2007-2008 Choir Notes

2007-2008 • 2008-2009 • 2009-2010 • 2010-2011

June 1st, 2008

A PDF version of the May 2008 Chior Notes can be found here.

April 28th, 2008

A PDF version of these notes can be found here.

It’s hard to believe that we have only two months until our Spring Concert! What a wonderful, busy year. We know how busy the spring can be so please be sure to mark your calenders now for the following important CCSC events. (Further details about Bring a Friend to Choir Practice Day and invitations for your chorister to share with friends will be distributed on Wednesday, April 30.)

MARK YOUR CALENDERS

Sunday, April 20 – No CCSC rehearsal (Spring Break)

Wednesday, April 23 – No CCSC rehearsal (Spring Break)

Sunday, April 27 – Concert Choir rehearsal

Wednesday, April 30 – Spring Flower fundraiser due

Wednesday, April 30 – High Notes Festival/Dorney Park ticket orders due (Bel Canto and Bella Voce)

HONOR CHOIR

Saturday, April 26 – NJ Honor Choir rehearsal at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. Meet the bus at Marshall’s parking lot at 7:00 am and return approximately 2:00 pm.

Saturday, May 3 – NJ Honor Choir rehearsal and concert at the JP Case Middle School, Flemington. Meet the bus at the Marshall’s parking lot at 6:45 am. There will not be a bus returning. Students should go home with their parents following the concert.

DO NOT BE LATE – the bus cannot wait!!!!

Looking Ahead

Wednesday, May 14 – Bring a Friend to Choir Practice Days

Wednesday, May 21 – Bring a Friend to Choir Practice Days

Friday, June 6 – High Notes Festival/Dorney Park trip

- Bella Voce and Bel Canto singing

Saturday, June 7 – Hospice Butterfly Release at Sussex County Community College

- Bella Voce and Bel Canto singing

- Chorister report time 3:30 pm

Wednesday, June 11 – Spring Concert Dress Rehearsal at Blessed Kateri Church, Sparta

- 4:30 pm Bel Canto & Bella Voce

- 6:00 pm Concert Choir

Saturday, June 14 – Spring Concert at Blessed Kateri Church, Sparta

- Chorister report time 6:00

- Concert at 7:00

Wednesday, June 18 – Pool Parties for Bel Canto & Bella Voce at Mrs. Mello’s home

- 4:00 – 5:30 Bel Canto

- 6:00 – 7:30 Bella Voce

Concert Choir Rehearsal Schedule for the Concert Choir South America trip

Wednesday, June 18

Sunday, June 22

Wednesday, June 25

Sunday, June 29

April 14th, 2008

The Mother's Day flower sale order sheet has been posted on the Forms and Fundraisers page. Please note that there are two order sheets in the file (one for bedding plants, and one for designer arrangements). All orders are due by April 30th. Remember, if you are interested in attending the High Notes Festival, the forms are also due the same day.

March 25th, 2008

Information regarding the High Notes Festival and Dorney Park trip has been posted on the Forms and Fundraisers page. If you are interested in attending the form is due no later than April 30th.

February 21st, 2007

On the web - www.childrenschorusofsussexcounty.com

To have your questions answered by email (preferable) – loriharden@nac.net or 973.579.7521

Wondering about a weather cancellation for CCSC? www.cancellations.com

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE CHOIR NOTES

Chiors Notes will no longer be distributed at rehersal. If you have not veen receiving Chior Notes by e-mail, please send an email, marked "Chior Notes" to Mary Lee Plate at mlplate@aol.com. Please be sure to include your name and the name of your chorister in the e-mail.

CONCERT INFORMATION

Thank you very much to everyone for helping to make our January concert a success. The efforts of all of those parents who worked by organizing things behind the scenes and those parents who served as chaperones, ticket sellers, ticket takers, and helped to provide food for as well as set up and clean up our bountiful reception are very much appreciated. The reception was marvelous and all extra food was donated to Manna House, an organization that serves lunch to dozens of hungry Sussex County residents every day.

To remember the beautiful sights and sounds of the concert, professionally recorded CDs and DVDs will be available. Details will follow. For all of those families still waiting for CDs from 12/06 and 6/07, your patience is appreciated. We will distribute them as soon as they arrive.

