Looking Back on the May 19, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting

 Looking Back on the May 19, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting 

AACC singers were eager to get back on the risers and work on their contest packages and show songs.  As usual, things started at 7 pm. The warm up session was conducted by Tony Colosimo, associate director of the Harmonizers,  at Beth El Synagogue. 

 

Meetings for the following weeks will be at AlexRenew -  May 26 (Steve Armstrong will be coaching the Harmonizers that night), June 2 and June 9.  Looking ahead - the traditional send-off performance for family, friends and patrons prior to the chorus going to an International contest will be Tuesday, June 23, at Beth El, 3830 Seminary Rd.

 

After the warm up, artistic director Joe Cerutti led a quick sing/review of “We Will Be One” and “Defying Gravity” with Christine Pan debuting for the solo. These songs will be part of the 20-minute AACC paid performance for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) evening banquet on May 23, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. Attire for this performance will be AACC formal. Call time will be 7 pm.

 

Joe welcomed chapter friend and coach, David McEachern, who was in town to work with the Harmonizers on their contest package. David will stay in town for the special coaching event for the Harmonists on Saturday, May 23 (before the singout for TAPS). He will be joined by coaches Steve Armstrong and Cy Wood. This special coaching session will be at Fairlington Presbyterian Church only for the Harmonists and other characters until noon, then from 1-5 pm, the rehearsal will be open for all chorus members to observe, to offer inputs, and to get a feel for the total package. NOTE: an entrance code to get into the building will be sent out via Slack. 

 

The Harmonizers worked with David on “Stars in the Night” but performed the complete package a few times with narration and all characters. He coached the Harmonists as well as the larger chorus to involve the audience in the song and significant message.

 

Metro Voices worked more on their contest package as well as reviewed the songs that will be used on the AACC chorus appearance for TAPS.

 

One new business item for all:  the AACC chorus has been invited to entertain at the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) Midwinter convention in Virginia Beach, VA, in February 2027. Singers should watch for the form on Slack to sign up for this special opportunity for Thursday, Feb. 4, 2027. 

 

Another addition to the schedule is the outdoor performance at Nottoway Park in Vienna, VA, on August 20, as part of the Fairfax County Park Authority summer concert series. 

 

There are a number of business announcements to report again this week: 

 

The annual chorus retreat has been scheduled for June 5-7 at AlexRenew. Terry Reynolds shared that the following time frame is likely for those who need to make plans: Friday from 7 to 10 pm; all day Saturday 9 am to 10 pm; and Sunday 9 am to noon. Coaches for this year’s retreat will be David McEachern and David Drown for the Harmonizers, and Blair Brown and Patrick McAlexander for Metro Voices. As a reminder, Harmonizers will bring their all black contest attire to wear on Saturday night of the retreat when they sing the package for Metro Voices (and chapter team can check the fit and appearance of the choices that members made). Metro Voices will sing their package for the Harmonizers too.

 

Chapter leaders have begun to organize an exchange of volunteers with the Alexandria Singers for ushers and ticket sales at shows, and similar tasks.  Stay tuned to sign up and help, 

 

Registration for the chapter’s Japan trip in 2027 is now open. During the trip, the AACC chorus will make a guest appearance at the Japan Barbershop Convention in Yokohama, August 22-23. Trip coordinator for AACC, Brad Jones, suggests sending any further travel questions to AACCJapan2027@gmail.com.

 

President Craig Kujawa suggested it was still possible for members to buy gift cards to use in paying for their hotel room at the contest in St. Louis – those card purchases earn cash for the chapter. Contact Craig if you have not purchased your cards. 

 

Two AACC members, Bill Colosimo and Sheryl Berlin, are deans for the Mid Atlantic District (M-AD) Harmony College East (HCE) – a weekend barbershop educational opportunity on June 18-21 at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD.  Individual singers are encouraged to attend too, maybe take voice lessons, or attend as a quartet with three other singers. Registration can be managed at midatlanticdistrict.com. 

Here is a report from E.J. Herold about the two Honor Flight sing-outs the chapter has this spring.  On  May16, a group of AACC singers (17 strong – 14 Harmonizers and 3 Metro Voices) welcomed American veterans from Kalamazoo, MI, and West Palm Beach, FL, to Washington, DC. Our first flight scheduled for 8 am arrived early so it was good that the singers arrived on time for the early 7 am call. The 9 am flight was on time.

 The Honor Flight organization brings veterans to Washington to tour the monuments to their service and receive recognition for their uniformed service from a grateful nation. The flights are met by musicians (e.g. AACC), local business (today’s group was the Mitre Corporation), families, and other groups. An announcement is made in the terminal inviting those travelers nearby to come to the gate and cheer the arrival of veterans from WWII, Korea and Vietnam as they deplane for their day in DC. The enthusiastic crowds cheered for the veterans and even applauded our warm-up songs!

