Vienna Choral Society

TwitterFacebookYoutube
  • Home
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Join Us
  • Friends of VCS
    • Support
  • Donate
  • About

Because I “Loves You Like A Rock”

April 15, 2014

When we ask members why they sing, the most common answer is, “Because it makes me happy!” Then there are the longer and ramblier answers that echo what Victor Hugo said. That “music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” Those words are apt for an email we got over the weekend, one the singer said was difficult to write, but worth sharing:

loves you like a rock

image courtesy of Kate Ter Haar

Ever since my Mom came to our Coffee Shop concert, when we say our goodbyes she says, “Loves you like a rock.” We laugh about it, but we used to just say, “Bye”.

My Mom and Dad grew up in “unloving” families (stepmother, orphan).  As a society gentleman in an Anne Perry Victorian mystery novel said, “If you do not grow up with a sense of love, or expressing it, it is hard to get the hang of it later in life.”

Mom is elderly, and a little slow, I am in my later fifties.

We are just now getting the hang of it, but only because of that concert. Who says you are ever to old to learn?

~ Anonymous

Indeed.

Tagged With: coffee house concert, loves me like a rock, paul simon, victor hugo, why we sing

Coffee House Concert: Instigate!

October 10, 2013

Robert and George Cruikshank, "MIDNIGHT. Tom & Jerry at a Coffee Shop near the Olympic," Life in London; or, the Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq., and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom, Accompanied by Bob Logic, the Oxonian, in their Rambles and Sprees through the Metropolis (London, 1820-21). Courtesy of The Ohio State University Rare Books and Manuscripts Library.

Robert and George Cruikshank, “MIDNIGHT. Tom & Jerry at a Coffee Shop near the Olympic,” Life in London; or, the Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq., and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom, Accompanied by Bob Logic, the Oxonian, in their Rambles and Sprees through the Metropolis (London, 1820-21). Courtesy of The Ohio State University Rare Books and Manuscripts Library. via David A. Brewer

Admit it. You saw the words “coffee house concert” and thought mellow, warm, non-taxing music. You know, the kind they play in a coffee house, especially on a rainy drecky day like this.* A Kenny G-esque muzak version of “My Heart Will Go On (and on and on and on….),” anyone?

Well, think again. For that is not what our fearless leader, Jennifer Rodgers Beach has in mind. Nuh-uh. Here’s a sneak peek from the concert program, in her words:  [Read more…]

Tagged With: coffee house concert, david a brewer, instigation, kenny g, mark corfman, muzak, my heart will go on and on, ohio state university rare books and manuscripts library, season tickets, titanic

It’s October! AKA Concert Month

October 4, 2013

Jennifer Rodgers Beach leading rehearsal.

Jennifer Rodgers Beach leading rehearsal.

And this week, with the arrival of October, we reached what Jennifer Rodgers Beach calls the “end of the beginning.” Meaning, we’re in concert month, we’ve gone through open rehearsals, we’ve sung the music a few times, we are now in note-pounding territory. Which means it’s time to report on the one-liners and random moments of rehearsal that are amusing even as they make no sense out of context. Here’s a sample from the October 1, 2013 rehearsal:  [Read more…]

Tagged With: coffee house concert, friends of vcs, government shutdown

Coffee House Concert: Counting Down and Buying Tickets!

October 1, 2013

Coffee_Poster

Artwork by Steven Keen of Keen Method

Here it is folks! The poster and details for our season opening concert, Coffee House Concert, at 7:30 pm, Saturday, October 26, 2013 at UUCF.

Tickets are now online.

All tickets, including SEASON TICKETS are available online until the morning of the show, after which we’ll have them at the door.

And if you’d like to become a Friend of VCS for some fabulous benefits – our fun decal and reserved seating, anyone? – you can still do that too.

We’ll have more details about the concert next week but here’s what you need to know: We’ll sing much loved contemporary pieces from The Beatles to Billy Joel, with The Turtles and Cindy Lauper thrown in for good measure. Oh yeah, and a good caffeine buzz and nibbles courtesy of our local partners – Caffe Amouri and Whole Foods Vienna.

Humming and candle apps of your choice are most welcome.

Tagged With: billy joel, caffe amouri, caffeine buzz, candle app, cindy lauper, coffee house concert, friends of vcs, reserved seating, season tickets, the beatles, the turtles, whole foods vienna

2013-14 Season Poster!

August 23, 2013

Season_Cover3_Web

Tagged With: caffe amouri, coffee house concert, concert for a cause, jennifer rodgers beach, light and dark, lullabies from around the world, pdq bach, steven keen, vienna choral society

Thank You!

May 28, 2013

We have finally wrapped up our 2012-13 season. And what a season it was! We danced at “Swing!”, we did an old-fashioned Yule at the holidays, we held an ambitious multi-medium concert for a cause with “Music Of The Storms” – one of our best attended ever, and finally the BHAG* of “Opera For The People” with The Reston Chorale.

Thank you – for coming out to see us, for supporting our creative leaps of faith, for being such a wonderful audience.

In case you’re wondering though, there is no rest for the wicked. We dived right back into things for the summer. Which is why you saw us over the weekend at ViVa! Vienna!

It’s also why you’re going to see us at the Vienna Farmer’s Market and – we’re REALLY excited about this one – the Tinner Hill Blue’s Festival, where we’ll kick things off with the national anthem. We’ll do both of those June 8. But hey, come see us at the Farmer’s Market in the morning, and Tinner Hill at Noon. There’s plenty of time in the day to do both!

We’re also very pleased to bring you the vocal workshops this summer. We’ll have three options – June 29, July 27, and August  24. Tickets will be available through our Eventbrite page. Tickets will go on sale in early June for all three dates. And we’ll have posts and information on what you can expect from the workshops, and how they’ll be structured – probably in mid-June. So be sure to check back.

And finally, we’ll have the season kick-off on August 27, which will lead us into the 2013-14 season. And boy what a season we have planned for you!

October 26: Coffee House Concert

October 29, November 5, 12: Open Rehearsals

December 21: Concert For A Cause – Light And Dark

January 7, 14, 21: Open Rehearsals

March 15: Family Friendly Concert – Lullabies and Children’s Stories

March 18, 25, April 1: Open Rehearsals

May 24: Parodies and PDQ Bach

And there you have it. Come see us sing, won’t you? 

(*BHAG = Big Hairy Audacious Goal)

 

 

Tagged With: 2013-14, children's stories, choir, coffee house concert, concert for a cause, family friendly concert, jennifer rodgers beach, light and dark, lullabies, non-audition, parodies, pdq bach, tinner hill blues festival, vienna, vienna choral society, vienna farmer's market

About

Welcome to VCS! We are a teaching, non-audition choir where all voices and skill levels are welcome. We invite you to learn more about who we are, what we do, and if there's a place for you in our choir.

More questions? Drop us a line at

Click here for our terms and conditions

For Singers

Active choir members, find what you need here for rehearsal tracks, registration and dues, any membership updates, section leader information, Friends of VCS info, and more.

Contact

703-349-7150

PO Box 310, Vienna, VA 22183

Sponsorship

Would you like to sponsor us? We have a loyal, growing, diverse, educated, and discerning audience that considers it worth supporting the arts. Be part of this community! Email us with the word 'sponsorship' in the subject line at

© 2021 Vienna Choral Society • All Rights Reserved • Terms & Conditions