Announcements from the April 3rd Rehearsal
Dear Chorus,
1) Sing into Spring was a smashing success, thanks to everyone who helped in so many ways. We are thankful to Nancy Tougas and Cindy Marshall of CNS, with Judy Sedgewick and Heather Campbell Curry of HYC, for running the show. Carole Ganz made sure we were all very well-fed! Fred MacArthur, Frank Corbin, and Helen Greene accompanied us on keyboard, along with Joe Gibbons and Stephen Moore on guitars (and more). The HYC kids serenaded us with beauty AND humor, and Sunny conducted us all with her usual joy and flair.
And then there was YOU! We are grateful to all the donors, attendees, bidders, and invisible elves. Thank you!
Nancy Tougas adds a thank-you of her own:
To the Unsung Heroes of last weekend's event:
The Town of Ipswich plow trucks who, knowing that we had an event that night, returned at least twice to clear the parking lot; the husbands of Heather Campbell Curry and Nancy Tougas who shoveled the walkways; the many HYC parents who set up and took down the room; Carole Ganz who organized a fabulous array of food; Gordon Florists who donated floral displays; and Cindy Marshall who was everywhere doing everything, always with a smile and good humor…THANK YOU!
And to those who contributed: we are working on thank you notes and receipts for your donations. There isn't enough room to thank you all in this space - but you know who you are.
Warmest regards,
Nancy Tougas
2) Praise Page in the concert program: The upcoming concert program will contain a “Praise Page.” For $5, you can purchase a line of text, in which you sing someone’s praises! Your line might go something like this: “We praise SUSIE SMITH for her care and love.” (We suggest that your text be short and sweet, so that it can fit onto one line.) Cindy Marshall will have forms for you to fill out at rehearsal. In order for Cindy to have our praises ready for the concert program deadline, the Praise Page deadline is April 24.
3) Ads for the concert program are due on May 1. Please go forth and sell! Ads are an important source of revenue for us, and they help us foster connections around our neighborhoods. Ad forms are available on the chorus website in the members section; Marianne also brings a few to rehearsal.
4) The concert program needs people to run it next year! Marianne, Kathy, and B.B. are in production now, and we urge some brave Somebodies to join them to learn the ropes. You don’t need to sign onto the job forever: we can work to bring in new folks to help down the road. But we do need somebody to step in ASAP. It takes work, communication, and organization – but as Marianne, Kathy, and B.B. will attest, it’s also very satisfying to produce such a beautiful product.
5) Posters and postcards for our concert are available at rehearsal. If you take postcards to mail, remember that you need a stamp! (The postal indicia on them only works for our bulk mailings.) The postcards also fit nicely in those little widows toward the back of a car: you can be a moving advertisement! Please also take some posters to hang up. I've attached a link to the poster image (Laura posted one last week as well), for you to send to friends, post to your Facebook, and so on.
That’s all for now. Stay dry this week, and we’ll see you on Monday!
Kristin and Jane
Concert Poster:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/c10237ac847b953f103544f3f/images/996e7444-e58e-4e31-864c-f9af57c41fd6.jpg
Announcements from the March 13th Rehearsal
Dear Chorus,
Thank you so much for your flexibility on Monday night! You helped an exciting town/school musical event happen, and the young musicians enjoyed hearing each other and singing together. (For more on the positive impact of the evening, please see a personal postscript down at the bottom from Kristin.)
A few updates and reminders for us all:
1) Ads for the concert program: Please go forth and sell ads! They're an important part of our concert revenue. The ad form is up on the chorus website (in the Members section) for you to download and print. It's often helpful to bring previous programs with you when you approach potential advertisers, so that they can see what a lovely professional job our program committee does. Marianne's ad deadline is May 1.
2) Praise Page: In keeping with our musical theme this semester, Cindy Marshall will be assembling a "Praise Page" in the concert program. For $5, you can purchase a line praising someone who deserves to be applauded! You may offer your praise in memory of someone dear to you as well. Cindy will have a form to submit soon; stay tuned!
3) Sing into Spring! Fundraising Silent Auction and Sing-Along: Here's an update from Nancy Tougas:
Sing Into Spring
April 1, 2017
Ascension Church Hall - Ipswich
7:00-9:00 PM
Admission: Adults - $10
Children ages 5-16 - $5.00
Children under 5 - free!
