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First Year (1991-92) - Second Year (1992-93) - Third Year (1993-94) - Fourth Year (1994-95) - Fifth Year (1995-96)
Sixth Year (1996-97) - Seventh Year (1997-98) - Eighth Year (1998-99) - Ninth Year (1999-00) - Tenth Year (2000-01)
Eleventh Year (2001-02) - Twelfth Year (2002-03) - Thirteenth Year (2003-2004) - Fourteenth Year (2004-2005) - Fifteenth Year (2005-2006)

• The chorus formed as an outgrowth of citizen response to 1990 Cary Cultural Arts Commission initiative. Three members of the commission (Fuller Blunt, Mable Howell, and Barbara Brown) and a Parks and Recreation staff member (Sarah Sheffield) formed a task force in February 1991 (see Founders).
• Lawrence Speakman, the then-director of music ministries at White Plains United Methodist Church was brought in as Artistic Director in May 1991. Accompanist Sarah Rogers was added in August 1991.
• With assistance from United Arts Council of Wake County, Concert Singers of Cary was officially unveiled in August 1991.
• First auditions were held late August 1991, attracting 75 candidates, far in excess of expectations.
• CSC was incorporated by the state of North Carolina on October 11. IRS Tax-exempt status was approved July 29, 1992.
• The chorus performed its concert as part of the dedication of first Christmas concert, centered on Rutter's Gloria was performed at White Plains United Methodist Church on December 22.
• The provisional Board of Directors was replaced by a permanent panel under President Fuller Blunt on January 6, 1992. Additional community (including Daphne Ashworth, Thack Brown, Jane DeWitt, and Tim Johnson) and singer members were added. Permanent Bylaws, shaped by consultative help from Dambach and Associates of Crownsville, Maryland in March, were ultimately adopted in Fall 1992.
• A permanent Fundraising committee was seated in March under Judy Donders. Fundraisers included a tee-shirt sale in the spring and a Fall raffle.
• A small ensemble chorus, Cary Singers, was proposed in March. The first troupe began rehearsals in summer 1992. The group was proposed to meet the music needs of organizations andbusinesses for which the entire chorus would be inappropriately large, costly and slow in responding.
• The year was concluded on May 3, 1992 at Cary Community Center with CSC's first major work: Orff’s Carmina Burana in which the first member- and guest soloists (from National Opera Company) were used.

• The first year honeymoon was followed by enthusiastic response from singers. Auditions in August and September 1992 were strong and a large contigent performed An Afternoon on Broadway on October 18 at second Christmas concert was performed on December 20 at White Plains United Methodist Church. The Cary Singers also performed under the baton of Fuller Blunt.
• Concert Singers of Cary was invited in January 1993 to perform at the North Carolina Symphony's Summerfest series in June.
• The season series concluded with a tribute to Leonard Bernstein on April 4, 1993 at Spectator Weekly) and marked the first appearance of a choreographed show by the then-Cary Singers troupe (now A Song For All Seasons as well as choreographer Judy Smith). This is also the first concert for which there is an existing audio recording.
• The Presidency passed to Membership Chair Donna Parker in late June. Four Board members stepped down and a President-Elect was installed for the first time. New Bylaws were adopted in October 1992.
• Some 110 singers (the largest chorus to that time) tackled (on June 19, 1993) Beethoven’s "Ode To Joy" in German, before over 3,000 spectators, with the full North Carolina Symphony orchestra under the baton of Maestro Gerhardt Zimmermann.
• Public Relations efforts grew in scope and sophistication under chair Joy Cox, a marketing specialist at Oxford University Press. Among the initiatives were promotional brochures, participation in the UNC-TV fundraiser, and a semiannual newsletter La Voce edited by C.Kim Lemieux.

• The first artistic challenge of the year was a portion of a major work by J.S. Bach at the opening concert on December 18.A Baroque Christmas. This event was CSC's first visit to a venue outside Cary (A Song For All Seasons show troupe was reborn in the Fall and, under program coordinator Judy Smith prepared an all-woman Christmas show for 1993 and a Broadway program in early 1994. The program was raised to Board status in January 1994. The program offerings expanded with a mixed chorus All American Express revue during the summer of 1994 and an appearance at Cary Lazy Daze in August 1994.
• In spite of initial financial concerns, the April 10 Evening of English Choral Masterworks was a complete success. Attendence was boosted by turnout for CSC's first collaboration with several elementary school choirs (from Adams, Briarcliff and Farmington Woods schools.)
• The concert year closed with the second (and, as it turned out, final) appearance at North Carolina Symphony's Summerfest series. Maestro Gerhardt Zimmermann led a program of mixed Classical Favorites on June 11. The Symphony promised CSC an indoor appearance at Memorial Auditorium in November with "Holiday Pops".
• Fundraising efforts gained strength with another summer at Walnut Creek, a perennial plant sale in April, and, most importantly, the debut of "Enchanted Evening" under Rosemarie Balla and Elizabeth Vanderhoof for Fall 1994. Solid budget management led to CSC's first-ever reserve fund.
• The Board adopted its third and final By-Laws in April 1994, a project led by President-elect David Lindquist and Past President Fuller Blunt.
• David Lindquist, the tenor section leader who replaced Elizabeth Vanderhoof in a special November 1993 election, took office as third President in June 1994. Six new Board members were also seated.
• Larry Speakman was appointed to the Cary Cultural Arts Commission in January for a three-year term (ending 1997.)
• A important change in established policies was made in June when the Board gave final approval to a By-Laws amendment that altered the audition policy. Exhausted by August auditions in which 108 singers participated (up from 89 a year before), Larry Speakman requested a change to exclude singers from new auditions who missed few concert projects.
• As the upcoming Holiday Pops project necessitated professional choral attire, a committee was formed, originally under Elizabeth Vanderhoof, to settle the question and make a recommendation. A final plan was adopted in the summer of 1994 under the chairmanship of Priscilla DeLuca.

