Patriots’ Day Concert Coming To Westford Museum

The following was submitted by the Westford Museum. To submit your own content, e-mail the editor at asylvia@westfordcat.org

The Westford Museum and Historical Society, in collaboration with the Westford Colonial Minutemen, will present a concert on April 17^th as a part of our Patriots’ Day celebration.

With respect to April 19^th, 1775, Westford has a lot to be proud of. Our very own Col. John Robinson was among the first fighters to respond at Concord’s North Bridge that day. To honor the town’s involvement in that battle and the war for independence as a whole, Stephen Loikith, music historian and volunteer at the Westford Museum, will direct a concert which will feature music related to the war written by composers who lived during the time of the war from both sides of the battlefield. Representing music from the side of the colonists is Boston-based composer and Patriot named William Billings and Francis Hopkinson, a prominent keyboardist and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. From the British side, you will get to hear patriotic music by two of England’s most prominent composers during the time of the war: George Frederick Handel and William Boyce.

Please join us to hear the story of the battle for our independence through music from that time performed by members of the Westford community. The chorus will be comprised of Westford and Boston-based musicians, featuring members of the Westford Chorus. The soloist is Shyala Jayasinghe, a student at Algonquin Senior High School. The instrumentalists accompanying the singers are David Ogulnick on baroque cello and Thomas Bowers on harpsichord.

The concert will be held on Friday April 17^th at 7pm in the Westford Museum. Admission is $15 for non-members/$10 for members/$5 for teens (ages 13-18)/free for children (age 12 and under). For more information, please visit www.westford.com/museum

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Westford Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.