Westford Minutemen and Westford Museum Presenting Patriots’ Day Concert

The following was submitted by Stephen Loikith. To submit your own content, e-mail 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.

            Westford played a significant role in the events of April 19^th, 1775.  Our very own Col. John Robinson was at the front of the colonial resistance at Concord’s North Bridge, while over 130 of his townsmen made the march in support of the patriot cause.  To honor the town’s involvement on that day and throughout the war for independence, 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 the 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 tickets or 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.