Our Mission

The mission of ROS is to produce live choral music of the highest quality, engaging and educating our community in numerous musical genres, and gratifying our volunteer singers with the professionalism of their art.

Our Vision

Our vision as a professional choral group is to provide our audience a consistently superior and pleasingly unique artistic experience that will inspire their attendance and support. We expect to be regarded as the premier choral group among our peers, noted not only for the quality of our music, but also for our engagement with the community in our art and educational outreach.

2014-2015 MEMBER GUIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS AND KEY PERSONNEL 2014-2015 Member Guide

Welcome Letter 3 2014-2015 Concert Season 4 2014-2015 Season Overview 5 2014-2015 Season Calendar 6 Eric Townell, Artistic Director 8 Kevin Nitsch, Accompanist 10 About the Rochester Oratorio Society 11 Special Programs 12 Elise Rosenfeld Service Award 14 Membership and Standards 15 Tips on Ticket Sales 18 Member Communications 19 Become a Patron 20 Endowment Fund 21

Key Personnel

Staff Officers Board of Directors

Eric Townell Katherine Clark Katherine Clark Artistic Director Chairperson Maryellen Giese Alayne Gosson Kevin Nitsch Daniel McInerney Carol Green Accompanist Secretary Charles Guerin Jenny Horn Dennis Rosenbaum Mario Urso Carole Huther Arts Administrator Treasurer Daniel McInerney Sandy Moncrief Kathleen Green Pati Piper Treasurer Andrea Quercia Stephen Rosenfeld Jo Ann Lampman Marc Smith Registrar, Historian Mario Urso Jeff Wright

1050 East Avenue • Rochester, NY 14607 (585) 473-2234 • Fax (585) 473-4704

Website: www.ROSsings.org Email: [email protected]

2

Welcome Letter

September 2014

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

If you're like me, you agree that the single most reinforcing, life-affirming and rewarding activity I know is to sing is a really great choir!

This ideal has driven our initiatives of the past eight years, a time of real accomplishment for ROS. I am most proud that our choir's artistic footprint has grown immensely in our home region through added performances of a wide variety of music, including: up to four annual engagements for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; two Sacred Services at Chautauqua; Pirates of the Caribbean, an evening of Gershwin and a July 4th event at CMAC, all in the summertime, all for the RPO; five days of collaboration for Resonanz at SUNY-Brockport with the Sankofa Dance Company; two Backstage Pass performances (Resonanz) and a live, one-hour televised program called "Voices," all for WXXI Public Broadcasting; a trip to Houghton College for Mozart and Beethoven, and literally dozens of performances by Resonanz for companies, dance companies, private parties and paying concert audiences. All of this occurred outside of ROS's usual concert schedule! It could not have happened without a great investment of time and dedication from all of you, from your Board and my colleagues on the staff. This year promises many more of these wonderful activities, in addition to our own concerts at Hochstein.

Things have changed in the arts world, from a time when simply mounting a performance of Messiah would guarantee a full house! Now, arts groups, ROS included, must find its audience wherever it may be, performing in non-traditional settings and with creative programming. We've done remarkably well with this. We have gained many new friends and supporters, much name recognition and lots of gratis publicity. The artistic level has been uniformly high, and we have had a LOT of fun along the way.

Now, the challenge is to bring the good will, all those new friends and all that support at home, to benefit ROS now and through next year as we celebrate 70 years of singing.

If the budget our Board created for us truly reflects our values and priorities, then we all must agree that our HOME concerts are where the emphasis lies, because that is where the biggest amount of income from performances will be derived, more for each event than ROS receives when we appear with the RPO, for example. When it comes right down to it (by the way, they don't teach you this in music school!), all arts organizations are in business for the purpose of selling tickets to concerts. While we each have our own reasons for loving ROS, including the excitement, camaraderie, long-term friendships (and marriages!), artistic reward, extended learning, travel etc., the purpose of ROS, as our bottom line requires, is to fill the hall with paying guests.

Our paying audience has the right to expect a completely polished, exciting performance of top-level repertoire. That is our mission, and our vision statement says that we expect to be regarded as "the best." With this in mind, my own priority, and I urge the same for each member, will be on finding ways to raise the level of our performance while communicating widely and fervently about our incredible people and projects. That is the best possible means of ensuring a long and enjoyable life for our organization. We have a superb year ahead! Let's all take the "professionalism" in our mission statement quite seriously this season, as we go about the "business" of loving our art form and one another.