• Just 40 months after the very first singer auditioned, a chorus of 111 singers, wearing the new concert attire, filed onto the venerated stage of Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, the state's "Carnegie Hall" on the evening of November 25, 1994, before a capacity audience of over 1,200. Concert Singers of Cary had finally "arrived" on the big stage, this time as guests of North Carolina Symphony and conductor Jackson Parkhurst.
• Other big changes had already taken place. Just a few weeks earlier, the very first "Enchanted Evening"fundraising gala produced a record $4,700 for the chorus on October 22, and in September Jodi Adams took her place at the piano as CSC's second principal accompanist (Sarah Rogers having moved to West Virginia during the summer.)
• The 1994 Christmas season was capped with a very successful A Song For All Seasons Christmas revue as well as the recording sessions for the long-awaited CD recording. These sessions, held January 6 and 7, 1995, used material from the December 18 Christmas Around the World concert at White Plains United Methodist Church.
• The season series ended April 2, 1995 with a largely a cappella performance of Randall Thompson's A Peaceable Kingdom at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Cary. This was the final "free to the public" concert. This was also the second concert featuring choirs of elementary school children.
• The singing didn't end in April. At the suggestion of Brian Wong, a non-auditioned men’s invitational was carried out in April and May with a social and "performance." A half dozen new tenors and basses joined as a result of this event. In addition, the ASFAS troupe was hard at work preparing a solo-heavy revue entitled Love Notes in the spring and summer.
• The first Joy! to the World CDs and cassettes were released to the public at Cary Lazy Daze in August 1995.
• Priscilla DeLuca, formerly membership chair, took office as fourth president in June 1995. Not only did seven new Board members take their chairs, but two replaced the final members of the original 1991-92 Board (Donna Parker and Terry Neely.) Neely’s Planning and Programming Committee was reorganized as a Strategic Planning Committee and ultimately phased out in June.
• A mentor program was undertaken on behalf of Jacquie Holcombe at Apex Middle School during the Spring term.

• The season opened with a second, unprecedented visit to Holiday Pops on November 24 and 25, this time under the baton of Michael Jinbo.
• The fifth annual Christmas concert centered on Vivaldi's Gloria. The performance was held December 17 at White Plains Methodist Church. This concert was the first where tickets were sold. The initial base ticket was $5, with a senior and child discount.
• Concert Singers' final appearance at White Plains Methodist Church followed two months later when CSC joined the 28-member touring American Boychoir (Southern Tour Choir) under James Litton. Adverse weather forced a postponement from February 2 to February 25. Audience and gate revenue suffered enormously from the postponement.
• A Song For All Seasons completed its most-successful holiday season in December with "Hooray For Christmas!" with 20 performances and over $2,800 in revenue. The Spring term was marked by an effort to market less successful nonholiday shows and growing singer fatigue.
• The season series ended with a tribute to Mozart (Amadeus: the Music of Mozart) on May 18, 1996 at Cary Community Center. This would be the first of three consecutive classical programs through March 1997.
• Several new public relations initiatives became reality in Spring 1996, including a CSC web site in March, a CSC telephone line (303-9100) in May, a revival of La Voce as a monthly newsletter in June, a CSC bulletin board, advertising in the North Carolina Symphony program, and a season ticket direct mail campaign over the summer.
• Rocky Alexander's Development Committee led a strong fundraising year (exceeding goals), with a $5,000 Enchanted Evening II on October 21, $9,000 CD sales, pledge campaign income, and solid ticket sales.
• Thomas Bedick, formerly Treasurer, assumed duties as fifth president in June and was joined by five new Board members.

