Swinging to Route 66
Thank you to our wonderful crowd last night for coming out to Swing! with us for our opening concert of the season! We had some enthusiastic dancers on the floor, and some who claimed more space in the back to swing out.
And so Vienna Choral Society’s 2010-2011 season is ended. Songs about want and hunger of all sorts that still managed to be uplifting provided the theme of our October concert, and December brought us out of the cold and into a ski lodge, where – golly gee! – there was a piano and a bunch of fabulous people who knew all the holiday standards. The CD of our March concert, Aesop’s Fables, features the delightful (and delighted) squeals of a toddler who was evidently enjoying all the silliness, and the expert story-telling (“story-showing?”) of Sabrina Mandel and Mark Jaster added to the fun.
Vienna Choral Society sings Clif Hardin's Requiem
We ended our season last Saturday with A Celebration of The Life at Vienna Presbyterian Church. The beautiful space was a perfect match for the soaring music, and indeed was an important component of the concert, as we used the balconies and the eaves to compound the harmonies, oboe and harp. But it was Clif Hardin’s Requiem that was the centerpiece of the evening. It was an amazing experience to perform it, and judging from the reaction of the audience, it was an amazing experience to hear it. Thank you, Unitarian Universalist Church of Fairfax, Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, and the orchestra for joining us. We want to sing together again. Soon.
Look for us at Viva Vienna! Next Saturday at 6:15. And please consider singing with us next season: it’s even better on the risers!
The Poster For VCS' "A Celebration Of The Life"
Thank you all SO MUCH for coming to VCS’ “A Celebration Of The Life” where we were joined by the choruses of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax for “A Celebration Of The Life,” featuring Clif Hardin’sRequiem and other works. We sang 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 21, 2011 at Vienna Presbyterian Church.
The 120-voice combined chorus event – directed by VCS Artistic and Musical Director, Jennifer Rodgers Beach, and accompanied by orchestra – featured Clif Hardin’s Requiem, and a lush musical selection of works such as Peter Knight’s “You Are The New Day,” the Navajo prayer inspired “Now I Walk In Beauty,” and Aaron Copland’s “The Promise of Living.” A portion of the evening’s proceeds went to support The Washington Home and Community Hospices, a non-profit organization serving men and women in the Washington, DC-metro area who are facing issues of aging and chronic or terminal illness.
We’ll have photos up when we get them.
About Clif Hardin and the Requiem:
CD Cover Art for Clif Hardin's Requiem
Clif Hardin is a composer, conductor and pianist living in the DC area. Along with his freelance work in theater and his ever-increasing composition work, he has served as Director of Music at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation since 1983,w here many of his arrangements and compositions were first performed.
Hardin’s Requiem is a gorgeous and provocative 11-movement work that draws texts from multiple traditions and periods of history in place of the standard Roman Catholic liturgy. Together, the texts progress from the time before a person’s death, the experience of death, and the human experience of loss of a loved one. Among the authors are William Dunbar, John Wheelock, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Emily Dickinson, Edwin Muir, Helen Keller, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Thank you all so very much for making “Aesop’s Fables” such a fun event! We loved seeing you all – especially the kids! We’ll have more pictures soon, but here’s a couple of the choir warming up at Vienna Baptist’s lovely chapel before you packed the hall.
Warming Up A Big Room
Jen Rodgers Beach In Rehearsal
And a couple of Jen Rodgers Beach and Mark Vogel with Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell of Hapenstance.
From L To R: Mark Vogel, Jen Rodgers Beach, Mark Jaster, Stephanie Mandell (Hat Rack, Things On Hat Rack, Grapes, and Ladder - sum total of props!)
"You gonna eat that?"
If you’re wondering what’s next, it’s the Hardin Requiem on May 21, 2011.
And yes, this coming tuesday will be open rehearsal. That means if you’ve watched us, want to be part of the fun, and sing with us – come on down. We meet Tuesdays, 7 pm. Rehearsal will be at Church of the Holy Comforter.
Want to know what’s involved in auditions? Couldn’t be easier. Join us! You too can be smashing in dress blacks.
Smashing In Our Dress Blacks
The Whole VCS Choir With Jen Rodgers Beach And Mark Vogel
VIENNA, VA – OCTOBER 12, 2010: The Vienna Choral Society (VCS) invites you to the first event of its 2010–11 concert season, “Will Sing for Food: A Concert for the Hungry and Homeless.”
This specific concert is a two-day event, with an art sale and silent auction featuring authentic, native, Haitian art. The artists featured are Castera Bazile, Wilson Bigaud, Etienne Chavannes, Jacques-Richard Chery, Levoy Exil, and Dieuseul Paul. The art includes large and small paintings, sculptures, metalwork, beaded ceremonial flags, vases, and other decorative and boutique pieces.
Net proceeds from the art sale will go to The Friends of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer. Our community partners in this event are Homestretch, FACETS, and Food for Others.
What : Two-day art and music event
October 29 : VCS-sponsored Haitian Art show and sale, 7:00 to 10:00 pm
October 30 : VCS Concert, “Will Sing for Food,” 7:30 pm
Haitian Art sale and Silent Auction, 6:30 to 7:30 pm (and during intermission and after concert)
Where : Church of the Holy Comforter, 543 Beulah Road, NE, Vienna, VA 22180
Ticket Info : Admission is free to the art sale. Only the concert requires tickets.
Adults $20, seniors and students $15, families $35
Buy at the door or in advance through VCS at www.viennachoralsociety.org
Event Info : 703-255-5508
Media Info : Sohini Baliga, 703-622-8562, sohini@sohini.com
About The Vienna Choral Society:
Holiday Hats! (Even our Director wore one....)
A not-for-profit musical organization, VCS provides high-quality music for events sponsored by the Town of Vienna, community organizations, and the residents of Vienna and surrounding communities. VCS offers music for public entertainment and personal enrichment, to promote greater appreciation and enjoyment of good music by the general public and to join with other organizations in giving time and talent to programs and activities that benefit the community. VCS members come from all backgrounds and walks of life. VCS is a member of the Arts Council of Fairfax County, the Northern Virginia Choral Alliance, The Vienna Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce and the United Way.
About the Friends of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer:
The Friends of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti designs and implements projects in collaboration with HAS’ mission of improving the health and well-being of the people in Haiti’s Artibonite Valley. The Hôpital Albert Schweitzer is a model for health care facilities in developing countries around the world. An integrated rural health system, HAS provides medical care and community health and development programs for more than 300,000 impoverished people in the Artibonite Valley of central Haiti. Visiting medical professionals from North America and abroad work with a permanent Haitian staff of almost 550. Financial support comes from partner organizations and private individuals around the world.