See you very soon!

Eric

Eric Townell Artistic Director

3 2014-2015 Concert Season

All performances at Hochstein Performance Hall unless otherwise noted. Exciting details about soloists and guest musicians will be coming soon!

Rochester Oratorio Society 2014–15 Season Programming Eric Townell, Artistic Director

Concert I: October 24, 2014 with the ROS Orchestra Hochstein Performance Hall Handel: My song shall be alway (Chandos anthem #7) Gerald Finzi: Eclogue for Piano and Strings Kevin Nitsch, piano Haydn: “Lord Nelson” Mass

Concert II: December 7, 2014 Community Holiday Concert, Sibley Building Soloist: Elizabeth Phillips, soprano Resonanz plus additional ROS members as available Potential collaborating choirs/artists Repertoire to be announced

Concert III: December 13, 2014 RPO engagement – Kodak Hall, Eastman Theatre Handel: Messiah

Concert IV: January 15, 2015 RPO engagement – Kodak Hall, Eastman Theatre Spiegel: Kaddish

Concert V: February 26 and 28, 2015 RPO engagement – Kodak Hall, Eastman Theatre Resonanz plus additional ROS members as available Verdi La Traviata

Concert VI: March 13, 2015 Hochstein Performance Hall Dello Joio: A Jubilant Song Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 Mendelssohn: Verleih uns Frieden

Concert VII: June 4–6, 2015 RPO engagement - Kodak Hall, Eastman Theatre Orff: Carmina Burana

July and August 2015 (to be confirmed) ROS at Chautauqua Institution: Carmina Burana by Carl Orff

2014-2015 Season Overview

CLASSICS FEATURED IN ORATORIO SOCIETY SEASON

Classics of the choral repertoire feature prominently in the Rochester Oratorio Society’s 2014– 15 concert season, its 69th year.

Haydn’s masterwork, the Lord Nelson Mass, for chorus, orchestra and soloists, anchors the opening concert on October 24, 2014, 7:30 P.M. at Hochstein Performance Hall. Guest artists with strong local ties perform as soloists, including pianist Kevin Nitsch, soprano Emily Mills Woodruff, mezzo-soprano Katie Hannigan, tenor Matthew Valverde and baritone Carl DuPont. Woodruff, Hannigan, Nitsch and Valverde, graduates of the Eastman School of Music who reside in Rochester, now pursue international careers. Nitsch, Hannigan and Valverde serve on the faculty of Nazareth College. They are featured in the Haydn and in Handel’s Chandos anthem #7, “My song shall be alway.” Nitsch performs the solo piano part in Gerald Finzi’s “Eclogue for Piano and Strings.” Bass-baritone Carl DuPont, likewise an Eastman graduate, has recently returned to New York after a year at the Leipzig Opera. Artistic Director Eric Townell conducts.

The ROS produces a second masterworks concert on March 13, 2015, 7:30 P.M. at Hochstein Performance Hall. The program opens with Norman Dello Joio’s classic “Jubilant Song,” an energetic, hopeful setting of Walt Whitman poetry that has become a choral favorite. Johannes Brahms’s “German Requiem” offers a darker but similarly consoling perspective on mankind’s effort to fathom human destiny. The ROS performs this majestic work in Brahms’s own setting for piano 4-hands, with Nazareth College faculty member Linda Boianova joining Kevin Nitsch in the accompaniment. Soloists are the Finnish soprano Jenni Lattila and baritone Benjamin Bloomfield, both of New York. Lattila makes her Rochester debut with this performance; Bloomfield has performed leading roles with the Rochester Lyric Opera. Mendelssohn’s popular anthem “Verleih uns Frieden” (“Grant us Peace”) completes the program.

Community performances, prominent in the ROS 2014–15 season, include four performances with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, an appearance at the Greentopia Festival in September and two performances with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. Information on the RPO performances may be found at RPO.org.

Eric Townell, Artistic Director

5 ______2014-2015 Season Calendar

ROS Season Calendar 2014–15 All rehearsals at Fellowship Hall, Asbury First United Methodist Church, 1050 East Avenue, Rochester NY 14607, 7:30 – 10:00 P.M. unless otherwise noted.