The repertoire included “America the Beautiful,” “Armed Forces Medley,” “God Bless America,” “This is My Country’ and ‘You’re a Grand Old Flag.’ Deplaning veterans sang along as they recognized their service songs or some of the other selections. Though the numbers are dwindling, we saw a couple of WWII Vets among the visitors, in addition to Korea and Vietnam Veterans.

Terry Reynolds directed the effort and the entire group was uplifted by the thanks of the veterans and the crowd. AACC has one more performance this season on May 30.

Jacob Broude recognized returning guests this week including Dana Wooster, Elizabeth Halford, and Mike Zelno. First time guest was Soham Ray, who was in the area visiting his family.  He sings with the Fog City chorus in California.  Terry Reynolds, assistant director of the Harmonizers, led the AACC in singing the chapter welcome song for all the guests. 

 

Jacob also launched the traditional new member class for 2026.  He presented red bandanas to eight Harmonizers and blue bandanas to two Metro Voices. As the custom goes, the new members will be expected to have their bandana every time the ensemble meets.  A complete list of the Class of 2026 will be provided in a later edition of Looking Back after the entire class is announced.

 

To wrap up this week’s meeting, each ensemble had their own finale to sing “Keep the Whole World Singing.” Metro Voices finished early and then the Harmonizers ended with tag singer and quartet singer/guest, Ben Hawker directing. There was a big crowd of singers at the HarmoHouse for lots of pizza and visiting and comparing notes about the music – and the new gadget in the living room at the HarmoHouse!

 

There are some great reasons to share recent congratulations for AACC members: Brendon White has gotten engaged to Ruth Catlett recently!!  Jackson Byrd has a solo senior voice recital May 30^th at the Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria at 2 pm – it’s also his graduation celebration! Devante Lucasdirects the Rappahannock Choral Society and they are having their spring concerts. SUPERNOVA quartet with Maggie McAlexander and Tessa Walker received a wildcard invitation to compete in the International contest this summer in St. Louis!! And three members have been invited to the judges category school on their way to certification as official BHS judges – Maggie McAlexander, Terry Reynolds and Tyler Carpenter. Hurray for all!

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 78^th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)

The Chapter Mission Statement: Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.

 

 

 

Looking Back on the May 12, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting

   Looking Back on the May 12, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting 

AACC singers gathered at 7 pm on risers (thanks to all the members who arrived early and promptly helped with the set up) for a warm up session conducted by Peter Cunningham, who was at the meeting as coach for Metro Voices.  

 

After the exercise, artistic director Joe Cerutti led a quick sing/review of “Hey Jude” with soloist Matt Ambler, and “I’m Still Standing.” These songs will be part of the 20-minute AACC paid performance for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) evening banquet on May 23. Next week, AACC will review “We Will Be One” and “Defying Gravity” as part of rehearsal warm ups. Attire for this performance will be AACC formal.  

 

This week’s meeting was at AlexRenew and the meetings will be there on May 26, June 2 and June 9.  The May 19 meeting will be at Beth El Synagogue, 3830 Seminary Rd., Alexandria. David McEachern will be coaching the Harmonizers that night and will stay in town for the special coaching event for the Harmonists on Saturday, May 23 (before the singout for TAPS).

 

Metro Voices worked more on their contest package and coach Peter had compliments for their work ethic and progress when YeEd spoke with him at the afterglow. 

 

The Harmonizer rehearsal started with artistic director, Joe Cerutti, teamed with Turner Arndt, working on choreography for “Harmony.” Joe and Turner both stood on the director riser so they could watch and coach – part of the time Joe would ask the front three rows to sing only and the back two rows would do choreo.  Then they would switch that plan.  He was pleased at the end of the rehearsal with the progress on the choreo to go with the great singing. They also  worked on “I’m Just a Bill” this week.  

 

There are a number of business announcements to report again this week: 

The annual chorus retreat has been scheduled for June 5-7 at AlexRenew. Terry Reynolds shared that the following time frame is likely for those who need to make plans: Friday from 7 to 10 pm, all day Saturday 9 am to 10 pm, and Sunday 9 am to noon. Coaches for this year’s retreat will be David McEachern and David Drown for the Harmonizers, and Blair Brown and Patrick McAlexander for Metro Voices. As a reminder, Harmonizers will bring their all black contest attire to wear on Saturday night of the retreat when they sing the package for Metro Voices (and chapter team can check the fit and appearance of the choices that members made). Metro Voices will sing their package for the Harmonizers too.

 

Registration for the chapter’s Japan trip in 2027 is now open. During the trip, the AACC chorus will make a guest appearance at the Japan Barbershop Convention in Yokohama, August 22-23. Trip coordinator for AACC, Brad Jones, suggests sending any further travel questions to AACCJapan2027@gmail.com.

 

President Craig Kujawa suggested it was still possible for members to buy gift cards to use in paying for their hotel room – those card purchases earn cash for the chapter. Contact Craig if you have not purchased your cards. 

