North Shore Choral Society

And special thanks to Mary Ann Kissock and Karen Fish Schurder for spearheading this drive, which brought $4,764.00 into our coffers—over $700 more than last year.

More thanks: For labeling, stuffing and sorting envelopes for our fall fund-raising drive: Hank Bohanen, Else-Britt DeLong, JoAnne Gerules, and Chuck Uchtman. For editing and formatting the fund-raising letter: Ellen Pullin. For printing the labels: Anthony Green. For dealing with the postal service: Kent Fuller. For overseeing this important activity: Barbara Weiner.

We can expect to read a feature article highlighting Donald and the North Shore Choral Society in the Pioneer Press Diversions on Thursday--thanks to Lenore Dupuis.

Saturday’s “dress” rehearsal (which does not mean in concert dress) runs from 10:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. at Saint Luke’s. Because we have only a limited time with the soloists and instrumentalists, it is essential that we be ready to sing at 10:00. Which translates into “Please be on time.” Remember that water is the only food/beverage acceptable for intake in the sanctuary.

Please accept Harry Vroegh’s urgent request to help prepare the sanctuary for the Saturday rehearsal, beginning at 5:00 on Friday afternoon. The more workers, the less work. And everything must be “unprepared” after Saturday’s rehearsal. And then up again at 12:15 on Sunday and then down again after the concert.

Next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, November 12, 13, and 14, please go shopping for the benefit of NSCS at Jewel and Osco. Take lots of cash or make sure there is room on your credit card. Stock up with the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year holidays in mind. And don't forget to buy some extra special expensive goodies for the listening party. All of which add joy to our lives and dollars to our treasury.

And speaking of dollars: The Illinois Arts Council has recently awarded us two thousand eight hundred and sixty of them from State funds for general operating support.

The listening party begins at 7:30 P.M. on Tuesday, November 13, at the home of Wylie and Erica Crawford, 701 Sheridan Road in Evanston. Bring something delightful to eat or drink, and listen to us take on Mozart, Vaughan Williams, and Rheinberger.

Our next regular rehearsal will be on Tuesday, November 20, two weeks from this evening. At that time, two of the applicants for the position of Music Director will rehearse sections of Gloria and Elijah with us. If you need either score, please come early—like 7:00 or even earlier!—to purchase music so the first rehearsal can begin at 7:30. Thanks.

This evening, John Darrow is taking ticket orders for the LaSalle Do-It-Yourself Messiah at the Civic Opera House on Friday, December 21, at 7:00 P.M., or Saturday, December 22, at 2:00 P.M. Last year, many tickets allocated to choirs were not used; if such is again the case, this number may be greatly reduced in the future. Therefore, it is important that tickets are not only ordered but used. Anyone not ready to place an order tonight may send John an email at jsd@ntrs.com no later than noon tomorrow. Further information, including availability of rehearsal tapes and CDs, can be found at http://lasallebank.com/messiah or www.imfchicago.org.

David Wojtowicz invites us to hear him and friends in an all-Mozart evening (three 20-minute scenes) on Friday, November 16, at 7:30 P.M. Dave sings the roles of Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte and the gardener Antonio in The Marriage of Figaro; Don Giovanni is also on the program. Admission is free at the Northeastern Illinois University Fine Arts Recital Hall, Lot F–3701 West Bryn Mawr. Call 773/442-4636 for more information.

Michelle Areyzaga is the featured soloist in Songs ‘N Such, a program of musical selections by Dan Tucker, on Sunday, November 18. Tickets for this program, which begins at 7:30 at the Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston, are $20.00; however, Harry Vroegh is eager to sell some this evening at a special price of $15.00. Members of long standing will remember that NSCS commissioned and performed Tucker’s A Season for Singing some years ago.

Two tickets for the Music of the Baroque’s Holiday Brass & Choral concert at Techny’s Divine Word Chapel on Sunday, December 23, at 3:00 P.M., are available for $38.00 each. If interested, please contact Camille Taylor at 847/475-0728.

Everyone should have received several NSCS emails this past week. Anyone who did not needs to contact Len Barker this evening so he can make corrections in his address book. And remember that Len’s new email address is lenpbarker@comcast.net.

Conductor: a musician who is adept at following many people at the same time

Transposition: the act of moving the relative pitch of a piece of music that is too low for the basses to a point where it is too high for the sopranos