Minutes of Chorus Committee Meeting

November 06, 2007

Concert Singers of Cary

Cary Senior Center, Cary, NC Room 302

*attending late

Introduction

Geiselle called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm Minutes from prior meeting Minutes from September 4, 2007 were approved as distributed.

Old Business Dropouts Geiselle expressed concern that our membership numbers have dropped to what they usually are at concert-time, far earlier in the season than usual. Citing that some dropouts have been related to health issues, she asked for feedback from the section leaders regarding the reduction in numbers. The section leaders agreed that there have been a number of dropouts, but didn’t feel this was an indication that enthusiasm or motivation were lacking. Although she couldn’t be at the meeting, reference was made to a great motivational letter that Terry Ring had send out to good effect. Liz agreed to forward the email to the other section leaders, to use as a resource in working with their section members who have been absent. Volunteer recruitment and encouragement Since the last meeting, Cherie leveraged her network of contacts to get feedback about some of the volunteerism-related ideas that were discussed. Cherie recounted that a spreadsheet had been suggested where acts of volunteerism could be tracked in an open manner. She reported that this was not deemed a good idea, as feedback underscored that it would be too visible and would result in those people who haven’t contributed feeling bad from the public display. Rather, a positive approach was recommended, where only people who have contributed would be listed. Discussion continued, describing the ideal, where every act of volunteerism would be recognized. While not all volunteerism would count for virtuoso credit, some program of recognition - be it certificates or other rewards given out at rehearsals - would let others witness the recognition without putting people on the spot. Cherie offered to do the tracking for whatever program we go with. Ideas for rewards included putting stickers such as stars, smiley faces or music notes on name badges, or posting a big journal board to list the names of volunteers. Discussion continued, exploring what constitutes Virtuoso credits. A suggestion was made to track virtuoso credit in hours of volunteerism, thereby allowing important though smaller contributions (such as setting up chairs and such) to count on par with event-type contributions. David said he will follow up with Cheri, who will provide a handout. The committee also explored ways in which people in a leadership role that are not on the Chorus Committee but are more on the periphery could get volunteer help when they require it.

December concert logistics David reported that he doesn’t need anything right now. He has reserved the use of risers with the town and said he’d meet them (tentatively) for delivery. He anticipates needing a team at that time for setup. Black boxes will need to be picked up, also. Use of the piano is ok. Greg Tarsa agreed to coordinate with David. Voices of Light: generating excitement within CSC and the community. The committee discussed strategies for building excitement for the Voices of Light concert coming in January.

 A suggestion was made urging a focus on building interest with film buffs.

 A suggestion to play segments on WCPE isn’t possible as their program is already planned out into the spring.

 One idea that was put forward is to have business cards printed which feature information about the Voices of Light concert. For a minimal charge, several hundred cards could be printed with information about the concert, including performance date, location, and cost of tickets. Members could carry them and hand them out as opportunities arise.

David would like to see the design of the cards consistent with the theme of the other publicity materials, and Cherie will confirm costs with Vistaprint.com and email the committee with her findings.

 The committee will continue to give thought to targeting audiences such as magnate schools, high schools and reaching out to various area theater companies. Although December is a busy month, we should continue to move toward organizing and implementing a focused publicity strategy.

New Business Greg gave an overview of the activities of the caroling group, and Liz requested copies of “Peace, Peace” and “I’ll be home for Christmas” from the CSC library on their behalf. Executive Director Report David’s deferred to his online report that was freshly updated on November 4th.

Artistic Director Report Larry wasn’t able to attend, but Joe Ferguson was on hand to discuss UUFR, the venue for Voices of Light in January, and to raise issues unique to that location. The auditorium has a seating capacity of 480, and is presently outfitted with 410 upholstered wood chairs with more available to increase the seating. The seats may be brought in from a downstairs area by means of an elevator. The layout of the room will require rearrangement to accommodate the orchestra, and some lighting concerns will need to be addressed. Risers will not be necessary for this concert, though Larry will need something to stand on. The biggest impact will be in arranging the furniture to work with the orchestra and choir, which is time consuming. These changes will impact primarily one quadrant of the room. The performance space would have to be restored to its original state immediately following the performance. Joe anticipates that a team of eight or ten robust volunteers should be able to do the work. A suggestion was made that the team be recruited in advance of the Christmas Concert to ensure that we’ve got enough to do the work well in advance, and not waiting until the last minute. Setup can begin anytime on the concert date, as the room is reserved from early in the day through midnight. Setup would have to be done before rehearsals begin. Greg will work to recruit a team and will coordinate with Larry about the best time to set up the chairs. Greg will convey information to Geiselle for announcements. Liz will organize having refreshments of some sort on hand between rehearsal and performance, and cleanup afterward. There is a small area suitable for this purpose, and Joe will confirm that we are authorized to use of this space. Joe Ferguson will be responsible for conducting our final check out and will secure the building after the performance (along with two other people). Adjournment Geiselle closed the meeting at 8:47 The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, December 4, 2007 Respectfully Submitted X David.Britt CSC Chorus Committee Secretary