Thursday, November 9, 2017
 
Voices Newsletter
 
 
 
 
Only 4 more rehearsals till the concert!
 
 

In This Issue...
  1. Lorrene's Blog
  2. What's Happening Next Rehearsal
  3. Check Out Our New Website
  4. Help Promote Our Concert
  5. Calendar Sales
  6. You In Pictures
  7. From The Treasurer - What is a Steering Committee Anyway?
  8. Solo Opportunities 
  9. Website Music and Tutorial Links
  10. Rehearsal Schedule
  11. Smelly Stuff
  12. Voice Exercises and Warmups
Is this Yours?
 
 
1.  Lorrene's Blog...
Four rehearsals before our dress rehearsal!  Can you believe it?  Time flies when we're having fun.  😊  
 
Remember, this week at 6:00 I'll be at the church to practice any and all solos that folks want help with.  
 
Then, during the 6;00-7:00 pm slot, the following two weeks,  I will hear anyone who wants to audition.
 
Thanks for another great rehearsal last Monday!  Keep up the great work.
 
Have a great weekend,
Lorrene 
2.  What's Happening Next Rehearsal...
Lorrene will be at the Annex at 6:00 PM for anyone who wants to practice solos.
 
Check out the solo opportunities listed below.
3.  Check Out Our New Website...
We have moved to our new website and we invite you to take it for a spin.
 
 
After you land on the home page, you can scroll down through each of the choruses and find links to each of the chorus pages.  At the bottom of each page, you will also find direct links to each chorus page.
 
Each website page features a chorus-specific calendar with rehearsal and concert dates.  There is also a "Calendar of Events" link found at the top of each page that includes the rehearsal and performance dates of all the choruses
 
On the Voices "Music" page, you will find links to YouTube videos for the semester music.  On the "Music Files for Practice" page you will find audio files for pronunciation and each voice part.  On the "Weekly Newsletter" page are links to each of the semester's email newsletters, updated each Thursday.
 
If you want to contact the ACI Board, a chorus steering committee, the webmaster or if you have a general question, email links are found on the "Contact" page.  The direct link for this is found at the top of each website page.
 
We will (for the first time), be able to update pictures periodically and welcome hi-res submissions from members and friends.  Contact the Webmaster if you wish to submit a picture.
 
There is still much work to be done on the website and if you find something that does not work correctly or some other type of error, send an email to the Webmaster and we will see that a correction is made.
4.  Help Promote Our Concert...
Our concert Facebook event page is available at: 
 
 
Please share widely to help promote our concert!
 
5.  Calendar Sales...
Calendar Sales will continue on Monday!

These beautiful waterfall calendars make great holiday gifts! And friends may buy them if you ask.

We sell them for $13. We make $8.00 on each one.  Please do your best to help out ---it helps us keep your membership costs at a minimum.

Monday, 13 Nov: We’ll again have sign-up sheets before rehearsal and during the break.
  Just let us know how many calendars you want. Pay for them then or when they are delivered.

VOICES sold the most program shell Ads....let's see if we can do the same with calendars!
 
Happy singing and thank you for supporting our VOICES family!
 
David Gries
6. You In Pictures...
A few of the photos taken at our October 30 rehearsal are posted on our Facebook page: 
 
 
More are available here: 
 

7. From the Treasurer - What is a Steering Committee Anyway?...
At the most basic, your Steering Committee works with our directors to make your chorus experience possible. It has four broad roles: 1) supporting the Artistic Director in determining program content and activities of the chorus, 2) facilitating chorus operations including member recruitment, registration, money management, logistics for rehearsals and concerts, etc., 3) providing feedback to our directors for strengthening the chorus experience, and, 4) maintaining ties with the parent Affiliated Choruses of Ithaca including supporting fundraising, and special events. The committee has fun and works well together to create the experiences we all believe in. However, for the long-term health of the chorus, it’s essential that membership of the committee be renewed regularly. We like to kid about “officers for life” but a regular flow of new energy and ideas is essential. Consider sitting in on a meeting to see if it could be a good fit for your interests and talents. Or, visit with one or more of the current members:  Sherrie Norman, Kelly Doolittle, Mike Duttweiler, Elaine Gries, Cindy Howell, and Sabine Mann. 
8.  Solo Opportunities...
Here are the solo opportunities for this concert:
 
Barso re:  ms. 65-73
Baba Yetu:  ms. 5-14; ms. 15-20; ms. 61-68
I'll Be Home for Christmas:  ms 19-25
Sing for Peace:  ms. 43- end; ms. 47-end
 
Please consider auditioning for a solo (or two!)
Solo auditions will be at 6:00 pm on November 20 and November 27
 
If you want to practice any solos, Lorrene will hold an early practice session on November 13 - 6:00 PM.
9.  Website Tutorial Files and Music Links...
Courtesy of Ross and Lorrene, we now have tutorial files posted for 10 of our music selections on the website.  Some include those ever-important pronunciation files.  We will keep adding files each week, so check back often at this link:

 
We have posted YouTube links for this semester's music and will add more links as they become available.  The files can be found on the Voices Website:
 
 
10.  Rehearsal Schedule...
November 13 (solo practice at 6:00 PM), 20, 27 (solo auditions on 20th and 27th at 6:00 PM)
December 4
Concert date is Saturday, December 9th
 
11.  About Perfumes, Scents, Essential Oils and Garlic Around Your Neck...
Please remember to avoid wearing perfumes, colognes, essential oils and other scents to rehearsals and performances as they create respiratory discomfort for some of our singers.

12.  Voice Exercises and Warmups...
Looking for a way to exercise your voice between rehearsals? Cyberbass is free website that has sizeable list of vocal warmups that play on your computer, smartphone or tablet. You can also purchase CD's with various exercises and warmups if you choose.  Go to
 
Questions, Comments and Newsletter Items...
The Voices Newsletter will be published each Thursday during the Fall semester.  Have a question about Voices, comments or suggestions for the newsletter, or do you have an item for the newsletter (items should be related to the chorus or the local music community)?  Contact Ed Olmstead at EdOlmstead@ofpcinc.com.  
Ithaca Community Choruses, Inc.  www.ithacacommunitychoruses.org