• The chorus' focus in the fall and winter of 1996 was the production of its first oratorio, Handel's Messiah on December 21 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. Larry Speakman employed a substantial orchestra for the first time, staged an unusual recreation of the 1743 Covent Garden performance of the oratorio (the English premiere), and cleared 14 different people, many CSC members, as soloists. Setbacks multiplied as professional Donald Milholin and two others fell ill (leading Speakman to sing several bass solos himself) and with an unfavorable review by a Messiah weary Spectator Weekly critic John Lambert.
• The Messiah performers were saddened to hear of the December death of longtime CSC member Gene Herr.
• The Christmas season also featured CSC participation in the new Opera Company of North Carolina's production of Amahl and the Night Visitors in December. Twenty six singers formed the shepherd's chorus on December 28 and 29. Reviews were very complimentary of their work. The ASFAS Christmas revue ("All I Want for Christmas") was also quite satisfactory.
• The first spring concert, held March 2, 1997 at First United Methodist Church was a tribute to Gabriel Faurée. This was the first of several concerts which employed only professional soloists, including Anthony Costanza and Robert Galbraith of the Opera Company of North Carolina.
• The Spring 1997 season was complicated by the North Carolina Symphony. An originally booked appearance in April at Memorial Auditorium for Golden Age of Broadway was scrubbed to make possible a rescheduling of the cancer-stricken Mel Tormé. In its place, Speakman programmed an April 12 collaboration with The Gregg Gelb Swing Band at Cary Community Center. The jazz-based event was called Swing!. This event included a hit performance by the ASFAS troupe.
• ASFAS experienced fairly healthy spring bookings and undertook a retooling of the Broadway revue ("That's Entertainment!") during the summer. The ASFAS steering committee increased the revue fee to $250 for the coming year. The troupe also purchased a portable piano.
• The concert year ended with a celebration of Americana as the May 17 Simple Gifts: American Folkmusic at Cary Community Center. The concert featured CSC's third collaboration with elementary school choirs. Singers used more casual attire for the April and May concerts, the first relaxation of the uniform attire standards since they were set in November 1994.
• This season saw the first season ticket promotional brochure, designed by Joy Cox, which helped a huge percentage increase in season ticket sales, more professional printed programs, a highly successful May 18 picnic social at Ritter Park, a very strong pledge card drive led by Rocky Alexander, the highest-yielding Enchanted Evening ever ($5,500 on October 26), and a financial review by Mills-Rouse in July.
• Larry Speakman was hired to join the debut faculty at Cary Academy in July 1997, ending eight years of service at White Plains United Methodist Church.
• Two new Board positions were created as the massive Development Committee was split into Development, Sales and Special Fundraising Events committees in May.
• Brian Wong took office at CSC's sixth president in June. Joining him was a historic high nine new Board members. This was the largest Board to date, the largest with a "freshman" majority, and the first Board (and only one through 2001) with a male majority (including six tenors). The new and outgoing Boards participated in a strategic plan retreat moderated by professional facilitator Robert Sigmon at the Cary Chamber of Commerce building on June 13 and 14. The five goals set by the retreat panelists for 1997-2002 included a) developing more sophisticated fundraising, b) improving musicality, c) creating more opportunities for singers, d) cutting a new CD recording, and e) developing outreach and music education programs.

• The 1997-98 season began with a third visit in four years to Raleigh Memorial Auditorium for the North Carolina Symphony's Holiday Pops under guest conductor Stuart Malina. The program included challenging medieval antiphonal singing from the side galleries as well as collaboration with the celebrated Raleigh Ringers handbell choir.
• The annual Christmas concert, entitled Great Britten centered on Benjamin Britten's Saint Nicolas Cantata. It was performed on December 6 (CSC's earliest Christmas concert ever) at First Baptist Church in Cary. This building was CSC's tenth performance venue since 1991.
• Concert Singers also participated in a second production of Amahl and the Night Visitors on December 28 and 29 by Opera Company of North Carolina. Nineteen singers formed the shepherd's chorus.
• Concert Singers made its second visit to St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church for a March 14 performance entitled Mass Appeal featuring Masses by Beethoven and Schubert and a 33-member orchestra. Several professional soloists also appeared. Reviews were very positive and the program later earned a "best of the year" from Spectator Weekly.
• On the heels of the Amahl project, Opera Company of NC general manager Robert Galbraith requested CSC's participation in the Stars and Stardust fundraising gala on May 1, 1998. The gala presented CSC with enough regional exposure and star quality (Sherrill Milnes and Gregory Peck were slated to appear), that the Board voted February 9 to postpone the scheduled Songs By Brahms concert of May 16 in favor of the new effort. The gala was Concert Singers' first appearance in Chapel Hill (at Memorial Hall on the UNC campus. It was also the first symphonic program under the baton of the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle's Lorenzo Muti.
• The 1997-98 year ended as one of CSC's best membership years. Every concert featured at least 100 singers and August and January audition totals were the highest ever. The September rehearsals started with a record 135 participants which was topped by 138 beginning in January. In addition to its recruitment work, the Membership Committee under Joy Cox rolled out a membership handbook and "Big Buddy" program in September 1997.
• Some erosion in the fundraising prowess of "Enchanted Evening" and A Song For All Seasons (especially the Have and Old Fashioned Christmas revue) was experienced this year. These concerns persisted into the tenth year. A panel met in January 1998 to review finances, concert costs and solutions to intermediate term fundraising.
• Another "next level" issue addressed by Speakman involved new audition and membership levels. A proposal was adopted by the Board in time for the August 1998 auditions which featured a "Semichorus Roster" and a "Professional Singers list".
• Judy Smith stepped down in June as Program Coordinator of ASFAS after five consecutive years of service.
• The Board voted in October, following two years of research, to purchase equipment and services necessary to accept Visa and MasterCard payments. A month earlier, a Piano Shoppe of Cary donation made possible CSC's first new piano since 1991 (it is a Kawai instrument.)
• Larry Speakman's changes including office relocation to the new Fine Arts Center at Cary Academy and acceptance of a music ministry position at Durham's Watts Street Baptist Church.
• David Ward, formerly tenor section leader, took the CSC presidency in June as seventh president.

