P.O. Box 390278 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
	February 22, 2000

The Cambridge Community Chorus Continues Its 10th Season!

It was thrilling to see the large chorus and audience for our 10th annual Messiah concert. Thank you all for making it such a celebratory event. Now we look forward to another exciting performance -- Sunday, May 21, the Chorus will present Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass and the choral movement from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at Kresge Auditorium which MIT has generously offered for this spring concert in our 10th year. We are also very pleased to announce a group of wonderful soloists -- Maria Ferrante, soprano, Dianna Daly, mezzo-soprano, Bülent Güneralp, tenor, and to welcome back Vincent Dion Stringer, baritone, from his opera perfomances in Europe.

Singers, we need you! For our May concert we would like to have just as many singers as participated in the Messiah. Many of you joined us for the fall concert when we sang portions of each of these works, but don't be deterred if you weren't able to be there -- we still want you! William has emphasized that he would love to see tenors and basses come out in force. As always, we will have vocal tapes available for help with learning notes and pronunciation. Spring rehearsals start on March 21 so we have plenty of time to prepare for the concert, and William is scheduling 4-5 rehearsals with the full orchestra which will undoubtedly be a great advantage. The CRLS Vocal Ensemble will add their voices for Beethoven's Ninth.
 

SPRING REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

Except when noted below, all rehearsals will be on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, 239 Harvard Street, Cambridge.

There will be important work done in each rehearsal and we know that you will make every effort to attend them all. Please call concert coordinators Penny Peters (491-4887) or Nancy Townsend (547-4040) if you have any questions.
 

HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE -- Thursday, May 4, 2000

The Cambridge Community Chorus has participated in this important community commemorative ceremony for the past several years. This year William will be conducting the group and the Board has decided to combine rehearsal of the songs for this event with several of the rehearsals for our spring concert. Learning a completely different type of music will be interesting and enriching for everyone and we hope most of you will be able to participate this year.
 

OTHER NEWS

• Youville Concert    70 Chorus members, 2 soloists, and a chamber orchestra performed Messiah selections for patients and their families at Youville Hospital the day before our full Messiah concert. As in 1997 when the Chorus first performed at Youville, we were very warmly received. Anna Soranno, our soprano soloist from the Zurich Opera, noted that it was one of the highlights of her visit. Thanks to Florence Grant who organized the concert.

• Joyful Noise Concert    For many years, singers from the Chorus have participated in the Joyful Noise Celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. This year was no exception and we sang two joyful gospel songs under the direction of Donnell Patterson on January 16 at Sanders Theatre. Liz Sparks did an excellent job of organizing the Chorus participation. As you can see, unlike many choruses, we offer all kinds musical experiences within our group.

• Messiah CDs Available    A 2-CD set of our recent Messiah performance will be available shortly for $16. For those who will be singing this spring, you can purchase them at rehearsals. Otherwise call Nancy Townsend at 547-4040 to reserve your copies. An additional $3 will be charged for postage.

• Thanks Again    To Karen Greenwood who is 'retiring' from her role of Messiah coordinator for the last five years. She always brought her unparalled energy and good humor to the task and fortunately will continue to grace us with her lovely soprano voice. And thanks to Donna Killoran and Judy King who assisted Karen this year. Thanks also to Alexandria Cobb and Kathy Williams who helped with the after-Messiah party -- and a special thanks to Merri Ansara who did so much of the cooking!

• And More Thanks    Thanks to Colleen Gillard and Toni Fitch who coordinated the winter sessions of voice classes taught by Shinobu Takagi. We will offer them again this coming summer.

• New Address?    It is very important that we keep our mailing list current. Please call Penny Peters (491-4887) if your address or phone has changed or if you wish to be removed from the list.

• CCC T-Shirt    People have been asking for years, and now we will finally have our own Cambridge Community Chorus T-shirt, designed by our own Grace Peters. You will be able to place your order at our spring rehearsals, but if you would like one and are not participating, call Laurie Tennant-Gadd (492-4557) or Mary Johnson (491-2695).

• Congratulations    To Dan Malis and his wife Jennifer who were married in January.

• http://world.std.com/~rick/CambChorus    Our website will keep you informed about all our events, rehearsal schedules, and concerts.

See you on March 21 for the first spring rehearsal!