Looking Back on the April 29, 2025 Alexandria A Cappella Collective Chapter Meeting
This week’s meeting was another busy one, with sectionals to polish the music for the upcoming Alexandria choral festival on May 9th with the dress rehearsal on Tues. May 6 at Schlesinger Hall.
Electronic announcements prior to this week’s meeting encouraged singers in The Collective to come warmed up and ready to sing. Both the Harmonizers and Metro Voices started the evening with sectionals. The Harmonizers worked on the new arrangement of “Africa.” They had several guests who were auditioned for vocal placement. Jared Liscinskywas tapped to lead the choreography review for “But The World Goes Round” which members clearly had reviewed before the meeting.
Metro Voices worked on a new song too and sang their director’s favorite tag. They had several guests which assistant director, Maggie McAlexander, voice placed. Both ensembles worked on songs for the trip to Ireland, too.
Artistic director, Joe Cerutti, welcomed both ensembles together for a business briefing which he began with a review of the music team’s consensus for the correct nomenclature for the chapter and its ensembles. Jared explained that we need to get used to unified verbal terms such as “I sing with the Harmonizers or I sing with Metro Voices,” and we are part of The Collective. We avoid referring to the group as AACC.
There was another International Prelims quartet contest this past weekend in NJ, and so Joe declared that congratulations were in order to those current and former chapter members who will compete in the July, 2025, International quartet contest in Denver: Samantha Tramack with GQ; Ed Schubel with PRATT STREET POWER; and Rick Taylor with LEGACY. Those quartets will join five other quartets with chapter reps singing in them who qualified earlier this spring – FIRST TAKE; SECRET BEST FRIENDS; BELTWAY; HARMOHAUS and SUPERNOVA.
Also, INSTAGRAMPS, with Steve White, will represent the district and the chapter in the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) International Senior Quartet Contest at the Midwinter convention in Pasadena in the winter.
Members of The Collective (Alexandria A Cappella Collective) should take note of the upcoming major educational experience for members called Harmony College East. Two members of The Collective, Sheryl Berlin and Bill Colosimo, organize and manage the Mid Atlantic District sponsored school. Sheryl extended an invite via Slack recently. Likely all of the quartets going to Denver will also go to this school for coaching. Several of our members serve on the faculty. There is a show every night, fun exchanges and tag singing, good food at the college (McDaniel College in Westminster, MD), chance to meet barbershop singers from other chapters, and all at a reasonable price. Check it out.
Joe recognized four other Collective members – Mireille Kouagou, Zak Sandler, Joel Golden and Calvin Schnure – who are singing with students of Dominion High School in Sterling for three more performances of The Music Man: May 1 and 2 at 7 pm, and May 3 at 2 pm.
Last week. Joe explained the plans for the One Voice choral festival in Alexandria on Friday, May 9 at 7 pm. Singers call time will be 5 pm on May 9 – plan ahead for this early Friday evening call time. The Alexandria ensembles will combine to sing “I’m Still Standing” and “Defying Gravity” with Samantha’s solo, plus three songs that all choral groups will sing together. AACC will wear their semiformal uniform. See Becca Williams for more details if needed.
Next week, Tues. May 6, there will be a dress rehearsal at Schlesinger at 7 pm for the May 9 event. Members are encouraged to wear The Collective black t-shirts with jeans. (The order of additional shirts arrived this week and were being sold/distributed at the meeting on April 29. Terry Reynolds plans to bring the remaining supply to the dress rehearsal so members can pick up their order or buy one (there are lots of extras). They cost $10 each.
On May 13 the meeting will be back at AlexRenew and on May 20 the singers will gather at Market Square in Olde Town Alexandria.
Chapter secretary, Heidi Suokow, with help from Jared, presented membership renewal cards from the BHS. Everyone acknowledged each renewal with a clap for every year: Chad Ross, 2 years; Ian Trent, 4 years; Callie Cirillo, 2 years; Tyler Carpenter, 13 years; Sophie Clark, 2 years; Rob Santine, 2 years; Dean Rust, 45 years; and Don Harrington, 45 years.
Jacob Broude, membership coordinator, introduced the many guests present this week. Returning guests were Devin Turner, Leah Bernstein, Muamen Alsheakh, and Bridget Gilvary. First time guests were Joe Perrotti, Amaris Whitaker, Heather Hilko, and Dennis Palaganas. Assistant Metro Voices director, Maggie McAlexander, directed the chapter’s “Welcome Song.”
The meeting ended with the traditional “Keep The Whole World Singing” prior to adjourning to the Hamro House for afterglow with pizza and snacks.
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 76th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)
The Chapter Mission Statement: Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.
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