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Greetings everyone on this beautiful Friday morning!

What a great start up week.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW OPTIMI!
The Optimus – boy and Optima – girl are the special titles given to the head chorister. Each choir has a head chorister and lead chorister.
Optimus – Marcus Dawkins
Lead Boy – Duncan Longley
Optima – Anna Sorensen
Lead Girl – Ginger McCoy

I can’t begin to thank you all enough for all the great communication and team work to get everything in motion.

Thank you Melinda Weir for organizing all our parent helpers and the orientation sessions on Tuesday.
Many thanks to the whole team: Roslyn Archibald, Mary Cannon, Meaghan Cheung, Tunde Diveki, Erin Hussein, Kathy Keane, Shingmin Lai, Barbara Sibley and Cara Wall

Remember always ask lots of questions! and it is never too late for recruiting!

First Sunday back for ALL CHORISTERS: Sunday September 10th: Details are in the newsletter.
ENTER ON SUNDAY FROM 802 BROADWAY – follow the hallway around to the men’s room and wooden bench and go through the door on the right past the music room, around to Nurse Wendy’s office and into the HONOR ROOM TO get VESTED!

Important Links:
Kathy’s Special Goggle Calendar – Choir Schedule Link Page: http://www.gchoirsched.info/schedules.html
Sign up Genius for Choir Parent Helpers: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/9040B4CA9A72DA64-choir3

There is a big reception after the 11:00 a.m. service on 10 September. See below, DANA and ELLEN’s e note about it with requests for help and especially food donations.

After School Vocal Coaching on Wednesdays and Thursday will take place in a new location this year.
It will be in the Chantry. Choristers should enter from GCS into the Honor Room through to the Chantry.

love, Patrick

Choir Family News
Friday, 8 September 2017

FIRST SUNDAY BACK, we hope everyone can attend, it is a REQUIRED SUNDAY for ALL: Sunday 10 September
Senior Chorister Call is 9:45 a.m.
Junior Chorister Call is 10:15 a.m.
Novice Chorister Call is 10:30 a.m.

FACE BOOK: Did you know there is a Music at Grace Church Facebook page?
There is. We use it to get the word out about all the musical offerings that take place at the Church especially those of the choirs!
HELP US build the community of followers and listeners to the choirs – FRIEND THE Music at Grace Church page and let the word spread 

RECRUITING is never over!
We have an amazing group of novice choristers for the fall term but…
If anyone asks, it is never too late to join the choir and they should reach out to me at: helfensteinch@yahoo.com.

For entering 4th and 5th graders it is also not too late to join as novices, we have had good luck at getting them up to speed quickly as your children are the best teachers. What schedule a 4th or 5th grader might follow would depend on the child and their family.

This year we will have a trial season for 2nd grade novices! These brave 2nd graders will remain novices the entire year and have their whiting at the normal time in their 3rd grade year. The pioneer class is smart and strong. It will be very exciting to have them in the choirs.

SIGN UP GENIUS: Melinda Weir has organized our sign up for helping with choristers activities through sign up genius. She does an amazing job at this, make sure you say Thank you! Sign up Genius has been very practical in making the sign to help as a choir parent helper easy and efficient.
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/9040B4CA9A72DA64-choir3

HOMEWORK FOR SENIOR CHORISTERS:

Please locate a recording with your parents approval and listen to:
1. BOYS: Rejoice in the Lamb, B. Britten
2. GIRLS: A CEREMONY OF CAROLS, B. Britten
3. BOTH: J.S. Bach Motet: “Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf” BWV 226

WEBSITE: www.gracechurchnyc.org
CLICK: MUSIC
CLICK: login
User Name: helfenstein
Password: Stanfordlives1894

CHOIR SCHEDULES 2017 – 2018: REMEMBER Kathy’s Link to our Goggle Doc Schedules, they are ready to go for 2017-2018:
http://www.gchoirsched.info/schedules.html

NEXT WEEK’S SCHEDULE and up to 3 October:

• September

• September 10 (Sunday) – Sunday Service with The Combined Grace Church Choirs, Beginning of 123rd Season of the Choirs, REQUIRED for All Boy and Girl Choristers. 9:45 a.m. Call for Seniors, 10:15 Call for Novices and Juniors.

