| Welcome, welcome, welcome, to you all, Consort Chorale singers, new and returning! I’m so pleased to be writing this email to you all today, and as usual there is a lot to get through, so please plan to spend a few minutes of uninterrupted time reading and looking through everything. We are so excited to welcome you all back (and to one or two of you, welcome you for the first time) at our read-through rehearsal on Friday, June 13 @ 7:00 pm at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Belvedere. St. Stephen’s is located at 3 Bayview Avenue in Belvedere/Tiburon, and there is a parking lot just across the street for us all to use. (Click here to see it on Google Maps!) See you soon! A |
| In this email:A message from AllanLunch for Saturday’s workshopConsort Resources & Accessing the WebsiteAbsence SheetVolunteering! |
| But first, a message from our Artistic Director: Hello Consort Singers: I am very excited about Opus 30. We have an excellent group of singers and some outstanding repertoire. It will be a delight to share the podium with Kevin Fox. I have moved a few singers from their usual section in order to get a better balance, so please check out the seating chart. Looking forward to our read-through on June 13. Don’t be late! Arrive at least 10 minutes early so you can pick up your music. See you soon, Allan Click to open! Sectional Seating Chart Summer 2025 Rehearsal Plan |
| As she has done in years past, Lucinda Ray has graciously offered to arrange lunch for those who are interested at the Saturday workshop. Lunch would cost $10 and would consist of: sandwiches, chips, fruit, cookies, and drinks. If you would like to have lunch provided for you, please email Lucinda by no later than Wednesday, June 11 so that she can have an accurate count for Saturday (and don’t forget to bring cash for her!). |
| Some of you are new to this email format and/or our website, so for you (or those who would like a refresher), please read on! The website: To access the singer section of the website, you can click on the “Members” tab in the main header (or go here). The website password is the same for all singers now: ccmember28. If you forget, the password is always at the bottom of every singer email (in the Resources box). In the singer’s section of the website you will find a link to make your online payment, as well as, when available, various resources and notes—such as the notes that will be sent out to you all after each rehearsal. Full disclosure: I have not yet updated the website back-end, and sometimes I’m a little slow about it (read: I forget) so if you don’t see something that’s supposed to be there, please don’t be afraid to email me! Thanks to Consort singer Jon Curtis you will also find all of the important dates on the website. You can also “subscribe” to the Consort calendar, which will add all of the related events to your own calendar. There’s a link to do that on the website, too (scroll down to the bottom). The emails: Every singer update will be formatted basically the same way: any vital information up top, contents/links if the email has more than one or two notes, the next 3 upcoming rehearsal dates and scheduled repertoire to rehearse, and at the bottom, important contacts and resources. The Contacts box will always have the emails of our three directors, our board president, and your day-to-day contact for all things Consort (me). The Resources box will hold our YouTube playlist, Spotify playlist, most recent seating chart, the rehearsal schedule, the absence sheet, a link to the attendance policy and singer guidelines documents, and the website password. If additional resources are put together—such as pronunciation guides, learning files, etc.—those will also have links here, and will be on our website. Who is writing these emails / what the heck is a Chorus Manager anyway? Hi, this is Amanda. Most of you know me; some of you may not (or may not remember me). I am currently on the Consort Board of Directors and prior to that began taking over updating the website and sending out communications to Consort Singers. Chorus Managers can be many things, but in the case of Consort it’s basically a fancy word for “I make sure our singers get all the information they need to be successful, and, vice versa, serve as a conduit to communicate with the board and Artistic Director as needed.” As you all know, our Artistic Director Allan is extremely kind and open to direct communication always, but he’s also incredibly busy and it would be a kindness to him from all of us to have as much communication routed through me as possible, especially the little things. Same with the board—you can absolutely email our Board President or Treasurer with questions at any time, but I am here for that as well. If you have any issues—with fellow singers, with the repertoire, with logistics—I hope you will feel comfortable doing so. That’s what I’m here for, and most of the time I am very reachable by both email and on my cell. My phone number is at the bottom of every singer email (but please text me instead of calling if you can—I don’t pick up calls from unknown numbers). |
| Many of you have already notified Allan and myself about your absences. If you have not notified me (Amanda), please do so. You can find a form for notifying us of absences here. If you emailed both myself and Allan to let us know of your planned absences or if you know that Allan forwarded your email to me, as he mentioned to a couple of you, then there’s nothing you need to do here. Otherwise, please fill out that form. If you have a sudden emergency or other circumstance and need to be absent for an additional rehearsal, you can fill out this form again, email me, or text me to let me know (especially if it’s a same-day issue) so we know you will be missing. Thank you! |
| The Board is piloting a new way of managing our volunteer crew. You’ll hear more about this at rehearsals, but one of the things so many of our singers love about Consort is the community feel. Some of us have been singing together for decades, and we welcome new singers into our midst with warmth. We all understand the power of creating art communally, and especially for small arts organizations like ours, that means our success relies on everyone playing a part—more than just showing up and singing. We hope everyone will find something they can do to help this family grow and thrive. Some singers donated extra when they registered (thank you!) and others may find it challenging to give any more of themselves—they may already drive a long way to get to rehearsal, they may work full-time (or more than…), they may not have extra financial resources. I think we can all find one small thing to do—I can already tell you a big one is making an effort to help break down and clean up after our concert!—and we’ve got this handy-dandy spreadsheet (yes, another one) to help our Board know who to call on. Please let us know what you can do to pitch in—click here! |
| Upcoming Rehearsals All rehearsals, unless otherwise specified, are at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Belvedere (3 Bayview Avenue) Read-Through with Allan and Kevin Friday, June 13 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm If you are coming for a voice check, you will have received your time slot from Allan. If you are a returning singer, please plan to arrive at least ten minutes early so we can begin on time. Saturday Workshop with Allan and Kevin Saturday, June 14 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Repertoire: Gloria (Haydn), Hebrew Slaves (Verdi), Gabriel’s Oboe (Johnson), If the River Leaves (Esmail), Goodnight Moon (Whitacre), Across the Universe, Bohemian Rhapsody, Parting Glass (Snyder) Associate Rehearsal with Sanford Monday, June 23 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm Repertoire: Zadok (Handel), Abendfeier (Schumann), Resounding Praise (Petker), Gloria (Haydn), Gabriel’s Oboe (Johnson), Parting Glass (Snyder) Associate Rehearsal with David Monday, June 30 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm Repertoire: Kyrie & Hosanna (Quintana), Lo dello (Cohoon/Cook), If the River Leaves (Esmail), Goodnight Moon (Whitacre), Everywhere I Go (Coker/Jennings), Bohemian Rhapsody, Across the Universe |