 

Last week, Craig also acknowledged Ashley Merryman who was recognized recently for her significant work in preparing the chapter’s annual report.  Here are the complete details: Ashleyreceived Awards of Distinction in the 2026 Communicator Awards sanctioned by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts for two pieces of her AACC-related writing – the AACC FY24 Annual report and a press release from last fall announcing that both Metro Voices and the Harmonizers had qualified for International.  (YeEd wanted to get it correct for the record – congrats to Ashley.)  

 

At a recent meeting, Sheryl Berlin promoted registration/attendance at Harmony College East (HCE) – a weekend barbershop educational opportunity organized by the Mid Atlantic District (M-AD). It will be June 18-21 at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD.  Individual singers are encouraged to attend too, maybe take voice lessons, or attend as a quartet with three other singers. Registration can be managed at midatlanticdistrict.com. 

 

Here is a reminder of the two Honor Flight dates the chapter will be singing at this spring – May 16, two flights; and May 30, three flights. Call time both dates will be 7 am at Reagan National Airport. Repertoire songs will be sung in the existing men’s key. Folders of the music will be provided. Uniform will be the AACC t-shirt or a plain black t-shirt, and slacks. Singers need to have signed up on Groupanizer – it’s not too late.  Stay tuned for more details including some info about parking.

 

Jacob Broude recognized returning guests this week including Dana Wooster, Elizabeth Halford, Constanza Frakes, and Mike Zelno.  Terry Reynolds, assistant director of the Harmonizers, led the AACC in singing the chapter welcome song for all the guests. Good to see Mary Cooper back on the risers after travel and then surgery. 

 

It was also great to see Dennis Ritchey on hand this week.  He was tapped to build the piano prop for the Harmonizer contest package and brought it to the rehearsal for all to see – wow is it nifty! Joethanked him for using his skills at building sets and such.

 

On Saturday, May 23, the main coaches for the Harmonizer contest set will be here to coach the “Harmonists” and other characters for the Harmonizer’s contest package. The morning session is closed to just those players. Then, between 1-5 pm - chorus members are encouraged/welcome to attend to observe, give feedback and understand the vision. 

 

To wrap up this week’s meeting, each ensemble had their own finale to sing “Keep the Whole World Singing.” There was a big crowd of singers at the HarmoHouse for lots of pizza and visiting and comparing notes about the music.

 

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 77^th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)

The Chapter Mission Statement: Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.

 

 

 

Looking Back on the May 5, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting

 Looking Back on the May 5, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting 

AACC music leaders led their ensembles through an evening of important work on the music and choreography this week for contest and shows. The two ensembles did their warm up sessions separately. Tony Colosimo, associate director of the Harmonizers, led their warm up session and Maggie McAlexander, assistant director of Metro Voices, led their warm up session.

 

This week’s meeting was at AlexRenew and the meetings will be there on May 12 and May 26.  Tentative location for the May 19 meeting will be Beth El.

 

A riser crew set up things for the 7 pm start. Patricia Chow and Annie Ermlick reported that Metro Voices spent their time with director Samantha Tramack in a run through of their contest set. Then they worked in duet sectionals on “Yes, I Can.” Samantha worked with leads and tenors and Maggieworked with basses and baritones. 

 

The Harmonizer rehearsal started with artistic director, Joe Cerutti, teamed with Turner Arndt, working on choreography for “Harmony.”  Next they worked on “Stars in the Night,” and then moved to “I’m Just a Bill.”  

 

Regarding the work on choreography for the package, Harmonizers should work to get up to snuff in that area. They are required to video themselves by May 9. 

 

Mid-evening, the two ensembles met together for a brief business session. 

 

The annual chorus retreat has been scheduled for June 5-7 at AlexRenew. Terry Reynolds shared that the following time frame is likely for those who need to make plans: Friday from 7 to 10 pm, all day Saturday 9 am to 10 pm, and Sunday 9 am to noon. Coaches for this year’s retreat will be David McEachern and David Drown for the Harmonizers, and Blair Brown and Patrick McAlexander for Metro Voices. 

 

Brad Jones introduced Sean Fagan from Opus Tours at this week’s chapter meeting, who gave a short presentation about the Japan tour and answered questions from members. He shared that there were already 84 signed up which includes friends and family members. About half of that number are singers from the two AACC ensembles. Registration for the chapter’s Japan trip in 2027 is now open. During the trip, the AACC chorus will make a guest appearance at the Japan Barbershop Convention in Yokohama, August 22-23. Trip coordinator for AACC, Brad, suggests sending any further travel questions to AACCJapan2027@gmail.com.

 

Randall Eliason announced a project being led by the Communications Leadership Triad – watch for an opportunity to offer input about a recognition program for Member-of-the-Month or some such plan.

 

President Craig Kujawa suggested it was still possible for members to buy gift cards to use in paying for their hotel room – those card purchases earn cash for the chapter. Contact Craig if you have not purchased your cards. 