• The first auditions for the Semichorus Roster and Professional Singer list were held in August and September.
• Concert programs got a little bigger this year. The 110-member chorus (and over 40 members of the North Carolina Symphony), performed its first Fall concert since 1992 with a November 8 tribute to Johannes Brahms. The program at Cary Community Center was one of only two concerts held there in the period between May 1997 and the present. The acoustic weakness of the venue was the subject of a caustic review by Independent Weekly. The concert was also noteworthy for the first use of a chamber choir (performing Liebeslieder Waltzes and the first appearance of Dr. Stephen Mulder (as a singer in that chamber choir.)
• A Mulder-Speakman conductorial tag team led the annual Christmas concert (Songs of Christmas at the new Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church on December 12.
• Mulder was also asked to instruct at the second annual "Music Reading for Dummies&qout; basic skills class in February and March 1999.
• An all-women ASFAS Christmas revue entitled The Best Time of the Year was featured in December. The troupe had several public appearances including a December 19 visit to the Governor's Mansion, a December 9 feature article in the Cary News, and a MIX 101.5 appearance on December 18.
• The spring concert introduced several novel developments. First, Saviour and Emperor (with music by Beethoven and Haydn) was a collaboration with Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle and conductor Lorenzo Muti. Second, it was a three-day, three-city affair with a Saturday performance in Cary on April 17, Chapel Hill on April 18, and an unprecedented Monday night staging in Raleigh on April 19. This concert later earned a "best of the year" from Spectator Weekly
• Another collaboration with the Opera Company of North Carolina took place on May 7 and 9 when 22 singers participated in a production of Mozart's The Magic Flute at Memorial Auditorium under the direction of Lorenzo Muti. Steve Mulder prepared the chorus.
• The season series closed with a celebration of 19th century music entitled Music of the Young America on June 6. The performance was CSC's first at the new Cary Academy Fine Arts Center. This music would be used for the second CD recording.
• A new fundraiser, the "Concert Singers Classic" golf tournament was introduced by Joy Cox and was held at the Neuse in Clayton on July 10, raising more than $1,100.
• Dr. Stephen Mulder, who had been named Assistant Conductor by the Board in May, led an special experimental chamber choir concert project on August 1 at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church. This program was not part of the season series. A 26-member chorus performed a cappella music largely from Renaissance composers. This concert later earned a "best of the year" from Spectator Weekly
• The Board acted in May to recognize accompanist Jodi Adams' significant contributions by naming her, at Larry Speakman's request, Music Assistant.
• Dennis Aves, formerly House Committee chair, took office as ninth president in June. Of the first nine presidents, five had been tenors.
• David Lindquist, former President and Board member from 1992 to 1999 assumed duties as CSC's first executive director on July 1. This position had been created by the Board in May.

• The challenging 1999-00 concert year opened with a special recording session at Cary Academy Fine Arts Center on September 9, 23, and 25. The fruits of the singers' labors was Gifts and Graces: Music from the Young America, CSC's 2nd CD recording which was released to the public in December. The CD sold briskly through the 1999-00 year.
• Concert Singers of Cary made its fourth appearance in six years as part of the North Carolina Symphony's Holiday Pops, this time under the baton of Maestro William Henry Curry. CSC was joined by soprano soloist Jacquelyn Culpepper. The performance was held November 26 and 27 at Memorial Auditorium.
• The annual Christmas concert, Christmas Perspectives on December 19 at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Churchof Cary, was the second CSC program entirely conceived and directed by Dr. Stephen Mulder. The program featured an appearance by a 28-member chamber choir.
• The 1999 ASFAS Christmas revue, a mixed choral production called Forever Christmas was a lively and reasonably successful fundraiser with 14 appearances in December.
• Steve Mulder continued as instructor of the "Music Reading for Dummies" program which was picked up by the Town of Cary as part of its adult education offerings beginning June 2000.
• With a special donation by Joseph and Dorothy Schmelzeis in February, an endowment fund became a reality. To build on that donation, former President Fuller Blunt had been assigned (the previous August) to propose, plan and initiate an annual fundraising gala. The panel arrived at a workable gala proposal in June 2000 scheduled for April 21-22, 2001 built around six to eight "musicales" at host homes, sponsored by business donations.
• The night of April 1, 2000 was a watershed night for Concert Singers of Cary in the performance of a truly titanic program. The A Symphony of Psalms concert at Cary Academy Fine Arts Center involved the combined forces of 86 singers, 51 members of the North Carolina Symphony and 29 members of the Cary Academy Concert Choir for works by Stravinsky, Copland and Hanson. This controversial project was CSC's most expensive ever.
• A multiple-track spring next saw a collaboration of members of several choruses with the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle and conductor Lorenzo Muti on April 30 at Carolina Theater in Durham. The chorus of 18 members of CSC (tenors and basses), members of the Meredith College Chorale and the Triangle Jewish Chorale performed Bernstein's Chichester Psalms.
• The next installment of the 1999-00 season entitled "Musical Headlines of the Twentieth Century" was a challenging and provocative performance of And They Lynched him on a Tree and other works by Modern African-American Composers on May 21 at Jones Chapel at Meredith College. CSC was joined by contralto soloist Sharyn Stith and narrator William Henry Curry. The chorus of 44 included a number of African-American singers who had not previously belonged to Concert Singers of Cary.
• The concert year closed with a performance of Music of the 1930s and 1940s at Cary Academy Fine Arts Center on June 11. The guest director was Fuller S. Blunt and Ira David Wood III of Theater in the Park fame served as narrator. The event attracted a historic spring concert capacity crowd.
• The second annual "Concert Singers Classic" golf tournament was held at The Neuse on June 17. Ten teams squared off and raised more than $1,300.
• Dr. Stephen Mulder ended his two-year relationship with Concert Singers when he took a position as assistant professor of music at Gordon College in Georgia in July. Within two days of this announcement, Principal Accompanist and Music Assistant Jodi Adams submitted her resignation in order to accept a full time position at Cary Academy as an adjunct faculty member. Adams' tenure had lasted six years.
• Ginny Trautman, formerly Sales Committee chair, took office as tenth president in June. The Board she chaired included nine new members.

