Looking Back on the Mar. 19, 2024 Alexandria Chapter Sing In Old Town
(Thanks to EJ Herold for taking notes this week. – YeEd)
Tuesday evening, March 19, Alexandria A Cappella Collective (AACC) singers gathered at Market Square in front of Alexandria City Hall to welcome the first day of Spring in song. Unfortunately, we forgot to invite Spring to join us! With chilly temps and warm hearts, the combined voices of the Harmonizers and Metro Voices arrived in good numbers to prepare for our troubadour trot through Old Town.
Warm-ups were held under the City Hall arches (for acoustical assistance) and showed the group to be in fine singing form. Tony Colosimo directed the Harmonizers (and used some sign language to remind the leads of lyrics in “Hey Jude.”) Samantha Tramack directed Metro Voices as they polished up “Happy Together” before she directed the combined voices for “This is Why We Sing.” Even the warm-up session brought cheers from on-lookers who gave a hearty applause.
The singers began the impromptu performances at the southeast corner of Market Square (intersection of King and N. Fairfax Streets). Curious passersby joined AACC groupies for the first of three stops on the evening. Cars stopping at the traffic light rolled down their windows to enjoy the performance and smiles were in view on sidewalks all around, whether folks stopped or merely appreciated our songs as they passed along.
The second stop at King St. and N. Lee, drew more listeners as we were reminded by Tony to project joy and enjoyment in our performance. The small but enthusiastic crowd that gathered gave us the opportunity to showcase not only musicality but enthusiasm for our art form as we responded to the direction of Tony and Samantha. Several listeners were seen to engage our singers to ask about who we are and “Why we Sing”? Tony reminded audiences at all three stops that information is available on Harmonizers.org and that we are an Alexandria-based organization.
The third and final stop was on the steps under the portico at King and N. Union Streets of the Torpedo Factory. This location provided a natural “band shell” effect that improved our sound for the enthusiastic group that gathered to hear us. The audience response encouraged the Harmonizers into extra “na, na, na’s” as we extended “Hey Jude” and the encouragement led to an even more rousing rendition of “This is Why We Sing.” The warm applause left the singers with a sense of appreciation from the crowd.
A good number of the group then retired to Chadwick’s for an after-glow gathering of camaraderie and team building. The staff was happy to see us and rapidly accommodated us on the upper and lower levels where folks ate dinner, enjoyed drinks together, or simply shared stories and laughs. In all, another successful outing for the AACC!
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.