 

Craig also acknowledged Ashley Merryman who was recognized recently for her significant work in preparing the chapter’s annual report to submit to the City of Alexandria.  

 

At a recent meeting, Sheryl Berlin promoted registration/attendance at Harmony College East (HCE) – a weekend barbershop educational opportunity organized by the Mid Atlantic District (M-AD). It will be June 18-21 at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD.  Individual singers are encouraged to attend too, maybe take voice lessons, or attend as a quartet with three other singers. Registration can be managed at midatlanticdistrict.com. 

 

Here is a reminder of the two Honor Flight dates the chapter will be singing at this spring – May 16, two flights; and May 30, three flights. Call time both dates will be 7 am at Reagan National Airport. Repertoire songs will be sung in the existing men’s key. Folders of the music will be provided. Uniform will be the AACC t-shirt or a plain black t-shirt, and slacks. Singers need to update their availability on Groupanizer.

 

Tyler Carpenter recognized returning guests this week including Dana Wooster, Elizabeth Halford. and Mary LaBorie. First time guest this week was Josie Tucker. Larry Cohen, who sang with the Harmonizers for the “I Am Harvey Milk” performance, was in the hall this week too.  Jason Lee, assistant director of the Harmonizers, led the AACC in singing the chapter welcome song for all the guests. 

 

Another breakout session for new member orientation was held at the mid-point of the evening.

 

On Memorial Day Saturday, the main coaches for the Harmonizer contest set will be here to coach the “Harmonists” and other characters for the Harmonizer’s contest package. The morning session is closed to just those players. Then, later - although it is not a mandatory event - chorus members are encouraged to attend mid-afternoon to observe, give feedback and understand the vision. There is a need for uniform parts to outfit the Harmonists – check with Chad Ross if you have small sizes of the black tales and tux outfits of the past.  

 

To wrap up the evening, the ensembles met back together for any final announcements, a count for pizza slices for the afterglow at the Harmo House, and then the usual 50/50 drawing before “Keep the Whole World Singing.”

 

A rehearsal/review for the chapter’s paid performance on May 23 was held then from 9-9:30 pm on “We Will Be One,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Hey Jude,” and “Defying Gravity.” The AACC chorus will sing these songs as a 20 minute show at a major evening banquet event for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). Attire is AACC formal.  

 

Members who were not doing the May 23 gig were invited to choreo review with Turner Arndt in another room at AlexRenew.

 

In other news from the barbershop world, according to a message from Dixie Kennett, there were a number of members of the Harmonizer family at the spring contest in Florida this past weekend including former director Scott Werner, plus Bob Thames, Keith Jones, Jay Carter, Phil Ashford, Chris Buechler and Stevc Tramack. Scott, Bob and Jay sang in choruses in the contest and Chris and Steve were judges for the event.

 

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 77^th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)

The Chapter Mission Statement: Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.

 

 

 

Looking Back on the April 28, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting

 Looking Back on the April 28, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting 

AACC music leaders led their ensembles through an evening of important work on the music and choreography this week for contest and shows. The two ensembles did their warm up sessions separately. Tony Colosimo, associate director of the Harmonizers, led their warm up session and Maggie McAlexander, assistant director of Metro Voices, led their warm up session.

 

This week’s meeting was at AlexRenew and the meetings will be there on May 12 and May 26.  Tentative location for the May 19 meeting will be Beth El.

 

A riser crew set up things for the 7 pm start. Patricia Chow and Annie Ermlick reported that Metro Voices spent their time with director Samantha Tramack in a run through of their contest set. Then they worked in duet sectionals on “Yes, I Can.” Samantha worked with leads and tenors and Maggieworked with basses and baritones. 

 

The Harmonizer rehearsal started with artistic director, Joe Cerutti, teamed with Turner Arndt, working on choreography for “Harmony.”  Next they worked on “Stars in the Night,” and then moved to “I’m Just a Bill.”  

 

Regarding the work on choreography for the package, Harmonizers should work to get up to snuff in that area. They are required to video themselves by May 9. 

 

Mid-evening, the two ensembles met together for a brief business session. 

 

The annual chorus retreat has been scheduled for June 5-7 at AlexRenew. Terry Reynolds shared that the following time frame is likely for those who need to make plans: Friday from 7 to 10 pm, all day Saturday 9 am to 10 pm, and Sunday 9 am to noon. Coaches for this year’s retreat will be David McEachern and David Drown for the Harmonizers, and Blair Brown and Patrick McAlexander for Metro Voices. 

 

Brad Jones introduced Sean Fagan from Opus Tours at this week’s chapter meeting, who gave a short presentation about the Japan tour and answered questions from members. He shared that there were already 84 signed up which includes friends and family members. About half of that number are singers from the two AACC ensembles. Registration for the chapter’s Japan trip in 2027 is now open. During the trip, the AACC chorus will make a guest appearance at the Japan Barbershop Convention in Yokohama, August 22-23. Trip coordinator for AACC, Brad, suggests sending any further travel questions to AACCJapan2027@gmail.com.

