Looking Back on the July 26th Chapter Meeting

YeEd was in New Orleans Tuesday, so a big thanks to Alan Wile for taking the following notes for this week’s column.

Summer continues as the Harmonizers prepare for the usual July and August shows AND for Summer Camp on Tuesday, Aug. 2 and Aug. 9. Visitors welcome for those fun summer meeting nites.

This week’s meeting and rehearsal was a busy one.

Will Cox conducted the warm-up. There were sectionals to work on “That’s Amore” and “No More Sorrows.” As Director Joe Cerutti will not be here for the Fort Ward show, the assistant directors will be out front. With that in mind, and when all sections returned, Mike Kelly directed “No More Sorrows.”

Will directed “That’s Amore” and Joe announced that if we sing this song at the “A” level at Fort Ward that will be the first and last time we sing it. Great cheers erupted.

Mike did “Great Day.” Tony Colosimo did “Hello My Baby,” Mike did “Ob La Di, Ob La Da” with a slight shortening of the song. Joe did a lot of coaching on this one. Will did “Summertime.”

There was a buzz in the hall about all of our Harmonizer buddies going to Harmony University, Director’s College and Candidate School for future judges. Joe was leaving Wednesday for a youth chorus festival in Michigan and then to Harmony University where he will be on the faculty again. Others on the faculty are Gary Plaag, Mike Kelly and Jay Butterfield. Dan O’Brien and Tony Colosimo will be going a bit early to attend candidate school to determine whether they may become candidates in the music and singing categories, respectively. Chris Buechler will be teaching at the candidate school. DA CAPO will attend Harmony U as a quartet for coaching. The quartet, Dan and Kellen Hertz are attending on scholarships from the chapter.

(YeEd figures there might be other Harmonizers and former Harmonizers in St. Joseph, MO, so he has asked some reporters to keep us posted. Stay tuned.)

Joe announced that he’s selected the up-tune for the 2013 contest and then taught the tag.

Mark Klostermeyer conducted the chapter meeting portion of the evening.
• Show tickets on sale – see Brian Ammerman.
• Bruce Lauther reminded about medal engraving – give him yours and pick it up the next week. Small fee.
• Bruce encouraged the members to sign a large card for Dean Rust who is taking an extended sabbatical from the active chorus.
• And Bruce noted that Mike Shirota arranged for a DVD of the entire Carnegie Hall Show to be produced – sign up with Bruce; cost is $20/each.

• Phil Ashford announced/introduced guests:
o Paul Douglas (an applicant)
o Alex Kuessa from Munich but who sports a gold medal won with the Ambassadors of Harmony in KC – visited once before (some time ago).
o Larry Goodfried – also wearing a AoH gold medal too.
o Josh Ehrlich – from the Voices of Gotham (Hell’s Kitchen Chapter) AND he brought a guest (next).
o Aaron Wiener – Josh’s guest … who lives in DC.
o Long-time member, Terry Jordan, was in house for this week’s meeting.

When back on the risers, Fort Ward Show Producer, Greg Tepe, brought us up-to-date on show details (riser crew at 6:00 p.m.; chorus call at 6:30 p.m. In case of inclement weather stay alert for cancellation. Uniform: short-sleeve teal travel shirt and everything else in black!
• Alan Wile urged members to take a brochure on one of the “after international” barbershop cruises to Alaska being offered next year with Jo and Ron Black.
• M&P VP Terry Reynolds hyped “summer camp” which will take place the next two Tuesdays. Next week will include a tag contest (each contesting quartet will sing two tags; prizes will be awarded).
• Shows VP, Ken White, hyped three shows: Fort Ward Park, Market Square, and our Dog Days … and our fall show. With lots on our plate, he urged the members NOT to miss. Noted again that Brian Ammerman had tickets for the fall show and encouraged all to sell, sell, sell. Tickets will also be sold at Fort Ward Park.
• President Steve Murane reported that he’d sung in a large mixed ensemble it the Hylton (venue in Manassas for our fall show) and it is an excellent performance hall.
• Steve also displayed a photo portfolio of pictures taken at the Carnegie Hall show and presented to him by a Japanese attendee at the Kansas City convention. Evidently the pictures are also on a CD. The point is that our performance at that benefit show had and continues to have great impact on the Japanese people.
• Joe highlighted the significant aspects of the upcoming fall show and suggested that IF we sell out the hall, we may be in line for a place in the facility’s concert series … which would be awfully beneficial financially. If you can’t sell a ticket, buy an ad – Nick Leisersen is our “ad guy” for this show.
• Joe insists that there be 125 guys on the international stage when next we compete (2013); said the third Tuesday is important because of the upcoming major show; and expects everyone to come up with two viable candidates for membership.

Back to singing, Tony directed “Stars and Stripes” (front row out to lobby to drill their routine) and then “What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?” (who ever heard of such a thing? Must be Army propaganda!) and the front row returned.

Will directed “NY, NY” and “If I Loved You.”

KTWWS was directed by Chuck Hunter in town before returning to his new post with the State Department. And then the night was over, save for putting away the risers, et al, and an afterglow at the Hilton.

Until next time – editorjack!

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