Are you ready to sing?

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful, carefree summer.

My name is Lise, and I am your new membership coordinator. As you know, Barb Anderson held this position (and about 15 others!) during her six year tenure on our board. I will do my best to fulfill the role as ably and graciously as Barb has done over the years. As membership coordinator, I am your first point of contact. I am here to help with any questions you may have, and of course I will be looking for ways to encourage more new members to join our group.

Registration and First Session

Wednesday September 9, 7PM, First Baptist Church

We will be diving right in on Wednesday, September 9. Yup, you heard right. No ‘open house’ this year. Rachel has put together a fantastic new selection for us this fall and we can’t wait to get started. You will be happy to know that your comments at our Town Hall Meeting and through our survey were heard and implemented where possible. So this season, fewer foreign language songs, and a bunch of exciting new ones!

Registration will begin at 7:00PM. We will have a table for returning members, and another table for new members so things should move along fairly quickly.

By the way, if you see someone with a green, soft- covered music folder, know that they are trying us out for a night. It’s often not only the music, but also our friendliness that encourages people to return. Please make them welcome!

New Fees

Our fees will be increasing by $10 per session (there are two sessions each season, Sept – Jan and Feb-June)

Per Session
Regular members $90
Students: $60
Benefactors: $110

Per Season
Regular members $180
Students: $120
Benefactors: $220

This is our first increase in two years. Rehearsal space, music and insurance costs have all gone up. This modest increase will help us cover these higher costs, as well as fund more sectional sessions and professional practice tracks (see below!) Lastly, we will be able to do more marketing to build membership.

We are still a better deal than the comparable choirs:

Rainbow Chorus (Guelph) $200
Open voices (Kingston) $240
Grand Philharmonic (KW) $350
Oakville Choral Society $250
New Choir (Toronto) $375
ChoirChoirChoir $5/session

As always, we never turn anyone away because of an inability to pay. Those who cannot afford our fees are encouraged to assist the choir by volunteering instead and paying what they can. Please speak in confidence with Jenny Jayavel, our Treasurer, for more information on payment options.

Board Financial Statements

We will be posting our financial statements on the website. If you have any questions please speak with our treasurer and financial guru Jenny Jayavel.

Professional Practice Tracks

Yes! We are working with a professional music instructor, who will record practice tracks for all the pieces we will be working on. Details to come. This will be a huge benefit, especially for those of us who don’t read music that well.

Volunteer Opportunities

Ambassadors Some of us feel that we need to do more to help our new members feel more confident about joining in. We would like to have a few people help new members by positioning them in the middle of their sections so they are surrounded by more experienced singers, introduce them to others and help them get comfortable. Please contact me right away if you’d like to help.

Social Committee Members: If you want choir to be more than just Wednesday evening practices, this is the committee for you. This committee will plan social events outside of regular rehearsal hours, events such as Music Movie Nights, visits to other choir concerts, Opera outings at the movie theatres, or any other fun activities you can think of. This committee might also manage carpooling when possible.

New Venue Committee: Given the rising costs of venues, we need help finding new places to practice and perform. Got contacts with churches and other spaces with good acoustics? We need you!

If these roles appeal to you or you would like further information, please speak to any of our current board members or respond to this email and I will let you know next steps.

Music

To be announced on September 9 at our first session.

Dates

Session 1 Rehearsals: Sept 9th – Jan 20 (no rehearsals Dec 23/30)

Winter Concert: Jan 23rd

Break: Jan 27

Session 2 Rehearsals: Feb 3 – June 1

Break: March 16th (to be confirmed)

Spring Concert: June 4th
See you on Wednesday, September 9!

Lise Anne Janis, Membership Coordinator

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