The Magnolia Chorale board of directors has met twice this summer to plan the year ahead and prepare for the season. 

•  Jean Withers continues in her second year as President.
  
• Susan Pierson is our Vice-President.
  
• Don Fuqua enters on his third year as Treasurer.
  
• Darrel Ede serves as Secretary. 
  
• Betty Ede and Patty McKeehan join Ann Macfarlane and Janet Rogge as Directors at Large.
  
• Michael Wu, who made such a contribution last year as Vice-President, has moved to San Francisco to pursue an exciting career opportunity. He has graciously consented to continue serving on the board as Webmaster, a non-voting position.
  
• Linnaea Chapman has stepped down due to the press of other commitments, but hopes to continue to sing with the Chorale. We are very grateful for her two years of service as Secretary.

The end of summer always brings a little bit of sadness. I say good-bye to mornings in my garden, time at the lake with family, and reading till I fall asleep with a book on my face. But the sadness is tempered by anticipation for what the year has to offer. Thanks to a supportive board and a loyal membership, Magnolia Chorale has great things ahead.

The feature work on our December concert is Vivaldi Gloria. My dissertation centered on Vivaldi’s choral works and so I am excited to apply the knowledge that I gleaned. Even the opening octave theme brings back the memories of seeing and touching Vivaldi’s manuscripts. I have also planned that Roosevelt High School Choir will sing Vivaldi Gloria with the Roosevelt Orchestra. To extend our outreach, we are going to sing with the high schoolers, to boost their numbers. As a new choral program, they will grow by seeing the example set by seasoned performers who love to sing.

And talking about outreach, Magnolia Chorale is reaching out to high schoolers who may want to join the Chorale every week. We are offering scholarships, two free lessons, and hands-on experience of singing with adults who are continuing their life-long learning. If you know someone who would like an opportunity like this, please have them contact me.

In the spring, we are also venturing into new territory. Songs at an Exhibition will feature choir pieces that are snapshots of Seattle life: ocean, clams, traffic, coffee…We need artists who will represent this music through painting, sculpture, pottery, or drawings. The artists’ works will be displayed at the concert. This collaboration will need a liaison between the Chorale and the artist community. If you would be interested in taking on this role, please let me know.

So much news to share! Please spread the word about the Magnolia Chorale. Invite a friend to join. Invite high school singers to apply for a scholarship. Invite artists to join us for our spring concert. As always, I am looking forward to starting each week by making music with you. See you soon.

Members who sing with us help meet some of the cost of music, instruction, venues and publicity through their financial support. The membership dues for the 2014-2015 year will be $59 per each program (fall and spring). This modest fee includes a bonus – each member will receive a CD of the previous season’s concert. You will enjoy the opportunity to listen to our complete spring 2014 performance including the glorious sounds of “Luminous Night of the Soul.”

Dues are payable when the season begins. Connect with me at our first rehearsal, pay your dues, and receive your personal CD. Remember that according to our policy, newcomers pay no fee for their first season (winter and spring performances). For continuing singers, the Chorale offers scholarships to alleviate financial hardship. Speak with any board member if you would like to take advantage of the member scholarship.

If you would like to purchase additional copies of CDs of our previous concerts, they are available for $15, the cost of production.

by Don Fuqua, Treasurer

When all of us in the Magnolia Chorale get together on Sunday, September 7 to sing, you'll likely be delighted with the programs for our coming year! Your Board of Directors certainly is. And the person to be credited with this is our own Music Director, Jean-Marie Kent.

Now that we've passed our 25th birthday, Jean-Marie will have us stepping out into our community in ways we've never experienced before. This fall, we'll start rehearsing for our usual Winter Concerts, scheduled this time for December 6 and 7. But you may see some very young [as in, high school] talent joining us, both for rehearsals and for our performances.

These singers will be students at Roosevelt High School, and they'll beef up our sections, rehearse with us each week, and sing at our concerts. It will be an opportunity for them to learn how an adult choir addresses complex, multi-part pieces of music.

Then, after our concerts, we'll join the Roosevelt choir and orchestra to perform Vivaldi's Gloria at their pre-Christmas break concert. That performance will put us in front of Roosevelt parents and students, many for the first time.

When we come back in the spring, Jean-Marie is arranging that our theme, “Songs at An Exhibition,” will be supplemented by the Magnolia artistic community. Specifically, several artists will exhibit original pieces created just for our concerts, scheduled for May 2 and 3. They'll be shown while we sing. Artists are being nominated now, so if you have one to suggest, or if you can help us organize this wonderful event, tell Jean-Marie at our first fall rehearsal, Sept. 7, or email her at jmkent18@gmail.com. It will be a unique opportunity for any local artist to show their work to an appreciative audience.

by Jean Withers, President