Looking Back on March 4th Chapter Meeting

Looking Back on March 4th Chapter Meeting

(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. —Ye Ed.)

Lot of talking and instructing and coaching started the evening with warm ups, SP for the new contest piece, and reconfirmed riser placement (I sense the ever increasing number of singers means Chorus Manager Klostermeyer (K12) will have to keep making changes. That is a good problem to work on!!

Next week’s meeting will NOT be at Durant. Instead at Harmony Hall Regional Center, 10701 Livingston Rd., Ft. Washington, MD. Usual 7 pm start tho. Location will allow chorus to rehearse as usual and then, toward end of evening, make recordings of “Happy Feet” and “O Holy Night” as the start of new Harmonizer CDs for next year.

I hear that Joel Golden and his wife suggested the spot, and Scott Kahler checked it out.

The vocal coach was on site this week again and Director Joe asked each section leader to take his turn with the coach.

At the chapter meeting before break, President Stamps updated everyone that Larry Silva is making progress after his back operation, and welcomed Bruce Minnick again this week, and reported that Sam McFarland’s operation was a success and did not effect his singing.

Mick also presented financial support checks to representatives of the quartets that will be at prelims this coming weekend that have Harmonizers in them: FOUR ACES, LAST KIDS PICKED, RINGERS and OLD SCHOOL.

(For new guys – this prelims contest in Newark, NJ, is actually the International Preliminary Quartet contest. The place where a quartet must compete in order to qualify for the contest in Nashville this summer and the right to try to capture the gold medal as International quartet champ.) Quite a few folks from the chapter are going up – some as officers of the district, some to cheer on our guys and just have fun, and some to compete.

Will try to get a wrap up report when we get back.

New guy, Tom Kraus, make a fun pitch to all to help him with selling ads for the spring show this year. He begged for support as he was sort of arm twisted on this job. Let’s all do a little this year. This could be another way for us to get out of the old habits and make the show program a success. Wonder why we have never been too good at this??

Roger introduced a good crowd of guests again including more father and son combos. And he welcomed some folks back we have not seen for a while like Nick Aiuto, Pete Frank and Ed Cazenas who sing with Steve White in a quartet called FULL TILT. Steve says the FT also could stand for FOUR ACES Farm Team, since they got together to help ACES fill jobs in this area and to help Nick and Ed with rehearsals. So after singing a while, decided to form a local quartet. They sang for us last nite too and it was fun to hear a quartet up front. They sang “That Old Feeling” arranged by John Hohl and a fun piece from the Flintstones.

Past President Wile used the occasion to present a service award plaque to Nick for all his work on the chapter website. Thanks from all of us.

Everyone gathered around the old coffee pot last nite since it was cold and damp outside. I note that the Girl Scout cookies some of you all bring in to share really disappear in a hurry. Thanks to all for sharing. And to those who bring a can of decaf now and then and for those to drop a buck or five in the kitty on the table.

After the break, John Hohl and Joe made some word changes on “I Love You Truly” to make them an even stronger ballad message.

Mike Kelly was with us all evening and working with Joe on “Clap Your Hands” to add some dynamics and encourage the singers to keep the fun and energy going in places. He will be back to help more since he is located nearby in MD.

I heard that the board elected another new member at their meeting during the break, and I saw another guy hand Roger his application last nite. We GROW each week. I bet there is someone you could bring on Tuesday nite that would get into the Harmonizer spirit.

Until next time – editorjack!