketball game. In December, the Kennebec and Wescustago Singers performed with world-renowned fiddle master Natalie McMaster at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium.
For both Ben Palmer and his mother, it was yet another highlight of being involved in the chorale.
“The performance was so inspiring,” said Leigh Palmer. “It’s a testament and dedication of the kids. They were ready for a bigger stage.”
Wescustago Youth Chorale manager Leigh Palmer with her son Ben in their Yarmouth home. Choir members’ “dedication and passion is amazing,” she says. All the members of the organization are shown in the photo boards.
Comments are no longer available on this story