Minutes of Chorus Committee Meeting

March 04, 2008

Concert Singers of Cary

Cary Senior Center, Cary, NC

Room 302

 

 

Except as noted, all Directors and members had received advance notice of the meeting. The tables below reflect attendance.

Chorus Committee Attendance

 

 

Present

Absent

David Lindquist

Executive Director

X

 

Larry Speakman

Artistic Director

X

 

Geiselle Thompson

Committee Chair

X

 

Barb Klimala

Soprano Section Leader

X

 

Terri Ring

Alto Section Leader

X

 

John Picha

Tenor Section Leader

 

X

David Britt

Bass Section Leader

Recording Secretary

X

 

Eleni Steadman

At Large

X

 

Cherie Spehar

Volunteer

 

X

Greg Tarsa

At Large

X

 

Emiko Kuroda

Librarian

X

 

Liz Cummings

Membership

 

X

Amber Farrelly

At Large

X

 

Caroline Christian

At Large

X

 


Introduction

Geiselle called the meeting to the order at 7:34 pm

 

Old Business

Nominations

 

Geiselle Thompson, Barb Klimala, John Picha and Amber Farrelly will be leaving their roles on the Chorus Committee. Geiselle called for recommendations and discussion of choir members that might wish to serve in one of the vacated roles or on the committee in general. Roles being vacated are Committee Chair, Soprano Section Leader, Tenor Section Leader, and Member At Large.

 

More than a dozen prospective candidates were recommended, and various committee members agreed to contact them to see if they’re willing to join the Chorus Committee in July, when the term of the current committee expires. Contact should be made and a decision received within the next one to two weeks.


Nevsky Concert - Attire

Larry discussed concert dress for Nevsky with the committee. It was decided that Nevsky attire will be black pants and a short sleeve white shirt or blouse. This combination was deemed most accessible to the men who have joined up with CSC specifically for this project.

 

Regarding attire in general, Larry commented that tuxedos as concert dress sometimes appear too formal, and that they project a ‘Western-European’ image that is not always appropriate for the concert being performed. He remarked that the all-black attire we adopted for Voices of Light was striking and effective, and suggested that we consider switching to an all-black ensemble as a standard for future concerts. Reduced cost for the membership was cited as an additional benefit to the change.

 

Nevsky Concert - Logistics

Concert logistics for Nevsky were discussed. The concert is to be held in Koka Booth Amphitheater, April 26th, and the choir is expected to number about 105 singers.

 

The need to accommodate a very robust percussion section (“huge”) for this concert makes the possibility of chairs for the singers less likely due to space constraints. Making exception, of course, for those with greater needs in this regard, it was generally agreed that the singers would be able to stand throughout the 40 minute concert, though sitting is preferred if it can be accommodated without issue. David will follow up with the town to secure step risers.

 

Lighting in the loft at the venue is inferior, so CSC would have to budget for solutions to that. It was ventured that many of the singers might have access to book lights acquired for Voices of Light, which would ease the budget somewhat.

 

Larry is pleased with the choir’s progress, and feels that the most recent mens’ rehearsal went well. Larry also noted that possibly five or more skilled singers - some of whom have familiarity with Nevsky - may come on board to assist with the project.

 


Nevsky Concert – Publicity

Conflicting information has been published that shows the concert start time as 7:30 pm or 8:00 pm with different sources. This will be looked into.

 

The business card marketing strategy we used for Voices of Light was inexpensive and effective, and will be adopted for Nevsky and future concerts. It was suggested that the cards should include information about how to secure tickets.

 

Picnic

The date of the picnic has been changed from May 17th to May 3rd. Future Picnic correspondence should cc Larry to keep him apprised of planning.

 

Virtuosos Credit decision

Discussion of Virtuosos was tabled for a future meeting when Cherie is in attendance.

 

Artistic Director Report

Larry had nothing to add beyond the items already noted.

 

Executive Director Report

David deferred his report to that appearing on the Concert Singers website.

 

Adjournment

Geiselle closed the meeting at 8:45

 

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 1, 2008

 

Respectfully Submitted

            X

David.Britt

CSC Chorus Committee Secretary