Looking Back on the May 6, 2025 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting
Both ensembles from the Alexandria A Cappella Collective attended a dress rehearsal event on May 6 in advance of the Alexandria choral festival on May 9th at Schlesinger Concert Hall. Members wore their Collective t-shirt with jeans for the rehearsal with the eight other groups from the greater Alexandria area including George Washington Middle School Combined Choir, NOVA Community Chorus Chamber Ensemble, The Alexandria Children’s Chorus, Choristers of Westminster Presbyterian Church, The Alexandria Singers, Alexandria City High School Titans Choir, and The Alexandria Choral Society who organized and hosted this first-time festival.
Artistic director, Joe Cerutti, directed the AACC when they did their songs, “I’m Still Standing” and “Defying Gravity” with Samantha Tramack and Lance Fisher as soloists at the dress rehearsal. There were announcements about attire for the May 9 show. Terry Reynolds brought the supply of AACC t-shirts for those who needed one for the night. A good group of singers from the other ensembles watched and applauded after The Collective rehearsal in the lobby before their stage time.
The evening started with a welcome from the hosts, The Alexandria Choral Society, and their artistic director, Kathryn Harsha; then assignments of where the groups would stand during the mass sing part of the Friday program. AACC singers will fill the main two aisles of the Schlesinger auditorium.
Call time for The Collective singers is 5 pm on May 9. The massed chorus of about 400 singers will perform “Sing, Sing, Sing,” “Unified Prayer,” and “Thank You for the Music.”
Alexandria mayor, Alyia Gaskins, will be the emcee for the performance.
There were some guests this week at the rehearsal – Ed Allen, a long-time member who lives in Iowa, and Troy Hillierwho we have need seen in a while. Bill Colosimo was on stage helping the Alexandria Singers as one of their leaders.
In other news about the chapter, here is a friendly reminder that registration for Harmony College East 2025 is still open! And the weekend is closer than you think!! Get your calendars out and reserve June 12-15, 2025, for the best District barbershop school ANYWHERE! Briefly, here are the particulars: WHAT: Harmony College East 2025; WHERE: The beautiful campus of McDaniel College, Westminster, MD; WHEN: Thursday, June 12 through Sunday, June 15, 2025
One of our chapter quartets, FIRST TAKE, is on the main show at the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) “Un Convention” in Nashville, TN. That event runs May 23-26.
New member, Jackson Byrd, has invited fellow AACC members to his school concert/show, ‘Night on Broadway.’ He will be singing a solo or two for the event and sing with his school choral group. Some members are already on deck to attend – at Edison High School, May 16, at 7 pm. Tickets are just $5.
A good crowd of members made it to the Harmo House for afterglow, tag singing and celebrating the fun sing at Schlesinger.
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 for the great things going on each week during the 76th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)
The Chapter Mission Statement: Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.