24 February 2011
Brumbies
Excellent turnout for the first Super 15 home game last Saturday night - many thanks guys. Michael Thomson was delighted with the turnout as well, and with the Brumbies' win of course.
You will all be relieved as I was that Michael and the Brumbies' Game Day Manager have reinstated our preferred attendance and performance timings at Canberra Stadium. Michael advised that our timings should not have changed. Therefore, we will assemble at 5.30pm; West Gate 1 6.00 – 6.20; move to East Gate 6.20- 6.30; East Gate a Capella 6.30 – 6.50; move to West Gate 6.50 – 7.00; West Gate 2 7.00 – 7.20pm (and parallel timings for the one game that does not kick off at 7.40pm). All is good.
Please thank Brian Hurrell and Peter McKay for stepping into Frank Bergersen's and Keith Brent's shoes respectively for next week's duties. Brian will look after the musical equipment for the match against the Reds and Peter will have tickets available at practice next Tuesday night for those who wish to purchase extra tickets for family and friends for that match.
Music Directors
Andrea will be back with us next Tuesday night. Colin Fischer has done a fantastic job in directing and conducting us during these first weeks of 2011 and we thanked him appropriately last Tuesday. He will continue to be available for duty as the need might arise.
Blazer Voting
You have until the end of practice on 1st March to participate in the "Blazer Ballot". All financial members should have received an email from Returning Officer Geoff Ford with the survey analysis, the committee rationale, arguments FOR and AGAINST the introduction of a blazer, and the very specific question to be voted on. You are encouraged to carefully consider the arguments and vote.
Wollongong Regional Tour
Please notify Max Brennan of your intention to participate in the Wollongong Regional visit with the Arcadian Lamplighters on the weekend of 21-22 May. Max needs indications of your attendance, whether your partner will accompany you, whether you will be interested in taking up places on a coach, and whether you will need group motel accommodation. Complete Max's sheet at practice.
Annual Fundraising Concert
Tentative bookings have been made at Hughes Baptist Church Hall for Thursday afternoon, 13th October and Saturday afternoon, 15th October for our Annual Fundraising Concerts. The Thursday afternoon will target the Aged Care market and the Saturday afternoon will target the normal market. Please consider your work and diary commitments and endeavour to be available for BOTH concerts that week to assist in our own fundraising.
Annual Retreat
Your committee has tried to provide a significant lead time to enable you to plan your commitments accordingly. Our Retreat weekend has been booked once again at Goulburn Conservatorium for 17-18 September.
Wagga Wagga City Rugby Club Mens Choir
The Wagga Wagga City Rugby Club Mens Choir will be joining with us again this year on Saturday 26th March for the Brumbies v Waratahs match. However, due to the unavailability of both their MD and accompanist, those who come will join with us in our repertoire. Mick Rice will be advising them of repertoire to help familiarise them for the day. I know we will make them welcome. More details later.
Choir Promotion
Remember to access the promotional e-flyers for display wherever you note an opportunity. This was a major element of last year's Forum to enhance promotion and recruitment so use the resources now made available please.
Canberra Services Club Membership Renewal
I expect that everyone, like me, has received a reminder notice from Canberra Services Club that renewal of memberships is due by the end of March. Can I suggest that you hold off (unless you particularly wish to renew anyway of course) renewing that membership because your committee is currently exhausting the POSSIBILITY of taking up an alternative practice venue. Nothing is certain or confirmed at this time but we expect to make a decision soon and we can all renew at CSC if the status quo maintains. Watch this space.
Antarctica Conference
Details are still forthcoming but our participation is likely to be on Tuesday 28th June at Llewellyn Hall. I expect that this proposed gig will develop apace when Andrea returns because she knows the movers and shakers at the School of Music who are driving this event. She is very excited by the songs and the nature of the proposed performance. Watch this space.
Choir Committee News
Your committee and I are delighted with the take up rate of New Members to the ARC in recent months. We will be focusing on those new members and trying to ensure that they are happy and comfortable in their early weeks and being assisted by their Buddy from their particular part group. To this end, your committee has decided to defer a specific New Members' event at this time but we encourage all members to continue to seek new entrants to try out our choir.
New members are advised that when you officially join and decide to purchase the uniform that you can participate in most gigs by standing in back rows with the assistance of your song books. It was pleasing to see newer members and some returning members doing just that at the Brumbies game last Saturday night.
Can I appeal to everyone please that when you have ideas, thoughts, submissions for Committee consideration that in exercising your right to write/email the committee that you send your initial piece only to one member of the committee, preferably the President or the Secretary. It can be counter productive and even unhelpful if all members of the committee are copied the same notice. You are assured that any overture to a committee member will be included on the agenda for consideration or forwarded to the appropriately delegated committee person for action.
From the London Gig 2012 Sub Committee
The 2012 London repertoire books have arrived and are available for $5 from Rick Dresser. The Repertoire Committee in conjunction with Andrea upon her return will determine which of these songs will be included in the regular ARC repertoire.
This is to flag that one of our good bass men, Warren Whittaker email address is , has resumed his earlier occupation as a Travel Agent. For those of you travelling to wherever (including London in 2012 for the Concert at Alexandra Palace) Warren can if you wish alert you as to when the best fares are available. He advises that 'Early Spring Fares' get released in August 2011 for travel in 2012.
If passengers pay by 30 September they can save up to $300 per person. If the airlines don't sell enough seats in the first round then they extend the ticketing deadline to 31 October with less saving, so you will have to firm up some sort of travel plan by early August as the cheap seats sell fast - this applies to all airlines.
After payment passengers can make one change for a small fee. Warren can also provide you with details on Travel Insurance and some of the issues relating to pre-existing medical conditions (e.g., he advises that there is a trap is you use your credit card insurance re health issues).
From Rodney Clancy 0408 488 749
Gents, I am inviting you all to attend the annual Snowy Mountains Choir Festival held in Cooma on the 10th September. This event is to support community music in Cooma and local region with people travelling from as far away as the south coast. It is building and developing music awareness in the region.
This year is a particularly big and exciting year. We will be performing a concert version of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera Trial By Jury. I am inviting you to join our 100 or so regular attendees of this festival by learning the male parts of the Trial By Jury. Rehearse it before you come so that we can just put it together with the soloists from the ANU School of Music and other singers and also with the Canberra Festival Orchestra to perform it all within the one day on the 10th September at the Snowy Mountains Christian School in Cooma.
Participation in the day is a lovely trip to Cooma, a small $10.00 fee, food is for sale on the day. I am happy to run, co-ordinate or help in rehearsals for you if needed for your singers before the day. Music for the event is a case of finding your own copies but some help can be offered for you all if you need it. Please phone your numbers of participants through to me as soon as you can so I can get the ball rolling on other aspects of the festival. Thanks for your time and I hope to see you all at a rehearsal soon. Hope that you can all join us on the 10th September for a fun singing day. We are expecting over 150 singers this year.
Many Parts in Tune
Paul
Related files:
- Warble 24 Feb 11 (PDF 76.6 kb)