Looking Back on the August
8th Chapter Meeting
It didn’t seem like
there was any summer slump in attendance at chapter meeting. Everyone is eager to prepare for the fall
district contest, our appearance at Carnegie Hall, our summer show for the City
of Alexandria on Market Square, and getting our softball team organized for the
battle with Hershey Parkside.
Associate director Tony Colosimo did the warm ups and was
musical director for the nite. His first
task was to voice place another 15 guys for their position on the risers – a
continuation of the work from Harmony U and from last week’s meeting. In the end, we all got new positions for the
coming contest season which includes a row on the floor plus another row of
dancer performers.
While Tony and assistant director Terry Reynolds worked on deciding the
riser line up, Chuck Hunter worked
with the chorus on the new ballad and taught us the change in the arrangement
from Brent Graham for the transition between the two songs in the ballad
medley.
Before the nite ended,
we also sang thru some of the songs we will be singing Friday nite Aug. 11th
at Market Square. Great to see our
guests getting on the risers and learning the new songs.
Membership director Dave Kohls announced plans for a
practice quartet to work with the guests as they prepare for their
audition. Rick Wagner made introductions of our singing guests.
The chapter meeting was
conducted by executive director Terry
Reynolds.
NOTE – there will be a
regular chapter meeting at Durant on Tuesday Aug. 22nd and no
gathering at a church on the 23rd.
Bruce Roehm is
retiring from the military and has asked the chorus to sing at this ceremony on
Sept. 8th – chorus members can sign up to sing on Groupanizer.
The Market Square Show
is Friday, Aug. 11th – chorus call at 6:30 pm, show at 7:30 pm.
Report to the square near the fountain on King Street. Be sure to bring your
parking receipt if you park under the square so it can be validated for you (YeEd assumes that will be possible
again this year.) Uniform is black camp shirt, jeans and black shoes. It will
be possible for new singers to step off the risers if they don’t know one of
the songs we end up singing. Invite your family and friends – suggest they
bring a folding chair too. Many guys go
out to eat afterward there in Old Town.
Dog Days is Tuesday
Aug. 29th at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manassas. More details to come. Any former member of the chorus is welcome to
join us on the risers for “Armed Forces Medley” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Dog
Days is a summer annual event when choruses in the area gather to sing for each
other, visit and enjoy refreshments and share the hobby. Director Joe
encourages all singers to join in this fun.
President Randall Eliason reported some family news
items: former member Ben Smith died.. He was a member from 1989 – 2012 and commuted
from Lynchburg to sing with us. He was 87, He is father-in-law of Steve White – sympathy to Steve and Jerri and the family; Carl
Kauffmann’s wife Kathy has an
appendicitis attack; and Terry Jordan
is home from the rehab facility.
Private Voice
Instruction sessions will resume next Tuesday nite. See Keith Jones to schedule an appointment with Vickie Dennis for the PVI.
Ian Poulin is our
chairman for hosting the district fall contest and convention in Reading PA
Sept 15-16. He asked for some volunteers
who could get up to Reading extra early on Friday and he got all he
needed!! Great. As a reminder, each singer needs to have
gotten a room at the Crowne Plaza. As YeEd understands it, there is a
Harmonizer block of rooms.
Secretary Chris Buechler reminds all members that
they must have all dues paid in order to compete on the stage in Reading.
Members should also
respond immediately to the Groupanizer request about bus transportation from
Alexandria to Reading and on to Carnegie Hall and back home. There will be stops in Maryland too.
After break, we were
back on the risers for more singing and work on our music.
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 70th year of the
Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter. —YeEd
