Looking Back on the June 2, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting

 Looking Back on the June 2, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting 

Again, it was another busy weekend for AACC singers with an Honor Flight sing on May 30 at 7 am at Reagan National Airport. Thanks to Christine Pan who filled in as the only baritone for that sing.

 

Then, on Sunday, May 31, crews gathered to work in the two chapter storage units with the goal to reduce the amount of stored materials to fit into just one unit.  This meant working in a unit where risers and uniforms and props were kept, and in a unit where chapter historical collections were kept.  The end point was to reduce the huge financial cost that have grown in recent years. Terry Reynolds helped coordinate this project with Chad Ross, Harmo truck driver; plus Craig Kujawa, Patricia Chow, Cooper Schwartz, Gary Cregan, Rob Barnovsky. Don Harrington, and Jack Pitzer.  Some items went to the HarmoHouse. Plus a large amount of discarded materials will be on display at the Retreat for any members to look over and take as much as they want – photos, trophies, CDs, tapes, shirts, and such. And a lot of “stuff” went to trash. 

 

Now back to the report for the Tuesday, June 2, rehearsal at AlexRenew. 

 

Planning ahead, the chapter meeting for Tuesday, June 9 will be at AlexRenew; for Tuesday, June 16 the meeting will be at Beth El Synagogue, 3830 Seminary Rd. Then, the traditional send-off performance for family, friends and patrons prior to the chorus going to an International contest, will be on Tuesday, June 23, at Beth El.

 

Other important dates include the chapter retreat June 5-7 at AlexRenew, and extra chorus rehearsals on June 18 and 25 at AlexRenew.  

 

The warm up session for the AACC chorus was started at 7 pm by Tony Colosimo, associate director of the Harmonizers; then Jason Lee, assistant director of the Harmonizers, introduced a series of activities that will be used each week to help AACC singers  with emotion, involvement, ownership and understanding of the contest packages.

 

Tony also taught the traditional tag used at the chapter retreats every year – “A Lifetime’s Not Too Long to Live as Friends.” He asked those who knew it to help demonstrate it for the Class of 2026 singers.  Our chapter has been singing it to end our retreats for many years.

 

After that, there was a bandana check for the Class – two didn’t have their bandanas and so they had to answer three questions from their chorus friends on the risers – like ‘your favorite music as a kid,’ ‘food favorites,’ or ‘what did you do as a kid that your parents didn’t approve of?’ The Class of 2026 includes 10 Harmonizers: Matt Darouse, Robby Della Bernarda, Cooper Schwartz, Jerry Candrilli, Devante Lucas, Billy Ermlick, Ben Raja, Owen Lyons, Josh Frakes and Logan Glauser; and five Metro Voices: Susan Friel, Morgan Fabber, Laura Rutledge, Renee Tramack and Sarah Lott.  

 

Artistic director, Joe Cerutti, reviewed the rehearsal schedule for the weeks leading up to the International. He explained the plan for the stop time of the two extra Thursday night rehearsals at AlexRenew as 9:30 pm on 6/18 and 6/25; and the end time for the next two Tuesday rehearsals (6/9 at AlexRenew and 6/16 at Beth El) will be 10 pm.  This helps folks plan ahead.  

 

Regarding the send-off on 6/23 – members are encouraged to invite family and friends.  The guests are welcome to come at the 7 pm start time to observe rehearsal, but the actual start of the send-off performances will begin at 8 pm.  The send-off event will be at Beth El Synagogue. The AACC chorus will sing “I’m Still Standing” and “We Will Be One” for the audience at the send-off, who will also enjoy a guest appearance of GQ quartet with Samantha Tramacksinging bass. 

 

The annual chorus retreat has been scheduled for June 5-7 at AlexRenew. Here is the proposed schedule for the retreat:

• Friday
• 7:00pm            Rehearsal Start
• 9:45pm            Rehearsal End
• Saturday
• 8:30am            Breakfast       
• 9:00am            Rehearsal
• 12:00pm          Lunch (on your own)
• 1:30pm            Rehearsal
• 4:30pm            Social Break
• 6:00pm            Choruses perform for each other
• 6;45pm            Rehearsal
• 7:30pm            Dinner / Awards / Class of 2026 skit / Party
• 9:30ish            Afterglow Astro Beer Hall, 4001 Campbell Ave., Arlington 22206
• Sunday (TBD - will either be 8:30 to 12:00 or 9:30 10 1:00)

Coaches for this year’s retreat will be David McEachern and Darin 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). They will also bring the annotation music for the contest package songs. Metro Voices will sing their package for the Harmonizers too. Everyone will for sure wear comfortable shoes and clothes, bring water or snacks as needed, meds, charger maybe. 

