President's Corner

by Jack Biddle, President

We knew we were biting off a mouthful. After a rehearsal last spring, Tim and the Chorale Board slipped into the chapel to vote on an opportunity (oh, that word - "Houston, we have an" opportunity).

The Mahlerfest would like the Boulder Chorale to be the chorus for Das klagende Lied. It would be extremely challenging and consume most of the fall `07 rehearsal time, leaving little for Make We Joy and none for a major fall performance. How could we resist?

So, of course, we chose to go for it. We choristers are like that. Issues with music scores and guest artist fees ensued but nothing would stop the intrepid Boulder Chorale. After months of hard work during which "O Leide Weh" and "Schrecken" became common expressions at rehearsal, we were ready. Or so we thought.

Tim had prepped us to watch the conductor's baton like a hawk. Good advice. Dress rehearsals showed us that the meter could be all over the landscape. We responded.

The first performance was magnificent. Wes Blomster of the Camera gave the performance sky-high praise, using such language as, "superbly performed by the Mahlerfest and Chorus." He also suggested that "Timothy Snyder deserves a second Pacesetter Award for his preparation of the Boulder Chorale for this production."

Katie Fillius and Kristin Weisbach also come in for high praise for wonderfully filling the boy soprano parts. Blomster suggests that "the Vienna Saengerknaben would unhesitatingly make them life members."

The praise after Saturday was so lavish that Tim expressed concern that we might let down for Sunday. Guess what? We were even better.

Opinion Section

"What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?"

-Jack Biddle

"There is no such thing as over-rehearsing."

-Herb Rodriguez

Mike on Mike

(fourth in a series of people important to the Chorale)

Who else but Michael Mastronicola can ad lib the works of Charles Ives? In February, Mike shares his thoughts on Valentine's Day, green eyes and surviving rehearsals.

What is your most marked characteristic?

My charming green eyes, of course.☺

What is a trait you most deplore in yourself?

Self-doubt.

What do you most value in your friends?

Thoughtfulness.

In which country would you like to live?

Italy (but not for the rest of my life).

What living person do you most admire?

Anyone who works on behalf of the poor, disenfranchised, and oppressed in the world.

What are your thoughts on Valentine's Day and love?

Those Catholics have a saint for everything!

Who has taught you the most musically?

Mary Ann Covert, my undergraduate piano professor.

On a desert island, what three musical pieces would you want stranded with you?

Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Piano Concerto No. 4, and any of the late string quartets rgergghrine.

With which musical historical figure do you most identify?

Beethoven is my hero, but I'm not sure that answers the question.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Surviving Das klagende Lied rehearsals!

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

I'm still trying to figure out what I am in this life.

What is your motto?

Be nice to the accompanist, or I'll change keys on you.

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A Special Type of Giving

by JoAn Segal, Secretary/Past-Presidnet

While we all tend to shy away from thoughts of our own demise, recent deaths have reminded us of our mortality. Memorial gifts have played a substantial role in enhancing our donations list over the past year and a half. Such gifts honor the person who has died as well as helping the Chorale. Whenever we perform a work for the dead, such as a Requiem, memorial gifts come in with hardly a need to ask for them. We all seek opportunities to honor our loved ones and a musical memorial is a special chance to do that.

At the end of the obituary I have written for my children to use upon my death, I have included a sentence asking that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Boulder Chorale. Rare is the person who will remember such a thing when faced with the grief of a dear one's passing, but making the wish clear beforehand increases the possibility it will be remembered.

How lovely to be remembered in the voices of one's friends!

From Out of the Past

by JoAn Segal, Archivist

Last month's summary of some of the Chorale's history seemed to be of interest to people. One long-time member came to remind me of some missing information. Why is it missing? Because the archives, especially from the earlier years of the Chorale, are very sketchy.

If you were a member of the Chorale and have any old clippings, programs, photos, or other memorabilia, I would be very grateful to have it. Some of us had the opportunity to speak recently with a consultant, who was amazed we knew as much as we do of our history. Wouldn't it be great if we really had all the pieces?

And if you have more recently been an officer or committee member and have materials for the record, please send them to me. Our archives are being processed at the American Music Research Center at the University and will be safely stored there. They are in pretty good shape and order, but there are many gaps we'd love to be able to fill. Help us?

January Board Meeting Highlights

by JoAn Segal, Secretary / Past-President

Bylaws revisions

A task force has been working on revising the Bylaws. A copy of proposed revisions has been sent to Board members. Two members expressed approval of the work. Jack Biddle asked all to review the material and send questions, suggested modifications, or other ideas to JoAn Segal, chair of the task force, by the February 11 meeting. At that time there will be further discussion and, it is hoped, agreement. The document will then be presented to the membership for approval at the Annual Business Meeting in May.