2014 8/25 Rehearsals commence 8/26 AUDITIONS 9/6 Saturday double (mandatory attendance) 9:30 A.M.–2:30 P.M. 9/8 9/15 9/22 9/29 10/6 10/13 10/20 Hochstein dress rehearsal 10/21 Hochstein dress rehearsal 10/24 Concert I Handel & Haydn 10/27 11/3 11/10 11/17 11/24 12/1 12/7 Concert II Community holiday (Resonanz-plus) 12/8 Conductor’s piano dress 12/11 Dress rehearsal at RPO 12/13 Rehearsal & Concert III ROS at RPO: Messiah 12/15 Rehearsal

2015 1/10 Winter double (mandatory attendance) 9:30 A.M.–2:30 P.M. 1/12 Conductor's piano dress 1/13 Hold for RPO rehearsal 1/14 Hold for RPO rehearsal 1/15 Concert IV ROS at RPO: Kaddish 1/19 – NO REHEARSAL 1/26 2/2 2/8 Hold 1-5 PM GRCC Prism concert 2/9 2/16 2/23 3/2 3/9 Hochstein dress rehearsal 3/10 Hochstein dress rehearsal 6 2014-2015 Season Calendar (continued)

3/13 Concert V Brahms Requiem 3/16 – NO REHEARSAL 3/23 3/30

Season Calendar (continued) 4/6 4/13 4/18 Classical Idol 4/20 4/27 5/4 5/11 5/18 5/25 6/1 Conductor’s piano dress 6/2 Hold for RPO 6/3 Hold for RPO 6/4-6 Concert VI ROS at RPO: Carmina Burana 7/19-24 Hold for rehearsals TBA 7/25 ROS at Chautauqua SO: Carmina Burana 8/10-14 Hold for rehearsals TBA 8/15 ROS at Chautauqua SO: Carmina Burana

7 ______Eric Townell, Artistic Director

A versatile and dynamic musician, conductor Eric Townell became the third Music Director in the 67-year history of the Rochester Oratorio Society in 2006. He has led the ROS in subscription concerts, regional outreach performances, live radio broadcasts, televised concerts, collaborative concerts with the region's leading arts organizations and an award-winning tour to Beijing and Shanghai for the 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival. He has prepared the ROS for several appearances with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under , and Jeff Tyzik in music of Bach, Beethoven, Vaughan Williams, Handel, Verdi, Gershwin and Orff, all of which have been recorded for broadcast. Eric has appeared to critical acclaim as guest conductor of the Silesian State Opera Orchestra in the Czech Republic and the Milwaukee, Lincoln, Madison, Adrian, Fox Valley, Redwood, Waukesha and Hershey Symphony Orchestras and the Prince George's Philharmonic in the US. Eric has conducted holiday, special event and regional outreach concerts as a frequent guest conductor for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, including their 2012 Messiah, which was selected for national broadcast, and the 2013 Ninetieth Anniversary Concert of the RPO, sponsored by the City of Rochester. As Music Director of the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra (1991-2001), Eric conducted the its first concert broadcast recordings for Wisconsin Public Radio. He led an energetic series of commissions of works by American women and collaborated with soloists Mischa Dichter, Edgar Meyer, flutist Jim Walker and baritone Kurt Ollmann, among many others. In 2001, Eric substituted on short notice to conduct the Hellas Soloists Orchestra of Patras, Greece, for its appearances in Italy.

Twice winner of the International Opera Conducting Course/Competition, he made his European debut conducting Eugene Onegin at the Silesian State Opera Company of the Czech Republic. He conducted an acclaimed production of Rigoletto with L'Opera Piccola of Chicago in 2002 has led performances for the national touring company of Amahl and the Night Visitors and concerts of opera scenes and arias with the Beethoven Chamber Orchestra of the Czech Republic. With the Empire State Lyric Theatre in Rochester, Eric led Rossini’s La Cambiale di Matrimonio in March of 2012. In 2013, as artistic director of the Chamber Opera Festival for Rochester Lyric Opera, he led a brilliant account of Donizetti’s rarely-performed gem Rita. He was subsequently engaged as Artistic Director for the company as a whole, programming its Chamber Opera Festival and innovative performances at the Strong Museum of Play. He led the widely acclaimed 2014 performances of Haydn’s Lo Speziale in a new translation for As Music Director of the Master Singers of Milwaukee (2003-2010), Eric led the choir in a concert of Nordic music in New York City in May, 2005 at the invitation of the Finnish government. During Eric's tenure, the Master Singers offered an annual series of subscription concerts featuring innovative, collaborative performances with Wisconsin's leading ensembles, a summer opera series and numerous outreach appearances throughout Wisconsin. In 2009, Eric prepared the Master Singers for their debut with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in performances of Mahler's

