Weekly Newsletter October 20, 2017

Weekly Newsletter

October 20, 2017

Doc’s Corner 10 (Sunday) > concert (3:00pm, 1:30 call) Camelback Bible Church

3900 East Stanford Drive, Paradise Valley, • RETREAT TOMORROW!!! Looking forward to hanging 85253 with all of you. PLEASE make sure you have your scores marked for “Irving Berlin Christmas”! 12 (Tuesday) > concert (7:30pm, 6:00 call) • 10-20-30 > Send JD Helms names and e-mails of ten Dayspring United Methodist Church friends/family members who you thing would donate 1365 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284 $20 to Orpheus. • Fall Social will be Nov. 11 at Michael DeRoche’s house. More details to come, but . . . I will be the disc Pre-Rehearsal Dining jockey for a bit and will be playing some of the music we’ll be singing this spring. YOU DON’T WANT TO Please join us at 6:00pm Tuesday at Pino’s Pizza, Thomas MISS OUT ON THIS! Road just west of 1st Avenue – our favorite dining spot! • Only six rehearsals (and retreat) before Holidays with Have one of their fabulous Italian sandwiches, a salad, or a Orpheus. plate of pasta – or even a pizza! Or just come sit with us for some fellowship. Upcoming Events

November

4 (Saturday) > Boys to Men (12:30-6:30; concert 4:30) Central High School **new location** 4525 N. Central Ave., Phoenix 85012

11 (Saturday) > Fall Social (details forthcoming)

December

1 (Friday) > 8:00-10:00am (risers 7:30) Performance for Channel 15 AZ Sonoran Living Live Biltmore Fashion Park, 2502 E. Camelback Road

3 (Sunday) concert (3:00pm, 1:30 call) American Lutheran Church 17200 N Del Webb Blvd, Sun City, AZ 85373

5 (Tuesday) > concert (7:30pm, 6:00 call) Velda Rose United Methodist Church 5540 East Main Street, Mesa, AZ 85205

SECTION LEADERS ( * = Administrative) LAST FIRST SECTION EMAIL LAST FIRST SECTION EMAIL * Bickerstaff David 1Tenor [email protected] Ferris Justin Baritone [email protected] Stevens Ryan 1Tenor [email protected] Griset Rick Baritone [email protected] * Bennett Peter 2Tenor [email protected] * Helms JD Baritone [email protected] Suelflow Jim 2Tenor [email protected] DeRoche Michael Bass [email protected] * Fountain Jim Bass [email protected] Harmon Ron Bass [email protected]

PROGRAM NOTES Gloria in Excelsis Deo

The hymn “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” dates from the fourth century. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) wrote at least three different settings, only two of which survive; the one we sing is the more popular of the two. It is in twelve short movements; we present only the first, which includes just the opening phrase of the hymn. Like much of Vivaldi’s choral music, his Gloria was virtually unknown until 1939, when the Italian composer Alfredo Casella organized a Vivaldi Week in Siena, Italy, at which several of the master’s pieces were featured. The first movement opens with a decidedly upbeat extended instrumental fanfare. When the voices finally join in, they continue the upbeat mood while moving through numerous harmonic modulations toward a typically Vivaldi-esque denouement (“You can hear Vivaldi coming a mile away,” a violinist friend of your annotator once remarked). The Gloria is an energetic piece from start to finish and is deservedly one of Vivaldi’s best known and most widely revered works.

Irving Berlin’s Christmas

Songwriter and choral arranger Mark Brymer has put together a medley of some of Irving Berlin’s most beloved tunes. “Happy Holidays,” written for the 1942 film Holiday Inn , is actually a New Year’s song. Berlin wrote “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” in 1937 for the film On the Avenue . Again, it is strictly speaking not a Christmas number, but comforting nonetheless to folks who “watch those icicles form” in “a cold December” (aren’t you glad we live in Arizona?). Next we have “Count Your Blessings,” which Berlin said was inspired by advice his doctor gave him when he complained of insomnia brought on by stress. Then comes “Snow,” one of Berlin’s lesser known tunes from the film White Christmas . Finally we conclude with “White Christmas” itself. The widely held belief that Berlin wrote the tune in 1940 while lounging at poolside at the Arizona Biltmore is apocryphal. Berlin never expected “White Christmas” to become a hit, but it enjoyed the distinction of being the best selling song of all time for 56 years until Elton John re-recorded his “Candle in the Wind” in 1997 on the occasion of the death of Princess Diana.

ANOTHER SAMPLE 10-20-30 LETTER

Hello Friends.

As you know, I sing with the Orpheus Male Chorus of Phoenix. Founded on Christmas Day 1929, Orpheus, now in its 89th season, is the oldest continually performing musical group in the State of Arizona. Membership in Orpheus has been and continues to be a great source of pleasure for me.

We are approaching the start of the annual event that we call 10-20-30. Each Chorus member is asked to contact 10 friends and ask each to consider contributing $20 to the Chorus over a 30 day period beginning November 1. Let me say right off the bat that I am not a fan of begging for money. In fact, I cringe at being asked to do things like this. But it is no secret that amateur performing groups such as ours cannot rely on ticket sales alone to meet operating expenses. The 10-20-30 event brings in funds that amount to about 20% of the Chorus’s annual operating budget. So you can see that this is an important project that means a great deal to the Chorus.

The sum of $20 certainly doesn’t buy what it used to. Nowadays it won’t even get two people in to see a movie (well, maybe two senior citizens). It won’t buy even one person a decent meal in a restaurant (again, well, maybe if you don’t include wine and dessert). But $20 would mean a lot to Orpheus.

If this is something that you feel you can support, the Chorus and I would greatly appreciate your donation. Of course, if you want to give more than $20, we’ll take it! Your contribution would be considered fully tax deductible by the IRS.

If, on the other hand, you’d prefer not to participate, I will certainly understand, as I’m not a big fan of fundraisers (as I said). But we feel that $20 is a reasonable amount to ask for, and 30 days is a reasonable period for the fundraising event to last.

And a big THANK YOU to all who contributed last year to the 10-20-30 event in my name. Each of us has a personal goal of raising $200, and thanks to you I was able not only to meet last year’s goal but to exceed it. Again, THANK YOU!

Donations are received on-line via a special website we have set up for the 10-20-30 appeal. So look for an e-mail soon from Orpheus telling you how to access the website and make a contribution.

Thanks!

Best wishes,