July 28, 2003
Dear Choir,
I hope you are all having a restful time during what has turned out to be an unusually mild North Carolina summer. It is time for my annual written summer epistle, so I’m writing to tell you about our exciting plans for the thirteenth season of concerts by The Concert Singers of Cary. At first glance, it is hard to believe that it was that long ago that we began this journey, but one glance at the old photographs from our formative years show that we have traveled many miles together during that time. It would be worth a few minutes of your time, especially if you have been with us awhile to look at the list of music performed during our history that is available on the website (www.concertsingers.org). It is quite a list and we should all feel a great sense of artistic accomplishment. Given the difficult economic times, we are also very healthy organizationally and financially, a real tribute to the leadership of David Lindquist, the Board of Directors and the Musicales...à la Carte Committee. These people have worked tirelessly to keep The Concert Singers strong and vibrant and I am deeply thankful to them for their hard work and diligence.
Our 2003-2004 season features some exciting and unusual new programming ideas along with some old favorites that we haven’t sung for quite sometime. They are as follows;
12/14- Christmas Around the World...and Back begins with some wonderful favorites of the late Renaissance and early Baroque that include a Gloria setting by Monteverdi, a Magnificat setting by Andrea Gabrielli and the Giovanni Gabrielli setting of Jubilate Deo. These works will be accompanied by brass octet and organ. The rest of the program will feature many of the carols that we did nine years ago as part of our Joy to the World CD.
1/11 –Heart Renderings will be performed by Cary Choral Artists and include two interesting and highly unusual works by American composer Stephen Paulus. The first is called A Place of Hope that features writings and letters by patients who visted the Mayo Clinic. The second is called Personals, written for choir, flute and percussion, featuring text from four personal ads that were run in the Greenwich Village Voice.
2/22- we will again join the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alan Neilson for a cameo appearance performing Faure’s Pavane and Borodin’s Polovetzian Dances.
5/1- Music of the Great English Cathedrals We will perform a rich program of twentieth century English cathedral favorites by composers such as Parry, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Bainton, Howells and Stanford. The concert will be accompanied by brass octet, organ and timpani.
Our June plans are not yet finalized as we are waiting to hear from The North Carolina Symphony about a possible appearance at Summerfest at Regency Park.
Our new Membership Chair, Kathy Murphy, has included a schedule for the entire year in this packet that lists all of our currently planned programs, and rehearsal dates, times and locations. We will also keep the most up to date information on the web site.
The upcoming year will feature some major changes for me on the professional front. I completed a six-year run as the Upper School vocal music teacher at Cary Academy in June and will enter the graduate program at East Carolina University in the fall where I will work on a Masters in Choral Conducting. I will be commuting from Cary on Tuesdays and Thursdays to take three classes. Completing this degree has long been a desire of mine and the timing of my youngest daughter’s graduation from Cary Academy has coincided with the presence of a fabulously talented young conductor and teacher at East Carolina. I firmly believe that we must continue to learn and grow regarding the things in life that we feel passionately about and I am really excited about this opportunity. I will continue in my position as Music Director at Watts Street Church in Durham and of course, with the Concert Singers. I am also teaching voice privately out of my home.
Our first meeting of the fall will be on Monday, September 8th. Due to the construction on the Town Hall campus, we have been relocated to the Maple room of the Bond Park Community Center. This is different from the Cary Senior Center that we rehearsed at in the fall of 2001, but located in the same proximity.
I look forward to seeing you! Have a great month of August and come back energized and ready for some great music making.
Beautiful music awaits!
Sincerely,
Larry
Updated 29 August 2003 |