Message to Membership – February 15, 2024

Message from the Music Director

Dear Chorale,

LOOKING BACK

Dvorak – What a joy to hear your hard work come to fruition this past weekend with the Dvorak concert. The feedback from Maestro Colby was glowing, as was the audience, many of whom were new to us. I appreciated your flexibility with the standing configuration for sopranos & altos, which I know was not ideal for the back rows. However, the end result was quite good. Bravi Tutti!

Hartford Chorale on Parade – Thank you to all who performed and to those who came out. I dare say it may have been one of the best ones yet. Our Music Director Emeritus, Richard Coffey, was in attendance, and he was blown away, especially by the talent of the new members. To quote him, “no wonder the group sounds so good!”

LOOKING AHEAD

Conclaves – Our two remaining conclaves offer a feast for the ears & eyes! First up is a watch party for our Hurd-Bonds concert from last February. I know many of you have already watched it on our YouTube channel. However, it is always more fun to watch something like that with friends in a social environment (provided so wonderfully by Dawn Bauer and our Social Committee!) Then on 2/26 at 7:00pm we will convene at the Artist’s Collective in the north end of Hartford (with ample parking) for a fabulous FREE program called “The African American Spiritual: A National treasure.” Facilitated by Rev. Dr. Alvan Johnson, and featuring solos by Jermaine Woodard, Jr., Schauntice Shepard, and Miles Wilson-Toliver, this Black History Month program is not-to-be missed! Tell your friends about it, and plan to bring a friend with you. It is programs like these that help us expand awareness of what we do, and grow our footprint in the region.

Vivaldi & Bernstein – scores are (finally!) in for both, and in-person distribution will be at our 2/19 conclave. An edit master will be uploaded to the member page as soon as the guest conductor gives me the ok on what I created. In the meantime, please be listening to recordings to familiarize yourself with the Vivaldi. The Robert Shaw recording (with the Bach Magnificat) is a good one.

Jack

Message from the Executive Director

Hello Chorale,

Congratulations on a beautiful concert Saturday, it was brilliant and a joy to be able to hear it! I also want to say how wonderful all the participants were in our Hartford Chorale on Parade this past Monday. Truly spectacular performances! Thank you to all who performed and everyone who attended, and a special thank you to our Social Committee for providing a lovely spread.

As mentioned by Jack, the scores for our next concert are in and can be picked up on Monday, February 19th at our next Conclave. There is no fee as we are once again loaning out the scores. If you have yet to return the Dvorak scores, please get them back to me or one of the librarians on Monday.

Please see the flyer for more information on the upcoming tour.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out!

Thank you so much! Enjoy your weekend!

Emily