Peconic Bay Masterworks Choir 2010 Season Ends with a Standing Ovation

The gave their last performance of the season at in Greenport Monday night. The choir signed off with the "Hallelujah Chorus" and brought down the house as the audience rose to their feet to give them a standing ovation.

"This has been a marathon," said choir director Ronald W. Wickey of his troupe's five concert series of sacred Christmas music, now in its eighth season. "We started last Wednesday and have been performing since then."

The choir sang at the to sold-out crowds on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, before ending the season with a free concert at Peconic Landing.

The 60-member choir is composed primarily of North Fork residents. Some are strictly amateurs while others have professional experience. Members of the orchestra who are paid to accompany the choir travel from western Suffolk and Nassau County to perform. The group meets once a week each Wednesday for practice sessions beginning in September.

"It is amazing what these people produce in eleven weeks," Wickey said. "Without them and their talent I would just be waiving a stick in the air."

Wickey moved to the North Fork leaving Northport behind eight years ago when he thought he was going to retire. He moved into a home at Peconic Landing with his wife and began to look around for something to do.

"I was getting bored. I didn't want to sit around and do nothing," Wickey said, "I decided to go back to work."

He took out an ad in the local paper seeking singers for a choir he planned on forming. The response was encouraging, and the choir soon came to life.

"We get more members every year," Wickey said.

Wickey, also known as the Rev. Wickey, is an associate priest at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Westhampton Beach. He has a longstanding love of sacred Christmas music.

"It's very inspiring. Most of the choirs sing more mainstream commercial Christmas carols at this time of year. That's not what I wanted to do," said Wickey, who along with several members of the choir taught music in the public school system before retiring.

The choir is always ready to welcome new members. Applicants must be able to match pitch and have some experience singing in a choir to be considered for try outs. Auditions are conducted in groups rather than in one on one try outs. Everyone has a day job.

"These people were all at work a few hours ago before they came here to perform tonight," Wickey noted at Monday evening's 8 p.m. performance.

The choir counts two nuclear physicists, some doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, retired school teachers and three pastors among its members. Organist Jason Cockerill is a pre-med student at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He was unable to play in the Monday night concert since there is no organ at the Community Center at Peconic Landing, but he was on hand at Mattituck Presbyterian at a performance earlier in the series.

The choir was accompanied by pianist Karen Haley on Monday night. Tenor Thomas Hemmick sang a solo much to the audience's delight. Corrine Donopria, 80, said she loves singing in the choir and is always trying to recruit new members.

"If you can read, you can sing," she said.

Nancy Baxter-Townsend of East Marion is known for her singing voice was in the orchestra section playing the cello along with Cutchogue resident Parnell Wickham. Michael Kendrot, director of music for the Westhampton School District, played the obo in an impressive solo performance.

Kathleen Travers, a real estate agent from Southold who works at sang with the choir for the first time this year.

"I love it," Travers said. "These people can really sing."