Eric Townell, Artistic Director (continued)

Symphony No. 8 under . As Music Director of the Festival Choir of Madison (1993-2006), Eric directed four live-broadcast concerts from the Elvehjem Museum of Art for Wisconsin Public Radio. He led the Festival Choir in its inaugural CD, Wisconsin Sings!, selections from which were broadcast nationwide by National Public Radio. During his tenure, Eric and the choir completed an impressive series of commissions, premiering and recording works by Brent Michael Davids, Jean Belmont, Daron Hagen and Stephen Paulus, and were regular collaborators with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Oakwood Chamber Players and the Wisconsin Brass Quintet. Eric frequently prepared the Festival Choir for Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra performances, including Concerts on the Square for audiences numbering in the tens of thousands at the Wisconsin State Capitol; the second of these was telecast over Wisconsin Public Television in 2003. Eric Townell’s festival appearances include the Ost-West Musikfest (Austria) and Festival dà Bach á Bartók (Italy).

An experienced and effective communicator on music and arts topics, Eric is in demand as clinician and adjudicator for choral and orchestral festivals and for choirs of all types across the country. He has offered pre-concert chats, creative consultation and program annotation for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic and several other ensembles and chamber music series. Eric is a frequent commentator on arts topics on WXXI radio. Eric is the producer and host of “In the Spotlight,” an arts interview program distributed through cable access television stations across Western New York. His orchestral and choral conducting were the subject of the 1994 Wisconsin Public Radio broadcast “Music from Wisconsin: A Wisconsin Conductor.”

9 Kevin Nitsch, Accompanist

Kevin Nitsch is a performer, collaborator, teacher, and composer in the Rochester area. Kevin is a member of the piano and music theory faculty at Nazareth College of Rochester and is the Music Director at the Baptist Temple in Brighton. In collaboration with Rochester artist, Kathleen Nicastro, Kevin is the pianist for Labyrinth of Sound and Light, a series of concerts that offers the audience a creative way to interact with art and music. Kevin has been composer-in-residence at Webster Thomas High School, sponsored by The Commission Project to compose music for the performing ensembles and to afford the students the opportunity to observe and participate in the composing process. Kevin holds a BM in Piano Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, and a MM and a DMA in Performance and Literature in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music.

Kevin lives in Penfield with his wife, Brenda and boys, Dan, Dave, and Sam, and enjoys hiking, biking and yoga.

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About the Rochester Oratorio Society

The Rochester Oratorio Society, founded in 1945, is the leading choral/orchestral ensemble in Rochester, New York, and the surrounding seven-county region.

Comprising approximately 145 auditioned, adult members in a typical performance season, the ROS presents two to four performances of predominately well-known masterworks for chorus and orchestra from the 18th-20th centuries. In this role, the ROS has offered the local premieres of monumental works, such as the Berlioz Requiem and Britten’s War Requiem, and many performances of Handel’s Messiah, under the direction of founder Theodore Hollenbach and successors Roger Wilhelm and Eric Townell. The ROS has performed concert tours to Italy, Scandinavia, China and Eastern Europe; performed a live, one-hour televised concert for WXXI’s “Voices” series; collaborated with the region’s finest vocalists, instrumentalists, ensembles and artists in other disciplines; commissioned and premiered major works; hosted choirs from Canada and from major cities in the U.S.; appeared regionally in concert venues on college campuses, in performing arts centers and churches, and initiated a solo vocal competition of national stature which continues to this day. Over the years, the ROS has performed for conductors of national and international distinction, including Leonard Bernstein, , , Yuri Segal and Christopher Seaman, in engagements with the Philharmonic and at the Chautauqua Institution, where the ensemble has appeared frequently over the years.

