Feeling the music; Michelle Graveline strikes the right chord with Salisbury Singers, Assumption Chorale.

Byline: Richard Duckett

The sound of an organ reverberating around a church on a Sunday morning ...

For Michelle Graveline it was pleasing to listen to - and inspiring and life changing.

"I just the loved the sound of the music," said Graveline, professor of music and chairman of the department of art, music and theater at Assumption College, music director of the Salisbury Singers, and organ recitalist - to name a few of her affiliations and activities.

Originally from Palmer and now living in Westboro with her husband their three children, Graveline has been a significant and attractive part of the classical music scene since arriving here. In the next few weeks she will be seen leading the Assumption College Chorale and the Salisbury Singers.

She came to Assumption 23 years ago, and is in her 10th year as director of the Salisbury Singers. She also has been a frequent organ recitalist, sometimes wearing glittering dresses that challenge the perception that such musical events are staid or stuffy.

"When I first came here I was really invited to a lot of things. That's the great thing about Worcester. It's very collegial," she said. "There's so much to do here. The level of musicianship is very high. We all know each other."

Graveline had determined from a young age that she wanted to be an organist because of hearing the sound of the instrument in churches and school chapels. An organist who was a nun told her that if she learned to play the piano to a certain level, she would give her organ lessons. Two years later Graveline started those lessons. She was 10. "My feet couldn't quite reach the pedals yet."

The sound of a choir or choral group in full voice also became important to her. "To hear a huge chorus - it's kind of like the organ. They let go of a huge chord and let it ring through the church."

In her teenage years she was directing choirs and playing the organ in the Springfield-Palmer area. At Boston University's College of Fine Arts she earned a bachelor's degree in organ performance and a master's in sacred music. She earned a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Michigan.

Graveline held several positions building choirs at churches around the county, including one at a large Methodist church in Colorado where she met her husband, Kent Stout.

"I was looking for a college organ job, but they are very few and far between. I kept working in churches and kept building choirs," she said.

Then she learned that back in Massachusetts, Assumption College was looking for someone to build a choral program.

She has never regretted coming to Assumption, where she slowly but surely built the music program as well. "I've found it a great place to be," she said.

Graveline has led the Assumption College Chorale on 10 national and international concert tours, in addition to performing concerts on campus and in the community. On Nov. 18, the chorale will present a holiday concert titled "Sounds of the Season" at 3 p.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Assumption.

Meanwhile, Graveline has helped rebuild the Salisbury Singers, which has doubled in size under her direction. Among the group's upcoming concerts is a program titled "Songs of War and Peace" at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 in Christ Church, Fitchburg. Also, the Salisbury Singers will join the Thayer Symphony Orchestra for its "Holiday Pops" at 8 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Dukakis Performing Arts Center in Fitchburg.

She got to know members of the Salisbury Singers her first year at Assumption, and met the late Malama Robbins Collinsworth, who had founded the group in 1973. Graveline told her in passing that she owned a harpsichord. In short order, Graveline found herself playing the harpsichord at a concert.

Robbins Collinsworth subsequently retired and moved to Florida. In her absence, the Salisbury Singers lost members, and perhaps momentum as well. When Graveline became music director, the group was down to 25 members. She has been credited with reviving and inspiring the singers back to a prominent position.

Asked about her conducting style, Graveline said, "First of all, I try to be technically accurate. I really have a thing about rhythm. If they don't get the rhythm right, they're not going to get anything else.

"I try to get people to go for the passion behind the music, whether it is a reverential piece or a jazz piece. What's the effect or feeling behind the music? And I try to be efficient in rehearsal so that I'm not wasting anybody's time. Because there's never enough time."

The ultimate satisfaction comes from a collective job done well.

"The singers tell me `we can tell if we did a good job because we can see it in your face.' It's the sense of what the group as a whole has been able to accomplish."

On the contrasts of conducting and being an organ recitalist, she said, "The thing about conducting - it's not quite so solitary (as playing the organ). When you're doing a recital you have to do hours and hours of solitary practice. With a choral group you meet new people, hope they laugh at your jokes. With students you get to know them well and meet their families and stay in touch. I love doing that. I love the adult singers, too.

"It's more of a people thing when you're conducting." She paused, then added, "But there is something about playing the organ and hearing that sound."

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: (1) Michelle Graveline is in her 10th year as director of the Salisbury Singers. (2) Michelle Graveline, a frequent organ recitalist, plays the organ at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Assumption College.

PHOTOG: PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM RETTIG