NEWSLETTER
Week of September 23, 2003

Dear Choirmembers and Parents:

Thank you all for your wonderful singing this week!

NEWSLETTERS: There is a newsletter each week--even if there's not much new news!!
I email to everyone on the roster on Tuesday (sometimes Wednesday morning). There will be hard copies of the newsletter available at rehearsals for those who don't receive email. Please be sure to ask for a copy if you need it. Thanks!

ROSTER OF CHOIRMEMBERS--names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses: A roster has been compiled based on the information you gave us--please let us know if there are corrections. Thanks!

REGISTRATION FORMS AND TUITION PAYMENTS: If you have not already completed the registration forms, please do so this week and turn in along with tuition. We need to receive four forms--consent form, medical release form, membership agreement, roster information.
Thanks very much!

VALLEY REHEARSAL ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 WILL BE from 4:30-5:30 p.m.!!
Touring Choir need not attend rehearsal on Wednesday, September 24. I would appreciate the assistance of the TC helpers, though, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Becky Wetherell will be available after the rehearsal finishes at 5:30 p.m. for singers to order uniforms, try on used uniforms, etc.

VALLEY TOURING CHOIR will rehearse with the Jubilate on Fridays from 4:30-6:30 p.m. until October 10.

HONOR CHOIR AUDITIONS: The Northwestern American Choral Directors Convention will be held in Boise, Idaho from March 3-6, 2004. In association with this convention, five honor choirs will rehearse in preparation for gala concerts which will be presented on Saturday, March 6. The Children's Honor Choir is open to treble voices in Grades 4-8, Middle School/Jr. High Honor is open to singers in Grades 7-8 , Mid-High Honor Choir is open to singers in Grades 9-10, Men's Honor Choir is open to singers in Grades 9-12 and Women's Honor Choir is open to singers in Grades 9-12. The deadline for application is October 7. If you are interested, please contact me as soon as possible. We need to have audition tapes/CDs postmarked by October 7. (We have had several singers take part in ACDA Honor Choirs in the past--it's a wonderful experience!)

MESSAGE FROM CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH regarding Afterschool Program:
In March, 2002, Central Lutheran Church received a grant to provide a free afterschool program for neighborhood children, offering a safe place to play, homework help, healthy snacks and adult mentoring. The response to the program has exceeded our expectations, with 60 current registrations and a daily attendance of 25-30 children, ages 3-16. The Center is open Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30-5:30 p.m. and on Wednesday from 3-4:30 p.m. for middle school. Since these hours of operation concide with the practice times of ACC, we know you are often in contact with this outreach ministry of our church. Our kids are an active and often noisy group of kids, especially after being in school all day, so it's hard not to notice them! Perhaps their behavior is inappropriate at times and part of our relationship with them is to model better language and habits that will help them in school and in life. But mostly we are here to love them and accept them. We would like to invite you to get to know these children better; they have taught us much and are special gifts to us. If you happen to stay in our narthex area during practice time, you are welcome to join in with our volunteer staff. If you see a behavioral problem, please contact the staff to handle the situation rather than intervening yourself (unless it is critical!). We know the specific history of each child and we work with the School District staff to develop appropriate ways of relating to each child, appreciating their mental, social and physical restrictions and gifts. Thanks! Please contact Debbie or Marcia if you have questions or would like to volunteer.

THERE WILL NOT BE A SATURDAY REHEARSAL UNTIL SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25.
The October 11 rehearsal is cancelled. The Valley Performing Arts has scheduled two Saturday matinee performances of "The Sound of Music" and I won't be available until October 25. We will probably add a rehearsal in November or December as we get closer to our holiday performances.

PARENT MEETINGS: We've scheduled parent meetings to be held during rehearsals for singers next week. While the singers are rehearsing with Janet, Glennis Ireland and Becky Wetherell will hold an informational meeting for parents regarding uniforms, schedules, passing, etc. The current parent handbook will be distributed and uniforms will be available to view and try on.
The schedule for the meetings is as follows--please make every effort to attend one of the meetings. Thanks!

Tuesday, September 23: 5:00 p.m. meeting for parents of Minisingers, Mastersingers, Chambersingers in Anchorage
Wednesday, September 24: 4:30 p.m. meeting for parents of Minisingers, Mastersingers, Chambersingers in the Valley
Thursday, September 25: 7:00 p.m. meeting for parents of Jubilate and Touring Choir in Anchorage
Friday, September 26: 4:30 p.m. meeting for parents of Jubilate and Touring Choir in the Valley

INNISBROOK FUNDRAISER: Glennis has Innisbrook Wraps fundraiser packets available this week. We have until October 3 to sell items from the packets and return to Glennis. You may have friends and family order online at www.innisbrook.com . You must fill in your name and choir name and the order number: 103234. When ordering online, the orders are shipped directly to the customer and the customer is billed for the freight of the order. There is free shipping for on-line orders of $100 or more. On-line orders placed before October 3 will count towards the prize for the singer. However, orders may be placed at any time of the year and the singer/choir will receive credit for the order. These Innisbrook products are of superior quality and well worth the money spent on items which can be used personally or as gifts. Product delivery date is second week of November--about the same time we'll begin selling our holiday concert tickets!!