(Maximum per family - $25)
We will have light refreshments, a Silent Auction, a Sing-Along to some of your favorites, and special performances by chorus members and the Honors Youth Choir.
Auction items have been coming in (thank you for your support), but the more the merrier!! There is still ample time to bring in those items or contact me for information on how we can help you with pick-up.
To date we have: a boat trip on the Ipswich marsh for 6 adults (with martinis), a private State House tour with a state rep, concert tickets and a private voice lesson, original art, a plane ride over the North Shore, dinner served in your home by Jen and Patsy, jewelry, restaurant gift certificates, and much more!
Please join us on April 1st, and think Spring!!!
Nancy Tougas
nancytougas223@gmail.com
4) Black String Folders: Trish will be taking orders for people who need these (or want an additional one): they're a great size for our concert pieces.
5) Cyberbass: Need help practicing your part on your own? Check out cyberbass.com! From their main page, click on "Major Works," then scroll down the list of composers to find Mendelssohn, and our pieces. You can listen to all parts together, or your part highlighted with the other parts softly underneath; you can listen right online, or order practice CDs (great for long commutes!).
6) Amazon Smile: An easy way to earn a little money for CNS, just by shopping online at Amazon as usual. As you shop, Amazon donates a percentage of your purchase to your chosen charity or organization (like us!). Here's how to get started:
If you use Amazon, but are new to Amazon Smile:
1. Go to https://smile.amazon.com, and log in with your usual Amazon login information. You'll be prompted to choose your organization.
2. Please note: for your donations to work, you must start your shopping through smile.amazon.com. Don't worry: it's still Amazon.
If you already use Amazon Smile for another organization, and want to set up to donate to CNS:
1. Go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and log into your account.
2. Hover over "Accounts and Lists" in the upper right and scroll down to "Your AmazonSmile" (or Click on "Accounts and Lists" then go to "Settings" and click on "Change your charity.")
3. At "Change your charity" (or "Pick your charitable organization") type in Chorus North Shore and click Select.
***Make sure you log in to https://smile.amazon.com/ from now on, and CNS will automatically get a percentage of every purchase you make!
7) Concert Program Committee Search: To quote Dr. Seuss, "Somebody, somebody has to, you see!" We still need some Somebodies to take on the Program job next year, and to start meeting with Marianne, Kathy and B.B. this year in order to learn the ropes. Please see the job description at the bottom of this e-mail, where you'll also see what skills are recommended (basic computer skills, organization and communication skills)...but please also note what skills are NOT needed: you don't need to be a graphic artist, or an advertising wiz, or an IT expert. Fear not! Plus, it's FUN, and satisfying. CNS needs you!
That should do it. See you next week!
Kristin and Jane
Personal P.S. from Kristin: My son is a 5th grader here in Ipswich, and performed at the All-Town Choral Concert on Monday night. He loves music, but is a reluctant performer; he sings to himself, but does not love to sing in front of people, and has not caught the chorus bug. BUT! After the event, he could not stop talking about the high school choral groups. He and his friends (future tenors and basses!) were blown away -- to the point that he now thinks he wants to be part of it. An event that encourages kids to sing? That's a success! So, again, thank you for your flexibility on Monday night: you helped!
Job Description for Program Committee:
TASKS:
- Devise and follow working schedule for each concert:
- Compile info for concert program graphic design (posters, program covers, postcards, tickets)
- Correlate info with graphic designer/printer
- Obtain printing quote
- Update ad forms, distribute to CNS
- Coordinate ads
- Compile copy for program interior
- Proof interior layout; confirm final file with graphic designer, printer
Gather information for Program book interior:
- Advertisements
- Copy – Program page (order of music),
- Season program,
- conductor’s notes,
- program notes,
- CNS announcements,
- credits,
- Mission statement,
- MCC statement,
- GBCC preset page,
- Chorus America logo,
- special acknowledgements and info
- Bios and photos - Conductor, accompanists, soloists
- CNS, HYC bio updates
- List of Board members
- List of CNS singers, HYC singers, schools, teachers
- List of musicians (orchestra)
- List of donors, and Endowment donors
- Grant acknowledgement
- Donation request form
SKILLS REQUIRED:
- Basic computer skills necessary
- Good communication/organizational skills helpful
