Quoddy Voices
Photo by Robin Farrin of Coastal Maine Photography
Music Director
Gene Nichols is shown enjoying music with cronies via Zoom.
Well known local ‘Music Man’ Gene Nichols has been a musical fixture in the region since moving to Maine in the 1980s. He began directing Quoddy Voices in the fall of 2023. A graduate of SUNY Potsdam and Northern Illinois University, Nichols was Professor of Music at the University of Maine at Machias for 35.5 years. A multi-instrumentalist, he worked as a baritone horn player, truck driver and bandleader/Music Director for the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus, and has performed with the Syracuse, Bangor and Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony Orchestras. He led the UMaine Machias Chorale for many years, as well as performing with a wide variety of musical groups, including improv ensemble Les Trois Etoiles, the UMM Ukulele Club, and the Orange River Jazz Band. Most recently, he wrote and directed the 2023 Machias Wild Blueberry Festival Musical, The Record of Washington County.
Accompanist
Jane Lanctot, photo by Jude Kempe.
Our accompanist is Jane Lanctot, a resident of Lubec. She has a varied musical performance background, including studying and teaching classical Cambodian music all over the United States. She was the executive producer for two CDs of Cambodian music, one of which won the Best World Music CD of 2003. In the past few years she has focused on modern piano and fortepiano. She holds degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics, and is currently working on the design and testing of wooden automata. Her radio show Round the World with Cracklin’ Jane (produced for local station WSHD-LP in Eastport) is syndicated in the US, Canada, and the UK, and features radio plays punctuated by 78-RPM recordings.
Founding Director
John Newell, our founding director, completed his formal musical training at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he studied with Morton Feldman. While in Buffalo he held the first Edgard Varese Fellowship in composition, earning his Ph.D. in 1979. John has broad experience as a choral conductor in leading school and community groups. He has composed a wide variety of works for chorus, chamber ensembles and orchestra and has received commissions from a number of professional and amateur organizations. More information about his music may be found at johnnewellmusic.com. Also an accomplished pianist, John teaches privately and is on the faculty of SummerKeys, an adult music program in Lubec. He and his wife Linda Courtney now divide their time between Downeast Maine and the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts.
Concert Programs
Click here to view select past programs.
Quoddy Voices Appreciated Receptive Audiences
Thanks for your support! Quoddy Voices singers enjoyed two warm roomsful of happy audience members, May 3 and 5 at EAC. The international community chorus, directed by Gene Nichols with accompanist Jane Lanctot and guest artist Brian Schuth, performed their ‘People, Places and Spring’ concerts in continuous segued sets, … [Read More]
Quoddy Voices’ Spring Concerts Are May 3 & 5
The Eastport-based choral group Quoddy Voices will give an eclectic concert, “People, Places, and Spring”, on Friday, May 3 at 7 pm, and Sunday, May 5, at 3 pm, at Eastport Arts Center. Founded by John Newell, Quoddy Voices is now directed by Gene Nichols, who formerly taught at … [Read More]
Blast the Winter Blahs (& Get Inspired for Friday’s Dance!) with Quoddy Voices’ Outreach Trio!
Quoddy Voices singers Jenny Gillies (left) and Geri Ilg braved the fearsome storm of December 18 along with the choir’s Director, Gene Nichols, to bring concerts to Wellmore Point in Calais and Eastport Memorial Nursing Home. Find a video clip from their boisterous Calais show below; apparently their choice of tune … [Read More]
Quoddy Voices to Resume Rehearsals for ‘People, Places and Spring’ Program
Weekly rehearsals for Quoddy Voices’ spring season, under the direction of Gene Nichols, will begin Wednesday, February 7, 6-8 pm at Eastport Arts Center. A diverse program celebrating ‘People, Places and Spring’ is planned for the international community chorus. (Returning participants: please make note of the change from Tuesdays … [Read More]
Chorus’ Concerts—December 15 & 17— Boast Diverse Repertoire
Quoddy Voices, an international community chorus, will present their “Requests and Favorites” concerts on Friday, December 15 at 7 pm, and Sunday, December 17 at 3 pm, at Eastport Arts Center. The group is directed by Gene Nichols, with accompanist Jane Lanctot. Nichols notes: “Our show will be an eclectic … [Read More]
Quoddy Voices to Present ‘Requests and Favorites’
Quoddy Voices, the international community chorus based at EAC, is at work preparing a winter concert program titled “Requests and Favorites.” The group of nearly 40 singers, with accompanist Jane Lanctot, will perform at the Arts Center on Friday, December 15 at 7 pm, and Sunday, December 17 at … [Read More]
Requests Welcomed by New Quoddy Voices Director for Fall Season, Beginning Sept. 12
Gene Nichols, new Director of Quoddy Voices, is taking singers’ requests for the choir’s fall season, which begins Tuesday, September 12, 6-8 pm. Performances are scheduled for December 15-17, 2023. The group welcomes singers of all levels of experience; no audition is required. “Singing is good for you,” notes … [Read More]
Quoddy Voices to Resume Rehearsals
Quoddy Voices’ fall season, under the direction of Gene Nichols, will begin, Tuesday, September 12, 6-8 pm at Eastport Arts Center. (Returning participants: please make note of the change from Mondays to Tuesdays, and of the earlier start time for rehearsals). Performances are scheduled for December 15-17, 2023. The … [Read More]
Quoddy Voices’ ‘Here in Maine’ Concerts a Delight; Retiring Director Honored at Reception
John Newell, hard-working steward of the Quoddy Voices community chorus, retired from his role as Director after the group’s spring concerts on May 19 and 21. Nearly 150 attended the weekend performances, which included diverse musical material, all related to the state of Maine: Shaker tunes, shanties, Native American … [Read More]
Quoddy Voices’ Director to Retire Following May Concerts; Singers Pay Tribute to Their Longtime Leader
John Newell, founding director of Quoddy Voices, will retire from this role following the group’s concerts, “Here in Maine,” to be held May 19 at 7 pm and May 21 at 3 pm. Newell’s stewardship of the chorus—from its beginning as a new EAC constituent group in 2014—has brought … [Read More]
The work of Eastport Arts Center is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.