Greetings

JoAn Segal, President

Happy New Year! Tonight we begin a new year, with new music to prepare, a few new male singers, and a fresh start!

The American Tapestry concert will take place March 17 – 18 at First United Methodist Church. This will be an enjoyable program, with some really lovely pieces of Americana selected for each of the groups by Tim and Kim. There are folk songs, spirituals, hymns, and poetry settings. This is another of our concerts with performances by the Women’s Chorale and the Chamber Chorale, as well as the full Chorale. For a preview, look at the members section of the web site! Incidentally, these pieces will form a basis for our Greek tour repertoire.

We will also begin to rehearse the Beethoven 9th Symphony Ode to Joy for our April 28 concert with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra in Macky Auditorium. Doing justice to this magnificent piece will require the combined voices of all our ensembles, including all the members of the Women’s Chorale.

The Lux Aeterna and Make We Joy concerts were really fine and I know we can match that level of performance with our two spring offerings!

The Planning Committee has been working very hard to set up an idealistic but achievable plan for the Chorale to follow over the next few years. Key to its work are the concepts of musical excellence and inclusivity. As the committee mulls over possible ways to structure the Chorale to achieve these ends, it will be coming to the membership for some feedback on its work. In addition, I will be making an educational presentation to the full Chorale next week to fill you in on “how we run this organization good” – all you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask! Off to the races!

All Boulder Chorale members are welcome to attend Board of Directors meetings, or talk with any board member about an issue that we should discuss at the meetings.

Chorale Tour to Greece

Erin Christensen-Mandel, Coordinator

There are still a few seats available on the Greece Tour! Please see me as soon as possible if you are interested. The next payment for the tour will be due on Tuesday, January 23! Tour bills were sent out last week. Please let me know if you did not receive yours. Credit card forms are available each week at the blue Greece Tour table. You can also pay with cash or with a check made out to the Boulder Chorale. The second payment will be due by Tuesday, February 20. If you have any questions, please contact me:

303-554-7692 / boulderchorale@yahoo.com

Fundraising Corner

JoAn Segal, President

You all know that the Chorale’s ambitious budget cannot possibly be balanced with dues and ticket sales alone. Grants, donations, and special events are needed to keep the revenue side of the equation equal to the expense side! All non-profits have the same problem and artistic organizations are a special case. Here is an update on some of our activities for the year.

Cocktail Benefit. On December 15, the night before our Make We Joy concert, we held a benefit for the Chorale, with special guests Amy and Randy McIntosh and their marimbas. Billed as: “Marimbas, Martinis, and Margaritas”, the evening featured several marimba numbers as well as Christmas treats, with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. We brought in about $500 net on this effort.

Cabaret. Back by popular demand – literally – our own Kim Needham teams up with pal Georgia Rogers Farmer in an evening entitled: Perfect Pair. And a perfect pair they are – southern belles with lovely voices, singing about love, lust, and friendship. Save the date, January 13, (7:30 pm) at the Dairy Center. Tickets ($25) are on sale through the Dairy Center box office (www.thedairy.org). The pre-show wine and cheese reception will start at 6 pm in the lobby at the Dairy Center (2590 Walnut Street). If this is even close to last year’s level of hilarity, we’ll all be doubled up with laughter and admiration for the multiple talents of our Assistant Director/Women’s Chorale Conductor.

Annual Fund. The Chorale’s annual fund drive is now officially underway. We mailed about 600 packets to our donor list, have inserted return cards and envelopes into the Make We Joy program, have a poster we can use to establish a fund-raising presence at various events, and have begun to receive donations. Packets are available at each rehearsal, on the table with the announcements at the back of the Sanctuary. Thank you for spreading this information. If you know of people who might be willing to make a donation, please take packets for them.

Mini-Gala. After last year’s stupendous Gala, many of you asked why we couldn’t do this every year. Well, we’re going to try for a slightly more modest effort, but a really nice one. Date: May 6. Place: Boulderado Hotel Mezzanine. Time: 6 – 9 pm. Hors d’oeuvres and cash bar. More details to come, but … save the date.

Looking for Volunteers and a Committee Chair. All this activity is going on without a really strong fund-raising committee and chair. We are sorely in need of help on this front and would welcome any offers from helping on a one-time basis at the Cabaret, through working on a silent auction, up to and including taking charge of our fund-raising effort. If you are able to help, please get in touch with JoAn Segal, jsegalvv@earthlink.net or 303-541-1065.

Help Wanted

As part of our Mini-Gala, we are considering having a silent auction and are seeking helpers for that event. I know some of you have experience with soliciting gifts from local businesses and other vendors. Could you share some of that with us?

Our last such auction took place in 2004. It included:

Services, such as massage, salon appointments, veterinary services, voice lessons, and Pilates sessions; Art, such as prints, photos, paintings, carvings; Hand crafts, such as glass works, knitted items, and jewelry; Food and fun, such as home made baked goods, restaurant gift certificates, parties; Music, books and theater, such as recordings, marimba lessons, and theater tickets; and “In a Class of Their Own” such as health supplements, a commissioned poem, flowers, and a sing-along party.

If you are willing to help, please get in touch with JoAn Segal (jsegalvv@earthlink.net or 303-541-1065)

Being in on the planning for the mini-gala should be a lot of fun!

