Windham Chamber Singers reunion concert honors outgoing director

 Dr. Richard Nickerson led four decades' worth of Windham Chamber Singers one last time at the choir's June 27 reunion concert. (Rory Sweeting/Staff Writer) The auditorium of Windham High School was filled to capacity. Suddenly, the curtains opened, revealing on stage a choir that seemed to equal the audience in size, ranging in age from 16 to nearly 60, conducted one last time by Windham Chamber Singers director Dr. Richard Nickerson. This year’s annual reunion concert, which took place June 27, served as not just Nickerson’s final concert after nearly four decades of teaching at Windham High School, but also both a ceremonial and literal passing of the baton to his successor, Ryan Murray. Nickerson, affectionately known by his students and alumni as “Dr. Nick,” began his career at Windham High School in 1987. During his first year at the school, more than 100 students signed up for choir, and Nickerson felt he needed to provide an opportunity for students who wanted a greater challenge, and the Windham Chamber Singers were formed the following year. Nickerson made the decision to retire last year. He recalled how, shortly afterward, his wife asked him if he wanted to have a retirement party. “No,” said Nickerson, “I want a retirement concert.” [](https://www.pressherald.com/2025/12/09/american-family-holiday-bids-farewell-to-longtime-director-of-windham-chamber-singers/) Related [American Family Holiday bids farewell to longtime director of Windham Chamber Singers](https://www.pressherald.com/2025/12/09/american-family-holiday-bids-farewell-to-longtime-director-of-windham-chamber-singers/) Under Nickerson’s leadership, the Chamber Singers have performed at Carnegie Hall, the White House, and multiple venues throughout Europe. The choir became world renowned in 1996, when it won the Prize of Vienna at the International Youth and Music Festival. Advertisement Multiple Vienna alumni performed during Nickerson’s last concert, including Elisabeth Marshall, ’97. Marshall described the experience of singing Beethoven in Vienna as “life-changing,” and the start of a musical journey that led her to become a professional opera singer. At the concert, Marshall delivered a solo performance of a piece from Mozart, the first she ever sang with the Chamber Singers, which she described as “coming full circle.” Chanda Turner, superintendent of Maine School Administrative District 15, also a Vienna alumna, spoke about the experience of being a parent of a second-generation Chamber singer. Turner said her elder daughter, who performed with the Chamber Singers during her junior and senior year, had a different connection with Nickerson than other students on account of the generational connection. Turner recalled a divide between two generations of Chamber Singers in regard to the choir’s unofficial anthem, “Caledonia” by Dougie MacLean. Turner, who performed with the Chamber Singers before the adoption of the anthem, said she put extra effort into practicing the song so she could sing it with her daughter. Ryan Murray, who will take over from Nickerson, is the son of two high school chorus teachers, with his mother teaching alongside Nickerson shortly after graduating. When asked about what it was like stepping into Nickerson’s shoes, Murray said, while no one would be able to exactly replicate what he did to make the Windham Chamber Singers a lasting institution, he would honor and continue many of the programs Nickerson put in place. In addition, Murray said he will focus on building his own traditions. To this end, he plans to ask students what they want the next generation of the Chamber Singers to look like. “My goal is to just go in there, be supportive for the students, (and) do what I can for the community,” said Murray. Nickerson reflected on the generations of students he had taught, starting with those who performed in the choir’s earliest iteration in the late 1980s. Although this generation did not have the opportunities to perform in major venues that later generations did, Nickerson credited them with helping to build the choir in what it is today, which he said was “just as important as Vienna or the White House.” Regarding his plans after leaving Windham High School, Nickerson said he will continue conducting for the Maine Music Society in Lewiston, and anticipates a full schedule of guest conducting and adjudicating choirs. Copy the Story Link Tagged: [music and performance](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/music-and-performance/), [music education](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/music-education/), [windham high school](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/windham-high-school/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/rory-sweeting) [Rory SweetingStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/rory-sweeting) Rory, an experienced reporter from western Massachusetts, joined the Maine Trust for Local News in October 2024. He is a community reporter for Windham, Raymond, Casco, Bridgton, Naples, Standish, Gray,. [More by Rory Sweeting](https://www.pressherald.com/author/rory-sweeting)