 

Randall Eliason announced a project being led by the Communications Leadership Triad – watch for an opportunity to offer input about a recognition program for Member-of-the-Month or some such plan.

 

President Craig Kujawa suggested it was still possible for members to buy gift cards to use in paying for their hotel room – those card purchases earn cash for the chapter. Contact Craig if you have not purchased your cards. 

 

Craig also acknowledged Ashley Merryman who was recognized recently for her significant work in preparing the chapter’s annual report to submit to the City of Alexandria.  

 

At a recent meeting, Sheryl Berlin promoted registration/attendance at Harmony College East (HCE) – a weekend barbershop educational opportunity organized by the Mid Atlantic District (M-AD). It will be June 18-21 at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD.  Individual singers are encouraged to attend too, maybe take voice lessons, or attend as a quartet with three other singers. Registration can be managed at midatlanticdistrict.com. 

 

Here is a reminder of the two Honor Flight dates the chapter will be singing at this spring – May 16, two flights; and May 30, three flights. Call time both dates will be 7 am at Reagan National Airport. Repertoire songs will be sung in the existing men’s key. Folders of the music will be provided. Uniform will be the AACC t-shirt or a plain black t-shirt, and slacks. Singers need to update their availability on Groupanizer.

 

Tyler Carpenter recognized returning guests this week including Dana Wooster, Elizabeth Halford. and Mary LaBorie. First time guest this week was Josie Tucker. Larry Cohen, who sang with the Harmonizers for the “I Am Harvey Milk” performance, was in the hall this week too.  Jason Lee, assistant director of the Harmonizers, led the AACC in singing the chapter welcome song for all the guests. 

 

Another breakout session for new member orientation was held at the mid-point of the evening.

 

On Memorial Day Saturday, the main coaches for the Harmonizer contest set will be here to coach the “Harmonists” and other characters for the Harmonizer’s contest package. The morning session is closed to just those players. Then, later - although it is not a mandatory event - chorus members are encouraged to attend mid-afternoon to observe, give feedback and understand the vision. There is a need for uniform parts to outfit the Harmonists – check with Chad Ross if you have small sizes of the black tales and tux outfits of the past.  

 

To wrap up the evening, the ensembles met back together for any final announcements, a count for pizza slices for the afterglow at the Harmo House, and then the usual 50/50 drawing before “Keep the Whole World Singing.”

 

A rehearsal/review for the chapter’s paid performance on May 23 was held then from 9-9:30 pm on “We Will Be One,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Hey Jude,” and “Defying Gravity.” The AACC chorus will sing these songs as a 20 minute show at a major evening banquet event for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). Attire is AACC formal.  

 

Members who were not doing the May 23 gig were invited to choreo review with Turner Arndt in another room at AlexRenew.

 

In other news from the barbershop world, according to a message from Dixie Kennett, there were a number of members of the Harmonizer family at the spring contest in Florida this past weekend including former director Scott Werner, plus Bob Thames, Keith Jones, Jay Carter, Phil Ashford, Chris Buechler and Stevc Tramack. Scott, Bob and Jay sang in choruses in the contest and Chris and Steve were judges for the event.

 

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 77^th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)

The Chapter Mission Statement: Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.

 

 

 

Looking Back on the April 28, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting

 Looking Back on the April 28, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting 

Wow, the chapter achieved its goal of raising $30,000 in donations for the 2026 Spring2ACTion (S2A) project last week. The chapter participated in the City of Alexandria organized project for non-profits in the community on Wed. April 22. The chapter went over the $30.000 mark mid-morning on Friday, April 24.  Thanks to the major donors including significant matching gifts to prompt donations. Great work by all AACC members to “make the ask” and succeed. This year’s S2A had some challenges as compared to previous years, but leaders made it work. The S2A program awarded the chapter $500 for having the most donors for the 3-4 pm “power hour.” Thanks to Ken Rub for taking the lead this year along with Randall Eliason to coordinate the chapter efforts. 

 

At this week’s chapter meeting, Ken thanked all members for their efforts to achieve the goal.  He called on Craig Kujawa to be recognized for his efforts to get donors from his many contacts and Craig took a couple minutes to explain how he made it happen.  Ken also announced the winners of the competition among AACC chorus sections for adding the most donors: basses placed third, leads and baritones tied for second place, and tenors placed first. 

 

The chapter’s Culture Leadership Triad (Becca Williams, Kellen Hertz and Matt Darouse) organized a social event to celebrate on Wed. April 22, after the full day of watching donations roll in. Dana Richardson hosted an open house at her home in the Fort Hunt area, and about 25 members attended – half from the Harmonizers and half from Metro Voices.  Attendees had to have created a S2A page to attend and if you didn’t have one, Becca helped them create one. According to Kellen, there were games and contests including a pie-in-the-face from Mireille Kouagou to good sport Joe Cerutti. The team brought goodies and ended the evening with some fun sing-a-long time with Christine Panproviding piano accompaniment. 

