Twenty-three Minnesinger students from MVRHS will once again infuse the holiday season with joyous music. They will regale us with sonorous cheer at the Old Whaling Church on Dec. 13 and 14, a concert they have performed since 1992.
“I love the wintertime music,” says Abigail Chandler, choral director since 2018, who was a Minnesinger herself for three formative years, which helped spark her passion for music. “Every year, I have 30 pieces picked out that I have to whittle down to make it a reasonable concert. We’re doing some music from the 1500s. I also have some very old music arranged by modern composers. The Handbell Choir of the West Tisbury Congregational Church will accompany us on ‘This Endris Night,’ a traditional Christmas carol from the 1600s, arranged by Sarah Quartel, a young Canadian composer.” As per tradition, alumni will join the group onstage for ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’ to close the concert. “The other favorite part of mine is singing traditional carols with the audience,” Chandler says.
The Minnesingers’ history began in 1968, when high school choral director Tom Mills built a singular group with a tradition of excellence, service, and community pride. One of the students came up with the name. Minne, in German, refers to courtly love, and minnesingers traveled around Germany and Austria in the 16th and 17th centuries, similar to the troubadours in France. Robert Nute took over in 1970, and directed the group for 29 years. Under his direction, the Minnesingers began competing — and winning locally, and, like their namesake, started traveling to Europe to represent the Vineyard. This past April, they visited Austria, Germany, and France. In addition to performing and sightseeing, they sang with two local high school choirs.
It takes dedication to be a Minnesinger. In May, students try out in blind auditions, where a screen separates judges from the youth. Chandler explains, “We try to make it as fair and impartial as possible. It helps some kids not to have to stare at a panel of judges.”
Students have to perform a prepared work. “It’s a four-part choral piece, so they will sing the tenor part if they are a tenor. We are listening for the ability to stay on their part, the beauty of tone, and breathing technique. We do a quality of music that requires a high level of musicianship. If the student is brand-new to the group, they also perform a solo of their choice, something they are comfortable with. It can be a pop song, or musical theater.”
The Minnesingers rehearse once in June for the next academic year, then pick up again in August, with weekly rehearsals until the spring show. The choral rehearsals take place on Mondays, and starting in January, on Wednesdays the students rehearse the choreography with Ken Romero, who was also a Minnesinger. So, too, were his assistant Leandra Seward and accompanist Nancy Rogers. “We have a lot of alums who come back and lend their talents because, for all of us, I think it was a very pivotal part of our young adulthood,” Chandler says. While he was never an official Minnesinger, stage manager Jeff Caruthers has been with the group for more than two decades. “He is an indispensable member of the team as well,” affirms Chandler.
Ninety to 95 percent of singers return year after year. “One of the most important aspects of the group is that the older, more experienced singers help the brand-new kids,” Chandler notes. “The section leaders help the new ones by being friendly faces, letting them know where they are supposed to be and when, and helping them learn their parts.” Clearly, the group inspires dedication, as five additional students work with the Minnesingers on tech, costuming, management, and social media.
Chandler cherishes seeing the transformation in her students from individuals who sing into a cohesive choir, which is the best part of her job. That sense of belonging and purpose, and the realization that they are more than the sum of their parts, is the magic she hopes to instill in these young musicians: “Performing choral music is unique in human experience — breath unified, heartbeats synched, intention focused on the same goal; that is the reason we all come to rehearsal week after week.
“It’s learning to collaborate and communicate,” she adds. “To set aside egos and just work to produce something beautiful together. I tell them every year, human beings as a collective can do some pretty terrible things, but coming to rehearsal every week reminds me that human beings collectively can do really beautiful things — and they get to be part of making beauty in the world that didn’t exist.”
Performances at the Old Whaling Church are on Dec. 13 and 14. For tickets, visit vineyardtrust.org/events. For more information on the Minnesingers, visit mvrhsminnesingers.org.