Tickets and future concerts

Karen Haimes presented the ticket report, which showed that the Make We Joy concert drew the exact same size audience as in 2006, but expenses were somewhat lower. The ticket selling process was enhanced by the availability of on-line tickets and by the streamlining of the on-site sales area.

Haimes also brought up the idea of having a second Sunday concert, either as an added performance or as a substitute for the Saturday evening one. There was some discussion, but no decision was reached. The notion of performing in Niwot was very positively viewed by the Directors and will be considered as we plan the 2008-9 season.

Artistic Director

Tim Snyder praised the Chorale for its Mahler performance and raised the question of whether and how we might participate in the MahlerFest in 2009 doing the 8th Symphony ("Symphony of 1,000"). The Board expressed mixed feelings about being the core choral group. Snyder will give the matter more thought.

The Chorale has also had invitations from other groups which Snyder will consider as he draws up a plan for 2008-9 to propose to the Board at the February meeting. He hopes to have a program that will be happily embraced by all, without controversy.

Treasurer

Jeff Hale gave the Treasurer's Report. He will e-mail it to all as soon as some computer problems are solved. We are still in the black, but need revenue to meet expenses for the rest of the year.

Special sales

Dede Beardsley reported that scrip sales are good. We reduced the budget somewhat this year in view of a change from paper scrip to cards, but sales did not reflect a downturn. Dede will add Safeway cards for Chorale members who want them. In addition, she proposed pre-rehearsal pizza sales. Pizza will be $2 a slice for what Dede believes is an especially good, organic pizza. She will donate the pizza for the first evening.

Library

Richman reported that 95 Mahler scores had been returned. Erasing will take place on Tuesday evening, Jan. 15 from 5:00 p.m. on. Music for the spring session for all three ensembles is coming in.

Concert Management

Herring and Lindahl gave the concert management reports. They had to put in extraordinary efforts to set up for the Mahler, but everything went very smoothly. The February 9 retreat for the Women's Chorale and Chamber Chorale will be at First Baptist Church; catering has been arranged. It is possible the expenses will be less than budget. As soon as possible, CD's for the Make We Joy concert will be available. The Annual Business Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 6 at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in the Jubilee Hall, beginning with set-up at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30.

(continued on page three)

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Fund Raising

Sue Hintz-Siegrist, chair of the Grants Committee, brought the Board members up to date on the current grants environment, which seems less favorable than over the past few years. Grants Committee members are gearing up to increase our presence and contact with grants agency personnel. Josephine Bynder, who has been the key person addressing finances as part of the Planning Committee's work, contributed some ideas. In the course of the discussion, we defined several key fund raising areas:

1. Annual Fund

2. Grants

3. Corporate partners

4. Events

Sue also stressed the need for us to have a fund-raising plan before the Chorale year begins, so we are not caught in a financial bind, as we have been for the past few years.

Risa Booze made valuable contributions to the discussion of events. She suggested a spring event using the resources available to the Chorale, such as a Balkan music group headed by Tambré Rasmussen's husband, and the promise of a large food gift by Nabil Karkamaz, who made the offer at the Candidates' Forum on the Arts in October. Another possibility was mentioned by Bynder, who envisioned an Italian meal with Opera arias or choruses as entertainment to tie in with the Opera program. Risa will follow up on several ideas.

Tim mentioned a possible event for the fall. Ron Roschke has offered Grace Lutheran Church as a venue for a Cantata e Dolci event, with singing (lovely church for this) and sweets and wine (in their lower-level, spacious event room.)

Membership

Fritzlan mentioned creating the attendance sheets for the three groups. We will probably begin using them on January 29.

Volunteers

Selby is coordinating with Fritzlan to give out the volunteer sheets with the April pre-registration materials. Board members were encouraged to give serious thought to how they might use volunteers, so these sheets can be of maximum usefulness.

Closing the Church after Rehearsals

Joan Foutz suggested that the church closing always be done by two people, one of them a man. All agreed this was an excellent idea. Pairs will be assigned to every rehearsal date and the list will be distributed as soon as possible.

Please don't use perfume, scented body products, after-shave or cologne before rehearsals and performances; some of our members are highly allergic.  Thank you for being considerate!

