Hello All,

We are re-running our bulb/flower fundraiser through October 29.  The company, “Flower Power Fundraising,” is the same company we used in the 2009-2010 season.  It offers a large selection of items (bulbs/perennials/vegetables) and yields us 50% of total sales.

As before, participation is all done on-line.  Each person will place their own order and then the items will be shipped directly to you.  People can order for themselves, individually, or submit a combined order for themselves and others.  It’s simple.

Order On-Line: Visit Salisbury Singers’ Flower Power Page and place your order.  (http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=2540)

OR

Print a Product List and Order Form to collect orders and later place one large order on-line:

1.  Click on “Shop Now,” then print.  You’ll have one color page with all the items and prices,

2.  Click on “Customer Services,” and then

3.  Open up “Catalog Order Form” (lower left column under the “Downloadable Campaign Forms” heading).  This will provide you an order page with a simple fill-in grid.

It is also simple to “Refer a Friend” (here, or from SS’s Flower Power Order Page) and easily invite friends and family to participate.  Flower Power will send an email describing the fundraiser and enable them to easily and directly place and receive orders, themselves.

All the order money will go directly to an account for Salisbury Singers and, at the end of the campaign, we will receive a check for 50% of total sales.  

The web site is secure and only uses email addresses entered to send out order notices and info.  Flower Power will not sell or use the names for any other purpose.

Thanks, and sell those flowers!!!!

Jim Monroe

Salisbury Singers to Treat Audiences to
‘A Night at the Opera’
Wine Tastings, Silent Auction to Enhance Gala Concert

WORCESTER, Mass. — Salisbury Singers will perform famous choruses from Carmen, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor and more at “A Night at the Opera,” also featuring complimentary wine tastings and a silent auction, on Saturday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church, 90 Main St., Worcester.

Tickets are $20, $18 senior citizens and students, and $10 for children under 12 and may be purchased online at www.salisburysingers.org or by calling 508-799-3848. Proceeds support the nonprofit chorus, which has been providing a musical outlet for Central Massachusetts residents since 1973.

“We’re very excited about the performance and fundraiser and hope that the popular program will draw new audiences,” said Marieke Peleman, a Salisbury Singers Inc. board member who lives in Holden. “The size of the chorus and high quality of its performances make Salisbury Singers a cultural force in Central Massachusetts.”

More than 50 singers will be joined by four renowned professional soloists: soprano Andrea Matthews, mezzo-soprano Gale Fuller, tenor Ray Bauwens and baritone John Whittlesey. Michelle Graveline, Salisbury Singers’ music director, will take the podium, with Christopher Walters assisting and Lynne La Comfora and Olga Rogach accompanying on piano.

The evening will also feature a silent auction featuring fine wine, jewelry, handcraft furniture, pottery and crystal, dining gift certificates, Patriots tickets, a Worcester Art Museum memebership and more. Enjoy a private, guided nature hike up Mt. Wachusett, a visit to Tower Hill Botanic Garden, tickets to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a color consulting and decorating session, fitness training, and a spa gift set. Bidding begins at 6:30 p.m. Items are available for preview online at www.salisburysingers.org.

During an extended intermission, audience members will be invited to taste a variety of wines courtesy of O’Hara’s Wine and Liquors, 402 West Boylston St., Worcester. Owner Jim Vasiliadis will be pouring an Argentinian malbec, a German riesling, a California cabrnet and red zinfandel, a Loire Valley Bordeaux  blanc and perhaps a couple of sparkling wines. He said he is eager to introduce an Australian sparkling shiraz that received rave reviews at a recent wine dinner he hosted at the Webster House. Vasiliadis will provide a list of the wines, all available at his store, with special pricing for the Salisbury Singers’ audience.

“It’s a great partnership,” he said. “Any time something livens up the community — music, art or dance — it’s a great event.”

Plus, Vasiliadis added, “How often do you get to go out to the opera?”

Hello All,

We are re-running our bulb/flower fundraiser through October 29.  The company, “Flower Power Fundraising,” is the same company we used in the 2009-2010 season.  It offers a large selection of items (bulbs/perennials/vegetables) and yields us 50% of total sales.

As before, participation is all done on-line.  Each person will place their own order and then the items will be shipped directly to you.  People can order for themselves, individually, or submit a combined order for themselves and others.  It’s simple.

Order On-Line:  Visit Salisbury Singers’ Flower Power Page and place your order.  (http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=2540)

OR

Print a Product List and Order Form to collect orders and later place one large order on-line:

1.  Click on “Shop Now,” then print.  You’ll have one color page with all the items and prices,

2.  Click on “Customer Services,” and then

3.  Open up “Catalog Order Form” (lower left column under the “Downloadable Campaign Forms” heading).  This will provide you an order page with a simple fill-in grid.

It is also simple to “Refer a Friend” (here, or from SS’s Flower Power Order Page) and easily invite friends and family to participate.  Flower Power will send an email describing the fundraiser and enable them to easily and directly place and receive orders, themselves.

All the order money will go directly to an account for Salisbury Singers and, at the end of the campaign, we will receive a check for 50% of total sales.  

