By Theron Larkins
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — The Caribou Choral Society presented its 38th annual Christmas concert, appropriately dubbed, “When Christmas Comes to Town.” The Choral Society performed on Dec. 7 at St. Thomas Church in Madawaska, then on Dec. 12 at St. Mary’s Church in Presque Isle, and finally again on Dec. 13 at the Holy Rosary Church in Caribou.
Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins
Members of the Caribou Choral Society gathered at the Holy Rosary Church on Dec. 13 for their 38th annual Christmas concert “When Christmas Comes to Town.” Members of the chorus came all the way from Houlton to Madawaska to sing holiday songs for all those in attendance, and spread some holiday cheer all the way from Caribou to Madawaska, where they performed the first presentation of their concert on Dec. 6. The Choral Society also performed at St. Mary’s Church in Presque Isle on Dec. 12. The concert was directed and conducted by Dan Ladner.
The Caribou concert at the Holy Rosary Church saw a packed crowd filling the church nearly to its capacity, as concert director and conductor of the Caribou Choral Society, Dan Ladner, led his harmonious group throughout an ensemble of classic Christmas tunes, such as “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Silent Night” and “Let it Snow.”
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins The Caribou Choral Society gathered at the Holy Rosary Church on Dec. 13 for their 38th annual Christmas concert. The group also performed in Madawaska on Dec. 6., and again in Presque Isle on Dec. 12. The three-night concert was directed by Dan Ladner, who is pictured here conducting the Caribou Choral Society group. |
Ladner’s chorus is made up of singers from Madawaska all the way down to Houlton, with many members spread out across Aroostook County, and even into New Brunswick. This made for a lot of traveling by everyone involved, and also explains the reason for having three separate concerts, in three different towns.
For Ladner, this is nothing new. He has been directing the Caribou-based chorus for nearly four decades, since its very first concert in 1976, when the chorus started out as a bicentennial chorus in Caribou. Now, with 30-plus years under his belt, Ladner is still enjoying every minute of it, whether conducting the spring and fall rehearsals or an annual Christmas concert.
“I’m going to do it as long as I can physically do it. I just get so much pleasure out of it,” he said, reflecting on the many years of concerts and rehearsals.
“That first Christmas when the choral group held its concert, there was a snowstorm, and members were pretty sure there were more people in the chorus than in the audience,” said Ladner with a chuckle. “Those were our humble beginnings.”
As for the weather this year, it wasn’t too far off from that very first Christmas concert, as the town was just getting over a heavy storm from the night before, but there was no concern this year about attendance. Despite the choral society’s large numbers, there was no doubt that a lot more people were in the seats than on the stage this year.
Over the years, the Caribou Choral Society has hit many highlights. It has sung with the Houlton Community Chorus, performed at a cathedral in Edmundston, New Brunswick, and several other spots in New Brunswick and the St. John Valley, and also took part in the grand opening of the Caribou Performing Arts Center, in the 1980s. The chorus even sang in Bangor on the invitation of a Catholic priest who formerly served in Presque Isle.
“We have a good time,” he said. “It’s like a big family when we get together for rehearsals.”
It’s that feeling of family and the close-knit bond between the chorus’ members that brightly shines through when the group takes to the stage, no matter what the venue, and no matter what type of concert they’re holding.