Contact Your 2007-2008 Board

Jack Biddle Jeff Livesay

President Vice-President/Pres. Elect

720-304-2178 720-298-8255

jackbcmt@aol.com jeff.livesay@gmail.com

JoAn Segal Jeff Hale

Secretary/Past President Treasurer

303-541-1065 303-494-1836

jsegalvv@earthlink.net jeffhale58@msn.com

Dede Beardsley Risa Booze

Member At Large Publicity/Marketing Chair

303-581-0070 303-447-3005

dede@mapletonmontessori.org vitalmotionpilates@yahoo.com

Christine Evenson Joan Foutz

Web Mistress Member At Large

303-774-9301 303-776-7494

christie_evenson@hotmail.com kftz@earthlink.net

Wren Fritzlan Karen Haimes

Membership Ticket Mgr/Concert Dress

303-651-9318 303-442-7370

wfritzlan@coloradorecovery.com haimes1@aol.com

Julie Hale Greg Herring

Member At Large Concert Mgr Co-Chair

303-494-1836 303-440-6920

juliehale1@msn.com gherrings@us.ibm.com

Miriam Lindahl Sam Richman

Concert Manager Co-Chair Music Librarian

303-530-2077 303-494-2253

miriam.lindahl@comcast.net samrichman@comcast.net

Binx Selby

Volunteer Coordinator

303-539-9327

binxselby@gmail.com

From the Chorale Member Handbook

MISSION

The Boulder Chorale enhances the community's quality of life by offering music education, outreach and quality performances.

VISION

As musical ambassadors of goodwill, the Boulder Chorale is a community dedicated to musical excellence and inclusivity, bound by a common love of the chorale art.

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Newsletter Notables

by Jeff Livesay, Newsletter Editor

In each month's edition, a member's name will be scrambled up and placed in one or more sections. The first person to find that member's name, unscramble it, and email me with the correctly-assembled name will win a prize. Submissions must be made via email to be eligible - Jeff.Livesay@gmail.com .

Calendar of Events

Tuesday Evenings Rehearsal Schedule

6:00 - 7:15 pm: Women's Chorale

6:00 - 7:15 pm: Chamber Chorale

7:30 - 9:30 pm: Concert Chorale

Saturday, February 9¾Chamber/Women's Retreat

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. First Baptist Church

Monday, February 11¾Board of Directors' Meeting

7:00 p.m. Atonement Lutheran Church

Please let Jack Biddle know if you plan to attend.

Friday, February 22¾Newsletter Deadline

Please submit articles of interest to Jeff Livesay, Newsletter Editor: jeff.livesay@gmail.com

Sunday, February 24¾Brighton Fine Arts @ 4

Chamber Chorale

2:00 Call
4:00 Performance

First Presbyterian Church (510 S. 27th Ave) Brighton

Monday, March 10¾Board of Directors' Meeting

7:00 p.m. Atonement Lutheran Church

Please let Jack Biddle know if you plan to attend.

Friday, March 21¾ Newsletter Deadline

Please submit articles of interest to Jeff Livesay, Newsletter Editor: jeff.livesay@gmail.com

Thursday, April 10¾Mozart Dress Rehearsal
Chamber and Women's Chorales
6:00-10:00 p.m.

First Baptist Church (1237 Pine Street) Boulder

**please note you do not need to wear concert attire for this rehearsal***

Friday, April 11¾Mostly Mozart

Chamber and Women's Chorales

6:30 p.m. Call

7:30 p.m. Performance

First Baptist Church (1237 Pine Street) Boulder

Sunday, April 13¾Mostly Mozart

Chamber and Women's Chroales

3:00 p.m. Call

4:00 p.m. Performance

Monday, April 14¾ Board of Directors' Meeting

7:00 p.m. Atonement Lutheran Church

Please let Jack Biddle know if you plan to attend

Friday, April 18¾Newsletter Deadline

Please submit articles of interest to Jeff Livesay, Newsletter Editor: jeff.livesay@gmail.com

Monday, April 28¾ Opera Rehearsal

Concert Chorale

7:00-10:00 p.m.

Green Center, Golden

**please note different day, location and time for rehearsal**

Thursday, May 1¾Opera Dress Rehearsal

7:00-10:00 p.m.

First United Methodist (1421 Spruce Street)Boulder

***please note you do not need to wear concert attire for this rehearsal***

Friday, May 2¾An Evening At the Opera

Concert Chorale

6:30 p.m. Call

7:30 p.m. Performance

First United Methodist (1421 Spruce Street)Boulder

Sunday, May 4¾An Evening At the Opera

Concert Chorale

2:00 p.m. Call

3:00 p.m. Performance

Green Center, Golden

Tuesday, May 6¾Annual Business Meeting/Potluck

5:30 Set-Up

6:30 Meeting/Potluck

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church (Jubilee Hall)

(1316 Mapleton Ave.) Boulder

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