P.O. Box 390278 Cambridge, Massachusetts  02139-0022 www.cambridgechorus.org
	August, 2003

*** NEWS FLASH! Chorus Changes Rehearsal Night to Monday ***

The Chorus Board of Directors at it's June 17th meeting has agreed to reschedule Chorus rehearsals from Tuesday evenings to Monday evenings so that the Chorus can continue working with long time Music Director, William Thomas. Changes in the academic schedule at Phillips Academy for the coming year made it impossible for William to continue rehearsing the Chorus on Tuesday evenings. The Board carefully reviewed the possible alternatives and concluded that Monday rehearsals offered the best opportunity to minimize disruption and maximize Chorus participation, hoping that as many singers as possible will be able to accommodate this necessary change.

Review of the 2002-2003 Season

What a year it has been - we continue to grow, both in terms of singer and audience participation and in terms of artistic accomplishment. Two notable "firsts" from last season included our first overseas performance and our first presentation of a fully staged opera.

In December the Chorus assembled a delegation of 50 singers to travel to Tokyo Japan to perform Handel's Messiah jointly with a Japanese Chorus (The Messiah Messengers). The musical and cultural sharing were extraordinary. While in Japan ten representatives from the Chorus traveled to the city of Tsukuba under the leadership of City Councilor Ken Reeves to represent the City of Cambridge as part of the "sister-city" relationship between Cambridge and Tsukuba. This tour would not have been possible without the assistance of maestro Thomas for travel arrangements, bass Larry Philbrick for tracking participant information and tenor Rick Nelson for managing the finances.

During the Memorial Day weekend last May the Chorus presented a fully staged performance of Purcell's Baroque opera Dido and Aeneas complete with sets by Jim Peters (spouse of alto Penny Peters), costumes by Henry Shaffer, and stage lighting by Charles and Sandra Galley. Vicki Solomon coordinated the efforts of the dancers and choreographers, Midge Brecher and Jennifer Schoonover , who wove dance throughout the production which was enthusiastically received by the audience. We are grateful to Maestro Thomas and Concert Producer Kathy Williams for their extra efforts on behalf of this ambitious production.

FALL 2003 REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

Music for our fall "preview" season will consist of portions of the program to be performed in May 2003, Mozart's Requiem Mass . Come join us and get a head start on learning the new music. Except where noted all rehearsals will run 6:30pm to 9:30pm at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, 239 Harvard Street.

FIRST REHEARSAL	Monday	Sept. 8	6:30-9:30pm	St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church
MONDAY REHEARSALS	Monday	September 15, 22, 29, October 6, 13
SATURDAY REHEARSAL	Saturday	September 20	10am-3pm	Cochran Chapel, Phillips Academy, Andover
PERFORMANCE "Cambridge Sings"	Monday	October 20	7:30pm	St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church

Note: In addition to the schedule above, singers electing to participate in the CHAF benefit concert will be expected to attend a dress rehearsal with Nneena Freelon in Sanders Theatre on October 1 at 7pm.

Fall/Spring Music Program Announced

Our Music Director, William Thomas, continues to provide interesting program ideas for us. For the concert this spring he has chosen the great Requiem Mass of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and paired it with a work by a lesser known black French 18th century composer, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799).

These two extraordinary men lived at a time of revolution and great change in the world. They both were involved with various aspects of social change during those extraordinary times, Mozart through his controversial opera Le Nozze de Figaro and Saint-Georges as a swordsman (he started the first all black sword fighting unit during the French revolution). A member of this unit was the father of Alexander Dumas who is often forgotten as an artist and man of color. Both Mozart and Saint-Georges were also involved with the movement of Freemasonary which at that time was especially dedicated to a spirit of brotherhood and equality.

We are fortunate to be able to present this program in the magnificence of Sanders Theatre under the sponsorship of Harvard University. This support illustrates Harvard's extraordinary commitment to the community and our chorus. We are grateful to Mary Power, Mary Ann Jarvis, and the staff of Sanders Theatre at Harvard for their continued support.

Chorus to Accompany Neena Freelon in CHAF Benefit Concert at Sanders Theatre

As a result of initiative taken by bass David Pap the Chorus has been invited to accompany 5-Time Grammy Nominee Nnenna Freelon on two Gospel songs as part of the Fifth Annual Benefit Concert for the Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund (CHAF). This concert will take place at 8 PM on October 3, 2003 at Sanders Theatre. The concert will be videotaped for television broadcast. Chorus members choosing to participate will rehearse during the latter portion of our regular Monday rehearsals and will be expected to attend a dress rehearsal with Nnenna on October 1, at 7pm in Sanders Theatre at Harvard. For more information about CHAF or Nnenna Freelon please visit their websites at www.CHAFund.org and www.nnenna.com

New Singers

The Chorus welcomes new singers in all voice parts. New basses, tenors, and sopranos should simply attend the first rehearsal of the fall cycle on Monday, September 8, at 6:30pm. Due to the abundance of altos presently singing in the Chorus, new altos interested in singing with us should first contact Chorus President Paul Raila at president@cambridgechorus.org or (617) 625-6588.

