Early flowering camellia sasanquas or late flowering camellia japonicas will give you evergreen look and bloomage when other shrubs are shutting down or waking up. Hollies also sound good if their pointed leaves will not cause problems near walkways. Nothern Bayberry would produce food for the birds but it becomes semi-evergreen in some areas. Common juniper (Juniperus communis) may be ok if you like junipers. Canadian yew (Taxus canadiensis (sp?)) is good & hardy in Z6 shady spots. Some azaleas/rhodies are evergreen but I do not know about which ones are so in New England. Even if they are not, some varieties will produce bloomage at times when the hydrangeas are not blooming. Plus some produce nice autumn foliage.

Thank you Luis! I'm exploring your camellia suggestion...not sure if I have the right conditions for it but I'm loving the April Dawn.

That ones reminds of a striped one that I used to have called Eleanor McCown. I loved it because it began to produce sports out of one branch. Some blooms were normal, others were all pink, and a others were a mix of whote and pink. Contact Camellia Forest in Chapel Hill, NC at 919-968-0504 if you want to discuss possibilities with them.