The ROS has long maintained a thriving relationship with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, performing masterworks of Vaughan Williams, Orff, Verdi, Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Mozart and Britten, among many others. The relationship grew significantly (2006) with the arrival of Eric Townell, who brought professional orchestral conducting and choral preparation experience to his role with ROS and who enjoyed a close working relationship with (then) RPO Music Director Christopher Seaman. This culminated in the 2009-10 season, during which the ROS completed a record four engagements for the RPO, all of which were subsequently broadcast over WXXI radio. In a highlight, the ROS performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Philharmonic under Christopher Seaman before three capacity audiences on the occasion of the grand opening of the remodeled Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater. Following an acclaimed performance of Handel’s Messiah in 2012 with the RPO under Eric Townell, the ROS was engaged for three performances for the 2013–14 season and a further four in 2014–15. The ROS looks forward to two performances of Orff's Carmina Burana with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra in summer of 2015.In coming seasons, the ROS will confirm and solidify its role as the leading ensemble of its kind through high quality performance, ambition and creativity of artistic endeavor, social engagement and educational effort. Toward this end, significant growth in infrastructure and resources will be achieved.

11 Special Programs

Classical Idol Vocal Competition 9

On April 18, 2015, the Rochester Oratorio Society will present its 9th Annual Classical Idol Vocal Competition and Fundraiser Event at Temple B’rith Kodesh. The purpose of this event is two- fold: 1) To identify and present exceptional vocal talent in the Rochester area and beyond, through cash awards and performance opportunities; 2) to raise funds for the Rochester Oratorio Society and promote community awareness and involvement in an exciting mission.

Serious students of voice as well as vocal professionals are invited to apply. Applicants will be screened by a panel of music professionals who will select twenty semi-finalists. Those semi- finalists will be invited to sing before the panel the night before the competition in the preliminary round of the competition. From this group of semi-finalists, ten will go on to the final round. You can visit http://rossings.org/classical-idol/about-classical-idol.htm to access the details including instructions and application for candidates as well as history and updates about our past Idols and finalists.

ROS Choral Fellows

The CHORAL FELLOWS program invites Rochester area Music Teachers and Church Choir Directors to sing with ROS for a short term commitment. This program gives Choral Fellows the opportunity to learn and perform major choral works with an orchestra, and at the same time, learn new rehearsal techniques from master choral director, Eric Townell. Participating Choral Fellows are invited and encouraged to bring their interested high school, college students or adult choir members (aka ROS Choral Scholars) to sing with them! If granted permission from their School District administrators, participating public school teachers can earn professional development credit hours, with the possibility of earning additional hours through student mentoring opportunities.

Choral Fellows are required to attend all rehearsals and performances within the selected concert cycle, audition with ROS director Eric Townell, wear ROS concert attire for performances, and purchase the musical scores to be performed. More information is available on the ROS web site.

12 Resonanz

In the very first interviews with Artistic Director Eric Townell, prior to his being offered the position with the ROS, the search committee expressed the need and desire of the organization to form a chamber choir for the purpose of outreach and fund raising for the ROS. Confident that such a group could be created, in Spring, 2007, he proposed to the ROS Board the concept of a flexible, innovative, high-quality small ensemble that could represent the larger ensemble in settings not practicable for 140-plus voices with accompaniment. The group began functioning in Fall of 2008 as a choir of roughly 40 voices selected by audition, performing a cappella or with keyboard accompaniment, under the name Resonanz.

To date, the ensemble has prepared approximately 80 musical selections comprising holiday music, patriotic, folk and Americana, Romantic songs and American popular classics from the past seven decades, much of it to be performed from memory. Close harmonies, energetic rhythmic execution, dance-inspired selections and stirring, and sentimental “heartland” style music typify the Resonanz repertoire. Increasingly, concert repertoire from the ROS and other music by contemporary and Renaissance composers has been added to the book. Resonanz performed three selections on the unprecedented performance of the ROS on WXXI-TV’s “Voices” program, taped before a live audience on May 30, 2009. The ensemble has since completed two one-hour, live broadcast/interview programs for WXXI Radio (“Backstage Pass with Julia Figueras,” December, 2009 and June, 2012). In addition to gratis, outreach performances at the Chatterbox Club, GEVA Theater's summer fundraiser; the Genesee Valley Club and Monroe Community College and the ROS Classical Idol Vocal Competition, the choir has performed prior to ROS performances and in the lobby prior to several concerts by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and for numerous private parties. In 2014, Resonanz makes its fifth annual appearance caroling in Rochester's South Wedge on behalf of the Merchants' Association. Other prominent engagements have included Canandaigua National Bank, Trident Precision Manufacturing, the Rochester Lyric Opera, The Empire State Lyric Theatre and a party for more than 800 guests at Turning Stone Casino for the Carbone Auto Group. In 2015, Resonanz makes its debut as a featured ensemble of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in Kodak Hall of Eastman Theater in a program of Verdi's La Traviata, the first chorus selected to appear with incoming RPO Music Director, .