HIGH NOTES MUSIC FESTIVAL AND DORNEY PARK TRIP

A highlight of the CCSC year for the Bel Canto and Bella Voce choristers is our annual trip to the High Notes Music Festival followed by a trip to Dorney Park. A bus will take the choristers to the festival site where they will sing for a group of judges who will provide them with comments on things they do well as a choir and suggestions for areas where they can improve. After a brief stop at the festival, it’s on to Dorney Park. Many families make a day out of it. This year, our trip is scheduled for Friday, June 6. Please mark the date on your calendar. Discount Dorney Park tickets for family members will once again be available. Details will follow.

SINGING FOR THE SENIORS – Wednesday, March 12

The Bel Canto and Bella Voce choristers will once again serenade the senior citizens at the Bristol Glen retirement community in Newton. This performance will take place during our normally scheduled Wednesday afternoon rehearsal on March 12. Instead of rehearsing at Christ Church, parents will drop their children off and pick their children up at Bristol Glen, located off of Route 206 South just a mile or two from the church. Please be sure that your child is dropped off at Bristol Glen by 4:30. Volunteers will be available to escort all choristers into the ‘Town Hall’ room where the mini-concert will take place. After a few minutes of rehearsing, the children will begin singing for the seniors. Please be sure your child is on time!

HONOR CHOIR REHEARSALS

Congratulations to the Children’s Chorus of Sussex County choristers who were accepted into this year’s Elementary and Junior High Honor Choirs. Competition was fierce and unfortunately not all of our fine singers were accepted. Once the music for the choirs has been received, rehearsals for the Honor Choir will take place on Wednesday afternoons from 6:00 – 6:45 PM. Participants will be notified of the start date for Honor Choir rehearsals by email.

MASS of the CHILDREN PERFORMANCE

The Concert Choir will be performing John Rutter’s Mass of the Children in collaboration with the high school choirs of Morris Knolls, Randolph, and West Morris Mendham, orchestra and soloists on Friday, April 4 at 7:30 PM at Morris Knolls High School. This is a very exciting opportunity to sing a large work with these other choirs. Rehearsals for this performance are listed on the CCSC calendar that you received in September and are as follows: Monday, March 31 6:00-8:00 PM at Morris Knolls with all the choirs, Wednesday, April 2 Dress Rehearsal 6:30 8:30 PM at Morris Knolls and the performance on Friday, April 4 at 7:30 PM.

MELODIA FESTIVAL TO SOUTH AMERICA

Things are progressing well for the Concert Choir tour to South America. Next payment is due February 15. You may bring it with you on Wednesday, February 13 or mail it to Mrs. Mello at 435 Ridge Road, Newton, NJ 07860. We still have some spots open if there is anyone who is still thinking of joining the trip. Please let Mrs. Mello know ASAP. Reminder: NO REHEARSAL ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17 due to winter break for many schools.

January 15th, 2007

On the web - www.childrenschorusofsussexcounty.com

To have your questions answered by email (preferable) – loriharden@nac.net or 973.579.7521

Wondering about a weather cancellation for CCSC? www.cancellations.com

CALENDER

Wednesday, January 23 – full concert rehearsal at the First Presbyterian Church of Newton

- Bel Canto and Bella Voce – 4:30 – 6:00 / Concert Choir – 7:00 – 8:30

Saturday, January 26 – Winter Concert at the First Presbyterian Church of Newton

- Please note change in Concert Report Time for Bella Voce Choristers.

- Please bring a pick-up appetizer, snack, or dessert to share for the reception.

Sunday, January 27 – Snow Date for Winter Concert / No Concert Choir rehearsal

CONCERT INFORMATION

Rehearsal Report Times - All choristers must attend the full concert rehearsal at the Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, January 23 in order to sing in the concert. (The only exception is those Bella Voce choristers attending the Fredon School overnight field trip.) Bel Canto and Bella Voce rehearse 4:30 – 6:00 pm; Concert Choir rehearses 7:00 – 8:30 pm.

Location - The concert (1/26) and the full concert rehearsal (1/23) will both be held at the Newton Presbyterian Church, 54 High Street, Newton (the church next door to Christ Church).

