Greater Milford Community Chorus presents “All the Town Be Merry!” Milford Memorial Hall Cultural Center, December 3-5, 2010

A Milford Community School Use Program

Sponsored by the Milford community use program and the Milford cultural council, which is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council

Greater Milford Community Chorus presents
“All the Town Be Merry!”

Milford Memorial Hall Cultural Center,
December 3-5, 2010

DON THATCHER RETIRES AS GMCC CHORUS DIRECTOR

by Gail Brown

Capacity crowds filled the Memorial Hall Cultural Center in Milford for all three performances of the GMCC Holiday Concert “All the Town Be Merry!”, held the first weekend in December 2010.

Don Thatcher, a Westborough resident, founded the chorus in the early 1970s, and has been the only director the chorus has had.

Former students and chorus members came to pay tribute to Don for his many years of dedication to music in the town of Milford. Thatcher received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Boston University. Early in his career, he taught music at the Clough and Memorial Schools in Mendon, and was the first Director of Music at the Nipmuc Regional High School. He came to Milford in the 1960s as Director of Music, a position he held for more than 25 years. It was during this time that he founded the Milford Community Chorus. The word Greater was added recently to indicate that one need not be a Milford resident to join.

Among the honors given to Don were: Len Morcone presented a plaque from the Milford Community Use Program; Mr. William Buckley, chairman of the Milford Board of Selectmen, presented a citation from the Town of Milford; State Representative John Fernandes spoke about Don's importance in improving the school's music department, and presented a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives; he also brought a citation from the Massachusetts Senate, obtained by Senator Richard Moore.

The GMCC presented Don with a surprise gift of music with the singing of “River Song”, one of Don’s favorite pieces, under the direction of chorus member Jeff Lovell, and accompanied by pianist Dan Zabinski. Linnea Silvia, president of the chorus, announced the creation of the “Don Thatcher Music Scholarship” which has been established at Milford High School, to be given to a student who will further his/her career in music studies after graduation. An open invitation to return each year to conduct the "Hallelujah Chorus" at the holiday concert was extended to Don at the closing of the program.

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