Noteworthy News, August 27, 2021
Important upcoming dates:
Sunday, August 29, Voice Checks Due (Upload to Dropbox)
Wednesday, September 1, Deadline to send email about your height (details below)
Monday, September 27, First In-person Rehearsal, 7 pm, First Presbyterian Church (map)
A special thank you is extended to our Guest Singers who have participated these past several months with our virtual rehearsals, recordings, and events (Lift Every Voicemultimedia premier, Wintersong Concert, Masterworks Series, Summer Sings, and Vocalize & Socialize gatherings). Your contributions are greatly appreciated! This edition of Noteworthy News will be the last to include them in its distribution.
Choir members that need to complete their Voice Check recording should be sure to notice that the due date is this coming Sunday! If you have questions about the process, please send an email right away to Claire, our Operations Manager (Claire@pschoir.org) or me (president@pschoir.org). If we haven’t received your recording, section leaders will be reaching out by phone.
I will have waaaay more to write next week about our plans to ensure we engage in safe singing. (Yes, that's a tease to read next week's Noteworthy News and an acknowledgement that I don't have time at the moment to compose the paragraph or two that this topic deserves). In the meantime, Claire is preparing to order high quality performance masks for every one of our members. As you can imagine, they are in very high demand. Our Board of Directors has agreed to pre-pay for this initial order to ensure we receive the masks without delay. Choir members will be asked to reimburse this fund for the $30 purchase price (each) if they are able to. No one will be required to pay for our official "performance attire mask."
From Claire, (claire@pschoir.org): I will be ordering a specially designed "Singers Mask" for each of our Choir members. These are the masks that BYU and now the San Francisco Symphony Chorus have used to keep performing in 2020 and 2021. The masks have received superior comment in materials testing by the University of Colorado in their recent studies of aerosol dispersal and containment. The vendor advised me that the masks are best sized by the singer's height. Please send an email to me with your current height, in inches. (6 feet = 72 inches). Include if you want to order (and pay) for more than one mask. I plan on placing our order by the end of day on September 1st, next Wednesday.
Alissa recommends: Please remember that the Let's Get Ready To Sing Again voice lessons series is still available on the Members page of our website where you can pick and choose your favorite vocalizes.... Click on the tab then scroll down the website page. Pro tip: these exercises will also help with “Voice Checks" for returning PSC members.
Some folks have asked about the availability of a link to easily add the official PSC calendar to their Smartphone, whether it's Apple iOS or Android. (Click here) This uses a global file type for shareable calendars, ical. Depending on your device, you may be prompted to download a file -- that's ok in this case! By linking your device to our online calendar, rehearsal dates and other important PSC events should automatically appear and update.
And finally, I am sad to learn of the passing of two former PSC members: Tenor Joe Sundstrom and Soprano Elaine Stevens. Joe sang with us during most of the Steven Zopfi years. We have not located a published obituary and his funeral service was held earlier this month. Elaine sang with PSC from 1971 to 1983, during the conducting reigns of Frank Holman, David Wilson, and Bruce Browne. Here is a link to her obituary.