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The choristers, from across the Greater Boston area, will hold their annual Christmas Concert Sunday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. at Regis College Fine Arts Center in Weston.
Saengerfest owes its roots to a German cultural pastime as a singer’s festival, and was brought to the area by a group of Harvard Medical School doctors who enjoyed singing in glee clubs. In the early 1900s, they started a men’s singing group, and the modern Saengerfest group, established in 1991, is a continuation of that movement.
“Even now, we address each other as ‘doctor’, if we can’t remember someone’s name in the group,” says Alexander.
“We do have a few doctors in the group, but even if they aren’t, it’s a tradition that has carried on from the early days.”
Saengerfest has traveled around the world for concert performances, including venues across New England, Canada, Portugal and other European countries.
They make an annual trip to Royal Albert Hall in London, where they have appeared six times in the famous 1000-voice London Welsh Festival of Male Choirs. They sing in the Welsh tradition, which means they sing an eclectic mix of music meant for everyone’s enjoyment and participation.
According to Travers, who serves as music committee chair and sings bass, it’s a style that is a bit unfamiliar for Americans.
“It’s not really high-brow music, but it’s a style that is common in Europe, where everybody sings,” he said. “They have a knowledge and judgment of the music that is different than we have.”
He is one of the original members of the group, and also is part of the Yale Alumni Chorus that performs around the world. In addition, he is part of a sub-group of Saengerfest, called “Sound Investment,” a 13-man “very large octet,” that sings a cappella in the style of the old glee clubs.
“It’s a lot of choral music, but it’s better than psychotherapy or alcohol,” he jokes.
He likens the experience of singing in a group to a unique way of communicating. He finds it builds relationships that could help solve world conflicts.
“There’s something that happens, that can’t be explained,” he said. “We call it the power of song.”
Most of Saengerfest’s concerts benefit charity. All the men are volunteers, many retired, and share a love of music. They practice on Monday nights in a church in Weston. The group sings a traditional but wide-ranging repertoire including folk, love songs, spirituals, classical and show tunes. Of course, the December concert will be packed with holiday favorites.
Alexander has been with the group for about 10 years, and sings baritone. He said that the group holds auditions for new members, but back when he joined, that wasn’t the case.
“Fortunately, I didn’t have to audition,” he said. “I never would have made it!”
He traces his musical prowess back to his days at Milton High School in the 1950s, where he was part of a popular five-piece band called the Swing Kings. He played the horn, and the ensemble often was booked outside of school for social events in the area. A discovery of an old clipping from the Milton Transcript brought back memories of the group’s success. A photo of the Swing Kings adorns the front page of the paper’s April 7, 1950, issue.
Today, Alexander is busy volunteering his time to charities.
He and his wife, Mary Jane, have been generous supporters of Milton Hospital, where he has just wrapped up chairing the Generations Campaign.
Richardson is also one of the original members of the group, and had the pleasure of singing with Saengerfest at Carnegie Hall this past September.
“The opportunity to tell my grandchildren that I sang at Carnegie Hall is pretty special,” said Richardson.
He has been able to attend all six of the group’s trips to sing in Royal Albert Hall in London, as well.
“Singing helps to keep the mind and body healthy, they say, and I enjoy it,” he said.
Saengerfest has put out CDs, and has five or six local concerts a year. The group has an interactive website, where you can hear a sample of music.
Another former Milton resident, the late Henry Savage, was an original member of the group. His wife, Carolyn, still actively supports the efforts of Saengerfest.
“There’s a value of harmony, that is almost healing,” said Travers. “There’s a connection in live music, to communicate with each other by song. It’s harmony that we are preaching. That’s the way we always end our evenings together, by saying, ‘To harmony.’ I wish there were more of it in the world,” he said.
To learn more about Saengerfest, visit www.saengerfest.org.