Concert and Report Time - The concert starts at 4:30 pm on Saturday, January 26; choristers in Bella Voce must report at 2:15 pm and choristers in Bel Canto and Concert Choir must report at 3:00 pm. Everyone must be in full concert uniform as photos of the Children’s Chorus will be taken during rehearsal.

Tickets - General admission tickets are $5 and will be available at rehearsal on January 23 and at the door. Tickets are not needed for any young children who will be using the free nursery care offered by the Children’s Chorus.

Young Children at Concert - Because the Children’s Chorus records all concerts, all noises within the concert space will become part of the CD. You know your young child best. If your child would be more comfortable with a babysitter at home or playing happily in the nursery available at the concert rather than sitting very quietly in the concert space, out of consideration for all of the choristers and other audience members, please use those options. Free babysitting will once again be available for children of all concert attendees.

Reception - There will be a reception following the concert in the church’s main hall. Please remember, each family is asked to bring a pick-up appetizer, snack, or dessert to share.

CONCERT HELP IS NEEDED

Three additional concert chaperones are needed to sit with the Bel Canto and Bella Voce choirs at the concert during the time they are not performing. This gets you a free, front of the church premium concert seat next to some of the best kids in the area. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Lori Harden – loriharden@nac.net. (Thank you to Jim Kleindienst for always volunteering for this duty.)

CHIOR SNACKS SUSPENDED

It’s important that we allow the choristers a bit of time to socialize during our afternoon rehearsal time. Although we have done this socializing over a group snack, we will be experimenting with doing this socializing over a drink of cold water instead. This year we have struggled with having a number of weeks without volunteers to bring snacks. There are also valid concerns that the snacks interfere with dinner appetites. Please be sure your chorister has an afternoon snack prior to coming to rehearsal and our cold water break instead of a snack break will help your child have a better appetite for Wednesday night’s dinner.

Thank you to all those parents who have brought snacks and all those parents who have volunteered to bring snacks. Thanks also to Brenda Breitz, our volunteer Snack Coordinator. Although we can expect to hear some moaning and groaning from the kids, this new policy will keep us all healthier in 2008!

IN THE EVENT SNOW POSPONES THE CONCERT

If bad weather on Saturday, January 26 forces us to use our snow date of Sunday, January 27, the cancellation will be announced on www.cancellations.com and report times on Sunday , our snow date, will be as follows

For Snow Date on Sunday, January 27 only –

4:15 pm – Bella Voce reports

5:30 pm – Bel Canto and Concert Choir reports

7:00 pm – Snow Date Concert

December 31st, 2007

Wednesday, January 2 – first rehearsal for 2008. Welcome back!

Wednesday, January 23 – full concert rehearsal at the First Presbyterian Church of Newton

- Bel Canto and Bella Voce – 4:30 – 6:00 / Concert Choir – 7:00 – 8:30

Saturday, January 26 – Winter Concert at the First Presbyterian Church of Newton

- Please bring a pick-up appetizer, snack, or dessert to share for the reception.

Sunday, January 27 – Snow Date for Winter Concert / No Concert Choir rehearsal

CONCERT INFORMATION

Rehearsal Report Times - All choristers must attend the full concert rehearsal at the Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, January 23 in order to sing in the concert. There will be no exceptions. Bel Canto and Bella Voce rehearse 4:30 – 6:00 pm; Concert Choir rehearses 7:00 – 8:30 pm.

Location - The concert and the full concert rehearsal will both be held at the Newton Presbyterian Church, 54 High Street, Newton (the church next door to Christ Church).

Concert and Report Time - The concert starts at 4:30 pm on Saturday, January 26; choristers must report at 3:00 pm in full concert uniform.

Tickets - General admission tickets are $5 and will be available at rehearsal on January 23 and at the door. Tickets are not needed for any young children who will be using the free nursery care offered by the Children’s Chorus.

Young Children at Concert - Because the Children’s Chorus records all concerts, all noises within the concert space will become part of the CD. You know your young child best. If your child would be more comfortable with a babysitter at home or playing happily in the nursery available at the concert rather than sitting very quietly in the concert space, out of consideration for all of the choristers and other audience members, please use those options. Free babysitting will once again be available for children of all concert attendees.