The web site is secure and only uses email addresses entered to send out order notices and info.  Flower Power will not sell or use the names for any other purpose.

Thanks, and sell those flowers!!!!

Jim Monroe

Worcester – “Requiem and Remembrance” was the title of the thoughtfully conceived program presented by the Salisbury Singers and guest artists on Sunday afternoon in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Assumption College. The requiem segment of the program was Maurice Duruflé’s “Requiem,” and the “Remembrance” segment consisted of four songs by contemporary Canadian composers.

Michelle Graveline, conductor, and the Salisbury Singers opened the program with “Remember,” a song by Stephen Chatman on a poem by Christina Rossetti, which mourns a lost love. This was sung a cappella with a lovely rich tone and clear enunciation of the words. Eleanor Daley is the composer of the second piece, “For the Fallen,” which reflects on war and its losses. The chorus was joined in this piece by a solo trumpet and solo cello, unfortunately played with inaccurate intonation which detracted from the rich harmonies sung by the chorus. Stephen Hatfield’s piece, “All Too Soon,” was a remembrance of home and was poignantly sung. 

The fourth of the group of Canadian songs was “Song for the Mira” sung by the Worcester Children’s Chorus, and what a delightful little group they were! 

Conducted by Jennifer Kane and accompanied by Malcolm Halliday on piano and Lydia Consilvio on oboe, the young people sang in tune, with precise rhythm, and with a pleasing relaxed tone. Working with their talented conductor to produce more focused vowel sounds will help them to improve. It was a wonderful experience for this group to sing on a concert program with adults and a perfect training ground to prepare future singers for choruses in the area. Kudos to all involved in this arrangement. 

Christopher Walters was the guest conductor for the Duruflé Requiem which was accompanied by the Salisbury Chamber Orchestra and organist William Ness. Kyle Siddons provided the baritone solo within the third and eighth sections of the Mass, and the Worcester Children’s Chorus sang the “Pie Jesu” segment with poise and sensitivity. Overall, the Salisbury Singers gave a competent performance, with good dynamic shadings and phrasing. However, the soprano section of the chorus did not meet the high standard set by the altos and the male voices, often sounding tentative and strained. They will need to work diligently to match the fine singing of their colleagues. Entrances in all voices, which were precise in the group of Canadian songs, were not always secure in the Requiem, so one needs to look at the baton technique of the conductor. Walters has a very unobtrusive and fluid conducting technique, which bodes well for relaxed singing, but he must be certain that the beat is precise and clear for his singers. This issue will certainly be resolved as he completes his doctoral studies. 

The chamber orchestra, as small as it was, overpowered the singing and the clarity of the text. Given the beautiful sonorities created by William Ness and the sensitivity of his playing, one wished that the organ alone had been used for accompaniment. 

Despite some flaws, the program was enjoyable and effective in conveying its message, and future programs of the Salisbury Singers are eagerly anticipated. The inclusion of the Worcester Children’s Chorus was a delightful addition and a wonderful idea. We look forward to hearing them again.

© 2010 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp

http://www.telegram.com/article/20100309/NEWS/3090387

A reminder that Dress Rehearsal begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday,  March 5.  It is asked that you please not interrupt Chris by asking him to repeat specific parts during the rehearsal.

Ticket money and unsold tickets are also due at this time.  Tickets may still be purchased on-line with Paypal.

Dear Chorus,

We are excited to share with you several significant changes to our means of communicating and connecting with our members and audience.

First of all, this email reflects our new email template. It improves our public presence by adding continuity to the look and feel of our web site and other means of correspondence. Internally, we’ll be using it to communicate with you about chorus news and information. Publicly, we will use it to disseminate notices of upcoming concerts and season-related information to email list subscribers. The “Forward to a Friend” link (see here, below) makes the information even easier to share.

In addition, SS’s web site has been enhanced. Most notably, it is now possible for visitors to self-subscribe to SS’s mailing list (http://salisburysingers.org/mailinglist.html) AND purchase tickets online (http://salisburysingers.org/performances.html). These features will allow SS to easily grow and maintain a valuable list of emails and collect basic, useful information, such as name, number and zip code.

Last, but not least, Salisbury Singers, Inc. now has a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salisbury-Singers-Inc/307325189557. Visit and become a fan!

More will be explained at tonight’s rehearsal, but there’s no need to wait. You can help SS broaden its audience and financial base now by sharing news about our website and Facebook page generously, and encouraging as many as you can to join.

Yours truly,

Salisbury Singers Board of Directors

December 2009

Hi Michelle,

It was a real pleasure to make music with your marvelous chorus not once but three times! I feel so blessed. It can’t get any better than this. Thank you very much for all your great training and preparing the chorus for me to enjoy.

Please extend my sincere appreciation to all the chorus members! This group sounded the best! Well balanced sections with warm sound! Bravo to you!! Have a Merry Christmas and more Happy Musical Year!

Francis

2009-2010 Season

All rehearsals, unless otherwise noted will be at our usual location
UNITED CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, WORCESTER