13 Elise Rosenfeld Service Award

The Elise Rosenfeld Service Award was established by the Rochester Oratorio Society’s (ROS) Board of Directors during our 2003/2004 season as a way to recognize those who have given outstanding service to the ROS organization. Elise Rosenfeld has contributed to ROS in many ways, by chairing events, recruiting ushers, coordinating concert hall needs, planning post- concert receptions and much more. She, by her example, inspired others to do the same, and so each year we recognize an individual who has followed in her footsteps.

The Elise Rosenfeld Service Award Committee accepts nominations each year from January through early March, with the Award being presented at the last Monday rehearsal of the concert season. All nominations are kept confidential.

Criteria for nomination are: - Must have been a volunteer and/or member of ROS for three years or more - Must have shown enthusiasm and dedication to ROS and its mission and must have gone “above and beyond” for the good of the organization - Must have promoted a Sprit of Cooperation among ROS members - Must not have already received the Award

We encourage all members who know someone who has gone “above and beyond” to the good or ROS to submit a nomination form. Let us hear from you!

Past award winners are:

Elise Rosenfeld 2003-2004 Carolyn Gray 2005-2006 Dan McInerney 2010-2011 Jo Ann Lampman 2011-2012 Maryellen Giese 2013-2014

14

Membership and Standards

AUDITIONS FOR NEW MEMBERS  Formal audition dates are set by the Artistic Director and held in late August and at mid- season. Individual auditions may also be scheduled at the discretion of the Artistic Director.  Criteria to be assessed will include:  Vocal range and quality  Pitch matching  Intonation and musicality  Rhythmic and textual accuracy  Knowledge of foreign languages – Latin, German, Italian, French etc.  Performance of a prepared solo, preferably in a language other than English  Mastery of an excerpt of a concert selection distributed in advance

REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES  Regular rehearsals are scheduled for Monday nights from 7:30 to 10:00 pm in Fellowship Hall of Asbury First United Methodist Church, 1040 East Avenue, Rochester, NY.  To ensure the strength and balance of the group, members should plan to sing in every scheduled performance. If you know you will need to miss a performance, please let the Registrar know ahead of time.  For each concert cycle, one rehearsal absence is excused. Let the Registrar know ahead of time if possible. If you will need to miss more than one rehearsal, you will need to check with the Artistic Director whether you are prepared enough to sing in that concert.  Poor rehearsal or concert attendance may result in the termination of membership.  Performing with the ROS entails moving on stage in performance facilities, up and down stairs or risers, often with limited space and visibility. In addition, it is not uncommon for members to be required to sit and stand repeatedly and to stand while performing for periods of 25-35 minutes. These conditions are normal for the performance of choral music. Please keep in mind the physical demands of this activity and speak to the Registrar if you are having difficulties.

MUSIC AND SCORES  It is the responsibility of each member to learn his or her part in advance of rehearsal. A schedule will be printed in the chorus newsletter, The ROSter, each week indicating the selections to be rehearsed for that week’s rehearsal.  All selections for each performance are to be concert ready by the date appointed in the published rehearsal schedule.  Markings to the score are supplied by the Artistic Director in rehearsal. It is the responsibility of the member to obtain markings that may have been given during a missed rehearsal. Contact a section neighbor or the music director to get the markings.

15  ROS members purchase their own music. Music scores are available for purchase from ROS librarians at rehearsal. The cost of music varies with repertoire but typically ranges between $60 and $100 per year.

Certain anthologies are strongly suggested for each member to own. These collections are available for purchase from ROS.

o European Sacred Music (ed. John Rutter, Oxford University Press), o Opera Choruses (ed.John Rutter, Oxford University Press), o 100 Carols for Choirs (Oxford University Press), o Handel’s Messiah (Novello edition).

DUES  Annual dues are $75 for returning members and are payable no later than the third rehearsal. (The membership dues for NEW members will be reduced to $40 for the first year.)  If there is a financial hardship, a special payment plan can be arranged through the Arts Administrator. Arrangements are also available for a member to apply to the Arts Administrator for a scholarship. Scholarship recipients are expected to participate in additional volunteer activities benefiting the chorus.

CONCERT DRESS Appropriate attire must be worn for concerts. All music must be in BLACK folders.