• Two traditional fundraisers took a break in 2000. The "Enchanted Evening" event, held every autumn between 1994 and 1999 was discontinued. In addition, with musical staff members requesting sabbatical, the seven-year old ASFAS Christmas revue was postponed until 2001. In its place, Concert Singers very adequately replaced the income with enthusiastic carolling programs in the local area.
• The tenth anniversary year opened with a spectacular fifth appearance in seven years as part of the North Carolina Symphony's Holiday Pops under the baton of Maestro William Henry Curry. CSC was joined by soprano soloist Priscilla Baskerville. The performance was held November 24 and 25 at Memorial Auditorium, the last "Holiday Pops" held in the auditorium.
• A 34-member chamber choir was assembled on March 3rd for the second time to perform Sacred European Classics, a program of exquisite a cappella music at First United Methodist Church.
• The Concert Singers endowment fund was greatly enlarged by the success of the first "Musicales...a la Carte" gala on the weekend of April 20-22, 2001. Six homes, sponsored by area businesses, hosted a variety of performances, yielding receipts in excess of $4,500. The gala chair was Fuller Blunt.
• An audience of over 450 gathered at for a performance of great show music entitled Memories of Broadway. The guest conductor for the May 20 concert at Herb Young Community Center was Fuller S. Blunt.
• Cary Concert Children's Choir ended its debut year with a solo concert performance on May 19th at Cary Senior Center led by Roberta Thomason.
• The concert season was extended into July for the first time by the acceptance of an invitation to join the North Carolina Symphony for a double-header at Summerfest at the new Regency Park Ampitheater in Cary. The first concert, scheduled for June 2nd, was cancelled because of adverse weather. However, the Classical Jukebox program on July 14th, led by William Henry Curry, closed the Summerfest and CSC years in grand style.
  

Extremely successful Seasonal programs


• We opened the festivities with our sixth-ever "Holiday Pops" concerts at Meymandi Concert Hall with the North Carolina Symphony.
• In December, we presented our eleventh annual Holiday concert with the theme "Christmas Blessings". In addition, audiences around the world heard many playings from our CD Joy! to the World; on WCPE 89.7 FM during the holiday season. In addition, carolling groups provided delightful entertainment for groups across Wake County.

• Cary Children's Concert Choir has a successful second year. Under the direction of Roberta Thomason, Cary Children's Concert Choir performed both at the December holiday concert and in May with "North Carolina Sings: A Heritage of Music" which included a world premiere of Marshall Thomason's setting of the North Carolina toast. The children also performed at the Governor's Mansion in Raleigh.
• A 38-member chamber choir performed with Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle in January to critical acclaim with a reading of Respighi's "Laud to the Nativity". The concert was held at Durham's Carolina Theater.
• CSC's second annual Musicales...a la Carte gala (to benefit the Concert Singers of Cary endowment fund was a striking success in April. The program featured more host homes, more great food, and more entertainment than the year before and generated an incredible 87% increase in proceeds. The gala was led in 2001-02 by Judy Smith.
• The year closed with two interesting collaborations. First, in February, CSC joined Triangle Wind Ensemble and guest conductor Kevin Kerstetter for a performance of Persichetti's "Celebrations" and other works. In May, CSC visited Meymandi Concert Hall as guests of Raleigh Symphony Orchestra for readings of works by Vaughan Williams and Mendelssohn (Serenade to Music").

