Parent’s Newsletter –APRIL 2008

♫♫ A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR ♫♫

Dear Chorus,
Can you believe it? We are in our final weeks of the 2007-2008 season. What a fantastic season it has been with the addition of Singenspiel, Cinderella Kids, summer camp, Christmas Concert, retreat, Up With People, Seussical Jr., and now our 5th Annual Festival Hill Spring Concert. What a great year!

Our last couple of rehearsals have blown me away. You are so confident and musically intelligent. You are strong enough to sing your part without worry and our intonation is right on in our three part chords. Yes, I have said before that you sound better than ever. But NOW you are taking things to a whole new level! I believe that adding Singenspiel as our training choir has done so much for our chorus. Our younger kids are getting the training they need much sooner with Mrs. Chance and Mrs. Whitehead. I am so impressed with what they are doing just down the hall. Also, it has given our older singers a chance to move on into more challenging things because the entire group has more experience to draw from. It has been such a blessing to watch you and to listen to you grow and mature and
become artists this year. You have made me so proud. I know your families are going to be touched by your soul stirring music.

And, BBK! What more can I say that I haven't already glowingly gushed to you? Our Seussical Jr. just took us higher up the ladder of musical accomplishment. We keep pushing the bar higher and higher. What in the world can we do next year to go even further? Hee hee hee....I'm not going to tell....YET!

So, even though you are incredibly busy with sports and TAKS and school stuff, get your rest, drink your water, have your Vitamin C and let's get ready to knock their socks off at Festival Hill. No special guest choirs or big orchestras this time. While we do have our three instrumental guest artists, the rest is totally up to us. Why? Because we're ready for it! Oh, and don't forget to tell your chorus alumni friends that they are welcome to come sing with us on our last number, "You Raise Me Up". They can call the office for more info.

Here's to April 27,
Mrs. Young

THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!

Thanks to the efforts of our Artistic Staff and our wonderful parents, BBK members were able to focus all the efforts on their performance in “Seussical Jr.”.  Special thanks to all the parents who gave of their time, took days off from work, and took time away from their family. Without you, we couldn’t have done it! Special thanks to Danny Dahlquist, Bob Young, and Jeff Appel for running the sound system and making sure all the mikes were working properly. Thank you to our outstanding backstage moms who stood in the dark and made sure all props and costumes were in place: Penny Dahlquist, Laura Upchurch, Donna Kaltwasser, Jonni Hart, and Georgette McCurry. We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you! Thank you!

Uniform Size Check NOW!

Parents, it is now time to have your chorister try on their formal uniform to make sure it fits properly. The Festival Hill Concert is on Sunday, April 27 at 4:00 pm and the choristers will be wearing their formal uniforms. For BCC: black slacks, white mandarin shirt, formal vest, black belt, black socks, and black shoes. For Singenspiel: black slacks, red Singenspiel shirt, black belt, black socks, and black shoes. PLEASE TRY THEM ON NOW AND MAKE SURE THEY FIT. If you need a different size, please notify the Chorus office immediately. We want all our choristers to be comfortable and look nice when they sing. Thank you!  

* *  Please pick up your chorister from rehearsal on time and ask for memos * *

Now that spring is around the corner and schedules are becoming packed with a wide variety of activities, pick up time is becoming more challenging. Please make sure you pick up your chorister on time -- our chaperones and staff have busy schedules as well. Having to stay late with a chorister that has not been picked up on time delays them from their evening activities and family time.  Remember, Monday rehearsals for BCC end at 5:30 and “Singenspiel” rehearsals end at 5:00. Please be there to pick up your chorister on time.  To facilitate smooth pick-up, please stay in the carline and follow the map directions that were dispensed in August.  A chaperone will escort your child to your car.  Thank you for assisting us in this process!

NOTE TO SINGENSPIEL PARENTS: Please pick your child up at 5:00 PM after rehearsal. We realize it might be inconvenient if you have to wait for another child who is singing with BCC, but letting these young singers roam the halls of the Community Ed Building unsupervised is not safe. Thank you for your help.

A NOTE FROM SINGENSPIEL DIRECTOR

Dear Singenspiel kids and parents,

I can’t believe our first year of Singenspiel will culminate with our concert on Sunday, April 27 at Festival Hill. I hope you have invited your family and friends to attend this very special concert. It will be a wonderful experience for each choir member to be on the big stage of that magnificent music hall!

Our year has been filled with learning: Learning about music, learning about each other, learning how to get along and sing together, and learning how to be a part of a special “family”. I am so proud of our choir’s progress in all these areas. Those members going on to BCC will know what to expect and will be prepared to give their very best.

Thank you all for being at every rehearsal, and parents for encouraging and enabling them to be there. I hope to see you at Festival Hill. I am looking forward to an inspiring concert!

Mrs. Chance

THANK YOU TO OUR PARENTS!

Thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped with Seussical Jr. We couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you to our Box Office Parents and Ushers: Ceci Wagner, Page Michel, Lillian Yelenic, Rose Pryor, Shelly Doyle, Mary Petersen, Kristin Wiesepape, Leslie Weiss, and Shelly Miller. Thank you to BCC member Savannah Miller and Kyle Dougan for helping usher on Saturday night. Thank you to Page Michel and Daphne Gonzales for helping with Seussical publicity, and thank you to Dallas and Austin Gonzales for delivering fliers.  We appreciate all your help. It was a wonderful Seussical week!