 

AACC singers continued their hard work on music and choreography this week for contest and shows. To kick things off, Tony Colosimo, associate director of the Harmonizers, led the warm up session for all.  He continued the work on “A Place on the Risers for You,” the song used when a person is leaving the AACC. To help members get “into the song.” Tony had the singers “connect with someone around them on the risers.”

 

A riser crew set up things for the 7 pm start and after the warm up session, Metro Voices used the risers and the Harmonizers went to the meeting room at AlexRenew. Patricia Chow reports that Metro Voices spent their time on the risers working on integrating choreography with singing technique for “Me and the Sky” with particular attention paid on keeping a solid tempo. Next they rehearsed in duet sectionals (leads and tenors, basses and baris) to work on “Yes I Can.” They ended their rehearsal with runs of their contest set.

 

The Harmonizer rehearsal started with “I’m Just a Bill,” then moved to “Stars in the Night,” and then moved to choreography for “Harmony” – this choreo rehearsal was divided into groups based on the singers’ self-assessment as to readiness. The Harmonists for the set worked separately on choreography. 

 

Regarding the work on choreography for the package, Harmonizers should work to get up to snuff in that area. They are required to video themselves by May 9. 

 

Mid-evening, the two ensembles met together on the risers for a brief business session. As a reminder, chapter meetings the next two weeks will be at AlexRenew.  

 

Matt Darouse, representing the Culture Leadership Triad, announced their team’s invitation for a pre-glow event for singers on the second Tuesday of the month – 6pm gathering at Lost Boy Cider, 319 Hooffs Run Dr., Alexandria.  Bring your own food from nearby food spots.

 

He also announced a new plan to have goodies for the third Tuesday night of the month chapter meeting – sign up for bringing them will be in Slack.

 

A major show opportunity has come to the chapter for Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.  It will be to sing at a major evening banquet event for  the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). There have been enough singers that signed up, but everyone who is available should sign up via Groupanizer. The combined AACC chorus will fill this 20 minute time slot.  (The Harmonizers sang for the group in 2020.)

 

At a recent meeting, Sheryl Berlin promoted registration/attendance at Harmony College East (HCE) – a weekend barbershop educational opportunity organized by the Mid Atlantic District (M-AD). It will be June 18-21 at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD.  Individual singers are encouraged to attend too, maybe take voice lessons, or attend as a quartet with three other singers. Registration can be managed at midatlanticdistrict.com. 

 

Registration for the chapter’s Japan trip in 2027 is now open. Send any questions to AACCJapan2027@gmail.com.

 

Here is a reminder of the two Honor Flight dates the chapter will be singing at this spring – May 16, two flights; and May 30, three flights. Call time both dates will be 7 am at Reagan National Airport. Repertoire songs will be sung in the existing men’s key. Folders of the music will be provided. Uniform will be the AACC t-shirt or a plain black t-shirt, and slacks. Singers need to update their availability on Groupanizer.

 

Tyler Carpenter recognized the newest AACC member, Sarah Lott.  Returning guest this week was Dana Wooster.First time gust this week was Elizabeth Halford. Member Geoff Berman was in the hall this week too.  Terry Reynolds led the AACC in singing the chapter welcome song for all the guests. 

 

A breakout for new member orientation was held at this time – Terry taught the session about barbershop contests. 

 

On Memorial Day Saturday, the main coaches for the Harmonizer contest set will be here to coach the “Harmonists” and other characters for the Harmonizer’s contest package. The morning session is closed to just those players. Then, later - although it is not a mandatory event - chorus members are encouraged to attend mid-afternoon to observe, give feedback and understand the vision. 

 

After the announcements, the Harmonizers and Metro Voices moved back into separate rehearsal rooms to continue their rehearsal work. Tony worked with Turner Arndt to review/drill choreography with the Harmonizers on the risers. Props were used too. Tony thanked Randall Eliason for providing the narration for the set, and Turner for helping singers perform the plan.  

 

To wrap up the evening, the ensembles met back together for any final announcements, a count for pizza slices for the afterglow at the Harmo House, and then the usual 50/50 drawing before “Keep the Whole World Singing.”

 

Members and fans of the Harmonizers will appreciate this “behind-the-scenes” look at the efforts the chapter is taking to explain and bring to everyone’s attention, the story of the Comedian Harmonists - the message of the chorus contest package this year.  Thanks to Alex Chen for explaining the work that has gone on so far to promote and explain the package. 

The Harmonizers Take the Campaign Online

If you have been following the Harmonizers' preparations for the BHS International Convention in St. Louis, you already know the story behind this year's contest set. But this year, the chorus is doing something a little different in the weeks leading up to July 3. They are bringing that story to a wider audience through a structured social media campaign running through the end of the season.