Ms. Chorale Manners

(This piece based on March, 2005 Newsletter, courtesy of Chorale Archives)

Ms. Chorale Manners offers the following suggestions for a pleasurable singing experience:

1) When on stage, waiting for the rest of the chorus to take its place or for the conductor to appear, the polite chorister keeps speech to the bare essentials. For example, “You’re standing on my skirt,” or “I am about to pass out. Would you be so kind as to catch me?”

2) It is kindest to stop talking when your instrumental accompanists are trying to tune, so they can hear more easily. Humming along with the tuning note, while soothing, unfortunately is not helpful.

3) When the rare, unfortunate error occurs, such as a soloist missing his or her note, or the piano bursting into flames, the proper response is to continue watching the conductor, a sincere, frozen smile on one’s visage. Glancing at a neighbor or grimacing may alert audience members to a problem they otherwise might have overlooked or simply attributed to an ample special-effects budget.

4) During performance, the singer with good manners does not rest her music folder on a fellow chorister’s head without first gaining permission to do so. Not only might this ruin a delicate coiffure, but in the case of a score such as the Verdi Requiem, neck strain could result.

5) Strive to follow the dress code. The lovely uniform look of the singers allows our audiences to enjoy the music, rather than picking out the snazziest dressers in the group.

From the Grants Committee

Sue Hintz-Siegrist, Chair

Our busy committee, Diane LaTourrette, Ruth Arnold, Jan Wierzba, Jo Bynder, and I, have some more success to report to you!

On November 6, we received notice we had been granted $2,500 to help with costs of guest artists. Solicited by Sue Hintz-Siegrist.

On November 15, we were notified we would receive a $1,000 Community grant from IBM to cover concert advertising costs. Solicited by Jan Wierzba with help from Josephine Bynder.

On November 28, we were notified we had received a $1,000 grant from the Boulder County Arts Commission Neodata Endowment to help cover the costs of the April 2007 concert with the Boulder Philharmonic. Solicited by Diane LaTourrette.

The committee would welcome any information you might have about corporate grants to non-profits, especially arts organizations. Also, if you work for a company or organization that has a community relations and/or foundation office making contributions to community non-profits, we’d appreciate your finding out the name of the person who is the company contact there. Please feel free to get in touch with any of the committee members.

Calendar of Events

Tuesday Evening Rehearsals—

Women’s Chorale 6:00-6:50 p.m.

Chamber Chorale 6:30-8:15 p.m.

Full Chorale 7:00-9:30 p.m.

Atonement Lutheran Church

Tuesday, January 9— Tenor and Bass Walk-In Registration

5:30-7:00 p.m. Atonement Lutheran Church

Tuesday, January 9—Rehearsals resume.

6:00 p.m. Women’s Chorale

6:30 p.m. Chamber Chorale

7:00 p.m. Full Chorale

Atonement Lutheran Church

Saturday, January 13—Perfect Pair Cabaret Evening

by Kim Needham and Georgia Rogers Farmer

6:00 p.m. Wine and Cheese Reception

7:30 p.m. Performance

Tickets are $25 each and are available through the Dairy Center: 303-440-7826 (ext. 105)

2590 Walnut Street, Boulder / www.thedairy.org

Tuesday, January 16—Tenor and Bass Walk-In Registration

5:30-7:00 p.m. Atonement Lutheran Church

Tuesday, January 23—Greece Tour Payment Due

The first of four payments is due. You can leave payment in the office or in the blue Greece box on the table. Please make checks payable to the Boulder Chorale. To pay with a credit card, please fill out a credit card form.

Friday, January 26—Newsletter Deadline

Please submit Newsletter articles to the Boulder Chorale office or email articles to: boulderchorale@yahoo.com

Monday, February 12—Board of Directors Meeting

7:00 p.m. Atonement Lutheran Church

Please let JoAn know if you plan to attend.

Tuesday, Februay 20—Greece Tour Payment Due

The second of four payments is due. You can leave payment in the office or in the blue Greece box on the table.

Contact the Board Members

JoAn Segal Jack Biddle

President Vice President/Pres. Elect

303-541-1065 720-304-2178

jsegalvv@earthlink.net jackbcmt@aol.com

Christine Evenson Wren Fritzlan

Graphics/Website Membership Assistant

303-774-9301 Assistant Registrar

christie_evenson@hotmail.com 303-651-9318

wfritzlan@coloradorecovery.com

Peg Gorce Karen Haimes

Membership Liaison Ticket Manager

303-447-8720 Concert Dress Chair

puritanprop@earthlink.net 303-442-7370

haimes1@aol.com

Jeff Hale Julie Hale

Treasurer Graphics

303-494-1836 303-494-1836

jeffhale58@msn.com juliehale1@msn.com

Paul Haynes Greg Herring

Music Librarian Asst. Concert Manager

303-494-9154 303-440-6920

prhaynes@comcast.net gherring@us.ibm.com

Diane LaTourrette Miriam Lindahl

Secretary Concert Manager

303-494-4177 303-530-2077

sjlatourrette@att.net miriam.lindahl@comcast.net

Sam Richman Sharon Soderlund

Assistant Librarian Marketing/Publicity

303-494-2253 303-494-9459

samrichman@comcast.net sksoderlund@yahoo.com