Looking Back on the
April 9th Youth Harmony Festival in Alexandria
Coodinator Bill
Colosimo sends this thank you message to all of the
Harmonizer family:
As I reflect on the wonderful Youth Harmony Festival this weekend,
I am humbled to recall the selfless help of so many of you to make this event a
resounding success. The overwhelmingly positive “in the moment” responses from
students, music educators, family members and guests—including so many of you
who witnessed the fruits of the amazing work the young men and women put
in—still resound in my memory! There are countless stories which will fill the
full “report” of the event, complete with photos and video interviews, which
attest to the ways in which you, through your commitment and skill, enriched
the lives of some extraordinary young people by offering a first-class
barbershop festival experience.
The gift of music education you provided stirred the hearts of the
first five TC Williams students to ever attend such an event, and they
committed to spread the word to the other students in their outstanding choral
program that this is an event “not to be missed” next year! In fact, that’s
true of ALL the student participants! Imagine the exchange student from the
Eastern European Republic of Moldova, for whom such a special, new experience
inspired her to “tell EVERYONE in (her) country about BARBERSHOP HARMONY!” The
skill of our incredible clinicians, Anthony
Colosimo and Vera Crouse, along with the superlative teaching quartets, C’EST LA
VIE and THE NEWFANGLED FOUR, convinced the loyal music educators present to
align with us in aggressive promotion of ALL our “CHOYCE” initiative programs
to their school district colleagues. Finally, the performances by all our
ensembles, including an outstanding appearance by the Harmonizers chorus,
convinced parents, family and other guests—many of whom had never witnessed our
art form in person—of the wonderful value of what we teach and what we do…and
the tremendously positive impact it can have on the lives of young people.
I am most indebted to Vickie
Dennis, as Harmonizer Director of Education, for her tireless work and
encouragement to help make this event so successful. Terry Reynolds and Joe
Cerutti constituted the remainder of our “planning team;” I am grateful to
them for their invaluable help. I must also single out Brad Jones, whose experience as past chair and quiet, steady
countenance throughout the planning stages contributed to the smoothing of many
“behind the scenes” processes. We have publicly thanked the clinicians and
quartets who gave their “all” to us Saturday. But it is impossible, without
unfortunate omission, to appropriately acknowledge ALL the other Harmonizers,
family members and friends who contributed in ANY way to the day’s event.
PLEASE know our hearts are full of gratitude for everything, every task, and
every minute of time you contributed, large or small, momentary or—in some
cases—all day and evening! Your selflessness and the clear joy you exhibited
throughout the event speaks volumes about your commitment to help us continue
to broaden our youth outreach initiatives, including our NEXT Festival in 2017!
One final, affirming note for all of you. Just today, I attended
the Alexandria Commission for the Arts’ Grant Task Force meeting, open to the
public and all applicants’ representatives, during which the Harmonizers’ grant
application was discussed by the panel. Although I was there primarily to
represent The Alexandria Singers, I was present for and attentive to the
discussion regarding the Harmonizers. Suffice it to say that the “number one
plus” of all the positive comments regarding the Harmonizers’ grant proposal
was the extent of successful YOUTH
OUTREACH, current and planned, embodied in the proposal, with particular
reference to the CHOYCE initiative. (In fact, the designated “presenter” of the
grant for consideration by the panel even took the time to translate the
acronym: "Comprehensive Harmonizers Outreach for Youth Choral Education!”)
This year’s festival is one component of the fine work for which the
Harmonizers are justifiably recognized.
Congratulations on YOUR success…and thank you for allowing me the
opportunity to work closely with all of you!" Bill Colosimo
This
was the 9th annual youth harmony festival the chapter has hosted.
About 60 youth attended and about 10 music educators. Many parents and family
friends attended the Saturday nite show to hear the student groups and the
Harmo chorus at Convergence Church.
Social time, breaks and meals were hosted by the chapter during the day in
the Convergence Lab building across the street.
As
a surprise, Elizabeth Ryktarsyk,
daughter of Todd, filled in on a
song with the guest quartet on the show too. Congrats!!
Devon Thompson, son of Don, sang in the boy’s chorus. And the
only student tenor in the boy’s chorus was our own “milkman” singer – Masahisa Takahaski. Congrats to them
too!
The
chorus sang “America, “Lullaby,” “Bring Him Home,” and “Stars and Stripes
Forever.” Tony directed and sang the
solo.
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 67th year of the
Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter. —YeEd
