Summer Music Series
Every Sunday during the summer, Gilford Community Church features live music during Sunday Service. Pastor Michael Graham's sermons are inspirational and concise, which enables us to present services that delight, inspire and surprise people of all ages. Have you been to church lately? Join us at 10 am on Sundays or view our service on our livestream feed.
Performance Schedule and Brief Musician Biographies
Sunday, June 25 - Stacey Pate/Cindie Graham
Cindie Graham has been singing as far back as she can remember. She comes from a very musical family: her mother sings and plays piano & the organ, her father sang Tenor, her brothers are also musicians. Some of her favorite memories were getting together with her many cousins, Aunts & Uncles and harmonizing while her mother played the piano. Cindie loves singing for the Gilford Community Church with all the other talented musicians/singers we are blessed to call ours (especially Carolyn Ames & AJ Coppola!)
Stacey Pate was born and raised in Gilford and with a short 10-year hiatus in Atlanta, has spent most of her life here. She returned to Gilford in 1993 with her son Clayton and has stayed here ever since. She loved her time down south but was glad to come back to her family and her roots. She has been singing since joining chorus in the 5th grade and participated in every theatrical production available, (lead by Faith Rupert) in high school, and enjoys performing for the GCC congregation. She appreciates them not booing her off the stage . She picks her solos for the words instead of just the music and hopes that they speak to others also. She is very grateful to Carolyn who accompanies her and has guided her through the years here at GCC.
Sunday, July 2 - Nathan Shower
Nathan Shower has been performing around New England for almost 20 years. He is a member of the New Hampshire Philharmonic, Carter Mountain Brass band and the Winchendon Winds. With an interest in historical brass bands, he is also a member of the Yankee Brass Band and the 12th NH Regiment Serenade Band. As a freelance musician he has played in many small ensembles around the state. Nathan has worked as a website developer and has been building websites for over a decade, and has also worked as a transcriber, composer, and arranger of brass music. He lives in southern New Hampshire with his wife and 2 dogs.
Sunday, July 9 - Martha Harris Dolben
Martha Dolben is the daughter of Barbara and Pete Harris. She grew up in Gilford as a member of Gilford Community Church. Martha is an educator, poet, and co-founder of The Guesswork Partners Women’s Studio, Concord, MA. She is Chair of the African Food and Peace Foundation, partnering with innovative Ugandan leaders in their education and development work in rural Uganda. She extends her deep thanks to Gilford Community Church for its generous support of the URDT Girls School and African Rural University for Women in Kagadi, Uganda. She is very grateful for the chance to play the piano in this worship service.
Sunday, July 16 - Tamara McGonagle
Tamara McGonagle is a regular soloist and member of both the Chancel Choir and Belltones II here at the Gilford Community Church. In addition to a vocalist, Tamara has been actively involved on stage as an actress with area theatrical companies such as Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, Winni Players, Little Church Theatre and Square Peg Productions. She lives in Gilford with her husband Matt, with whom she sings with, in and out of church. She appreciates the diverse nature of the GCC community as well as its open and welcoming spirit.
Sunday, July 23 - Deborah Kennedy Coster
Deborah Kennedy Coster is a summer resident of Gilford and a longtime member of the Gilford Community Church. When in residence in Washington, DC during the winter months, she sings with the Thomas Circle Singers and with the choirs at her other parish, St. Columba's Episcopal Church.
Sunday, July 30 - Mary Kay Robinson
Internationally acclaimed flutist, Mary Kay Robinson has risen to national prominence as a versatile musician, balancing roles as soloist, orchestral and chamber musician, teacher, coach and executive leadership in the arts. She is a frequent guest artist and has toured with the Symphony Orchestras of Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Kansas City, Toledo, Cleveland, Boston, and a regular guest with Portland and Vermont, and Rhode Island Philharmonic.
She enjoys a diverse musical career made up of performing and recording, collaborations with composers, guiding aspiring musicians and a frequent soloist on all instruments in the flute family (piccolo, alto flute, penny whistle and panpipes). She has premiered hundreds of new works and is the winner of solo and chamber music competitions. As the former Chair of the National Flute Association’s Piccolo Committee and founder of the Greater Cleveland Flute Society, she has championed the commissioning of new solo and chamber works for Flute, Piccolo and Alto Flute, and has recorded extensively.
Ms. Robinson has served on the faculties of Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Ithaca College, the University of Akron and Franklin Pierce University, teaching Chamber Music, Flute, Piccolo and Artist as Entrepreneur. Her students include many competition winners and highly distinguished performers; leadership positions include the Bascom Little Fund, Boston Ballet, Music from Angel Fire, and ChamberFest Cleveland.