Attendance Policy

Because the Chorus strives to be accessible to all interested community members it does not require an audition to sing in the Chorus. As part of this policy all singers are expected to sign-in at each rehearsal and attend all rehearsals in a given concert cycle. If you must miss a rehearsal, please mark the rehearsal sign-in sheet appropriately or notify the Concert Producer, in advance of your absence (if possible). Typically, if you miss more than two rehearsals in a cycle you should speak with the Concert Producer to determine whether you will be permitted to sing in the performance. New singers who join after the second rehearsal in a cycle are welcome to sing in rehearsals but may not be able to sing in the performance for that cycle.

Performance Schedule for 2003/2004

Here's a general calendar of concerts, appearances, and events:

October 3, 2003	"Coming Home"	Chorus accompanies Nnenna Freelon in concert to benefit CHAF
October 20, 2003	"Cambridge Sings"	preview of material being prepared for the spring concert
December 14, 2003	Handel's Messiah	Kresge Auditorium, MIT, 3pm.
January 2004	Possible participation in a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday
February	Voice classes
April/May 2004	Possible participation in the Cambridge Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony
May 29, 2004	Spring Concert: Mozart Requiem	Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, 7:30pm
Summer 2004	Voice classes

Not every Chorus member participates in every event, but we strive to offer something for everyone.

Personnel Changes

Election of board members and officers for the 2003-2004 season took place at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors on June 17. Newly elected to the Board are: alto Mary Keith, bass David Pap, and tenor Kathy Williams. Welcome all and thanks for your willingness to serve. The Chorus thanks "retiring" Board members Sam Pilato Dan Malis, and Liz Sparks for their service to the Chorus. We thank Dan for many years of generous support and dedicated service. We are grateful to Liz for her many years of service and efficient coordination of Martin Luther King celebretion activities. We are fortunate and grateful that Sam continues serving as the Chorus DG (Database Guru). It is because of his attention to database details that you're able to receive this newsletter and other communications from the Chorus. If you see Sam at a rehearsal this fall, be sure to thank him, and send all changes of your contact info to mystats@cambridgechorus.org

The officers elected for this year are: President - Paul Raila; Vice-President - Penny Peters; Clerk - Janet Rustow; and Treasurer - Rick Nelson. Thanks to Rick, Paul, Penny, and Janet for continuing to serve in their respective offices. Tenor Phil Budne has assumed responsibility for operating the Chorus website from Joan Leib who is taking some time to mother her new son, Isaac. Thank you Joan for your dedicated work on the website during this past year

Chorus Governance

The Chorus is governed by a Board of Directors that makes major decisions regarding Chorus activities, operations and policies. Directors are elected at the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors in June of each year from candidates proposed by a nominating committee. Chorus officers (President, Vice-President, Clerk and Treasurer) are elected by vote of the Board. A small Executive Committee makes day-to-day operating decisions necessary between Board Meetings. There is also a Planning Committee that meets with the Board to help discuss issues and propose new ideas. Board and Planning Committee meetings have been scheduled for January 12 at 7pm, and June 7 at 7pm (locations TBA). If you wish to help share the work of keeping the Chorus running smoothly and participate as a member of any of these groups please contact Chorus President Paul Raila.

Volunteer to Help

As the Chorus continues to grow so does the need for more volunteer assistance. Please volunteer to help with the many tasks needed to keep your Chorus running smoothly. Truly, to be a member of the Chorus implies more than just attending rehearsals, concerts and supporting the Chorus financially.

If you're willing to help but aren't sure how, please speak to Chorus President Paul Raila. He can find a way to put your talents, interests and enthusiasm to good use on behalf of the Chorus. His telephone number is (617) 625-6588 and his email address is president@cambridgechorus.org.

Send Us Your New/Changed Contact Information

If you haven't already done so, please send us any new or changed contact information to help us communicate with you more quickly, easily, reliably and inexpensively. We need your current email & postal address(es) and phone number(s). Please tell us if you are willing to receive urgent notices by email instead of phone and if you are willing to receive Chorus newsletters by email instead of by post. Newsletters sent by email will also include a pointer to our web site where you can read/print the newsletter fully formatted. Please send all change information via email from your preferred email address to mystats@cambridgechorus.org. If you don't have access to email, telephone your changes to Chorus Database Guru Sam Pilato at (781) 643-0038 (please use email instead, if you have it). The reliability of our communication with you depends on you keeping your information up to date.

Profiles in Chorus

If you'd like to write a profile of another Chorus member for use in future newsletters please contact Paul Raila. You're also welcome to suggest names of Chorus members you'd like to see profiled.

Questions? Contact Chorus President, Paul Raila, president@cambridgechorus.org (617) 625-6588.

MESSIAH 2003 SEASON - SAVE THESE DATES

FIRST REHEARSAL	Monday	Oct. 27	6:30pm-9:30pm	St. Paul AME Church, 85 Bishop Allen Dr.
MONDAY REHEARSALS	Monday	Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24, Dec. 1
SATURDAY REHEARSAL	Saturday	November 22	10am-3pm	Cochran chapel, Phillips Academy, Andover
DRESS REHEARSAL	Monday	December 8	6:30pm-9:30pm
CONCERT	Sunday	December 14	3pm	Kresge Auditorium, MIT