Looking Back on the Mar. 19^th Chapter Meeting and Recording Session

 Great that the chapter has found the choir room area at First Baptist Church on King St. available for our recording sessions.  And this week we managed to make two more clean sets for a future CD development. YeEd hears there are also plans to begin marketing single songs using the newer technologies.

 

Chuck McKeever was there early to provide some individual coaching of the uptune stage moves.  There was a good attendance of singers for the session.  Associate director Tony Colosimo did the vocal warm ups and merged that into his weekly barbershop craft session for the chorus.  This week’s lesson gave more emphasis to “tall in the back, small in the front” to improve sound.

 

Cameron Wiffenbach did the recording engineer work for our session again and Mike Kelly and Doug White helped with that. 

 

The music team conducted brief sectionals each time before we recorded “Summertime” and “ObLaDi” to give a little review and reminder of pointers.

 

After the recording times, Director Joe Cerutti went to work on the contest package for this summer.  While the front row worked in another room Carlos Barillo reviewed some riser moves and helped us drill them. Assistant director Terry Reynolds managed the self-eval sessions and listener sessions for those ready to have an evaluation. 

 

Operations vp Bob Rhome conducted the chapter meeting.  Announcements included details about this weekend’s coaching session with Tony DeRosa.  Joe shared Tony’s barbershop biography for those who were not with us when Tony worked with us before. We are due at Durant at 9 am and will be out at 5 pm, with a lunch break off-campus.  Plan to go to a variety of restaurants so all 120 of us don’t try to get lunch in the same place! 

 

Bob announced that chapter members can purchase one of the new books edited by Joe (VISIONS OF EXCELLANCE - being sold be the BHS) next week at our meeting.  They are $20 and you can avoid paying the shipping costs. See Jack Pitzer on Mar. 26^th  to get your copy.  

 

Bob and others reminded guys to get started right away on getting a passport if you don’t have one.

 

President Alan Wile recognized the success of our quartets at the M-AD prelims contest last weekend – DA CAPO, MAYHEM and HANDSOME REWARD.

 

Also he showed us a certificate he was given at the House of Delegates meeting last weekend recognizing our chapter with a gold award for per capita donation to Harmony Foundation.  We averaged $267.09 per member.

 

He also had checks for the chapter treasurer David Welter that came in from community service activities of quartets and the chorus in recent months.

 

There was a board meeting during the break.

 

Our chapter is hosting the southern/western division contest weekend in Reston on April 26-27.  We earn some money for this service to the district.  Chuck Harner has agreed to be weekend chairman (he has done that a few times!) and he needs about 30 job positions filled.  He had signup sheets for guys to volunteer. Jobs include things such as quartet and chorus hosting, ticket takers at the doors, hosting of judges and such, set up and take down, and more.  Nothing is too hard or too long. Great way for many of our newer members to get involved.

 

Related to that is the option for our chapter to also earn dollars based on the number of advertisements we sell for the printed program.  Carlos Correa is heading up that effort and has sent out an email to all.  Step up and help us make some money as a chapter.

 

Ian Poulin urged members to order scrip cards. First, everyone needs to buy enough to pay for their hotel rooms in Toronto.  Second you can get cards for Easter and family entertaining. PLESAE NOTE that Ian will be on travel the month of May, so we need to do it in April.

 

As a reminder, the music team stressed guys mark calendars for the retreat May 31-June 1 with coach David Wright.  It is a mandatory weekend.  It will be held a McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. Note too: this year’s first coaching session of the weekend will be on Friday nite (oldtimers take note of this change). Chuck McKeever is coordinator of this annual weekend.

 

Terry Reynolds mentioned dates for vocal and visual studios coming up.

 

Chapter secretary Chris Buechler presented new members Duncan Woodbury and Harold Weinberger.  Phil Ferguson was also reinstated.

 

Then Chris had renewal membership cards for Joel Golden for 8 years; Joe Cerutti Jr. for 12 years; Sam McFarland for 26 years; Ken Ives for 28 years; Rick Wagner for 32 years; Will Cox for 35 years (he also got the lapel pin); and Bruce Minnick for 36 years.

 

Membership vp Mark Klostermeyer introduced Jeff Bowen and his Mom Doris, guests of Carlos Barillo, from Indiana.

 

After a brief break, Joe worked with us to introduce the musical interpretation plan for the ballad so that we could be prepared for this Saturday’s session.  We can expect an email to cover it too.

 

The evening adjourned with the traditional singing of KTWWS.  The hall was emptied and some of us went to an afterglow.

 

Until next time – editorjack!

(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week during the 65^th year of the Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter. —YeEd.)