Message to Membership – March 24, 2022

From the Music Director …

Dear Hartford Chorale,

Some time ago, as we were hopeful of a return-to-action, I referred to the beautiful phrase in the Bible’s Book of Solomon (aka “The Song of Solomon”), “For lo, the winter is past, the time of singing of birds has come.” Well, by extension, we are those birds, and the time for our singing has come. At our rehearsal on Monday, April 4, we will be as close as possible to “normality” since our last public time together, the Mozart Requiem on March 1, 2020. What lies ahead for us on the 4th is boundless excitement and the opportunity to recapture our sound, our verve, and our collective artistry. How grateful I am for how we have sustained ourselves during this time of furlough (or even exile), and I very much look forward to seeing and hearing you again very soon.

That first rehearsal focuses upon the Shaw/Parker “I’m Going to Sing,” the Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music, and Ed Tyler’s “How Can I Keep from Singing?” As you continue your personal preparations, do visit the website for access to the edit masters and have your scores thoroughly marked before we begin. At the site, there are a number of strategic documents as well as the MP3 and MP4 recordings of the Scott Perkins piece.  As a reminder, in the Vaughan Williams, where a given vocal section is divided into three parts, we will make those assignments in that first rehearsal. (You might even get to choose your own!). Please note that as to the Perkins recordings, we have just replaced those MP4s for movement #1 (all four vocal parts), having discovered an error towards the end of the one originally posted. This also applies to the basses as to movement #4, where likewise there was an error towards the end of the original. So, if you have been working with those, please revisit the versions now available to you, thanks to our splendid webmaster, Catherine Little.

Don’t forget Monday March 28 as our last of three vocal workshops with Jack Pott. He is really getting us ready for the sprint that begins on April 4!

All best,

Rick

 

From the Board President …

Dear Hartford Chorale,

As the maestro stated, our time together is approaching, and I am very excited for April 4. The EC met right before this week’s vocal workshop where we discussed the 50th concert and beyond. I was texting the maestro that we need to focus more on celebration. To that, the maestro texted back, “I’m ready! 😁”

Also at the ready, is your wonderful Board of Governors! The full board sits on Monday, 3/28 to a packed session. We will be missing the final workshop and be thinking of you all. I hope you are finding the vocal workshop as useful as I am. I must admit I felt a little out of shape at the start of the first session, but I felt a lot more ready after Monday’s session. Jack has given us homework and I am feeling more confident that we will be ready for the marathon that awaits us on April 4.

Until I write to you again, have a wonderful week and weekend.

Lalitha

 

From the Marketing Committee …

Now that we have begun to rediscover our voices, it is time to pack The Bushnell’s Mortenson Hall! There are about 2,800 seats and we would like to fill all of them.

To ensure maximum ticket sales and attendance, we need your help. What I’m asking from you is multi-faceted:

  1. Please complete this group sales form with the names and contact information of groups (Senior Living Communities, Performance Arts schools, Church Choirs, Social groups or Clubs, etc.) that would be interested in purchasing tickets using our Group Sales discounts.

Group Sales discounts are:

    • 10 – 24 tickets receive a 15% discount
    • 25 or more tickets receive a 25% discount

Group tickets do not need to be purchased in a single section of Mortenson Hall, but Group Sales tickets do need to ordered at the same time in order to receive the discount.

  1. Use this media contacts link to introduce us to radio and TV contacts you know so that we can arrange for coverage and interviews for Rick and Scott.
  2. Send us the name and contact information of any local newspapers in your area so we can provide them press announcements.

Finally, we need to sell ads for our program book. The sales form is attached to this email. I will be reaching out to the Chorale members who sold ads for our prior self-produced concerts so that they can offer the historic rate to their previous ad customer. #keepthesongstrong

Thank you for your commitment to Hartford Chorale!

Fred Baker

Marketing Chair

 

From the Assistant Music Director …

First, here is the link for the March 7 virtual rehearsal:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIgKklonyG4

It was wonderful to see those of you who came in person or tuned in via Zoom to our second vocal workshop class this past Monday evening. Energy was high, and your participation was engaging. We have one more left, and I would love to see as many of your faces as possible! If you missed this past Monday, it was recorded (unlike the first session). Here is the link: https://youtu.be/xV96JYuaRyo. Feel free to watch it and sing along as many times as you like.

Below is the link for our Vocal Workshop #3 on Monday, March 28th, from 7:00 – 8:00 pm. As a reminder, these one-hour sessions can be attended in-person (masked) at St. James OR virtual via Zoom. We will focus on all aspects of the instrument (posture, breathing, technique). If you are attending in-person there is nothing you need to bring, except yourselves, a mask you feel comfortable singing in, and willing spirit. See you soon!

Jack Pott is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86063368934?pwd=QURJbDVFZ3dhc0MxaHExcHArTjE0Zz09

Meeting ID: 860 6336 8934
Passcode: 038704
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Meeting ID: 860 6336 8934
Passcode: 038704
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc21r0rv2d

 

From the Golf Committee …

The Golf Committee needs your help for the 2022 Hartford Chorale Classic.  We are searching for a member who would be willing to assist in finding tournament sponsors. This person would work with the Golf Committee in our search for Tee Sponsors as well as Team and Tournament sponsors in support of our event.

Tee sponsors pay $100 each for a sign which is posted at one of the golf holes advertising their business. Our goal is to get at least 18 Tee sponsors this year (last year we had 12). The golf committee will help with information from previous years’ sponsors and searches, but we need a dedicated person who can organize and send emails or visit local businesses to sign them up and brainstorm with the team to find some additional sources. If you can assist in this important role, please reply to Joan Hultquist jbhultquist@comcast.net  Timing would be April to June 2022.

Thank you.

 

From our Friends …

CONCORA will present Bach’s Mass in B Minor on Sunday, March 27th at 4:00 pm at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue in Hartford.

Considered the single greatest work in the choral repertoire, this composition features a range of early music forms such as Gregorian chant, joyful Italianate Baroque, and German fugue – including the best that Bach ever composed. CONCORA’s professional choir and soloists perform with a chamber orchestra. Artistic Director Chris Shepard conducts this monumental work.

“Although Bach completed this composition in 1749, I’m always struck by his work’s timeliness,” states Chris Shepard. “His lyrics ‘peace on earth’ plead for what humanity has always craved and continue to resonate with us – especially today. Bach’s powerful messages and music reach from across the centuries to inspire and unite us and to nourish our hearts and souls.”

CONCORA’s web site also features a series of podcasts in which Chris Shepard discusses the different sections of the Mass. Proof of vaccination and ID are required at entry and masking in the performance venue. Tickets for reserved seating at $59 to $17 with discounts for students may be purchased in advance at www.concora.org or (860) 313-1410.