Southport Methodist Church hosted An August Afternoon of Song, Aug. 23, to a crowd of about 50. Dr. Mary Miller, joined by nine musical artists, performed songs across a balanced playbill spanning classical hymns, soulful blues, contemporary pop, playful Broadway and modern gospel: 18 songs in all, sung mostly as solos or duets. The finale, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (Williamson/Concord, 1945), the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, included all the artists together for a symphonic choral sound.

Pam Mancuso kicked off the concert with a lively "(If I Knew You Were Comin') I'd've Baked a Cake,” the upbeat 1950s hit (Hoffman, Merrill, Watts) popularized by recording artist Eileen Barton. Mancuso took the stage at the show’s midpoint with “How Great Thou Art” (Boberg, 1885), based on the Swedish poem. Mancuso enlisted the audience to sing along. Miller was on keys.

Miller sang three songs: “At This Table” (SRV LabelCo, 2019), the humorous “Stars and the Moon” (Brown, 1995) and “Memory” (West End, 1981) from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats.” The “Cats” theme was best represented in the meow-off between Betsey de Groff and Karol Clark. Donning cat ears and not shy about hissing, the two sopranos brought Rossini’s “Duet to de Buffo Gatti” (de Pearsall, 1825) to uproarious delight. Comedic cabaret continued. Maria Williams’ playful operatic style in “The Girl in 14G” (Sony, 2001) written by Tesori and Scanlan was an audience favorite.

Skip Simonds offered an original composition, an ode to his loving wife, “I Know You” (Simonds, 2026). “I started taking some of the thoughts that I had about her in my heart and setting them to music,” said Simonds. His original music can be downloaded from Spotify and Apple Music. Earlier in the performance, Simonds engaged the crowd with the Italian classic, “Questo è Amore,” a song whose origins are unknown. It was popularized in 1952 by Dean Martin.

It’s hard to say enough good things about Annielyn MacKusick’s vocal talent. For this performance, her operatic super-soprano stylings sat idle as she sang raspy, gritty and contralto in “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac (Reprise, 1975) and “Blue” by LeAnn Rimes (Curb Records, 1996). Sue McLeod at the mic and Miller on keys is a combination that feels organic, comfortable and natural performing spirituals and hymns, three songs in all. Miller lent her vocals to Nancy Harriman’s, of the Newagen Crew, song “Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore,” written in 1974 by the Spanish priest and composer Cesáreo Gabaráin before being translated into English. It is also known as United Methodist Hymnal No. 344. Harriman invited the audience to sing along as she played guitar.

Clark also performed Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog’s “God Bless the Child” (Okeh, 1941) and de Groff took the stage for “Auld Lang Syne” with narrative introduction by Simonds. “Auld Lang Syne is the song we sang on New Year's Eve, but long before it became that, to the Scots, it was a song about something much more universal and remembering. Auld lang syne literally means for old time's sake and the heart of the song is a simple question: Should we let the memories and friendships that have shaped us simply fade away? For us who are gathered here today, that includes memories and friendships that we've had here in the past. Many were unique to summers in Maine, and we should remember those memories and friendships that have shaped us into who we are today. So, rather than marking the end of the year, I invite you to join with (de Groff) in celebrating the precious gift of summer memories and vacation friendships and the connections that live in us through all the seasons of life.”