Sunday, August 6 - Paul Warnick
Paul Warnick, a longtime resident of Gilford, NH lives music seven days a week. While his weekends and many weeknights are filled with performance events, his weekdays have been dedicated to teaching the musicians of tomorrow. Warnick retired this past June from teaching after 33 years as an elementary and middle school music teacher. He is well-respected for his charismatic personality and practical approach to learning. Paul has performed as solo musician and with various bands and ensembles in many of New Hampshire’s premiere concert venues including Bank of NH Pavilion, The Colonial Theater, Palace Theater, Lakeport Opera House, Lebanon Opera House, Blue Ocean Music Hall and many others. Paul has shared the bill with many musical legends including Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Tom Jones, John Sebastian, Hall & Oates, Styx, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blues Traveler, The Little River Band and more. Paul will continue to perform and offer private instruction in his retirement.
Sunday, August 13 - Judy Buswell/Ginny Barunas
Judy Buswell grew up in Gilford and was a member of this church. Several millennia ago, she earned a BA in Music Education and an M-Ed degree which were put to good use during her working years in the arenas of public school education, arts administration, health education, public relations, juvenile justice, and community development. Over a period of more than 25 years, she directed church and community choirs in Laconia and Gilford. Many decades ago, while a college student in Utah, Judy was a member of the Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and more recently a member and vocal soloist with the NH Music Festival Chorus and the Pemigewasset Choral Society. She is now retired but still busy exploring the history of this Gilford Community Church, singing in this choir, playing in piano ensembles with Carolyn Ames, Jane Rollins, and May Stewart, and when possible, accompanying my daughter Tamara McGonagle.
Ginny Barunas grew up in the Boston area, and was fortunate that her family lived close and shared their love of music and theatre with her growing up. She started singing in choirs when she was 6 and played flute in groups by the age of 10. She studied voice and flute in school, privately, and later at the New England Conservatory of Music. Theatre was her second love. She ultimately chose a career in dental healthcare as a dental hygienist, health educator and public health practitioner, with a minor in music. She was one of the original organizers of the Dental Resource Center at the now Laconia Concord Hospital that provides care on a sliding fee basis for low income families and people with disabilities. She still works part-time as a clinical dental hygienist and is involved in singing and playing flute in community groups. Her biggest joy comes when she is with her grandchildren singing and dancing together.
Sunday, August 20 - Will Gunn/AJ Coppola
Will Gunn is a good friend and frequent contributor to GCC music program. He is Director of Music at Plymouth Regional High School and Director of the Pemi Choral Society, among others. Will was named 2023 NH Choral Director of the year by The American Choral Directors Association.
AJ Coppola has been a member of the Gilford Community Church since 1999 and has done vocal and instrumental solos for our services during his school years in the Gilford school system. AJ was a member of our church Chancel Choir for 5 years before being hired as our Choir Director in August of 2014. AJ graduated from Ithaca College in NY in 2009 with a degree in Music Education with a concentration in bassoon. He also plays the clarinet, flute, and trumpet.
AJ is now the K-8 music teacher at the Campton Elementary School in Campton, NH teaching band, chorus, and general music. AJ sings with the New Hampshire Master Chorale, Pemi Choral Society and has performed with the Educational Theater Collaborative. He serves on the boards of the New Hampshire Master Chorale and the New Hampshire Friendship Chorus.
Sunday, August 27 - Dan Perkins
Dan Perkins is Professor Emeritus at Plymouth State University, where he was professor of music and director of choral activities for 29 years and in 2007 was honored with the Stevens-Bristow Distinguished Professorship. Dr. Perkins is also music director of the Manchester Choral Society and has served as the principal guest conductor of the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet in Hanoi, New Hampshire Music Festival, guest conductor of the Dartmouth Concertato Singers, Dartmouth Handel Society, and as the music director of the Hanover Chamber Orchestra and New Hampshire Friendship Chorus. Perkins’ choirs have performed and studied in Canada, England, Peru, Chile, Vietnam, South Africa, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Austria, South Korea, Brazil, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, Bulgaria, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Ireland, Georgia, Armenia, Spain, Iceland, and throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.
A passionate advocate for new music, Perkins’ ensembles have premiered over 30 works by composers including Jonathan Santore, Oliver Caplan, Michael Bussewitz-Quarm, John Ratledge, and Kim Andre Arnesen.