 

There will be a $25 fee collected from retreat attendees for foods and such. The Culture team will work to provide for members with food allergies during the weekend. 

 

Jacob Broude recognized guests this week including returnees Dana Wooster, Mike Zelno and Carl Parkan; first timers Jonathon Meyer and Sophia Self. Jason Lee, assistant director of the Harmonizers, led the AACC in singing the chapter welcome song for all the guests. 

 

After the business session, the two ensembles worked on separate risers for contest preparation – one full set in the main room at AlexRenew and a smaller set of the old risers in the smaller room. 

 

For the Harmonizers, there is a call for speaking roles auditions for “I’m Just a Bill” – Tony is the contact for this. AndJoe is asking for some volunteers to work on the costumes for those characters/spokespersons. 

 

Joe did report that Patrick Horn is on extended work travel but will be able to do the speaking part on the contest stage.  Thanks to Terry Reynolds for being his understudy. The rabi for the contest set is Stuart Zagnit who was the understudy for that role on Broadway in the “Harmony” musical production. (He is best known for voicing Professor Oak in the Pokemon TV Show.) Stuart will be at the June 9 rehearsal.  Joe and the chorus all thanked Randall Eliasonfor his dedication as the understudy and for his doing the speaking during all rehearsals. Finally, Joe thanked Turner Arndt for his efforts to provide learning materials for Harmonizers’ choreography in the midst of his wedding activities. 

 

Here are other announcements for the chapter:

 

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. 

 

Registration 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 - can be managed at midatlanticdistrict.com until the cutoff on June 11.  

 

The chapter Culture Team invited anyone interested to gather for dinner at Sake Japanese Steakhouse and Bar at 5 pm before this week’s rehearsal. 

 

To wrap up this week’s meeting, the ensembles met together to sing “Keep the Whole World Singing” directed by Devante Lucas, one of the many music educators in the chorus.  The singers at the afterglow enjoyed the pizza and the great summer evening weather which made it fun to gather on the patio!

 

An important note was on Slack recently – there is a need for smaller sized tux outfits that members and former members might have stored at their homes.  The smaller sizes are needed for some of the Harmonists to wear for the contest package. Members who can offer some parts to that uniform should respond ASAP. 

 

LATE BREAKING NEWS: The Communications Triad announced today the launch of the new AACC website! The address is aaccsings.org.  The old URL Harmonizers.org will now redirect to that site, as will welovetosing.org. If you discover glitches or typos, let the members of the Triad know – Maggie McAlexander, Randall Eliason and Frank Shipp. Good job.

 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 26, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting

 Looking Back on the May 26, 2026 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting 

AACC singers were busy over the Memorial Day weekend = the Harmonizer rehearsal for the contest package; the AACC chorus performance for TAPS; and a movie party for Metro Voices.

 

 On Saturday, May 23, there was a work shop and rehearsal for the Harmonizer contest package for those members who will be portraying the Comedian Harmonists and other spokespersons for the presentation.  

 

David McEachern, Steve Armstrong and Cy Wood worked as a team for this special coaching session at Fairlington Presbyterian Church only for the Harmonists and other characters until noon. Then from 1-5 pm, the rehearsal was open for all chorus members to observe, to offer inputs, and to get a feel for the total package. Artistic director Joe Ceruttialong with other team members Terry Reynolds, Jason Lee, Craig Kujawa and Lance Fisher, along with about a dozen other members, were there to provide support and musical backup for both “Harmony” and “Stars in the Night.” Alex Chen was on hand to help with the communication support and to continue his herculean efforts to help AACC tell the complete story of the contest package via social media.  

 

The men who sang and danced and moved all day as the Harmonists earned sincere appreciation and applause from their brother Harmonizers present. The Harmonists for the package are Chad Ross, Ben Watsky, Matt Ambler, Rob Santine, Matt Darouse and Rob Stark.  Michael Berkson, who is understudy for them all, plus Patrick Horn andRandall Eliason are characters for the set too. 