A Little New Age - September 2002 Artistic Director Lawrence Speakman debuted the new small classical ensemble -- Cary Choral Artists -- with what turned out to be an unusual program of music. The 36-member chorale, handpicked from among CSC's more experienced voices, was guests of Raleigh Symphony Chamber Ensemble masterminded by pianist Lannette Lind. Her September 29 program at Meredith's Carswell Hall, bearing a choice of titles (Alternately "Luminous Journeys" and "Journey to the Light") was an eclectic mix of vocal and instrumental works. Some of the program worked, some didn't (including the unusual narrations), but the program was a satisfying outing for Cary Choral Artists, which was challenged by a higher caliber of music than ever before.
Icy Weather and Hot Music - December 2002 We intended to end 2002 with what promised to be a dazzling double-first: our first two-performance holiday program (on Saturday December 6 and Sunday, December 7) and our first-ever Spanish-language concert, Feliz Navidad!: Music from the Hispanic Tradition. Then the Great Ice Storm of 2002, laying down a blanket of thick ice on the night of December 3rd, changed our plans. Like the beleaguered principals in the Apollo 13 drama, we rose to "our finest hour". In the face of more than a few obstacles, the Saturday night performance was held, albeit moved to Meredith College. 90% of our singers and a hard-core audience of 75 joined us in the opening presentation. The weather improved and our Sunday matinee at Cary Senior Center saw a larger crowd and a few more singers. The music certainly lifted more than a few spirits and was one of our most successful outings.
A Holiday Debut - December 2002 Cary Children's Concert Choir (C4) entered its third year with a challenge of its own -- present its first solo holiday concert. The program was held in the entrancing sanctuary at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church on December 13th. Led by Roberta Thomason, the group of 25 3rd-to-5th graders approached their wide variety of selections with energy, enthusiasm, and presence. Adding to the fun, the night was spiced with a little bass guitar and a visit from Mrs. Claus!
Holiday Fun on the Road - December 2002 Under the artistic direction of Jan Mott and Karen Miller, the beloved CSC holiday road show was re-invigorated and performed a dozen times in November and December, most often at retirement communities and corporate parties. Marketer Megan Kirkpatrick produced a miracle in the form of revenue 240% over budget as she booked the toe-tapping program full of holiday favorites.
Beethoven and Friends - March 2003 Things picked up in early 2003 as we craved a normal performance, at least one with no surprises. As guests of Raleigh Symphony Orchestra at Jones Auditorium (in the first half of a "home and away" series) , we got our wish with a satisfying reading of Beethoven's Ode to Joy from the Ninth Symphony on March 1st. Singers and critic alike thought we'd given the performance a high level of musicality, and the audience seemed to enjoy their outing.
A Really Big Show - April 2003 The highlight of the 2002-03 concert year was intended to be a grand performance of Brahms' German Requiem, on Palm Sunday Night, April 13th. We booked the Cary Academy Fine Arts Center, one of the best performance halls in Cary, engaged the entire 55-member Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, and picked up copies of an English translation edited by Lara G. Hoggard, Professor Emeritus at UNC-Chapel Hill. And there was magic. The performance went exceedingly well, and demonstrated a high degree of musicality and presence.
The Gala Was Never Better - April 2003 The third edition of CSC's "Musicales...a la Carte" fundraiser took to the stage the weekend after Easter, with twelve musicales from Thursday, April 24 to Sunday, April 27. The program, coordinated for the second year by Judy Smith, included vocal and instrumental soloists and two presentations by the Cary Voices Unlimited ensemble. Comments by attendees were universally positive, and ticket revenues held strong, allowing the Gala Committee to add another $13,500 to the CSC endowment fund, matching its success in April 2002.
A Little Stardom Well Deserved - May 2003 The intrepid C4 cast ended their season with a doubly bubbly performance, first for a half hour presentation at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh (on April 25, the night of Gerhard Zimmermann's "swan song") and then for a dazzling concert on May 16th at Cary Presbyterian Church. This C4 group was, in the eyes of Roberta Thomason, her best ever and she asked more of a C4 ensemble than ever before, including a little choreography on top of the usual memorized program. The children rose to the occasion. Bravo!
Cary Voices Unlimited...Steps Out - June 2003 The year closed with an experiment. The program on June 7. was handled by a 30-member ensemble using the new small-ensemble "pops-jazz" identity of "Cary Voices Unlimited", and thus was our first-ever small ensemble pops concert. The director was Jan Mott, fresh from a string of successes as leader of two "Musicales...a la Carte" ensemble programs and the delightful 2002 Christmas show troupe. And, the entire program was memorized. By and large, the program was a great success, delighting a two-thirds capacity audience (easily the largest Spring crowd since 2000) and ending the year on an ebullient note.
Against the Odds, No Red Ink - June 2003 The slumping economy had done no favors for local arts organizations, and by the Spring several organizations, including North Carolina Symphony and Carolina Ballet were announcing significant budget deficits. Indeed, CSC took its lumps, first by experiencing an enormous loss in ticket sales in December related to the ice storm and weaker than expected ticket sales and pledge income in general. The Board of Directors and Executive Director watched the budget almost daily through the long Spring, and realized sufficient cuts and savings to end the year in the black. CSC enters its 13th year financially healthy.
The Board The Board of Directors, led by President Debra Morris (formerly Soprano Section Leader), included seven new members. President-elect Susan Siplon was replaced in the Fall by Bob Macdonald.

Changes For a New Year:
CSC started its new year with big dreams and a few changes. First and foremost was a permanent move to Bond Park Community Center as rehearsal venue, although we won a temporary stay through Fall 2003 as the Town Hall construction scheduled settled out. This did not greatly impact our August auditions, which saw a healthy turnout of new candidates. We started in September with 189 singers, making CSC the largest chorus in Wake County.
Holiday Concert:
We reprised many of the favorites from our 1995 recording Joy! to the World at our annual holiday concert "Christmas Around the World...and Back", the first such concert held outside Cary. Highland UMC in Raleigh was our host as it became impossible to find an appropriate and available venue within Cary. This did result in a lower than hoped audience. Both symphonic and small ensemble choir forces were used, and there was also a cameo appearance by C4.
A January Experiment Succeeds:
The year 2004 started on a great foot as we performed a program of "music of the heart" ("Heart Renderings") in January. This was the second appearance of our Cary Choral Artists chamber choir, composed of our more experienced singers. This program was rehearsed in a tight early January window between graduate semesters of Larry Speakman. The January concert was followed soon afterwards by a collaboration with Raleigh Symphony Orchestra. The symphonic choir joined RSO for the fourth time in a performance of dances by Faure and Borodin at Jones Auditorium in Raleigh.
The Awesome Conclusion to Year 13:
The symphonic and chamber choirs served up one of CSC's most memorable and critically acclaimed concerts in May 2004. "Music of the Great English Cathedrals" was held at Highland UMC during the week of their 50th Anniversary and employed the dazzling power of the Casavant organ with Kevin Kerstetter at the keyboard. The audience was wowed by a stunning presentation of mostly Anglican music from the late 1800s and early 1900s. What was more, CSC was invited to sing most of the program at Duke Chapel on May 30th as part of Sunday services that morning. The group was accompanied by organist extraordinaire David Arcus on the Duke Chapel's organ.
C4 Satisfies in Year Four:
It was a solid year for "C4". Cary Children's Concert choir appeared in their second solo holiday concert at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church, and performed at cameo at the adult program as well. The modest sized group ended its fourth year in May with a delightful program of music from many traditions, also at Greenwood Forest BC.
Some Other High Points:
In July, a CSC contigent sang the national anthem at SAS Soccer Park during the last season of the Carolina Courage. Singers from the Cary Voices Unlimited ensemble spiced up some of the musicales for our April gala fundraiser. Final organization was completed for a new middle school choral program to be named Cary Junior Concert Choir. Melody Zentner agreed to direct the program for its debut in Fall 2004.
Some Low Points:
Efforts to obtain an invitation to Summerfest in 2004 came to naught. The NC Symphony elected not to program a choral work on the July 4 concert. No award was made in the second year of the Fuller S. Blunt Memorial Scholarship. Three former members passed away this season (Charles Yungman, Ward Zimmerman and JoAnne Dennis.
Leadership and Fundraising Issues:
It was a very tough year for CSC in terms of finances. Serious shortfalls in ticket sales as well as lower than expected pledge and ad income combined to drive CSC's symphonic choir operations into deficit for the first time since 1999-2000. However, overall income including that for C4 and the Musicales did left the entire CSC program slightly into the black. Amazingly, despite having a permanent chair, the Musicales a la Carte gala survived in April 2004 and thanks to the hard work of its committee members yielded a return almost equal to that earned in 2003. The endowment fund total now surpassed $50,000---halfway to its full funding goal. Members of the Board included President Bob Macdonald, Maggy Inman, Lisa Macy, Debra Morris, Diane Villwock, Tom Bedick, Barb Klimala, Jan Mott, Kathy Murphy, Liz Cummings, Don Niebling, Collen Ferski, Chris Mazzara, Ken Scott, Debbie Byles, Kim Nash, and Bob Johnson.

