Bravo everyone once more on such a beautiful run of services, the concert and anniversary reception. A great triumph by all.
Thank you for giving of your time, talent and resources to grow and make it all possible. Ride the wave and enjoy the beautiful energy of your accomplishments. Well done. Let it bloom.
The campaign for the choir furniture is going very well. Already close to $150,000.00 has been pledged. Now we have to close the gap on the last $50,000. Our goal is to be able to say completed on 9 June at the end of our season and have everything finished and ready for use by the opening of the new season in September. We can do it!
NEXT YEAR – a proposed change and a new category of choir membership.
Thank you for your patience while I did some thinking about next season and next steps in our choir training and community.
I’d like to introduce a new level of chorister – The New Senior! This is being offered to our current 3rd grade boys and current 4th grade girls for September.
They will take on the responsibilities and schedule of our current senior choristers but with their age and experience do so as “NEW” and without the audition all the current Seniors took to become seniors. At the end of their fifth grade year they will take the audition and drop the “New” and enter into the “Sr” Senior or just plain Senior level.
Anyone in this age group who wants to continue on as a Junior and keep that schedule may and still audition for senior at the end of their fifth grade year. New Seniors are also encouraged to “Senior Mentor” at Tuesday Evensong.
Remember – we are working with creative scheduling as modern music makers, so if you have concerns, suggestions or questions, just ask or share.
Remember – you don’t have to enter the choir in 2nd or 3rd grades. Some people enter later and while we focus now on recruiting for September, joining the choir is possible year round.
I think this new step will support the best deployment for the highest level of training and musical opportunity of our choristers and for the good health of the choirs. Thank you for working with me on this. Onward and upward.
THIS SUNDAY: The Choir of Men and Boys, 9:45 call Required for all Seniors.
NEXT WEEK:
• Tuesday Morning – 7:00 – 8:10 a.m. Senior Boy Rehearsal.
Breakfast Club in the Reception room
• Tuesday Morning – The combined choirs will sing at LS Chapel.
• Tuesday Afternoon, NO Choir Activities due to the rehearsals of the Choral Society for this weekend’s concerts.
• Wednesday Morning – 7:00 – 8:10 a.m. Senior Girl Rehearsal.
Breakfast Club in the Reception room
• Wednesday Morning – The Senior Choristers minus the 7th grade will sing at Early Childhood Chapel.
• Wednesday – 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. Regular Afternoon Rehearsal Schedule for New Junior Girl Choristers (2nd Grade).
Rehearse in the Chantry. New Junior Boys are welcome also!
• Thursday Morning – 7:00 – 8:10 a.m. Junior and Senior Boy Rehearsal.
Breakfast Club in the Reception room
• Thursday Afternoon – NO Choir Activities due to the rehearsals of the Choral Society for this weekend’s concerts.
• Friday Morning – 7:00 – 8:10 a.m. Junior and Senior Girl Rehearsal.
Breakfast Club in the Reception room
• Friday Morning – 8:15 – 9:15 a.m. Choir Steering Committee Meeting in the Reception room
• Friday Afternoon, 3:20 – 4:30
After School Voice Coaching in the Chantry.
• Sunday Morning, 12 May, The Choir of Men and Boys with the Girls’ Choir and HS Singers singing
9:45 Call Required for all Seniors. It’s Mother’s Day!
Looking ahead for all Old and New Juniors:
Sunday 19 May the final “Junior” Sunday – Tech weekend. 9:45 Call, sing the 11:00 a.m. service. Required for all Juniors.
Sunday 9 June, the final Sunday of the Choir Season, Required for everyone.
All my love, Patrick
A NOTE FROM DANA FOOTE:
Dear Choir Parents,
Wasn’t Friday night extraordinary?! I am still reeling from the beauty of the concert and the amazing reception spearheaded by Mary Cannon and, of course, the highlight of that incredible film by Jane Jaffin. If you would like a keepsake of this historic concert, you can still purchase a DVD by following this link.
With love from,
Dana
PS from Patrick – please note due to copyright negotiations this DVD of the concert must be kept only for private – personal use and not uploaded or distributed outside our choir family community. Thank you for respecting this. Love, P.
Patrick Allen, Organist and Master of Choristers
Grace Church in New York
802 Broadway
New York, NY 10003 USA
212.254.2004
Organist, Chapel of the Good Shepherd
The General Theological Seminary