He holds the degrees Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Choral Music from the University of Southern California, and Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Brigham Young University. He continued his studies as a Fulbright scholar in Helsinki, Finland. While there, he worked as the associate conductor of the Finnish Chamber Choir and associate conductor of the Savonlinna Opera Festival Chorus.
Cindie Graham has been singing as far back as she can remember. She comes from a very musical family: her mother sings and plays piano & the organ, her father sang Tenor, her brothers are also musicians. Some of her favorite memories were getting together with her many cousins, Aunts & Uncles and harmonizing while her mother played the piano. Cindie loves singing for the Gilford Community Church with all the other talented musicians/singers we are blessed to call ours (especially Carolyn Ames & AJ Coppola!)
Stacey Pate was born and raised in Gilford and with a short 10-year hiatus in Atlanta, has spent most of her life here. She returned to Gilford in 1993 with her son Clayton and has stayed here ever since. She loved her time down south but was glad to come back to her family and her roots. She has been singing since joining chorus in the 5th grade and participated in every theatrical production available, (lead by Faith Rupert) in high school, and enjoys performing for the GCC congregation. She appreciates them not booing her off the stage . She picks her solos for the words instead of just the music and hopes that they speak to others also. She is very grateful to Carolyn who accompanies her and has guided her through the years here at GCC.
Sunday, July 2 - Nathan Shower
Nathan Shower has been performing around New England for almost 20 years. He is a member of the New Hampshire Philharmonic, Carter Mountain Brass band and the Winchendon Winds. With an interest in historical brass bands, he is also a member of the Yankee Brass Band and the 12th NH Regiment Serenade Band. As a freelance musician he has played in many small ensembles around the state. Nathan has worked as a website developer and has been building websites for over a decade, and has also worked as a transcriber, composer, and arranger of brass music. He lives in southern New Hampshire with his wife and 2 dogs.
Sunday, July 9 - Martha Harris Dolben
Martha Dolben is the daughter of Barbara and Pete Harris. She grew up in Gilford as a member of Gilford Community Church. Martha is an educator, poet, and co-founder of The Guesswork Partners Women’s Studio, Concord, MA. She is Chair of the African Food and Peace Foundation, partnering with innovative Ugandan leaders in their education and development work in rural Uganda. She extends her deep thanks to Gilford Community Church for its generous support of the URDT Girls School and African Rural University for Women in Kagadi, Uganda. She is very grateful for the chance to play the piano in this worship service.
Sunday, July 16 - Tamara McGonagle
Tamara McGonagle is a regular soloist and member of both the Chancel Choir and Belltones II here at the Gilford Community Church. In addition to a vocalist, Tamara has been actively involved on stage as an actress with area theatrical companies such as Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, Winni Players, Little Church Theatre and Square Peg Productions. She lives in Gilford with her husband Matt, with whom she sings with, in and out of church. She appreciates the diverse nature of the GCC community as well as its open and welcoming spirit.
Sunday, July 23 - Deborah Kennedy Coster
Deborah Kennedy Coster is a summer resident of Gilford and a longtime member of the Gilford Community Church. When in residence in Washington, DC during the winter months, she sings with the Thomas Circle Singers and with the choirs at her other parish, St. Columba's Episcopal Church.
Sunday, July 30 - Mary Kay Robinson
Internationally acclaimed flutist, Mary Kay Robinson has risen to national prominence as a versatile musician, balancing roles as soloist, orchestral and chamber musician, teacher, coach and executive leadership in the arts. She is a frequent guest artist and has toured with the Symphony Orchestras of Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Kansas City, Toledo, Cleveland, Boston, and a regular guest with Portland and Vermont, and Rhode Island Philharmonic.
She enjoys a diverse musical career made up of performing and recording, collaborations with composers, guiding aspiring musicians and a frequent soloist on all instruments in the flute family (piccolo, alto flute, penny whistle and panpipes). She has premiered hundreds of new works and is the winner of solo and chamber music competitions. As the former Chair of the National Flute Association’s Piccolo Committee and founder of the Greater Cleveland Flute Society, she has championed the commissioning of new solo and chamber works for Flute, Piccolo and Alto Flute, and has recorded extensively.
Ms. Robinson has served on the faculties of Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Ithaca College, the University of Akron and Franklin Pierce University, teaching Chamber Music, Flute, Piccolo and Artist as Entrepreneur. Her students include many competition winners and highly distinguished performers; leadership positions include the Bascom Little Fund, Boston Ballet, Music from Angel Fire, and ChamberFest Cleveland.