The campaign launched in early April and runs three posts a week on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube -- Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. The Tuesday posts follow the Harmonizers' rehearsal journey. The Thursday posts tell the history of the Comedian Harmonists’, the German close-harmony ensemble whose story inspired the “Harmony” musical on Broadway and the set itself. The Sunday posts share curated content from outside sources -- archival footage, podcast episodes, and clips from the show -- to give audiences the full picture.

Joe Cerutti, artistic director of the AACC and director of the Harmonizers, is the creative force behind the effort. The campaign was his idea, born out of his conviction that the Comedian Harmonists' story deserves to be known by every close-harmony singer in the world -- and that the BHS International Convention audience is exactly the right place to start. Randall Eliason has been reviewing and approving every post before it goes live.

The campaign is a volunteer effort. Alex Chen, a former marketing consultant and friend of the organization, is leading the content strategy and drafting. Mike Kelly is handling video production and editing. Bruce Roehm, Calvin Schnure, Noah Van Gilder, Joe, and Randall are helping distribute the posts to Facebook communities across the barbershop, Broadway, and music history worlds.

A highlight so far is a video Joe recorded sharing the origin story of the set -- the Broadway show he almost didn't see, the library in New York City, and the moment that convinced him the barbershop world needed to know this story. It is worth ten minutes of your time.

Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1478803983908216

The Harmonizers are also building out their YouTube channel, where the full videos from Joe, Steve Armstrong, and the singers portraying each of the six Comedian Harmonists will live.

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqSKQpZ7jzmDR6soM7QK16A

For those on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandriaharmonizers/

The Harmonizers' Facebook page is the primary home for the campaign. Follow along at facebook.com/harmonizers.

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 77^th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)

The Chapter Mission Statement: Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.

 

 

 

Looking Back on the April 21, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting

 Looking Back on the April 21, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting 

A good number of AACC singers were on hand for this week to work on music for contest and shows. To kick things off, Tony Colosimo, associate director of the Harmonizers, led the warm up session for all.  He continued the work on “A Place on the Risers for You,” the song used when a person is leaving the AACC. He had the singers get into sections on the risers and then each section sang the song with words whole the other three sections hummed.

 

Artistic director, Joe Cerutti, congratulated FANTASTIC 4 for their success at the recent Northern Division contest.  

 

He reminded everyone that for the next three weeks, the chapter meetings will be at AlexRenew.  Chad Rosscoordinated the take down and movement of risers to our truck this week, so they can be used for those meetings. 

 

A major show opportunity has come to the chapter for Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.  It will be to sing at a major banquet event for  the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). Sign up response will be conducted via Groupanizer to confirm there are enough singers available. The combined AACC chorus will fill this 20 minute time slot.  (The Harmonizers sang for the group in 2020.)

 

To get started singing, Samantha Tramack, director of Metro Voices, worked with the AACC chorus on one of the newer songs in the repertoire, “We Will Be One.”

 

There was a brief business meeting period: Sheryl Berlin promoted registration/attendance at Harmony College East (HCE) – a weekend barbershop educational opportunity organized by the Mid Atlantic District (M-AD). It will be June 18-21 at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD.  A number of AACC musical leaders will help staff and teach at the event; plus typically, several of our quartets that are headed to the International contest in July will go to HCE for one last chance to tighten their performances with help from coaches at HCE. Individual singers are encouraged to attend too, maybe take voice lessons, or attend as a quartet with three other singers. Registration can be managed at midatlanticdistrict.com. 

 

Ken Rub talked about Spring-2-ACTion, our Spring Giving Awareness Event. Our goal as an organization is $30,000. There is a power hour from 3-4 pm on Wednesday, April 22 – the chapter concentrates on this hour to make donations – for example, there are prizes for the non-profit that turns in the most donations from the most different email addresses.

 

Cy Schuster gave out membership renewal cards to Jason Lee for 24 years and Jerry Candrilli for 25 years.  

 

Jacob Broude introduced three returning guests, Sarah Lott, Dana Wooster and Mike Zelno. First time guests wereEllie Gonzalez and Jacob Bankston in town for a conference. He is director of the Austin, TX, barbershop chapter.

 

The CHEF’S KISS quartet of college students from MD came to visit again and sang “Georgia On My Mind” for the chapter. Quartet members are John Mark Magpantay, Isaac Teberen, Danny Amednite and Ivan Diehl. 

 

Maggie McAlexander lead the AACC in singing the chapter welcome song for all the guests. 

 

On Memorial Day Saturday, the main coaches for the Harmonizer contest set will be here to coach the “Harmonists” and other characters for the Harmonizer’s contest package. The morning session is closed to just those players. Then, later - although it is not a mandatory event - chorus members are encouraged to attend mid-afternoon to observe, give feedback and understand the vision. 

