Music on the Hill is a community of amateur and professional musicians committed to artistic excellence.

Under the dynamic leadership of artistic directors Ellen E. Dickinson and David H. Connell, our performing ensembles gather together make beautiful, joyous music, with repertoire spanning from modern to classical and baroque.

Music on the Hill provides focused opportunities for choral musicians and vocalists, handbell ringers and instrumentalists to participate in performances, workshops, festivals, and social events with fellow music-lovers.

Music on the Hill is founded on the idea of a fresh approach to music in the community, an efficient but relaxed rehearsal process, and musical offerings that enrich, inspire and uplift both performers and audience.

 Music on the Hill offers short-term, focused opportunities, an artistic approach that combines relaxed rehearsals with high musical standards, and a welcoming musical community. Our ensembles meet on a short-term basis, allowing musicians to commit to a four to six week rehearsal and concert cycle. This keeps the music fresh, and it is an inclusive model, allowing those with busy schedules, those who participate in other ensembles, and those who are interested in a particular musical program, to participate.

Our five ensembles perform several concerts each year. Music on the Hill is committed to diversity in its music programming, music education programs, and library collections. Music on the Hill strives to be inclusive and welcoming to all people of diverse backgrounds, as well as to perform a broad repertoire of old and new music, including by women and people of color, striving to learn and present fulfilling and engaging programming to both musicians and listeners.

We are supported by an active and diverse Board of Directors.

Join us and discover what makes our vibrant and joyful musical community so unique!

Our Vision

A culture of high-quality music performance and education, embraced by adults and children, with a continuum of ways to engage with music.

Our Mission

To encourage music performance and music education for all ages.

To foster the artistic growth of participants and strive for excellence.

To inspire and enrich the community with high-caliber musical offerings.

Email

info@musiconthehillct.org

Physical Address

9B Brookside Road

Redding, CT 06896

Mailing Address

P.O. Box 510

Georgetown, CT 06829

Phone

(203) 414-9037

Music on the Hill gratefully acknowledges our corporate and foundation sponsors:

Apple Hill Fund | The Danish American Club of Greenwich

Music on the Hill is a proud member of:

Please sign up for our email list to stay informed about news, events, and workshops from Music on the Hill!

Our Ensembles

Music on the Hill's ensembles meet on a project basis, allowing musicians to commit to a four to six week cycle of rehearsals at a time.

Summer Chorus

Each July, singers from across the region assemble for our Summer Chorus to perform a major choral work.

Summer Chorus is our largest ensemble and is open to all without audition.

If you've thought about joining us, Summer Chorus is a great time to start.

Festival Chorus

Festival Chorus is a 40-voice chorus for experienced singers, and is open to all without audition.

Festival Chorus has performed major choral works, as well as themed concerts, all rooted in a love of singing.

The artistically enriching and challenging repertoire is enjoyed by new and experienced singers alike.

Chamber Chorus

Chamber Chorus is a 16-voice professional vocal ensemble with a varied repertoire spanning the centuries.

Each year at their fall and spring concerts, their versatility of style delights and transports audiences.

To audition, please email info@musiconthehillct.org.

Join Us!

To find out when rehearsal cycles for Summer Chorus & Festival Chorus begin, please sign up for our emails!

Information about Community Children’s Chorus can be found here.

To request an audition for Chamber Chorus or Jubilate Ringers,

please email info@musiconthehillct.org.

Events

Illuminare

Festival Chorus with String Quintet

Sunday, March 30 at 3:00 p.m.

48 New Canaan Road, Wilton, CT (Wilton Presbyterian Church)

Embrace joy and light! 

Music on the Hill invites you to Illuminare, featuring the Festival Chorus and string quintet. 

This concert features Illuminare by Elaine Hagenberg. Of this piece, the composer's first extended work for chorus, she writes, “The piece takes us through a season of beauty and goodness that has been disrupted by darkness and confusion. But as Light gradually returns, hope is restored, illuminating our future and guiding us in peace." The five movements of the piece traverse this narrative arc with beauty, drama, and soaring melodies. 

Also on the program is Toward the Unknown Region by Ralph Vaughan Williams. This magnificent setting of Walt Whitman's poem established Vaughan Williams's reputation as one of the leading composers of the twentieth century. The idea of a spiritual journey - the passage of the soul from darkness to light, “Toward the Unknown Region" - is central to the text and fully reflected in the music.

Completing the program is Forgotten Faces: A Triptych of American Poets by Connecticut composer Len Handler. From the composer: “The connective tissue for all three of the texts is the passage of time...love will span the course of time and remain long after all earthly things are gone."

Tickets: $25 in advance/$30 at the door. Children/students free.

Springtime Celebration

Handbell Ensembles with Flute, Double Bass, & Percussion

Friday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m.

210 Rowayton Avenue, Norwalk, CT

(United Church of Rowayton - Livingston Hall)

Enjoy a delightful variety of joyful melodies, including original compositions for handbells and arrangements of traditional tunes and instrumental music. Highlights include Sharon Rogers’ arrangement of Scott Joplin’s Peacherine Rag, with a variety of handbell techniques, and with percussion; The Rowan Tree, arranged for handbells and flute by Kathleen Wissinger; and Martha Lynn Thompson’s arrangement of Leroy Anderson’s The Syncopated Clock, with percussion.

Join us for this fabulous program, full of joyful bell sounds and other musical instruments!

Tickets: $25 in advance/$30 at the door. Children/students free.

The Merry Month of May

Festival Chorus Concert

Friday, May 30

Experienced adult and teen singers are invited to join the Festival Chorus for

The Merry Month of May, a celebration of madrigals!

Rehearsals:
Tuesdays, May 6, 13, 20, & 27, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
at Music on the Hill, 9B Brookside Road, Georgetown, Connecticut

Concert:
Friday, May 30

Yoga for Everyone with Music on the Hill

Strength and Stretch Class:

An all-levels, accessible yoga class! A typical class includes:

• Breathing, balance, and gentle full body exercises

• Sun salutation-inspired sequence with a chair

• Standing poses using a chair for balance

• Strength exercises and stretching 

Mondays and Thursdays, 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Zoom

$20 suggested for drop-in, $100 suggested for six classes

For more information, email: rachel@musiconthehillCT.org

To register, please fill out the form below:

Our Artistic Directors

Ellen Dickinson

Ellen Dickinson has been the founding director of nine different ensembles, including the Jubilate Ringers (2006) and the Summer Chorus (2003), both now a part of Music on the Hill. She was Director of Music at Norfield Congregational Church in Weston for 11 years. An active carillon recitalist and teacher, Ms. Dickinson is College Carillonneur at Trinity College in Hartford and director of the carillon program at Yale University.

Ms. Dickinson holds a B.A. in music from Yale College and the Master of Music in Organ Performance from the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music.

David H. Connell

David H. Connell is Director of Music & Worship Arts at Norfield Congregational Church in Weston, and directs the Choral Music program at the North Carolina Governor’s School West in Winston-Salem. Throughout the 1990s he taught at the Yale School of Music and directed the Yale Glee Club, touring across America and around the world. He was the founding director of the Yale Alumni Chorus, and led that group in tours of China, Russia, and Great Britain.

Dr. Connell holds the D.M.A. from Yale, having earned his B.Mus. at the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts..