With This Land: A Celebratory Performance Weaving History, Music & Poetry

As part of our celebration of the 250-year anniversary of the founding of The United States of America, we will offer a 3 PM concert in our historic meetinghouse.

The Newman Church congregation was founded in 1643 when our first minister, Rev. Samuel Newman, secured land from Chief Massasoit of the Pokanoket Tribal nation. Although the land was called Seekonk by the indigenous people, Samuel Newman called it Rehoboth, a Biblical term meaning open spaces or "God has made room for us." With this single act, both the church congregation and the town of Rehoboth were formed.

Our performance reflects upon the history of the land and its inhabitants. This concert, weaving music, poetry and prose, is a collaboration between the Newman Church Choir, Geoffrey Greene, Director, and the AUREA Ensemble, Consuelo Sherba, Artistic Director. It features music and words sacred to the Pokanoket tribe, with whom the Newman Church congregation has been in relationship since 2019. The concert also features the music of William Billings, Daniel Read, George Frideric Handel, Randall Thompson, and John Cage, with writings of Sylvanus Chace Newman, John Donne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Herman Melville, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The Newman Church Choir features Becky Bass, soprano, Barbara Youmans, alto, Neil Letendre, tenor, and Jonne Gomes, bass. AUREA: The Alchemy of Music & Words, is a performance ensemble engaged in a joyous pursuit to investigate and invigorate the harmony of music and the spoken word. The group includes Nigel Gore, spoken word, Chris Turner, spoken word & harmonica, Sarah Whitney, violin, Lauren Cless, violin, Consuelo Sherba, viola, and Emmanuel Feldman, cello.

A reception will follow the concert with an opportunity to meet the performers.