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VCS invites you to our final concert for 2022-23 – this end note to our season is an affirmation of kindness, inclusion and community. It’s also a tribute to an American icon, Mr. Rogers and his TV series – Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.

In addition to discounted pricing for adults 65(+), families, and students – residents and caretakers of retirement communities can also take advantage of NEW discounted pricing. And as always, youth ages 15 and under are always welcome FREE of charge.

Our fun-filled performance will be followed by a post-concert dessert reception for all guests, hosted by Nothing Bundt Cakes, Vienna. We can’t wait to see you!

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This spring, we are delighted to perform Illuminare, showcasing contemporary composer Elaine Hagenberg, whose star is quickly on the rise in the world of choral music. Before it hits Carnegie Hall, experience with us, this powerfully evocative five part movement, featuring a chamber orchestra.

Illuminare explores the duality of darkness and light – distress and peace. Ms. Hagenberg shared that her aim was to use centuries’ old, lesser known sacred hymns that are “rich and descriptive, steeped in beauty . . . to create an inspirational work relevant to our generation and current culture.” 

Our entire concert repertoire is gorgeously layered with songs that express hope, peace and empowerment. The lineup captures diversity of tradition and innovation in choral music. Mixed with sacred and secular Latin, Greek and English text, we celebrate and share the artistry of well known and emerging international, female, and African American contemporary composers. 

Come, enjoy an evening of transcendent, hopeful, and rousing music as the Vienna Choral Society performs Illuminare. Join us!

We sing Illuminare on Sunday, 3/12/23,  5 PM – Fairfax United Methodist Church, 10300 Stratford Avenue, Fairfax, VA 22030. Box office opens at 4:30 PM – credit card, checks and exact cash only; doors open at 4:45 PM.

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It seems that time accelerates for many of us during the holidays. There’s a lot to do and to take in . . . from much anticipated marathon meals (and subsequent naps), neighborhood trots, and family get-togethers to the sparkle of lights, lasers, and holiday blow-ups in towns, cities, homes and yards.

With excitement and anticipation, we reenact generations old traditions while scouting for fresh ways to celebrate the holidays. And so it is with our upcoming annual Sounds of the Season Concert. For audiences, our performance is equal parts reminiscence and discovery – an opportunity for the entire family to enjoy classic holiday tunes reimagined with a twist, and to revel in glorious choral music that beckons the beauty of this season.

Join us for an evening of surprises and joy. Show up in your holiday best, with antlers and holiday hats, or just as you are! 

We sing Sounds of the Season on:

• Saturday,  12/10/22, 7:30 PM – Providence Presbyterian Church, 9019 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, VA 22031. Box office opens at 6:45 PM – credit card only; doors open at 7:15 PM.
• Sunday, 12/11/22,  5 PM – Fairfax United Methodist Church, 10300 Stratford Avenue, Fairfax, VA 22030. Box office opens at 4:30 PM – credit card only; doors open at 4:45 PM.

Tickets are on sale now until 11:55 PM on Friday 12/09/22.  Pricing includes new discounted tickets for families and students: Adults ($25); Seniors, 65+ ($20); NEW: Students, 16-18 ($15); NEW: Families (2 adults plus any accompanying youth 15 and under ($40); Youth, 15 and under (FREE).

UPDATE 12/10/22: Online sales have ended, but you can still get tickets at the door; we are accepting credit card and check payments – no cash please.

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What a feat that was  – to transition the group of 40+ singers who stayed on (some, who until then, understood the meaning of Zoom only in its literal sense) to a full online choir in 2020. Now, we are brimming with excitement, poised to resume a fully in-person season in 2022.

Change and Challenge compelled us to reflect on who we are at our core and what we mean to our members, audience and community. VCS recently decided it was time for a new look and designed a logo that expresses what that means for us.

The new VCS logo is the creative product of designer Jen Stein. Jen is an artist, educator, creative writer, and advocate for mental wellness; VCS knows her best as a fellow soprano and member of the Board of Directors. We asked Jen to share her thoughts about the new logo, the creative design process, and what VCS means to her. 

Question: We knew it was time to rethink our logo, to create an image that was reflective of what we do – sing, teach, learn – together, as a community. In what ways did you express and integrate what we do in your design?

Jen: When I designed the VCS logo, I wanted it to be about community, and for me, it began as a circular concept with a core at the center – the self. And then, making music with others is one of the most powerful connective tools I know. You’re not just producing your own sounds, you’re leaning into the person next to you, across the way,  in another section. You’re hearing them as they hear you, and your voices balance. Our logo links the letters VCS together, the C represents who we are, a Choral group, front and center but just as much – we represent community. The overall effect is circular and the inter-linked letters emphasize our connection to one another. 

Question: You are an advocate for mental wellness, especially for people with disabilities. Can you share a bit more about how singing, as part of a community,  has helped you, personally? 

Jen: Yes!  As an individual that needs to manage mental illness in my daily life, I actively look for things that center me and I build strength through community. So singing is a way I help myself stay centered, whole and balanced. 

Question: What does VCS mean to you, especially through the past few seasons?

Jen: I really admired how VCS showed perseverance and kept singing through the pandemic.  Before the pandemic, we took for granted the ability to gather and sing as a group. I remember the first Zoom rehearsal during the pandemic – I was not the only member who had tears in her eyes. Maintaining song through adversity is a gift, and coming back together in person for a new season will be a joyful reunion made sweeter by the fact that we had been able to see one another and still make music. At VCS, we always come back to the circle, the community. 