Reception - There will be a reception following the concert in the church’s main hall. Please remember, each family is asked to bring a pick-up appetizer, snack, or dessert to share.

WEATHER CANCELLATIONS

If inclement weather causes us to cancel a rehearsal or concert, we will use the services of CANCELLATIONS.COM. A trial message has been posted. Please go to CANCELLATIONS.COM and register and confirm that you can see the trial message before December 19. If you are unable to use this service, please contact Lori Harden for alternate arrangements. (loriharden@nac.net or 973.579.7521) The following information describes ways to use cancellations.com.

• Simply go to www.cancellations.com and enter zip code 07860. You will see the list of organizations that have cancelled events. You can also check for a cancellation by entering the name of the organization – Childrens Chorus of Sussex County. This option is free.

OR

• Go to the bottom left corner of the cancellations.com page and click the “join for free” button to sign up for e-mail notifications. Follow the prompts to register. This option is free.

OR

• Register as above and then click the “Upgrade to Premium” tab to have cancellation alerts sent to your e-mail or pager. This service costs $9.95 per year.

(As always, we ask you to use your best judgment in deciding if road conditions in your area make it safe for your child to attend a rehearsal that has not been cancelled. CCSC choristers come from a very large geographic area and conditions at your home may be very different from the conditions in Newton.)

November 7th, 2007

Wednesday, 11/7 – Poinsettia/Wreath Fundraiser Starts / Avon Fundraiser Starts

Sunday, 11/11 – Next payment for Concert Choir Tour – Melodia! is due.

Wednesday, 11/14 – Poinsettia/Wreath Fundraiser Ends – all orders and payment due

Wednesday, 11/21 – No rehearsal – Happy Thanksgiving

Saturday, 11/24- Avon Fundraiser Ends – all orders/payment returned directly to Lisa Clarke

Sunday, 11/25 – Holiday Traditions Concert to Benefit Hospice at Sussex Tech

Saturday, 12/1 – Scheduled auditions for Honor Choir

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS CONCERT

• Concet will take place Sunday, 11/25 at McNeice Auditorium on the campus of Sussex Tech

• Even if you have already notified Mrs. Mello or Mr. Colarusso, please notify Lori Harden (loriharden@nac.net or 973-579-7521) if your chorister can not attend.

• Report time 12:00 noon in full concert uniform

• Choristers should have eaten lunch before arriving, we will be at McNeice Auditorium for approximately 5 hours

• Bring water bottle and snack clearly labeled with name

• Bring something to keep quietly occupied during ‘down time’ – a book, playing cards, quiet game, drawing supplies, homework, etc.

• Order concert tickets through Hospice – Linda King at 973-383-0115. All seats reserved.

• Concert starts at 3:00 pm and typically lasts 2 hours

• There will be no childcare available for younger children during this concert

CONCERT UNIFORM

Bel Canto - White button-down oxford cloth shirt, blue vest, black skirt, black tights and shoes

Boys – White button-down oxford cloth shirt, blue vest, black dress slacks, socks, and shoes

Bella Voce – Royal/black concert dress, pearls, black hosiery, Black Capezio 550 Jr. Footlight shoes

Boys - White tuxedo shirt, black vest, dress slacks, socks and shoes

Concert Choir – Black concert dress, pearls, black hosiery, Black Capezio 550 Jr. Footlight shoes

The required uniform shoes for girls in Bella Voce and Concert Choir are available at “In The Spotlights’ at the Ledgewood Mall. Mention that your daughter is in the Children’s Chorus of Sussex County and receive the discounted CCSC price of $30. The shoes tend to run small.

HONOR CHOIR

Honor Choir is a statewide program for outstanding elementary and junior high vocalists. All choristers in grades 4 through 9 are invited to audition. We encourage choristers who are invited to audition for the Honor Choir through their school to take advantage of that opportunity. Choristers who cannot audition through their school are welcome to audition through the CCSC. Auditions for Honor Choir are scheduled for Saturday, December 1 at Christ Church. Your child should have brought detailed information home about the opportunity, expectations, and responsibilities. If you need a copy of this information or if your child is interested in auditioning for Honor Choir with the CCSC please see Lori Harden during rehearsal or email her at loriharden@nac.net to schedule an audition appointment.