Sunday, August 6 - Paul Warnick
Paul Warnick, a longtime resident of Gilford, NH lives music seven days a week. While his weekends and many weeknights are filled with performance events, his weekdays have been dedicated to teaching the musicians of tomorrow. Warnick retired this past June from teaching after 33 years as an elementary and middle school music teacher. He is well-respected for his charismatic personality and practical approach to learning. Paul has performed as solo musician and with various bands and ensembles in many of New Hampshire’s premiere concert venues including Bank of NH Pavilion, The Colonial Theater, Palace Theater, Lakeport Opera House, Lebanon Opera House, Blue Ocean Music Hall and many others. Paul has shared the bill with many musical legends including Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Tom Jones, John Sebastian, Hall & Oates, Styx, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blues Traveler, The Little River Band and more. Paul will continue to perform and offer private instruction in his retirement.
Sunday, August 13 - Judy Buswell/Ginny Barunas
Judy Buswell grew up in Gilford and was a member of this church. Several millennia ago, she earned a BA in Music Education and an M-Ed degree which were put to good use during her working years in the arenas of public school education, arts administration, health education, public relations, juvenile justice, and community development. Over a period of more than 25 years, she directed church and community choirs in Laconia and Gilford. Many decades ago, while a college student in Utah, Judy was a member of the Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and more recently a member and vocal soloist with the NH Music Festival Chorus and the Pemigewasset Choral Society. She is now retired but still busy exploring the history of this Gilford Community Church, singing in this choir, playing in piano ensembles with Carolyn Ames, Jane Rollins, and May Stewart, and when possible, accompanying my daughter Tamara McGonagle.
Ginny Barunas grew up in the Boston area, and was fortunate that her family lived close and shared their love of music and theatre with her growing up. She started singing in choirs when she was 6 and played flute in groups by the age of 10. She studied voice and flute in school, privately, and later at the New England Conservatory of Music. Theatre was her second love. She ultimately chose a career in dental healthcare as a dental hygienist, health educator and public health practitioner, with a minor in music. She was one of the original organizers of the Dental Resource Center at the now Laconia Concord Hospital that provides care on a sliding fee basis for low income families and people with disabilities. She still works part-time as a clinical dental hygienist and is involved in singing and playing flute in community groups. Her biggest joy comes when she is with her grandchildren singing and dancing together.
Sunday, August 20 - Will Gunn/AJ Coppola
Will Gunn is a good friend and frequent contributor to GCC music program. He is Director of Music at Plymouth Regional High School and Director of the Pemi Choral Society, among others. Will was named 2023 NH Choral Director of the year by The American Choral Directors Association.
AJ Coppola has been a member of the Gilford Community Church since 1999 and has done vocal and instrumental solos for our services during his school years in the Gilford school system. AJ was a member of our church Chancel Choir for 5 years before being hired as our Choir Director in August of 2014. AJ graduated from Ithaca College in NY in 2009 with a degree in Music Education with a concentration in bassoon. He also plays the clarinet, flute, and trumpet.
AJ is now the K-8 music teacher at the Campton Elementary School in Campton, NH teaching band, chorus, and general music. AJ sings with the New Hampshire Master Chorale, Pemi Choral Society and has performed with the Educational Theater Collaborative. He serves on the boards of the New Hampshire Master Chorale and the New Hampshire Friendship Chorus.
Sunday, August 27 - Dan Perkins
Dan Perkins is Professor Emeritus at Plymouth State University, where he was professor of music and director of choral activities for 29 years and in 2007 was honored with the Stevens-Bristow Distinguished Professorship. Dr. Perkins is also music director of the Manchester Choral Society and has served as the principal guest conductor of the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet in Hanoi, New Hampshire Music Festival, guest conductor of the Dartmouth Concertato Singers, Dartmouth Handel Society, and as the music director of the Hanover Chamber Orchestra and New Hampshire Friendship Chorus. Perkins’ choirs have performed and studied in Canada, England, Peru, Chile, Vietnam, South Africa, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Austria, South Korea, Brazil, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, Bulgaria, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Ireland, Georgia, Armenia, Spain, Iceland, and throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.
A passionate advocate for new music, Perkins’ ensembles have premiered over 30 works by composers including Jonathan Santore, Oliver Caplan, Michael Bussewitz-Quarm, John Ratledge, and Kim Andre Arnesen.
He holds the degrees Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Choral Music from the University of Southern California, and Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Brigham Young University. He continued his studies as a Fulbright scholar in Helsinki, Finland. While there, he worked as the associate conductor of the Finnish Chamber Choir and associate conductor of the Savonlinna Opera Festival Chorus.
