Friday, October 12, 2018




Looking Back on the October 9th Chapter Meeting 

This was a busy nite to launch more of the music for the holiday show and to alert members to the busy weeks ahead for shows and sing outs.

Associate director Tony Colosimo did the warm ups and taught a great tag – “September Love” - for all to learn and enjoy.  Then director Joe Cerutti went right to work on the holiday songs with a sectional for “Gloria” and then everyone back on the risers to work on it together. He used the same format as each song came up.

And he used that same format to reinforce previous work on “From This Moment On” that we will perform for the Bark Ball on Oct. 20th.  We will actually record it on Oct. 16 and sing with the recording (the hall is so large it is the best way to make the music heard by all). The uniform will be tuxedos and anyone who has a tux is asked to come to that show – even if they have to just mouth the words.

The chapter meeting was conducted as usual by communications director Steve Murane.

For the next two weeks (Oct. 16th and Oct. 23rd) our meeting will be in the cafeteria at Scottish Rite Temple.  

The Men’s Choral Fellowship Event on Wed. Oct. 17th will be at 7pm at Alfred Street Baptist Church, 301 S. Alfred Street, in Alexandria.  Uniform will be the black camp shirt with jeans, etc. Call time is 6:30 however. We will be joined by the Men’s Choir from Alfred Street and the Metropolitan Baptist Church Men’s Chorus.  Joe will teach the groups “Irish Blessing”

The Bark Ball, Oct. 20th will be at the Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave. NW.  Plan ahead to take Metro or pay high prices for parking. Chorus call time is 6 pm. Dressing rooms will be available. Stay tuned also for details about an afterglow near the venue as announced by shows chairman and cheerleader Joe Cerutti Sr. in his new t-shirt “I Work for Rock Stars!”

The Holiday Show is Dec. 8th at 7:30 pm at TC Williams High School on King Street. Tickets go on sale Oct. 15th thru EventBrite.  Singing with the chorus will be our own TBD a cappella group, and BETTER TOGETHER (Tony and Elizabeth Colosimo and Andrew and Heather Havens mixed quartet).  We will repeat the very fun version of the “Hallelujah Chorus” with Monks.  Friends and relatives of members may sign up to be in this group – as long as they can attend a rehearsal from 6:30-7:30 pm every Tuesday in November.

The first half of the holiday show will be toys/elves again.  So singers need to start working on their costume for this.  New guys should ask for ideas about this and also check with uniform chair Robyn Murane regarding any uniform parts.  (This goes for tux outfits too.)

Terry Reynolds reported that a quartet composed of Carl Kauffmann, Frank Fedarko, Troy Hillier and Terry) attended the recent funeral for Don O’Connor.  His family was most appreciative for their singing “I’ll Walk with God” and “I’ll Be Seeing You” for the service.

President Shawn Tallant saluted Bob Eckman who becomes president of the M-AD and was named to the district’s Hall of Honor this past weekend at the convention.  Shawn also saluted our two senior quartets that competed in the Senior International Qualifier contest –YOUTH RECLAMATION PROJECT placing first and SILVER ALERT placing third.

Shawn reported on some family health matters: Mike Geipel fell from a ladder working in his lawn and injured his right foot that has him using a crutch til things heal; and Alan Lamson had a bout with kidney stones during the convention while he was on the judging panel over the weekend, but was able to return to his home after a hospital visit.

The chapter leadership is working to schedule a possible sing out day at local nursing and senior citizen locations on Dec. 15th.  Watch for details.

Shawn announced that the chapter will take a 4-week holiday break after the pub crawl which will be on Dec. 18th.  The chapter tradition of a Holiday Heat Glow will be continued at the home of Jack and Pat Pitzer on Sat. eve, Jan. 5th.

And for those who plan ahead, the next Presidents’ Ball will be on Sat. Feb. 16, 2020.
Secretary Chris Buechler reported that Dixie Kennett is home from the hospital following her major surgery on Thursday Oct. 4th.

Chris presented membership renewals to Antony Takahashi for 16 years; Mike Schwartz for 23 years; Carl Kauffmann for 46 years, and Jack Pitzer for 53 years.

Membership chairman Calvin Schnure welcomed singing guests Tyler and Dylan, and LeAnn Snyder, a friend of Terry’s.

After a break, we sang more holiday show songs.  The whole nite we sang in a circle on the floor of the auditorium.

After the meeting, all members helped move our equipment out of the auditorium since it will be used by other groups the next two weeks.

Plus a good crew of guys went to Ramparts for an afterglow.

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

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