Men: • Black tuxedo, • White tuxedo shirt (flat collar) • Black bow tie and Red bow tie (available for purchase at $8) • Black socks and black dress shoes • Black cummerbund

Women: • Single strand pearl choker necklace (available for purchase from Concert Dress Committee) • Floor-length black skirt or black palazzo pants (NOT dress slacks!) Hems must touch top of shoes. Top includes a special order black sparkle jacket and two camisoles (reversible camisole in black/red and camisole in teal sparkle). Concert Dress committee will set a time to be measured and take orders. Average cost of each order is about $140.00, with additional cost for the extra large sizes. This order must be placed ASAP to ensure availability for our upcoming performance. • Closed-toe black dress shoes and black stockings • Minimal earrings

16

TICKET SALES

• Each member is required to purchase, along with dues, two season tickets, which include the two ROS productions. (Total of $80 for the 2014-2015 season). • Tickets purchased individually for each of our two ROS productions will cost $25 per ticket at the door. Presale tickets will be sold at $20. • Student tickets are a flat rate of $10. • Tickets for performances with the RPO are available only through the RPO Box Office.

Please help your chorus by promoting concerts and selling tickets, even if you are not singing in a particular performance.

(See p. 18 for ticket selling tips.)

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES We are an organization that exists because of the dedicated work of volunteers. ROS members have a long tradition of making significant contributions to the successful operation of the chorus. Committees and volunteers coordinate or assist in:  Fund-raising  Social events  Music purchase, marking, and inventory  Office management, registration  Concert production and logistics  Grant writing  Ticket sales  Marketing, flyer production and distribution, web site assistance  Transportation/carpooling If you are interested in volunteering, please contact any member of the Board of Directors (listed on p. 2).

17

Tips on Ticket Sales

Selling tickets to Rochester Oratorio Society concerts can very rewarding and easy. You may be surprised by who wants to attend your concerts--don't leave anyone out!

MAKE IT SOCIAL, MAKE IT PERSONAL, MAKE IT EASY

. For each concert, ROS will provide: electronic flyers, promotional emails, flyers/posters in hard copy, and other materials useful in promoting the concert. . Create your own personal distribution list at the start of the season. Keep adding to this list throughout the year. . Forward the electronic flyers to your distribution list. . Share information and concert flyers on Facebook. . Direct potential ticket buyers to the ROS office for sales via credit card. . Tell your friends to gather for a pre-concert dinner at one of the many fine downtown restaurants. . Invite your friends to a post-concert party for drinks or desserts. . Don't be afraid to ask for help in selling tickets. Speak to other members in the chorus about what works for them. . Post flyers/posters in common areas at work and/or where you live. . Run an ad in your office classifieds. . Always carry flyers and tickets with you, especially to parties and events. . Display flyers where they can be seen, especially on your office door and on your office desk. . Create “buzz” by chatting up concerts with friends, family, and acquaintances. . Make a concert announcement at an office staff meeting. . Play the music we are performing at work...keep it low so people will wonder about the beautiful sounds coming from your office.

Concert tickets can be purchased by calling the ROS Box Office at 585-473-2234. Tickets can also be purchased from any ROS chorus member or on line at www.rossings.org

Tickets to performances with the RPO at the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, can be purchased by calling the RPO Box Office at 454-2100 or online at www.rpo.org.

18 Member Communications

www.ROSsings.org

The ROS web site can be utilized as an information resource 24/7. We have established a private access link for “Members Only”. The site address will be issued upon satisfactory acceptance to ROS. You can then use this access link as well as visiting all other links available to the general public. This link will have the following:  ROSter - View current and past editions of the ROS newsletter, the “ROSter”.  Calendar of all rehearsals, performances and special events  Reference Materials, i.e. learning tools, concert programming, press releases, etc.  Chorus Directory (confidential listing of chorus members and contact information)  Chorus Handbook  Resonanz Materials

ROSter Newsletter

The ROSter is our weekly news bulletin. Published on the ROS web site no later than the Friday preceding each rehearsal, it contains updates on a variety of important issues, including:  Rehearsal calendar (and any changes)  Rehearsal planning schedule  Important updates on special events and ticket sales  Interesting member news (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)

Articles for publication should be submitted to the Editor (Jo Ann Lampman by noon on Wednesdays.

