Aloha everyone,

The music is here and we are ready to begin rehearsals for the fall. All we need is for the time to pass, as our first rehearsal will be Monday, August 28, at 6:30 pm at the UH-Hilo rehearsal room (click link to open Google Maps window). They’ve been working on the room during the summer, so the A/C shouldn’t blow directly on singers any more. The concert will be on the afternoon of Saturday, December 2, at First United Protestant Church (above Kaiser) in Hilo.

There will be NO REHEARSAL on Labor Day, September 4, and rehearsals will resume the following Monday, September 11.

The program will include Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen’s Magnificat (with Amy Horst as soprano soloist) and Mark Hayes’ International Carol Suites –Nos. I – III (with soloists from the Chorus). You can listen to the Arnesen here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWaQ2Fh7xzlNMYKVWLAZ8sLIv13AoM3wE, and the Hayes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbMuAa0cSzQ. (Kim is one of my Facebook friends. Although he doesn’t really know me from Adam, it was through my Facebook friendship with Joe Martin that we got him to come and conduct us in concert. Who knows what the future may bring with Kim?)

The semester dues remain at $45 and the music cost is $25. Please pay by check ($70) made payable to “Hilo Community Chorus.” Since we only had 42 singers for our spring semester, I only ordered 50 copies of the music (I usually order 60). So the music will be on a first come/first served basis. We will not save music, but if you have to miss the first rehearsal(s), you may have a friend purchase the music for you. We will order any extra copies we may need, but it may take a few weeks to receive it. Incidentally, the dues are waived for full-time college and high school students.

For those of you going with me to New York in January, I am still awaiting word from DCINY, and I’m sure that they are still awaiting word from Sir Karl. I assure you that we will have sufficient rehearsals to learn the music before we go. Meanwhile, the second $200 payment is due in mid-August, so please send me your checks made payable to “Hilo Community Chorus,” with memo note “DCINY.” My address is PO Box 383, Volcano, HI 96785. I will send them in bulk to our treasurer so he can send one check to DCINY.

I’m looking forward to a great season with some great music.

Aloha,
Tom