Looking Back on the April 17^th Chapter Meeting

This week’s pre-meeting time was packed with all the usuals including a good crowd on the stage to review their SP for the contest package, and this week they worked on moves for “Jersey Boys.”

Membership vp Phil Ashford has involved some of the newer guys in helping welcome and sign-in all the guests each week – Jacob George and Ross Felker were on duty this week.

Mark Klostermeyer filled in for ops vp Scott Kahler again this week.

After vocal warm ups with assistant director Will Cox, musical director Joe Cerutti invited the chapter members to do some quality listening.  Doug White was in charge of the av equipment and he played “Blue Skies” as sung by a top ranked BHS quartet.  It is the same song that new Harmonizer applicants are required to sing in their audition.  Current members who know this Clay Hine arrangement were asked to let Tim Buell know if they know the song, as Tim needs singers to when he helps applicants work with a practice quartet in prep for their audition.

Joe also announced the good news that movie producer and contact for our June 19^th show at Constitution Hall and prestigious Jefferson Awards for Public Service will be with us next Tues. nite. Thanks to Bruce Lauther for helping line up this and other show opportunities for the chapter.

Also the chorus will work with Geri Geis on the contest package visuals – several times during this week’s rehearsal it was stressed that technical moves don’t make it.  The facial expression and involvement are needed too!! In fact this week’s Barbershop Craft axiom is “What You Give Is What They Get” and Joe conducted the brief session later in the nite supported by the chapter’s visual team leaders Scipio Garling, Chuck McKeever and Craig Kujawa.

The musical session for the first half of the evening started with a good workout on the rhythm for “I’m the Music Man” intro. 

Next Joe pulled out “Music of the Night” to review.  It was a task for long-time members in addition to newer men.

Again this week, all the men who have joined us since the July 2011 International met in another room for 10 minutes to be briefed on expectations and requirements so they are not surprised. Several chapter leaders from the admin team and the music team conducted the session.

Then we worked a long while on “Jersey Boys” music and visuals.

And before break, a run thru of “Hello My Baby” with visuals.

Mark K12 conducted the business session for the nite and welcomed Keith Jones who had a health scare last weekend. He is doing ok and docs are monitoring things.

Phil introduced five guests, all of whom are applicants.

Marketing vp Steve Lingo provided a large supply of flyers for us to promote ticket sales for the June 9^th show. The box office is open.  Chris Clark has sent out an email too about selling ads for the printed show program.  NOTE:  all chapter sales for tickets and CDs, and such, are now at www.harmonizers.org.

President Steve Murane reminded the board of their meeting Wed April 18^th at 7 at Durant.

Music and Performance vp Dan O’Brien reminded guys that the song list for the June show is in the pre-meeting email blast sent out each week by Steve White.

Spring Show: Gold Medal A Cappella, June 9 at 7:30pm at the George Mason Center for the Arts. Songs will be “I’m the Music Man”, “If I Loved You”, “Hello My Baby”, “Summertime”, “Stars and Stripes Forever”, “Jersey Boys Medley”, “Great Day”, “Music of the Night”, “I’ll Be Seeing You”, and “Sweet Georgia Brown”.

After the announcements, we rehearsed the contest in the four mini-choruses with assistant directors.  Stage right lower group performed for the rest of the chorus.

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.)