 

Then Saturday night, the AACC chorus was invited to be the closing act for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) Good Grief Camp gala held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Crystal City. Approximately 40 singers performed for a crowd of nearly 1,000 people. The appreciative crowd was bedazzled by the performance and gave multiple standing ovations throughout the performance, beginning after Matt Ambler’s solo in “Hey Jude.”

The audience was extremely special. Casual observers might have thought the multiple multi-starred military officers were the stars of the evening accompanied by their stylishly dressed wives. And they were treated well.  However, the true stars of the event were the hundreds of military family members from across the country and bases overseas who came together to share their grief over missing loved ones and buoy each other as they all walk the road of loss together. It is a humbling and motivating experience. 

Against this backdrop AACC performed a set of five songs to close the evening. Joe Cerutti directed and his animated invitation for the audience to react to us almost ended with a fall from the stage or into the front row (twice!) Surviving to continue his duties, he directed the chorus to exceptional heights. Songs included: Elton John’s ”I’m Still Standing;” “We Are One,” written by AACC member Zak Sandler and arranged by Lance Fisher; “Hey, Jude” with Matt Ambler’s solo; “Defying Gravity” with Christine Pan debuting as a soloist with Tony Colosimo joining her. The finale was “God Bless America” preceded by a quartet opening with Lance Fisher, Tony Colosimo, Jason Lee andTerry Reynolds leading into the chorus as an audience participation song. In fact, most of the songs ended up being audience participation as AACC really connected and the feedback loop of appreciation caused us to sing ever better. The final song saw the audience spring to their feet to applaud our performance. It is a safe comment that the singers had a very emotional experience and gave an excellent performance that was praised by our hosts and the senior military leaders present. The multiple reactions from attendees were exceptional in their praise. Truly an unforgettable evening.

The chorus wore their formal attire for the performance.  There were lots of carpools needed to get everyone there and especially to get parking. (Thanks to reporter E. J. Herold for this report from the TAPS performance.)

Finally, on Sunday, May 24, 2026, Annie and Dave Ermlick hosted a Metro Voices party at their house. The party was themed to match the musical “Come from Away,” which is the musical that “Me and the Sky” comes from (one of Metro Voices contest songs). The food was delicious and cocktails were aviation themed. After eating and socializing, everyone relaxed to watch the musical “Come from Away.” A great time was had by all.  (Thanks to reporter Heidi Brown for this report from the Metro Voices event.)

Now back to the report for the Tuesday, May 26, rehearsal at AlexRenew. 

 

As usual, things started at 7 pm. The warm up session for the Harmonizers was conducted by Tony Colosimo, associate director of the Harmonizers; Jason Lee worked with the chorus on expressing emotion and facial animation – some time facing a partner – as well.  The warm up for Metro Voices was led by their director, Samantha Tramack.

 

Meetings for the following weeks will be also be at AlexRenew - 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 first half of the rehearsal, the two ensembles met together for a business session and  artistic director Joe Cerutti reported the good news that the chapter has hired an executive director (part time) to help with the operations of this busy chapter with three active ensembles. Here is some info about her background. 

Nandita (Dita) Rao has a varied career spanning ten years. She started her non-profit career in academic publishing at the Princeton University Press, where she was responsible for managing change related to software implementations.  She later moved to Deloitte Consulting where she spent four years as a tech strategy consultant. 

In grade school, she played the alto clarinet in NJ all-state band, sang in choirs, played tenor sax in the jazz band, and was the drum major of her high school marching band. 

At Princeton, where she earned her bachelor's degree in molecular biology, she also earned a certificate in Jazz vocal performance. She graduated last week from her Master's in Business Administration program at Yale, where she sang with choirs at the School of Music and performed her original music across New Haven. 

Her life mission is to unite communities through song and help everyone find self-expression through arts and comfort in community. She has served as a volunteer singing coach with the Trenton Youth Arts program and her proudest moments in life are seeing students, choir members, and audiences light up through music. She is very excited to move back to DC, to be reunited with her husband after two years of long distance and to get to know everyone at AACC.

Joe also was eager to share his pride and thanks for the terrific appearance at the TAPS banquet by the AACC chorus. Plus he led applause to recognize E.J. Harold for coordinating the show.