Thank you so much to Jonni Hart for such WONDERFUL costumes for Seussical Jr.! They were so colorful, creative, and unique and they added so much to the show. Thank you to Patti Pearce for sewing the animal hoods – wonderful! Thank you to Donna Kaltwasser for assembling the Bird Girl costumes, and thank you to Georgette McCurry for all that last minute sewing  in the dressing room. You all worked together to produce a beautiful production! Thank you! We are fortunate to have such involved and

dedicated parents.

FESTIVAL HILL CONCERT

Happy 5^th Anniversary BCC! On Sunday, April 27 at 4:00 PM, the Chorus and Singenspiel will be performing at the International Festival-Institute in Round Top. This concert is one of the highlights of our concert season. This year, the chorus will be celebrating its 5^th Anniversary as they perform in one of the premier concert venues in the world. To commemorate this special occasion, BCC alumni have been invited back to sing a musical selection with the chorus. In addition, the winner of the Battle for the Baton will be conducting the chorus, the alumni, the accompanying orchestra, and the audience in the singing of the “Star Spangled Banner”. It is going to be a memorable afternoon of music and celebration. BCC Choristers should meet at the Community Ed Building at 12 noon on Sunday, April 27. They should have eaten lunch. They will be bussed to Festival Hill for a pre-concert rehearsal and the concert at 4:00 PM. Singenspiel members should meet at the Community Ed building at 2:00 PM. They will be bussed to Festival Hill for a rehearsal and the concert. If you want to pick up your child after the concert rather than letting them ride the bus back to Community Ed, please contact the Chorus office or Donna Kaltwasser, head chaperone. Each chorister has received tickets to sell for this wonderful concert. Additional tickets will be available in the chorus office. The concert is at 4:00 pm and doors will open at 3:30 pm. There is no admittance to the concert hall prior to 3:30 pm. Ticket money and unsold tickets are due on Monday, April 21. Put this event on your calendar and invite family and friends to attend this memorable concert. Happy Anniversary Brenham Children’s Chorus! A concert DVD will be available and can be ordered at the concert. Please note: Photography of any kind is not permitted. Thank you.

Please keep the office informed about your change of address, phone number, or email.

END OF THE YEAR PARTY

Our End of the Year Party will be at Silver Wings on Monday, April 28 from 6:00 – 8:30 pm. Families of the choristers are invited to this celebration of a successful music season. Please look for invitations to follow. Dinner and skating is provided and Awards are given. Plan to be there!

BBK Special Performance

BBK members will perform some selections from Seussical Jr. at the home of Mike and Nancy Shoup on Sunday, May 4 at 3:30 PM. BBK choristers will meet at the Community Ed Building at 1:30 PM on Sunday.  After a brief rehearsal, they will be transported to the Shoups’ home. Because of space, the number of chaperones needed is limited and no extra siblings will be allowed to attend. The BBK members will be performing for members of the community who support and are interested in the arts and the Chorus. Following the ‘performance’, refreshments will be served.

UNIFORM TURN-In

The uniform turn-in for the BCC and Singenspiel will be on MONDAY, MAY 5 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm at the Community Education Building. Please make sure uniforms are clean and in good repair. BCC vests should not be washed – they must be dry cleaned. Thank you for your help!

The Chorus website and scrapbook are always looking for pictures or articles about the Chorus or its activities or concerts (especially “Cinderella Kids”). If you have any of these, please get them to the Chorus office or email them to bccinfo@brenhamchildrenschorus.org.

2009 Summer Tour

Mark your calendars and start saving your funds for our 2009 Summer Tour to Nashville, Tennessee during the 2^nd or 3^rd week of June.  Partially sponsored by Blue Bell, the Chorus will work with Blue Bell and perform in a variety of venues in Nashville. The approximate cost of this trip to each chorister and parent chaperone is $600.00. Choristers must be rising 5^th graders as of June 2009 in order to tour with the chorus. Watch for more information and start saving those pennies!

� CHAPERONE – SECURITY UPDATE �

If someone else is picking up your child after rehearsal, please remember to send a written note.  Your child cannot be released to another adult without your written permission or a call to the office staff.  Thank you for helping us keep our children safe.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Thank you to Scott Hill for taking head shots and pictures of the Seussical Jr. cast. Scott does this for us for no charge and his pictures are quite professional. If you need any family portraits taken, please consider Scott Hill. He is a good friend of the chorus. In addition, thank you to Georgette McCurry and Chris Dougan for providing BBK members with CD’s of Seussical.  We appreciate all of you so much!

NOTE:  All choristers should bring their music folders to every rehearsal -- this includes members of Singenspiel.  Children in BCC and Singenspiel will be assessed $1.00 each time they forget to bring their music folder. Please make sure your child has his/her music each rehearsal day. And, check those folders and backpacks for memos! Thank you!

EVALUATIONS

Parents: Please call the Chorus office at 979-277-6540 to schedule an evaluation for your singer. Each singer should meet with Pam Young or Karen Chance and the Artistic Staff before registering for the 2008-2009 music season. Evaluations will be held on Monday, May 5 and Tuesday, May 6 from 3:45 – 5:30 PM at the Community Education Building.

New Choir for K-1^st Graders

We have exciting news! Beginning in August 2008, there will be 3 new satellite choirs for singers in Kindergarten and 1^st grade. These newly formed choirs will meet on each of the 3 individual public elementary school campuses after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Children in private schools are also eligible to attend. Watch for details and contact the office if you are interested.