Looking Back on the May 20^th Chapter Meeting

Well this week, the air conditioning was working great!! And the guys drank every drop of coffee this time since it was cool in the hall.  We needed that AC tho with all the crowds on the stage for visual review with Chuck McKeever; the front row in the lobby jumpin and dancing with choreographer Carlos Barillo; hard working set up crew including unloading the Harmo truck back into Durant; and all kinds of sales activities such as 50/50 with Dick and Carolyn Hall, scrip cards with the FRIENDS IN HARMONY, shiny shoe sales with Frank Fedarko, Crescendo ticket sales with Steve Murane and Robyn McQueen, Normandy shirt payments with Peter Hubbard and box lunch payments with Ken Fess and Mick Stamps.

Associate director Tony Colosimo did the warm ups for the chorus. 

During the nite, the Normandy team present PowerPoint messages setting the mood for the trip including one about the music of that era.  Before we got into singing, tho, Chris Huber called Peggy Harris, widow of Billie D. Harris, in France and we sang “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” to her via phone.  We will see here during our trip.

Director Joe Cerutti congratulated some of our members for their recent nominations for CAPPIES (like the Tonys but for hi school musicals).  Peelee Clark and his students received a record nomination of 19 for their recent production of Spamalot at West Potomac High School in Alexandria. David Jarzen was one of them for “comic actor in a musical.”  Ben Roberts was another for his work on marketing and PR for the show.  Congrats to all.

Joe had us sing some-or-all of the many songs we have learned.  He held up the sheet music and invited a guy on the risers to pick one as it were a magic trick – and that is the one we sang.  It was fun.

The Normandy team also held a major briefing about the trip to France and Germany and it went out via email to all members.  One major point they stressed is that this trip is one for performances, not a social tour – this includes those going who are not singing.  Being on time is must.  The Normandy area will be jam packed so we might face some changes in schedule at any moment.

Operations vp Bob Blair conducted the chapter meeting.

First up for announcements was Calvin Schnure inviting those guys who like to sing tags to meet him in the lobby.  Bob Wachter was the guest tag teacher.

Shows vp Nick Leiserson reminded everyone singing in the Crescendo show June 21^st that they need to get uniform parts from Tom Kern sooner than later.  And for sure before going to Normandy!!  We are wearing the Toronto outfit (that is the red and gray tie and pocket stuffer) and the tuxedo outfits.

President Terry Reynolds received a check from Tom Kraus for monies earned by our a cappella group, TBD, recently.  And Terry read a warm note from Shirley Bolstad thanking us for the great WWII tribute on Saturday. Her note included a very generous donation in honor of her husband Bruce.

Finally Terry called Steve White and Randall Eliason up front for all to recognize and cheer in thanks for those two guys’ dedication to making the WWII Tribute happen and for making sure it was a success.  Our thanks to them both.   No wonder It Is Great To Be A Harmonizer!

Secretary Chris Buechler presented a 30-year pin to our finance committee chairman, Al Herman, a 3-year renewal card to John Oswald Greene, and a 50-year renewal card and lapel pin to Terry Jordan.

Rich Hewitt welcomed and introduced this week’s guests.

For break, we had the good fortune to have some cookies left over from the Saturday event, so we ate well along with drank a lot of coffee!  More cookies still for the next couple weeks. Thanks to all who brought them Saturday – they are being put to a good use.

After break, we worked more on songs for France and for the Crescendo show.

At the end of the evening we listened again to the new ballad for next fall’s contest – “Someone Like You” arranged especially for us by Steve Tramack.  It is from Jekyll and Hyde.

In other news, Burt Stueve had arterial bypass earlier this week. Our thoughts are with him.

Also during the busy retreat weekend, Chris Buechler sang with the Cathedral Choral Society at the National Cathedral on Sunday.

Correcting or adding to the Looking Back report about the WWII Tribute – Jim McConnell was also singing the first time on a show with us. A current member, Paul Greiner, was one of the WWII Vets we sang to along with Kurt Latzko, brother of former member Walter Latzko. YeEd didn’t give Rick Wagner full credit – he sang the whole show standing without his crutches!!!

Finally, as busy as we are this summer as a chapter, there is always more opportunity for our members.  One example is Harmony College East – a weekend of training, singing, eating, meeting other guys from our district, working with great coaches and teachers from around the nation, and enjoying show performances. It is June 12-15 in Salisbury, MD. See Alan Wile for more details about signing up!!  Or see Steve White right away about the Harmonizers offer of $100 scholarships through our Jack Shields Memorial Fund to help subsidize the weekend for our younger members.

 

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 during the 66^th year of the Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter. —YeEd.)