Blue Notes for May 21, 2004
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE AT THE IN-ADVANCE
PRICE.
Wylie Crawford and his wife Erica will host the listening party for Sunday’s
concert on Tuesday, May 25, at 7:30. They live at 701 Sheridan Road, halfway
between South Boulevard (Oakton) and Main Street. Bring something to eat
or drink. Thanks to the Crawfords for their hospitalities this year.
The article about Donald in yesterday’s edition of all North Shore
Pioneer Press papers was written by Dorothy Andries. But it never would have
appeared at all without the diligent efforts of NSCS member Lenore Dupuis.
Thanks to Lenore for putting Donald and NSCS in the public eye, where they
obviously belong. (Incidentally, last Sunday Donald was given special recognition
by The Village Presbyterian Church, where he has served as Choir Director
for nearly eight years and Director of Music for the past two.)
Be sure to bring that piece of paper with notes and lyrics to Sunday’s
concert. If you don’t have one, please see Len Barker. Thanks to Ellen
Pullin and her husband for a delightful memory.
After Sunday’s warm-up/rehearsal, at about 2:00, Rich Foreman will
be taking a group photo. To save time, please be in formal garb at the rehearsal—or
have such garb readily at hand. It should take no more than thirty minutes,
leaving time for any last-minute preparations before the concert and reception.
According to information provided by the six section coordinators, these
singers had perfect attendance at all regular rehearsals during the chorus’s
preparation for this Sunday’s concert: Louise Brueggemann, Lorena Estrada,
Judith Greene, Julie McDowell, Karen Fish Schurder, Roxann Specht, Jean Yedlicka,
Cynthia Zilliac, Maria Del Rosario Gomez, Jane Kenamore, Anne Lindahl, Kathleen
Tolisano, Else-Britt DeLong, Nancy Friday, Marie Kroeger, Antje Drajanski,
Joan Merchan, Alicia Resnick, Mars Longden, Diane Nordstrand, Len Barker,
Mark Baskin, Ron Dahlquist, Karl Kroeger, Steve Warner, and Dan Woodard.
Please look over the materials about participating in Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony that were made available on Tuesday. If you plan to sing in
that concert, please sign the agreement and return it to David Hunt, Len
Barker, or your section coordinator. If you did not receive this material,
see Len Barker for your copies. Arrangements are being made for us to purchase
copies of the Ninth during the summer in case we want to get an early start.
And you may want to jot down the dates for rehearsals: regular Tuesday rehearsals
from March 15 through May 17, two piano rehearsals with the Symphony II conductor
during the week of May 23, and “dress” rehearsals the mornings
of Saturday, May 28, and Sunday, May 29.
Instructions from Julie and Fran repeated from Tuesday’s Notes:
Please bring your treats ready to serve on/in an attractive glass, silver,
or metal serving dish. Do not use paper, cardboard, or aluminum. Cover your
food with plastic wrap and take it directly to St. Luke’s Great Hall
before the rehearsal on Sunday. Be sure to put your name on the bottom of
the dish and remember to take it home with you after the reception. Also,
several coolers are needed in which to put bottles of wine; if you can provide
one, please contact one of us. Many thanks to all.
Incidentally, Symphony II has a new name: the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra
When Lenore Dupuis was gathering information for publicity for the celebration
of Donald’s 20th anniversary, she contacted a number of NSCS members
for quotations about Donald. Here are some excerpts from those quotations—and
one other.
“Donald Chen has influenced me because he is a great teacher as well
as conductor. I greatly appreciate his balance between patience and high
expectations for his chorus!...And on a presentation note, how important
it is to never cover my face with my music!” –-Hank Bohanan
“I discovered North Shore Choral Society through a friend of mine
who was a previous member. She spoke enthusiastically about the group and
of Donald’s coaching and direction—how he promoted high standards
and professional quality. I knew this was a group that I wanted to join.” --Pat
Seidl
“I met Donald through being in the Choir of The Village Presbyterian
Church in Northbrook, where he is the Director of Music. His dedication and
wealth of knowledge are an inspiration to me.” --Karen Fish Schurder
“He is extremely disciplined, positive, generous, and humble, with
a luminous smile usually reserved for rewarding a job well done. That could
be for finally getting a musical passage right or a successful concert.”
--Julie McDowell
“Donald Chen is masterful at pulling together the ingredients for
satisfying concerts. He trains and inspires the chorus, hires outstanding
soloists and orchestras, creatively programs the music, and moves NSCS forward
but always within the boundaries of its capabilities.” --David Hunt
“I sometimes wonder where he gets the energy to continue the hard
work that he does with us, but I hope that he can continue. The NSCS has
become a very good community musical group, and I am proud to be a part of
it. We owe a lot to Donald Chen.” --Paul Quillman
“I enjoy being a part of the musical performances, and I believe in
its mission, a delicate balance of a chorus open to the community and staging
quality concerts. I think it’s that balance that makes Donald uniquely
valuable to us...” --John Darrow
“He significantly covers the old masters such as Mozart and Bach,
but equally important I admire his courage to push into the choral frontiers
of such composers as Randall Thompson and Arthur Honegger. I believe that
these experiences have not only helped to strengthen the diversity of my
own choral repertoire, but have proven the North Shore Choral Society’s
status as ‘high armature’ amongst our growing audience.” --Jonathan
Rivera
“He established the three-concert season with the middle concert usually
featuring rarely heard works. He introduced many new works into the repertoire.
The chorus became much larger under his leadership and the quality of our
performances improved.” --Inge Kistler
“It was a delight to have Donald prepare us for the Ravinia concerts.
He expected the same high standards for Lerner and Loewe as he did for Bach
and Verdi.” --Len Barker
“It’s always such a pleasure to conduct the North Shore Choral
Society. They are trained so professionally and to share a stage with them
is a musical joy!” --Erich Kunzel
