FROM MORNA
Weekly emails will come on Fridays going forward. Thank you, Don, for continuing to serve the choir in this important way. It is very important that all singers read each email and take action on surveys etc at your earliest convenience. Your cooperation in this makes life much easier for everyone behind the scenes.
Attendance is critical to a successful EnChor, and I am delighted that virtually everyone has made the switch to Tuesdays. Remember to inform your section leader about all anticipated absences. Basses: Barry is tracking attendance going forward, rather than Paul Birch. Using their information, I will determine if a singer who has missed a number of rehearsals will be invited to sing in upcoming concerts. We will shortly be updating our official Long Term Absence Policy and procedure. Stay tuned!
The choir’s Google Calendaris your resource for planning. Please bookmark it and use it. If you have access problems, please reach out to Jay (thank you, Jay!)
Thank you to more than a dozen EnChor singers who gave an afternoon and their skills to conductors who are honing their craft through the BCCF’s “Choral Da Capo” summer course last Sunday. Your time and skill were very much appreciated. Willi Zwozdesky, ED of the BCCF, tells me that our participation is something they speak about proudly in grant applications and reports. Huge thanks to Valerie for being our in-choir coordinator of this again this year.
Thank you to the indomitable EnChor librarian John Culter who is working to ensure you have scores in your folder on September 10. And to Barry who is filling in for him at the first rehearsal.
Tuesday, September 10 is approaching and I am looking forward to seeing and hearing you in our new venue of the Unitarian Church of Vancouver! Please arrive a bit early to the first rehearsal. The address is 949 West 49th Avenue on the Northeast corner of 49th and Oak. We are in the sanctuary building. Note that the entrance to the free parking lot off Oak Street is permanently closed for safety reasons. You must enter from Fremlin Street between 48th and 49th Avenues. There is also plenty of street parking.
If you would like to be considered to sing a different voice part, please email me (mornaedmundson@telus.net) and we will arrange for an in-person chat/sing before 10am at the first rehearsal.
Onward into a great season of being together!
Morna
FROM CATHY BAYLEY
Welcome back to another year of great singing and fellowship!
I hope you all had a wonderful summer. I know we’re all looking forward to getting back to singing, now on Tuesdays at Vancouver Unitarian Church.
AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR ENCHOR! Please complete the survey by Tuesday!
The BC Choral Federation hosts events that promote choral singing around the province. One of these is a 2-day Seniors’ Chorfest aimed at the approximately 20 seniors’ choirs in BC. At this event choirs come together to rehearse as a massed choir for 2 days, ending with an evening concert. Morna was the Guest Conductor at a successful event in Kamloops in 2013. You may also remember that EnChor, under the leadership of Maggie Burr, hosted a very successful Chorfest “Spring into Song” some years ago.
The BCCF has approached EnChor to host the Seniors’ Chorfest to be held in April 2025. Morna feels that hosting such an event would reflect well on EnChor as a leader in the choral community and it would be enjoyable to spend time with other seniors who love to sing. Every member of EnChor would not need to participate, but we hope that many would. We also hope some EnChor members would volunteer to help out with the event. This would take the form of a small core Organizing Committee, as well as people willing to help out as the need arises. This group would work closely with the BCCF and would receive a lot of support from its administration.
The board has approved covering all registration fees for participating EnChor members. But before committing to host, the board would like your input.
Please complete the following short survey before Tuesday, September 3rd. Here is the link to the survey.
https://forms.gle/omdWWUs9nKZJvvmk6
EnChor AGM: Tuesday, September 24th, 2024
Official notice is still to come but please mark your calendars for this date and plan to stay after the rehearsal for the AGM. This meeting will not be longer than 30 minutes but it is very important to have a significant number of EnChor members in attendance.
CONCERT DATES for 2024-2025:
As Morna noted, the Google Calendar is every EnChor member’s best friend but just in case you have trouble with it, here are the concert dates for next year. Please note that while our rehearsals will be at the Vancouver Unitarian Church, our concerts are still at Pacific Spirit United Church (PSUC). Also please note that the dress rehearsals will be on Saturdays at PSUC. In order to sing at the concert, one is expected to attend the dress rehearsals, so please let your section leader know if this is a problem for you.
Saturday, November 16th, 2024 Dress Rehearsal 10:00am to 12:30pm PSUC Sanctuary
Sunday, November 17th, 2024 Fall Concert 3:00pm to 4:30pm PSUC Sanctuary
Saturday, December 14th, 2024 Dress Rehearsal 10:00am to 12:30pm PSUC Sanctuary
Sunday, December 15th, 2024 Christmas Concert 3:00pm to 4:30pm PSUC Sanctuary
Saturday, April 26th, 2025 Dress Rehearsal 10:00am to 12:30pm PSUC Sanctuary
Sunday, April 27th 2025 Spring Concert 3:00pm to 4:30pm PSUC Sanctuary
Finally, Valerie has already arranged a number of outreach concerts for the choir and these are also in the Google Calendar.
See you at the Vancouver Unitarian Church on September 10th!
Cathy
Message from the (outgoing) treasurer about membership fees:
I hope you’ve all had a good summer and are looking forward to our first rehearsal in our new rehearsal venue on Tues., Sept. 10th.
Membership fees for the upcoming year will be due soon. The board has decided to raise the fees this year (and each year going forward) by 2%. As our expenses go up, we feel that this gradual increase in dues is necessary. This means that the dues this year will be $408.00.
It is expected that each member will pay the full fee for the year to remain a member in good standing; this applies equally to those who might plan to be away from the choir for part of the year. Under extenuating circumstances financial adjustments may be considered.
You may pay in one installment, or divide the payments into two installments of $204.00, one payable now and the other payable by the end of January. Payment can be made by cheque (made out to EnChor Choir) and given to Trish Smith at rehearsal. If you prefer to do an e-transfer send it to treasurer@enchor.ca and it will be deposited directly into the EnChor account.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A NEW EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ALL TRANSFERS TO ENCHOR CHOIR. (treasurer@enchor.ca)
PLEASE WAIT TO MAKE YOUR PAYMENT AFTER SEPTEMBER 1, THE BEGINNING OF OUR NEW FISCAL YEAR.