REHEARSAL SCHEDULE FOR 2003/2004

Minisingers, Mastersingers, Chambersingers, Jubilate must attend one rehearsal per week. Touring Choir members must attend two rehearsals per week.

Tuesday/Anchorage--Central Lutheran Church

Minisingers and Mastersingers 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Chambersingers 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Touring Choir 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Wednesday/Palmer--Trinity Lutheran Church

Minisingers, Mastersingers and
Chambersingers 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Touring Choir 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Thursday/Anchorage--Central Lutheran Church

Jubilate 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Touring Choir 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Friday/Palmer--Trinity Lutheran Church

Jubilate 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Touring Choir 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Monthly Saturday rehearsals will be held at Anchorage Lutheran Church--15th and N Streetsh for ALL CHOIRMEMBERS --Saturday rehearsals are normally scheduled on the third Saturday of the month:
October 25, November 15, January 17, February 21, March 20, April 17.

Minisingers, Mastersingers, Chambersingers rehearse from 12 noon until 2 p.m.
Jubilate from 1-3 p.m.
Touring Choir from 1-4 p.m.
Camerata from 4-5 p.m.


PRELIMINARY CALENDAR INFORMATION

September 2: Fall Semester begins
October 25: Monthly Saturday rehearsal at Anchorage Lutheran Church, Anchorage
November 15-21: Anchorage Opera's production of La Boheme (we'll have 12 singers participating)
November 15: Monthly Saturday rehearsal at Anchorage Lutheran Church, Anchorage
December 6: Valley Holiday Concert
December 7: Holiday Concert at Anchorage Museum
December 13, 14: Performance at Pre-concert event for Bonnie Rideout's "A Scottish Christmas" with Anchorage Concert Association
December 19: Dress Rehearsal for Holiday Concert at Discovery Theatre, ACPA
December 20-21: Holiday Concert at Discovery Theatre, ACPA
January 5: Winter/Spring Semester begins
January 17: Monthly Saturday rehearsal at Anchorage Lutheran Church, Anchorage
February 6-8: Participation in Choral Festival with guest conductor--John Ferguson--held at Anchorage Lutheran Church
February 21: Monthly Saturday rehearsal at Anchorage Lutheran Church, Anchorage
March 20: Monthly Saturday rehearsal at Anchorage Lutheran Church, Anchorage
April 17: Monthly Saturday rehearsal at Anchorage Lutheran Church, Anchorage
May 8: Valley Spring Concert
May 15-16: Spring Concert in Anchorage at Discovery Theatre

FEE SCHEDULE FOR 2003/2004
Semester tuition for Minisingers, Mastersingers, Chambersingers and Jubilate is: $360. Music fee is $40 per semester. Semester tuition for Touring Choir is: $480. Music fee is $50 per semester.

Tuition payments are due at the time of registration. Tuition may be paid in one payment to receive a discount, or may be divided in three payments. The first payment is due at time of registration and must include the music fee.

If paying in installments, the amount due at registration for Minisingers, Mastersingers, Chambersingers, Jubilate is: $160 and for Touring Choir is: $210. If electing to pay at once, the amount due for Minisingers, Mastersingers, Chambersingers, Jubilate is: $380;
the amount due for Touring Choir is: $505.
Families with two or more singers in the Choir program receive an additional discount for tuition--regular rate for first singer, 10% less for second singer. There are no discounts on music fee.

There are two semesters in the Choir season.
Semester I is September-December, 2003. Semester II is January-May, 2004.

JUBILATE/TOURING CHOIR:
I will need to select 12 singers from Jubilate/Touring Choir to participate in Anchorage Opera's La Boheme. Rehearsals will begin at the end of October and performances will be in November. Interested Jubilate/Touring Choir members who are interested should let me know this week!

We will plan to do another weekend tour within the State this next Spring for Jubilate/Touring Choir.

There are plans for an international children's choral festival to be held in Fairbanks this summer--July. Henry Leck's organization, the Indianapolis Children's Choir, has contacted us about involvement and preliminary plans. I'll keep you informed.

TOURING CHOIR:
We are gathering information on options for tour destination. One of them is the Tuscany International Children's Chorus Festival to be held at end of June, beginning of July. The guest conductor for this year's festival is Jean Ashworth Bartle.
I'm also gathering information on other overseas tours--hopefully, I'll have some printed material to give TC parents next week regarding options for tour.


Thank you!

with love,
Janet

Janet Stotts
Alaska Children's Choir
200 West 34th Ave. #715 
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
jstotts@pobox.alaska.net
746-3164

Choir Manager: Glennis Ireland -- glenroy@gci.net; 694-3407