 

Joe welcomed some folks to this week’s meeting – Mick Stamps we have not seen in a while, Lew Klinge (original owner of the HarmoHouse) in town from his home in Ames, IA; Keith Harris, director of the Westchester County, NY, Chapter; and Greg Tepe who is retiring on Friday.  

 

Metro Voices worked more on their contest package on the risers the first half of the night.  Then the Harmonizers moved into the room with the risers and worked on choreography for their package as well continued important musical coaching with Steve Armstrong.

 

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. 

 

The annual chorus retreat has been scheduled for June 5-7 at AlexRenew. Here is the proposed tentative schedule for the retreat:

• Friday
• 7:00pm            Rehearsal Start
• 9:45pm            Rehearsal End
• Saturday
• 8:30am            Breakfast       
• 9:00am            Rehearsal
• 12:00pm          Lunch (on your own)
• 1:30pm            Rehearsal
• 4:30pm            Social Break
• 6:00pm            Choruses perform for each other
• 6;45pm            Rehearsal
• 7:30pm            Dinner / Awards / Class of 2026 skit / Party
• 9:30ish            Afterglow at Astro
• Sunday (TBD - will either be 8:30 to 12:00 or 9:30 10 1:00)

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.

 

Honor Flights bring in US Veterans to the nation’s capital to honor their service and take them to their memorials.  Choruses and other orgs are solicited to sing/cheer for them as they come off the plane.  On May 30 the AACC chorus will sing to greet three flights scheduled for 8, 9, and 10 am.  Last Call.  Members interested in participating and haven’t already indicated so on Groupanizer, please reach out to Terry Reynolds  directly by Wed. Call time is 7 am at the Airport security check point (more details closer to event). Uniform: AACC T-Shirt (pants of your choice). Songs:  “Armed Forces Medley,”  “God Bless America,” “This is My Country” (m15-end), “America the Beautiful,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag” (m1-35). Folders with copies of the music will be provided.

Chapter leaders have begun to organize an exchange of volunteers with the Alexandria Singers chorus 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. (Word from Steve White via Slack: RaiseRight has Marriott Bonvoy gift cards with an 8% rebate to the AACC - this special ends later this week back to 6%)

 

Registration 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 - can be managed at midatlanticdistrict.com until the cutoff on June 11.  

 

Jacob Broude recognized guests this week including Ryan Hill, Dana Wooster and those Joe welcomed earlier.  Maggie McAlexander, assistant director of Metro Voices, led the AACC in singing the chapter welcome song for all the guests. 

 

Jacob also has launched the traditional new member class for 2026.  In the weeks ahead, the class will be seen at meetings and events – the 10 Harmonizers with blue bandanas are Matt Darouse, Robby Della Bernarda, Cooper Schwartz, Jerry Candrilli, Devante Lucas, Billy Ermlick, Ben Raja, Owen Lyons, Josh Frakes and Logan Glauser; the five Metro Voices with red bandanas are Susan Friel, Morgan Fabber, Laura Rutledge, Renee Tramack and Sarah Lott.  As often happens, Joe called for a bandana check with the Class of 2026 – everyone had one to display this week!

 

Terry Reynolds invited members to come help consolidate the two chapter storage units on Sunday morning – a plan to save money and to toss things.  Contact Terry if you can help and to find out the time and place to meet first. 

 

AACC chapter secretary, Cy Shuster, is presenting membership renewal cards at meetings.  Here is the list of current renewals: Charley Rothermel, 3 years; Jared Liscinsky, 3 years; Elisabeth Cosh, 4 years; Cadence Flaherty, 4 years;Patricia Chow, 4 years; Matt Ambler, 4 years; Frank Fedarko, 20 years (with pin); Craig Kujawa, 23 years; and Jerry Candrilli, 26 years.

 

Becca Williams, representing the Culture Triad, invited members to this month’s dinner before chapter meeting – this time at Sake, staring at 5 pm.

 

Culture team member, Kellen Hertz, also is organizing a showing of  “The Harmonists” – an English subtitled movie.  It will be at AlexRenew.  Check his message in Slack to say which nights you could attend.

 

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 Keith Harris directing. There was a good crowd of singers at the HarmoHouse for lots of pizza and visiting outside on the patio!

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 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.