 

Regarding the work on choreography for the package, Harmonizers should work to get up to snuff in that area. They are required to video themselves by May 9^th and upload it to Harmonizer recordings. Since videos are such large files, chapter leaders will work out a system, maybe Dropbox, to share the video. Also all members may “like and share” videos about the contest set on social media. The full mix and script for the contest set is posted on Slack under Harmo Performing Chorus. 

 

After announcements, the Harmonizers and Metro Voices moved into separate rehearsal rooms. Both ensembles posted riser charts for members to note in lining up for rehearsal this week. 

 

Joe with help from Turner Arndt coached and reviewed/drilled choreography with the Harmonizers for “Harmony.” When the two ensembles switched rooms, they worked on “Stars in the Night.” To round out the singing, they worked more on the show song, “I’m Just a Bill.” 

 

Annie Ermlick reported that Metro Voices worked on their contest song “Yes I Can” starting in sections with Samantha Tramack and Maggie McAlexander coaching and helping with corrections and choreography. After switching rooms, this ensemble worked on their other contest song, “Me and the Sky.”  

 

To wrap up the evening, the ensembles met back on the risers for any final announcements, a count for pizza slices for the afterglow at the Harmo House, and then the usual 50/50 drawing before “Keep the Whole World Singing.”

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 77^th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)

The Chapter Mission Statement: Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.

 

 

 

Looking Back on the April 14, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting .

 Looking Back on the April 14, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting 

(Dave Ermlick prepared this week’s report because Jack Pitzer was celebrating their 60^th wedding anniversary with his family. Congratulations.)

 

Joe Cerutti led the warm-ups for the AACC singers at AlexRenew in Old Towne Alexandria. He moved on to focus on A Place on the Risers for You, the song used when a person is leaving the AACC. Great news - we made it all the way through! We will use this song for warm-ups the next few weeks and then put it aside.

 

Joe announced two Honors Flights on May 16^th and May 30^th. Please sign up on Groupanizer.

Next week’s rehearsal is at Fairlington Presbyterian, then back at Alex Renew.

 

Joe and Ken Rub talked about Spring-2-ACTion, our Spring Giving Awareness Event. Our goal as an organization is $20,000 in donations, and members are encouraged to set their own goals. As we have done in the past, there is a competition between the voice parts for “a new car, a trip to Hawaii, or bragging rights- actual prize to be determined later.” Ken talked about how to set up your Giving Page, and he actually role-played how to ask friends and relatives to donate. 

 

Jacob Broude introduced two returning guests, Sarah Lott and Brie Hebron.

 

Cy Schuster gave out membership renewal cards to Rob Santini (3 yrs.), Calvin Schnure (31 yrs.), and Dean Rust (46 yrs.). There was also word via email that Scott Werner, former chorus director and retired now in FL, received his 63-year card recently at his new chapter. 

 

On Memorial Day Saturday, the main coaches for the Harmonizer contest set, Steve Armstrong and Cy Wood, will be here to coach the “Harmonists” and other characters for the Harmonizer’s contest package. The morning session is closed to just those players. Then, later - although it is not a mandatory event - chorus members are encouraged to attend mid-afternoon to observe, give feedback and understand the vision. More details to come. 

 

Regarding the work on choreography for the package, Harmonizers should work to get up to snuff in that area. They are required to video themselves by May 9^th and upload it to Harmonizer recordings. Since videos are such large files, chapter leaders will work out a system, maybe Dropbox, to share the video. Also all members may “like and share” videos about the contest set on social media. The full mix and script for the contest set is posted on Slack under Harmo Performing Chorus. 

 

After announcements, the Harmonizers and Metro Voices moved into separate rehearsal rooms. Starting in the non-riser room, the Harmonizers focused on the music for Stars in the Night, We Will Be One, and I’m Just a Bill. After switching to the riser room, they focused on the choreography for Harmony. Turner Arndt coached some rough areas. Next week, they will run the entire song with choreography.

 

Annie Ermlick reported that Metro Voices worked on their songs with Samantha Tramack and Maggie McAlexander coaching and helping with corrections and choreography. They also helped the ensemble be sure to incorporate the changes offered during their recent coaching session with Peter Cunningham. Part of their evening included sectional work on their songs. 

 

To wrap up the evening, the usual 50/50 drawing was held.  Patrick Horne won this week and led the AACC singers in Keep the Whole World Singing.

There were a couple AACC members singing at the Mid-Atlantic District (M-AD) Northern Division contest in NJ, April 17-18. FANTATIC 4 with Heidi Brown as lead and Paul Grimes as baritone sang in the finals round and placed seventh. Other AACC members and chapter friends were also working at the convention – Maggie McAlexander was a music judge, coach Peter Cunningham was a singing judge and former member Sean Devine was a performance judge.  Ken Rub and the stage crew worked all weekend to keep the contest sessions running smoothly along with help from Mike Fasano, who is M-AD executive vice president. Julian LeFlore directed a Dream Chorus for the weekend. 

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 77^th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)

The Chapter Mission Statement: Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.