• September 12 (Tuesday) – Regular Morning Rehearsal Schedules Begin. Senior Boys, 7:00 – 8:10 a.m.
No afternoon chorister activities this week.

• September 13 (Wednesday) – Regular Morning Rehearsal Schedules Begin. Senior Girls, 7:00 – 8:10 a.m.
No afternoon chorister activities this week.

• September 14 (Thursday) – Regular Morning Rehearsal Schedule Begins for Senior and Junior Boy Choristers
7:00 – 8:10 a.m. No afternoon chorister activities this week.

• September 15 (Friday) – Regular Morning Rehearsal Schedule Begins for Senior and Junior Girl Choristers 7:00 – 8:10 a.m.
No afternoon chorister activities this week.

• September 17 (Sunday)–Sunday Service-The Choir of Men and Boys
1:00 – 3:00 REHEARSAL ALL SOPRANO SENIOR BOYS (6)
1:00 – 2:00 High School Singers Weekly Rehearsal begins, Music Room.

• September 19 (Tuesday) – Regular Afternoon Rehearsal Schedule Begins for Girl Novices 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

• September 19 (Tuesday) – First Tuesday Rehearsal for Boy and Girl Junior Choristers 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. NO EVENSONG

• September 20 (Wednesday) After School Vocal Coaching begins for 2015-2016. Sign up in advance for each session with PA. CHANTRY

• September 21 (Thursday) After School Vocal Coaching begins for 2015-2016. Sign up in advance for each session with PA. CHANTRY

• September 22 (Friday) – Regular Afternoon Rehearsal Schedule Begins for Boy Novices 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

• September 22 (Friday) Choir Steering Committee Meeting 8:15 – 9:15 a.m. Reception Room.

• September 24 (Sunday) – Sunday Service-The Girls’ Choir and ATB
1:00 – 3:00 REHEARSAL ALL SENIOR GIRLS (6)

• October 1 (Sunday) – Sunday Service- The Choir of Men and Boys
1:00 – 3:00 REHEARSAL ALL SOPRANO SENIOR BOYS
With Adults for Britten Rejoice in the Lamb (6,6)
in the Church. Lunch in Music Room, reserve until 3:30 p.m.

• October 3 (Tuesday) – First Tuesday Evensong for Boy and Girl Junior Choristers.

SPECIAL LISTENING PROJECT:
Please find a time to watch and listen to these YouTube excerpts. They are from some of our fellow choirs around the world and are lovely and fun. They can help give us all a better idea of our tradition and celebrate the 1000 year old heritage that we participate in. I was in Wells this week and really, the church and choral tradition is just shy of it’s 1000th birthday! This year is the 120th birthday for our choir foundation.

King’s College Cambridge
“All Bells in Paradise”
“O Holy Night”

Wells Cathedral Choir
“God is Gone Up”(Finzi) — Choir of Wells Cathedral
“The Twelve Days of Christmas” – Choir of Wells Cathedral
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” – Choir of Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral Choir – General Search

St. John’s College Cambridge,
A Guest in Cambridge
St. John’s College Cambridge

Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral Choir : Sanctus (Walter Alcock)
The Choristers of Salisbury Cathedral Part2 – 2007

FIN – THE END
Please forgive the length of this newsletter. You all have lots of wonderful questions and this is my attempt to get us organized and put as much information as you have asked about in one place.

Have a wonderful safe remainder of the summer! The rain has stopped, the Swan has moved on to another boat and it’s time to head to the market for the shopping.

With all my love and anticipation of a great new season, Patrick

ONGOING INFORMATION SOURCES:

*Like us on FACEBOOK! Music at Grace Church in New York

*The Goggle Choir Schedule Calendar Link: http://gchoirsched.info/home.html

*Sign Up Genius for Choir Parent Volunteer Sign Link:
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/9040B4CA9A72DA64-choir3

*Accessing the Secure Choir Family Area of the Music Website:
www.gracechurchnyc.org
CLICK: MUSIC
CLICK: login
User Name: helfenstein
Password: Stanfordlives1894

*REMEMBER: If your contact information changes or you notice a typo in a communication don’t hesitate to let PA (P. Allen, not the Parents Association) know. “If you see something, say something”

*REMEMBER…please keep an eye out around the house and make sure you cash all choir checks you have received. When the books are closed at the audit for each operating budget year checks can no longer be redeemed or replaced.