Submitted by Mary Sullivan, Northborough Area Community Chorus
Northborough – The Northborough Area Community Chorus (NACC), under the direction of Anthony J. Volpe of Westborough with accompanist David Rose of Shrewsbury, is in its 43rd season.
Volpe founded the NACC in 1972 with only a few singers. The chorus now has 60 members and has performed benefit concerts for the Northborough Historical Society, the Northborough Lions Club, the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, and the Marlborough Historical Society, as well as various local civic groups.
In 1974, the chorus participated in the Northborough Historical Society’s Revolutionary Bicentennial celebration and presented a concert entitled “America in Song” at Algonquin Regional High School. Two current chorus members, Mary Desautels and Ceil Dentrement, both of Northborough, were part of that show. The concert featured music from different historical periods narrated by local town dignitaries. The show was rewarded with a two-minute standing ovation and because of its success, recordings were produced as a memento of the event and made available to the public.
The NACC continues to present two concerts a year with its membership representing 18 local communities. Volpe, director of music in the Spencer, Northborough, Southborough and Medway schools for 40 years, has led the group since its founding. Some of the current chorus members were his former students.
The chorus performed its annual Christmas Concert Dec. 7 and will resume rehearsals in January in preparation for its spring concert “Ragtime to Rap” in May. That concert will include country music, a new venture for the group. In past years, the NACC has performed shows such as “A Night at the Opera,” “The ‘50s in Song,” “Salute to Disney,” and “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.”
The NACC is a nonprofit organization, providing scholarships to graduating high school seniors. In addition to its concert schedule, the chorus performs complimentary concerts to local retirement communities. The chorus is supported in part by grants from the Northborough, Westborough, Marlborough, Shrewsbury and Southborough cultural councils which are supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
New members are always welcome. For more information, call 508-393-8943 or 508-366-7307 or visit www.nacc.net.