August 9, 1999
Dear Friends,
As we embark on our ninth season of concerts I wanted to write my annual summer letter to bring you up to date on the exciting plans for 1999-2000 and to offer commentary on the season just completed. This letter is also a bit of a milestone in that it will be transmitted to most of you electronically thanks to having a majority of the members’ e-mail addresses. If you are getting this by “snail mail”, you need to give us your address and help us save on postage.
The just-completed season was our finest to date, with an absolutely stellar final concert in June to finish on a high note. My thanks to all who participated, especially those who continue to grow and refine their vocal and musical gifts through an ever-increasing attention to detail, and the desire to be the best that they can be. We are never too old or too untalented to improve ourselves. We are now looking at repertoire for future programs that we would not have considered possible for us 3 or 4 years ago. It is my expectation that each and every member continue this fine work.
1999-2000 Concert Season :
November 26/27 Holiday Pops with The North Carolina Symphony (Symphonic Choir)
William Henry Curry, Conducting
Memorial Auditorium
Two evening concerts (8 pm) and a Saturday matinee (3 pm)
December 19 “Christmas Perspectives”
Stephen Mulder, Conducting (Symphonic/Chamber Choirs)
John Rutter – Gloria, carols and other works
Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church
April 1 I. Stravinsky - A Symphony of Psalms (Symphonic/ Cary Academy Concert Choir)
Vincent Persichetti – Celebrations
Aaron Copeland – miscellaneous works
Lawrence Speakman – Conducting
Cary Academy Fine Arts Center
April 30 Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle/Raleigh Boychoir (20 men fr. Concert Singers)
Leonard Bernstein – Chichester Psalms
Lorenzo Muti – Conducting
The Carolina Theater in Durham
May 21 A program of African-American Composers (Chamber Choir)
William Grant Still – And They Lynched Him On a Tree
Other works to be announced
Lawrence Speakman - Conducting
Jones Auditorium at Meredith College
June 11 “Sentimental Journey: Music of the 1930s and 1940s (Chamber Choir)
Works to be announced
Fuller Blunt – Conducting
Cary Academy Fine Arts Center
This is an exciting and diverse season with five different conductors working in five different venues. This year we add Durham to our previous sites in Raleigh, Apex, Cary and Chapel Hill. While we call ourselves a Cary group, Concert Singers has become the most regional chorus in the Triangle.
Recording Schedule:
We are expecting to publish our second CD recording this year. This project is open to all singers who participated in the June 6 “Music of the Young America” concert preparation work and will take place in the Cary Academy Fine Arts Center. You must attend all sessions.
Thursday September 9th 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Thursday September 23rd 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Saturday September 25th 10:00 – 1:00 and 2:30 – 5:30
Auditions:
Auditions for Professional Soloists, Symphonic Choir and Semi chorus roster will take place in the Cary Academy Fine Arts Center during the dates and times listed below. Please note that members of the semi chorus roster will be the first singers eligible for the small chorus opportunities listed in the concert season. If you would like to be considered for these smaller choruses, we recommend that you audition for the semi chorus. Auditions are by appointment only by calling Membership Coordinator Kathy Hodge at 469-8697 or e-mailing her at kbhodge@aol.com.
Tuesday August 24th 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Monday August 30th 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Thursday September 2nd 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Dues Structure:
At their July meeting, the Board of Directors voted to make a change in our dues structure to $25 for Fall and $25 for Spring. Those wishing to pay all dues at the beginning of the year (as many of you do) will receive a discount at $45. We have historically charged $10 per concert so this does not represent a dues increase as much as making things more convenient for our members. Our old system became impractical when we began using different combinations of singers for different purposes. In case you are wondering, we are still charging less than the other major choruses in the area.
Concert of African American Composers:
You may have already heard of some interesting aspects of our concert scheduled for May 21st. The William Grant Still work And They Lynched Him on a Tree is a wonderful and rarely performed work that will be one of our most unusual efforts to date. A special mailing with the details will be sent out within the next 10 days so hang tight.
Do Something!!!!
As wonderful as our last two seasons have been, the resources required to present them have eaten into our reserves and we need your help to insure that we can keep on singing. I’m amazed at the number of singers who feel that their only obligation to the group is to check out a folder and sing. That could not be farther from the truth. Everyone can do something...everyone! Choose something from the options listed below and the organization will soar! Let one of our Board members know about your interest and they will direct you to the proper committee leader.
- Make a donation
- Sell some season tickets
- Run or sell an ad for the program
- Host an Enchanted Evening Dinner
- Volunteer to help or run a committee
- Sing in the “A Song For All Seasons” troupe
- Obtain paid singing engagements for “A Song For All Seasons”
- Work at our information/sales booth at Spring Daze and Lazy Daze
- Recruit ushers and ticket takers
- Put up posters for upcoming concerts
- Serve on the planning committee for the Spring golf tournament
- Manage the sales table at rehearsals and concerts
Fund Raising Gala:
Many thanks to Joy Cox, Barb Martin and all others who helped make our first golf tournament a success. We are making plans for a non-performance fund raising gala. Details will be coming on that soon.
In closing I’d like to express my deepest thanks to Steve Mulder who spent the summer directing and building our first chamber choir effort. Steve’s addition to Concert Singers has been a major boost to the organization and me. I appreciate his enthusiasm, creativity and skill. I’d also like to thank Jodi Adams for her usual off-the-chart skills as a musician and accompanist, as well as her dedication, insight and support to Steve and me. She enables us to the best we can be in our work and we are deeply appreciative.
I hope your summer has been restful and that you had the chance to have some fun. I spent the summer studying, organizing, singing, researching and working out, and am feeling more energized than I have in several years. I can’t wait to get started! We’ll see you at Cary Academy on September 9th for the recording or at our first Monday night rehearsal on September 13 at Cary Community Center.
Regards,
Larry
Updated 15 July 2003 |