Email Distribution List

The ROS uses an email distribution list in order to keep in touch with members. Your name is added to this distribution list when you join the ROS or when you send in your Re-Registration Member Form. Please send all requests and changes to the Arts Administrator at [email protected] or call 585-473-2234.

Chorus Directory

A Directory of Chorus Members is published bi-annually. The Directory will include: Name, Voice Part, Home Address, Preferred Phone Number and Email address; new this year will be a small photo. A draft will be made available for editing before publication. Please notify the ROS office if you have updates to this information throughout the year. You may opt out of having your information listed if you wish.

19 Become a Patron... and celebrate beautiful choral performances.

Ticket sales and your chorus member dues account for less than half of the resources the ROS needs to cover expenses for artistic staff, professional soloists and orchestras and the many other items it takes to run the organization. Your generous financial contribution is a critical component of our annual operating budget. A tax-deductible contribution or gift in-kind will ensure that ROS will continue to serve as a cultural advocate for Rochester—at home and abroad. Members are encouraged to submit to the ROS office the names and addresses of potential patrons to be added to our mailing list

Thank you for your support!

ROCHESTER ORATORIO SOCIETY Patron Donation Pledge Form

Giving Level Category Name:______(as it will appear in the program)

$1000 + Production Sponsor Address:______$500 to $999 Program Sponsor $250 to $499 Enterprise Sponsor ______$100 to $249 Patron Sponsor $50 to $99 Rehearsal Sponsor Email: ______$10 to $49 Music Sponsor Phone: ______

Visa/MC: ______Expiration date:______3-Digit Code: ______

Signature:______

Pledge Amount: $______

Amount Enclosed: $______

Please make checks payable to: Rochester Oratorio Society “ R O S”, and return to: 1050 East Ave. Rochester, N.Y. 14607

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Rochester Oratorio Society Endowment Fund

For many of us, music—especially choral music—is a cornerstone of our lives. As singers, we have the opportunity of assuring the long-term future of the ROS by making a gift to the Rochester Oratorio Society Endowment Fund. The fund was established to provide income to pay the salary of the ROS Artistic Director. The current value of the fund is approximately $140,000; our short-term goal is to attain a minimum of $600,000 in base principal.

A gift can be made in many ways, including by a direct donation or through a will or trust.

WHAT TO GIVE Let us know, if you wish. Cash is the simplest way to give, of course. But there Unless you choose to share it, your will remains may be tax advantages for you if you donate private as long as you are living. Upon death, wills appreciated securities or real estate. A very effective generally become part of the public record available tax-advantaged gift is to give, as a bequest in your from the court. If you choose to remember the ROS will, some portion of your retirement plan assets in your plans, we welcome your letting us know so we (IRA’s or 401K’s). Another effective gift is naming the may say “Thank you!” If you prefer, we will keep the ROS as beneficiary of a life insurance policy. The fact of your bequest intention confidential. We sponsoring organization or insurance company will understand fully if you prefer not to share specific have detailed instructions for completing a amounts or if you have no way of knowing what might beneficiary designation form. be left over for your charitable gifts.

MEMORIALS AND GIFTS-IN-HONOR How to leave a legacy. A gift to the ROS Endowment Fund is a perfect way You may choose to give a percentage of the residual to honor someone who enjoys choral music and what amount of your estate that is left over after all other it offers to the community. The fund also provides an bequests are made. Bequests of specific sums and opportunity to memorialize and honor a friend or other specific property are also welcome. Bequests loved one. and gifts should be left to The Rochester Oratorio Society Inc. Endowment Fund. If the endowment WILLS AND BEQUESTS fund is not mentioned specifically, the ROS Board of Your lawyer is the best person to advise you on how Directors will determine how the bequest is applied. to change your will or set up a bequest.

Do I really need a will? Yes. Every adult can and should leave instructions as The ROS Endowment Fund is to what will become of their property when they no administered and maintained by the longer need it. In the absence of these instructions, state laws take over and your property may be ROCHESTER AREA COMMUNITY distributed to distant relatives, or, if none are found, FOUNDATION. possibly to the state itself.

What if I already have a will? FOR MORE INFORMATION An existing will may easily be modified to provide Please contact: your instructions on leaving a portion of your estate to the ROS. 473-2234 But I don’t really have an “estate.” ROS Arts Administrator If you take time to record all of the property you own and assets you have, you may be surprised to see RACF: 271-4100 how it begins to add up. Regardless of the size of your estate, you can benefit by taking the time to see an attorney and have a simple will drafted.