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Member Registration for 2022-2023 Season is OPEN!

Our online registration process makes it easy for you to review terms of membership, get info about rehearsals and performances, and sign up to be a member. Please contact our Executive Director, Rehana Parsons (info@viennachoralsociety.org) to get more details about registration.

Reminder – we recommend that you complete registration as soon as possible. We will be placing our first order for concert music on Wednesday, August 31. If you’d like to be counted with the first order, you should complete registration by Tuesday, August 30. If you are unable to register by August 30th, registration will remain open until Tuesday, Sept 6, and you will still receive your music, at a later date.

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2022 Summer Sing
Sponsored by the Vienna Choral Society
Mike Horanski, Artistic Director
Register online by Saturday, July 9, 2022

Rehearsals
General Rehearsals: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (July 18 – July 21) 
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:15 PM 
Location: Fairfax United Methodist Church, 10300 Stratford Avenue, Fairfax 22030
Dress Rehearsal: Friday, July 22 
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:15 PM 
Location: Providence Presbyterian Church, 9019 Little River Pike, Fairfax 22031
Performance
Saturday, July 23, 2022 
Time: 6:00 PM Call Time, 7:30 PM Concert
Location: Providence Presbyterian Church, 9019 Little River Pike, Fairfax 22031

Registration Info: register by completing and submitting this form. The registration fee is $40.00. Once registered, order your copy of music here. Please be sure to order the SATB Score. We can’t wait to see you! 

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We’re so pleased to make our way back to the stage. And we can’t wait to perform for you in-person, in a more spacious venue, with ample parking! Click on the button below to buy your tickets or get them through VCS choir members who are singing in the concert.

Buy your online tickets here

Here are more details for the show:

DATE: Sunday, May 22, 2022
TIME: 5:00 PM 
TICKETS: $25/general admission, $20/seniors and students (15-18), Free/youth 14 and younger
LOCATION: Fairfax United Methodist Church
ADDRESS: 10300 Stratford Ave, Fairfax, VA 22030

In another happy step forward, we will once again have tickets at the door. However, please note that we will be accepting credit cards only. The box office will open 4:20 PM, doors will open 4:50 PM. Late arrivals may be asked to wait until a break between pieces. 

In the meantime, please mark your calendars for an evening of undeniable enjoyment and answer with us YES, I Have Rhythm!

Safety Protocol Note: As of now, we will ask all eligible guests to present proof of vaccination or a medical letter of exemption, and masks are optional. Please keep an eye out for any changes to our COVID and safety protocols. We’ll post them prominently on our website. If you’re on our mailing list, we’ll make sure to reach you via email as well. (Not on our list? Joining is easy. Click on the subscribe button at the top of this page.) 

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The Board of Directors of the Vienna Choral Society (VCS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Rehana Parsons as the organization’s next Executive Director. 

“I am excited to work with Rehana as a collaborative partner to bring VCS out of the pandemic and into the future,” says Mike Horanski, artistic director of the choir. “Her energy and experience will be so valuable to us as an organization.”

Parsons succeeds Sohini Baliga, who is stepping down after a decade of service. “VCS is in very good hands with Rehana,” Baliga says. “She brings to the table a multitude of business experience, nonprofit and organizational development, and a joy for the arts.”  

An avid arts education supporter, Parsons is a former choir and board member of VCS. In a note to former colleagues and fellow singers, Parsons wrote, “One sure lesson this pandemic has taught me is to embrace the unexpected. So when I learned of the opportunity to serve as the next Executive Director of VCS, I enthusiastically answered the call to embrace it. Over the course of my career, I have worked with leaders of small and large organizations to help navigate change and succeed in their mission. I’m tremendously excited to put that experience to work at VCS, at an important time of transition.” She refers to this return to the choir as “a very special homecoming.” 

Indeed, the choir has given Rehana a very warm “welcome back!” Especially Alto Nation – of which Rehana used to be a proud member.  

Parsons, a former management consultant and lawyer, has an extensive background in team building and fostering community stakeholder partnerships. In the last decade she has increasingly focused on providing strategy, problem solving, planning, and facilitation to nonprofit and public sector advocates, leaders and managers.

“We don’t just sing for us. We sing for an audience that has consistently supported the arts right through the pandemic, and is eager for more as it becomes safer to gather in-person. And we are thrilled to have Rehana lead us into this next chapter of live choral concerts this spring and summer,” said VCS board president, Catherine Michela.

Ms. Parsons begins her new role May 1, 2022. 

ABOUT REHANA PARSONS:
Rehana Parsons is an organizational development and change management expert. She comes to VCS with over a decade’s experience advising managers and executives through major transformations and helping organizations set strategic and operational plans in motion to meet their mission. Over the course of her career, Parsons has worked in the nonprofit, private and public sectors. She is skilled in organizational assessment, capacity building, stakeholder relations, grant writing, fundraising and communication strategy development. 

Parsons joined VCS in 2013 as a singer and over time has served as a volunteer and board member. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Emerson College and a Juris Doctor from New England School of Law. Parsons is a resident of Vienna and enjoys volunteering at her daughter’s elementary school; during the pandemic, she partnered with parents and school administrators to lead teacher and school staff appreciation campaigns. She also served as PTA President, and made a statement when she introduced herself to the parent community in school mascot gear. For her effort, she was rewarded with a 51% increase in parent membership and engagement during her term. 

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[pdf-embedder url=”https://viennachoralsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/CURRENT-Job-Description-for-VCS-Executive-Director.pdf” title=”CURRENT – Job Description for VCS Executive Director”]

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