A Promising Start: The new concert year began with a few positive developments that raised hopes for what would be a successful season. First, auditions delivered solid turnouts for both the adult and C4 programs. The latter experienced a historic 42 children singing. The only down side was inadequate response to make the new middle school program viable for Fall. Second, grant returns greatly exceeded budget expectations in the summer, the NC General Assembly repealed the amusements tax, and CSC held a sheet music sale from excess inventory. In total, we entered the fiscal year with a pleasant $2,500 windfall. Third, new Treasurer Bob Johnson cleared up any remaining financial snarls, resulting in a glowing audit report and new fiscal control procedures that greatly improved reporting during the year.
A Splendid Fall Outing: Our 14th season opened with a spectacular two-chorus reading of music by living composers: "Life, Love and Hope". The first half featured our chamber choir which performed largely a cappella music by Paulus, Orban and others. The second half, taken by the symphonic choir and instrumentalists from Raleigh Sympony Orchestra, presented, among others, Lauridsen's "Lux Aeterna". This concert was the first at the new Westwood Baptist Church, a superb site for concerts and was also the first where half of the program was devoted to the chamber choir. The review was complimentary and ticket sales were satisfactory.
A Change in Governance: After several years of consideration the Bylaws were rewritten to change the governance structure from a "member" Board of Directors to a "community" model, to take effect July 1, 2005. As the year moved along, the Board did contract as vacancies piled up on Sales, House, Public Relations, and Special Ensembles committees. In the end, only five Board members crossed over to the new Board, and three of these on a provisional basis.
Energy Abounds in December: We presented, with our friends at Triangle Wind Ensemble, a delightful "Holiday Pops" experience at our annual holiday concert on December 3rd . We sang arrangements of favorite carols, listened to great instrumental music played by TWE, and enjoyed a kid-friendly reading of "The Night Before Christmas" by WNCN-17's Melanie Sanders. The concert followed the Cary treelighting and was part of the Town's "Heart of the Holidays" celebration. And, we had a happy, capacity crowd at the Herbert Young Community Center. It was clear that an annual event was born -- and will be reprised in December 2005. Just the evening before, Cary Children's Concert choir appeared in their cheery third solo holiday concert at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church, entertaining over 125 concertgoers.
Smiles All Around in April: The concert season closed in April. The spring term featured two concerts, both at the new St. Paul's Episcopal Church Sanctuary in Cary. In April, our symphonic choir presented Handel's "Dettingen Te Deum" and the chamber choir read Bach's "Magnificat in D", all accompanied by period instruments care of the Baroque Arts Project. The inclusion of period instruments was a magnetic draw, earning audience attention, critical review, and singer enthusiasm. And, backed by a powerful marketing drive we pleased a capacity audience and met sales targets for the year. In every respect, the April concert was a huge success, and ensured that the fiscal year would close, safely, in the black. A little later that month, we realized another success. Singers from the Cary Voices Unlimited ensemble spiced up some of the musicales for our fifth April "Musicales" fundraiser. Receipts from the Musicales a la Carte program boosted our endowment to the 65% funding mark after just five years.
C4's Fifth Birthday Party: In the second spring program Cary Children's Concert choir ended its fifth season year, in May, with an enthusiastic program of music from many traditions. Several of the 115 C4 alumni joined in the final song and several singers "graduated out" of the program as they enter 7th grade. The concert was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and had an audience of over 150.
A Virtuoso Season: The 14th year ended as it began, in good spirits. CSC achieved both artistically and financially, and retained high member energy throughout. That energy was recognized in a new "Virtuosos" program recognizing members for volunteerism and participation. Some 29 singers achieved Virtuoso status in year one.

