Looking Back on the Oct. 3, 2023 Alexandria Hybrid Chapter Meeting
This week’s chapter meeting was all about celebrating successes and fun at the recent Mid-Atlantic District (M-AD) contest and to launch plans for the upcoming holiday season.
Maggie McAlexander, assistant director of Metro Voices, did the warm up sessions for both ensembles to kick off this week’s gathering.
Since there was a lot to talk about, news to share and announcements for members of both ensembles, all singers started the evening in the auditorium seats.
Artistic director Joe Cerutti started off the evening with praise and congratulations to the quartets that represented the chapter in the fall contest in York – BREAKTHROUGH, LEGACY, REVERB, and BETTER TOGETHER. All of them did really well and the chapter is proud for them to carry the chapter’s name. And he led the cheers for the great performance by Metro Voices as mic testers at that convention. (They would have placed sixth in the chorus contest with the scores they earned from the judges).
He thanked associate director, Tony Colosimo, for stepping up to direct the chorus ballad in the contest; and shared his pride of the Harmonizer chorus in their tribute performance during the contest for our 75th anniversary and especially a salute to former artistic director, Geri Geis. At this week’s meeting, Joe and several members shared their memories of Geri and her impact on them individually as well as the Harmonizers and BHS. Joe started it all off, “We can't overstate the impact Geri had on this organization and on barbershop as a whole.”
Joe also confirmed that the chapter DID accept the invitation for Metro Voices and the Harmonizers to sing at the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) midwinter convention on Thursday, January 11 in New York City. Members should make plans to be there and are encouraged to register and attend the convention. Stay tuned for details on how to use a discount code for $50 off the registration coming to members next week.
The MAD all-voice seniors chorus, which included several Harmonizers at the contest in York, did qualify to sing at Midwinter. So, if any chapter member who is over 55 is interested in participating in that group, chapter music leaders can help you join. In addition, BHS is offering the “Seniors Dream Experience” to sing at Midwinter under the direction of Joe Cerutti.
Joe launched holiday plans for the chapter. We have been hired to sing as part of the Frederick, MD, Catactones barbershop chapter holiday show, Saturday, December 16 at 3:30 pm. Details to come, but Joe and the music team are encouraging all to participate on this major show in the DC area for barbershop harmony.
Our own chapter holiday show will be Sunday afternoon, December 17 in a local area church that will be chosen soon. There will be two combined numbers this year for the holiday shows – “Do You Hear What I Hear?” with an updated part for Metro Voices, and an eight-part arrangement of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Clay Hine. The two ensembles will both have other songs on the schedule for the holidays.
Joe recognized the tremendous service Randall Eliason gave the chapter during his time as executive director. He retired recently and passed that task on to Stan Quick.
The Capital Force launch will not be held in October and in fact, we will not add that new ensemble until next year - giving time for musical leaders of the chapter (including the many school music educators we have) to focus on building relationships in Virginia schools next year.
In that regard, DC Public Schools (DCPS) reached out to BHS for ideas about how to support vocal music programs in Washington, DC. BHS of course passed it to us. Joe, Tessa Walker and Tony Colosimo have had several meetings with the head of music programs for DCPS and they have asked us to run a Youth Festival for them in spring of 2024. This is huge for us, for BHS, and for DCPS
The Alexandria Chapter is proud to have so many members that have been inducted into the
M-AD Hall of Honor. Members are named to that group in recognition for major service to the district. Of the 103 members, 29 are from the Alexandria Chapter including our newest representative, Sheryl Berlin. She was recognized for her work with Harmony College East, as our chapter music education director, and as a chorus director in the district. She competed in one of the first mixed voice quartet in the contest system. And she is a founding member of Metro Voices.
She joins the following fellow active chapter members who have been previously named to the Hall of Honor: Scott Werner, Jack Pitzer, Alan Wile, Mike Wallen, Steve White, Bill Colosimo, Rick Taylor, Keith Jones, Terry Reynolds, Mike Kelly, John Santora, Bob Eckman, Dennis Ritchey, and Joe Cerutti.
Joe also paid tribute to Carl Kauffmann for being a 50 year (actually 51 year) member of BHS!
There was a business meeting coordinated by communications director, Steve Murane. Sophie Clarke prompted members of both ensembles to invite a guest for the Oct. 10th guest night. It is a rehearsal designed for interested new singers and it is best if they RSVP so the team knows who is coming. More prospects are needed for this event. It is easy to do from harmonizers.org.
Craig Kujawa reported on the Scrip fundraising program he manages for the chapter, and announced that the top fundraiser was Randall Eliason for the third year in a row. Thanks Randall.
Chapter secretary David DesPortes distributed new member packets to a group of recently added chapter members in both ensembles.
President Noah Van Gilder sent out word about the annual meeting of the chapter and election of the 2024 chapter board to be held on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 7 pm at Scottish Rite Temple.
The nominating committee has selected three new members to fill at-large seats on the board: Mary Cooper, from Metro Voices; Charlyne “Chuck” Miller from Metro Voices; and Michael Berkson from the Harmonizers.
The slate will be comprised of the three new at-large candidates identified above, plus the following members who will be nominated for re-election: Noah Van Gilder, from the Harmonizers – President; Carolyn Griffin, from the community - Vice President; Terry Reynolds, from the Harmonizers – Treasurer; Cy Shuster, from the Harmonizers – Secretary; Turner Arndt, from the Harmonizers - Member At-Large; and Dave Kohls, from the community - Member At-Large
Devin Gerzof and John Greene will be retiring as member-at-large board members. The members of the nominating committee are Brad Jones, Ken Rub, and Sheryl Berlin.
Chapter members should make every effort to attend the meeting on October 17 to ensure that we have a quorum.
Membership director, Jacob Broude, welcomed two first-time singers this week – Shalini Verma for Metro Voices and Bob Gudauskas for the Harmonizers. Bob is Stephen’s brother. Assistant director emeritus, Will Cox, directed the chapter “Welcome Song.”
When the it was time to sing, both ensembles launched work on holiday songs. This is the first season for Metro Voices, so all of the holiday tunes will be new for them. They have begun work on “Sing We Noel” and “Winter Wonderland.”
The Harmonizers will repeat some holiday songs each year, but they added “Believe” from “The Polar Express” – which is another arrangement by Jim Clancy who seems to have done lots of great holiday songs for choruses to sing. This week the work time included “J-IN-G-L-E Bells,” “Silent Night: - another Clancy arrangement, and “Mr. Grinch.”
Associate director Tony Çolosimo, directed “Keep the Whole World Singing” to end the evening before a good crowd headed over to the Harmo House for the afterglow this week.
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 for the great things going on each week during the 75th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)
The Chapter Mission Statement Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.
