The Original Congregational Church in the center of Wrentham has experienced many exciting events since its founding in 1692. As part of the planning for the church’s 325th anniversary celebration in 2017, a new concert series—OCC Music--was started in 2014.
A distinctive feature of these concerts is their variety. Most venues in the area are coffeehouses featuring acoustic folk music. As the organizer and promoter of OCC Music, I enjoy many different types of music. For our concerts I try to select performers that I think our audiences will enjoy. The concerts in our first two seasons of operations have included folk music, gospel, barbershop choruses and quartets, Irish/Celtic, bluegrass, country, R&B soul, country, Cajun, and more, some of which I’ve never seen at other area venues. Information about the performances in our first two seasons can be seen on our website: www.musicatocc.org.
The purpose of the concerts is to provide entertainment that might not be otherwise available, and to promote the church and its members as a welcoming, active, innovative, fun place in the community. The concert series has pretty much broken even, which is fine since our main objective was never to make lots of money. However, we would like to make enough money to upgrade our sound and lighting systems to provide a more professional venue for the performers and the audience.
Response from the public has been enthusiastic. The two annual church concerts followed by a potluck supper attracted almost 200 people. Other concerts have attracted between 40 and 150 people. Tribute concerts (like Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline) have been very popular, with the largest audiences. Since the main sanctuary of the church seats about 350 and the Fellowship Hall (where most concerts are held) seats about 150, there is room to grow.
The guiding principles of the concert series and the keys to its success include: (1) providing quality musical entertainment that people will enjoy; (2) providing a mix of performers not often seen in coffeehouses and other venues in the area; (3) supporting local musicians; (4) keeping expenses to a minimum; (5) involving as many volunteers as possible; and (6) working hard to grow the audience.
Volunteers are hard to find, but for a non-profit operation like this they are essential. People are needed to help select and book performers, arrange scheduling, promote and publicize, manage the shows, help with sound, lighting, videotaping and ticket selling, and provide and serve refreshments. Contact us if you want to get involved.
The concert season runs from September through May, with no concerts scheduled for June, July and August. The four remaining concerts for this season are:
• Friday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m., Boogaloo Swamis, Cajun and Zydeco music
• Friday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m., Jimmy Mazz, Las Vegas Legends, a musical journey by a master showman through songs of favorite artists, including Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and many others
• Saturday, May 7 at 5 p.m., Church Spring Concert & Potluck Supper
• Friday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m., Boston’s Erin Og performing all kinds of Irish folk music, from rousing rebel and drinking songs, jigs and reels, to soulful folk ballads
The Church Spring Concert on May 7 is free, but guests are encouraged to provide a potluck dish for the supper afterward. The other concerts are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets are available online at www.musicatocc.org, at the church office (Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.), and at the door. For more information, email [email protected] or call 508-384-8084.
Issue Date:
April, 2016
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