Sifantus Given 2006 Award by Arts Wayland

Her senior yearbook states that her pet peeve was “people who don’t understand me,” and perhaps that hasn’t changed.

She spent her early years in Wellesley where she lived with her mom and dad and three younger siblings. Her sister remembers being pulled up and down the streets in their wagon on sunny days, endless card games of fish on rainy days, and building forts in the snow. Happily for us, the family all moved, lock, stock, and snow shovels, to Wayland.

Church, Sunday school, and summer church camps played a big part in their life, as did vacations on Cape Cod, camping trips to Nova Scotia, and pageants performed for the family under her direction in the basement of their home.

She was, from the beginning, very talented and creative, in many and diverse directions. Forever drawing, cooking, singing, sewing -- designed and made many of her own and her sisters’ clothes. A great reader – always loved to read. Studied piano and dabbled a bit in violin. But, perhaps because she was such a perfectionist, she dropped those musical pursuits and in junior high concentrated on her natural gift, her voice, and met a lifelong friend in Richard Conti, music teacher in the Wayland schools.

Other lifelong friends included the now famous Rowan Brothers, Lorin, Peter and Chris. She and Lorin had their first band together in high school, and she continues to sing with him to this day. She spent one formative year in Cambridge School of Weston but graduated from Wayland High. In her senior year she was in chorus, the concert choir, the French Club, on the Student Council, and on the staff of both the Campus Crier and the yearbook. That was back in the days of mini skirts and hippie clothes – and when one entire wall of her bedroom was a scrapbook covered with thumb-tacked memorabilia attesting to her devotion to the Beatles, Twiggy and fashion design.

She went on to study fashion design, but the urge to sing and the thrill of performing, as a soloist and in a variety of groups, drew her back to the world of music. Always a leader she formed TVS, “The Vocal Section,” which, after over 25 years, still performs in nightclubs and on recordings. In 1988 she founded and has led with devotion and love the vocal group that will be entertaining us tonight, a group, by the way, that has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts in their “Creativity and Aging – Best Practices” report.

In her spirit runs a strong desire to nurture, inspire and sustain and so, returning to college, she earned both bachelor and master’s degrees, specializing in elder studies, and then went on to earn a master’s degree in divinity and has become an ordained minister.

Of course, by now you know, we are speaking of none other than Maddie Sifantus, who has bestowed the gift of music and zest for life on so many, who has contributed so much to the artistic and musical life of Wayland, who by her dedication to others has been an inspiration to young and old, and who by her strength and faith has set an example for all of us to follow. It is our pleasure, Maddie, to present to you our fourth annual Award of Recognition. (written by Betsy Moyer)

The award reads:
In recognition of her contribution to the beauty of our lives, the enrichment of our spirits, and the arts of our community.