A Record Number of Concerts: The 15th season was a record-breaker in terms of number of concerts. In addition to the addition of two programs for the new Cary Junior Concert Choir unit, Larry Speakman increased the menu of adult-singer events from three to eight. Holiday Pops and concerts in November and April were joined by a new symphonic choir program in May, chamber choir programs in late December and June, and also two professional singer events in October and February.
Disappointing Admissions Sales: The increase in events was not accompanied by increase in admissions. All but two events failed to meet budget requirements and three events (the professional singer concerts and the chamber choir seasonal program) fell below 50% of expectations. Interestingly, "World Music" in November beat budget despite concerns that the international format might present problems, and the Memorial Day weekend concert at Regency Park did extremely well despite negligible advance sales.
The Gate opens: 2005 Auditions:
Audition response in 2005 was more than satisfactory on several counts. Some 34 adult singers joined in August, an uptick from 2004. C4 generated a solid 17 new students and the new CJCC program inducted 21 for its debut season (this includes auditions in May and the previous August).
Baroque Classics: The October 8 concert promised to be an early season-energy builder. The program featured four professional singers (Liz LaBelle, Larry Speakman, Kathy Hopkins, and John Fowler), the Chatham Baroque Trio on tour out of Pittsburgh, a group of skilled period instrument performers from East Carolina University, and an warm and intimate venue at St. Paul'S Episcopal Church. Unfortunately, audience response was not there and the event generated a low turnout. The high point was artistic quality, with CVNC listing the event as one of the best of the Triangle season.
World Music Wows: CSC's first international program on November 12th, featuring music from five continents, was a surprising hit for the season. Singer energy was high -- a record 121 singers appeared on stage at Westwood Baptist Church, and the ticketed audience of 268 bested budget expectations.
A Performance-Packed December: We presented, with our friends at Triangle Wind Ensemble, a second "Holiday Pops" experience at our annual holiday concert on December 3rd . We sang arrangements of favorite carols, listened to great instrumental music played by TWE, and enjoyed a kid-friendly reading of "The Night Before Christmas" by Mayor Ernie McAllister. The concert followed the Cary treelighting and was part of the Town's "Heart of the Holidays" celebration. And, we had a happy, near-capacity crowd at the Herbert Young Community Center. The evening before, Cary Children's Concert choir appeared in their annual holiday concert at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church, entertaining almost concertgoers. That was followed by the debut of Cary Junior Concert Choir, on December 16th, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The audience of 80 enjoyed a mix of carols and classics. The month was complete with the chamber choir, who performed "Carols, Anthems, and Holiday Songs" on December 17, also at St. Paul's. Turnout was only 162 and the program had a bumpy start. In total, we provided a musical season's greetings to 744 people in our busiest-ever December.
Income Treats at Midyear: Despite the admissions trends, fundraising otherwise went very well in the fall. The pledge campaign exceeded budget for the first time since 2000, and did so spectacularly. Grant writing also yielded unexpected increases over previous year, particularly with United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County. Ad sales in the program did meet budget for the first time in several years, and we also reaped handsome sales of concert recordings to the singers, helped by new vendor Mark Manring's high production value.
Valentine's Gala Disappoints: Our third experiment for the year featured six professional-caliber singers, donated refreshments, and a warmly decorated Glenaire auditorium. But "Valentine's Classics" on February 11 fell victim to weather and competition. Turnout was very small for the event.
Mass Confusion: As winter ended, all eyes turned to the next big event, this being a grand classical concert featuring mass settings by Palestrina and Haydn at Westwood Baptist Church on April 8th. A full court press was waged in publicity, duplicating that of April 2005 in intensity and expense. But a combination of circumstances may have contributed to a turnout that, while being over 200 persons, was far behind our expectations. Suspected were rainy weather, competiting events in the Triangle, higher fuel prices, and confusion about the concert (publicity elements may have created the impression the program was a Catholic event). Despite an error-laden CVNC review, artistic quality was very good.
Musicales Continues: The Musicales...a la Carte endowment fundraiser had its admissions challenges as well. In its sixth edition, the event lost half of the host homes to low sales and reaped a less-than expected $5,000 in net revenue. But the momentum was maintained and an experienced committee promptly started work on the 7th program for 2007.
Youth Programs Close on a Good Note: Both CJCC and C4 ended their seasons in May. CJCC performed at "Cary Performs" in late April and held their Spring Concert on May 5 at Cary Senior Center. C4 ended their year on May 12 at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church. Between them the concerts brought in an audience of nearly 200.
Memorial Day Weekend Is Golden: The grand experiment of the year took the form of "An American Celebration" at Koka Booth Amphitheatre on May 27th. CSC partnered with the Town of Cary and Triangle Wind Ensemble for a performance of American music. Early sales were disappointing, perhaps a result of concerns about weather conditions. However, the day was fine and sales were brisk, and a drop count of 550 was recorded at the event.
A Virtuoso Season: The "Virtuosos" program recognizing members for volunteerism and participation yielded a fine crop for its second year. Some 27 singers achieved Virtuoso status in year two, of whom 9 were recognized for a second year.
The Year Ends - Jazz and the Beatles: The final concert of a long and busy year was held June 20th at Cary Senior Center and featured the chamber choir performing jazz works and a set of King's singers arrangements of Beatles songs, possibly some of the most challenging music ever taken on by CSC singers. The turnout was disappointing (68) but the energy was high and the audience delighted in the repertoire. 34 weeks of rehearsals, 178 rehearsal hours, and 9,766 person hours later, the season came to its end.

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