November 6th, 2007

You may notice many changes since the last time you visited. Among the pages updated are all choir schedules, staff profiles, archived events, and the main page. Also, the Wreath & Poinsettia sale order sheet has been posted on the Forms and Fundraisers page. All orders are due by November 14th. As always, if you notice any problems (down pages, broken links, etc) please let me know here, and I will try to correct them as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your help.

- Clinton, Webmaster

September 25th, 2007

A new version of the order form for program ads has been posted on the Forms and Fundraisers page. This is in .doc format rather than the previous .rtf. Also, on the release form concert dates have now been inputted and no longer need to be inputted manually.

September 18th, 2007

Over the next few weeks you may notice many changes to the form and function of the CCSC website. Please pardon our appearance over this time, as we strive to make the site better and more informative. If you notice any problems (down pages, broken links, etc) please let me know here, and I will try to correct them as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your help.

- Clinton, Webmaster

August 13th, 2007

A new version of the release form for the filming of concerts has been posted on the Forms and Fundraisers page. This is in .doc format and the dates for both concerts must be inputted manually.

August 1st, 2007

The chysanthemum order form has been posted on the Forms and Fundraisers page. All orders are due by September 12th.

June 7th, 2007

Congratulations to Bel Canto and Bella Voce for receiving a superior rating at the High Notes Festival and also the highest scores of the day! Way to go!!!!!!!

CONCERT and DRESS REHEARSAL

As we approach our final concert of the year, please review the following information:

Saturday, June 17 is the date of the final dress rehearsal and concert.

DRESS REHEARSAL - All singers must be at the final dress rehearsal to be able to sing in the performance. The dress rehearsal is at Blessed Kateri. You do not need to come in concert dress for the dress rehearsal.

CONCERT – Call time for all three choirs is 6:00. We will rehearse the combined songs and the alumni song. The concert is at 7:30. All choristers should come in concert dress. There is no place to change clothes.

Each chorister should bring a finger food type dessert for the reception. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes are all welcome. Please do not bring anything gooey or cakes that need to be cut. We have extremely limited space and no kitchen facilities.

Tickets are available for sale starting today. Tickets are $5.00 each.

Babysitting is available for the concert.

CCSC Concert Clothing, Shirts, and Compact discs

Please see Mrs. Mello or Lori Harje if you ordered t-shirts, sweatshirts, compact discs of the January concert, Bel Canto vests and/or skirts.

IF YOU ARE MISSING ANY PART OF YOUR CONCERT UNIFORM, PLEASE SPEAK WITH MRS. MELLO IMMEDIATELY.

BEL CANTO AND BELLA VOCE POOL PARTY

The end of year pool parties for Bel Canto and Bella Voce will be held at Mrs. Mello’s house on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. You should sign –up to bring a package of hot dogs, hamburgers, buns, drinks, paper products, salad, chips, or a dessert.

The Bel Canto party will be at 4:00 until 5:30 and the Bella Voce party will be at 5:30 until 7:00. Parents are welcome and if you have a child in each choir you can decide to come to one party or stay for both. When you sign-up what food/paper product you will be bringing, please also let us know if you will stay to help.

I am also looking for a lifeguard. If you know 1 or 2 high school students who are lifeguards, please let me know.

PORTLAND GIRLCHOIR

On Sunday, June 25, the Concert Choir will host the Portland Girlchoir in a covered dish supper and sing-in. The Girlchoir will be in New York on tour and would love to get together with our choir. (Their director, Deborah Burgess is a close friend of Mrs. Mello’s). We will have a covered dish supper and then sing for each other including 2 songs together. Parents of course are welcome to eat and listen. We will set up for dinner at 5:30, sing and then the girls will return to NYC around 8:30-9:00 PM.

REHEARSALS FOR ELON

Rehearsals for Concert Choir members going to Elon College/North Carolina will begin on Wednesday, June 21. On June 21, we will begin at 7:30 until 8:30. The remaining rehearsals will begin at 7:00 until 8:30 (regular time).

June 7th, 2007

The release form for the filming of the spring concert has been posted on the Forms and Fundraisers page.

May 22th, 2007

Auditions for new choristers and existing choristers who wish to move up to another choir within the Children’s Chorus of Sussex County are now being scheduled. Choristers entering fifth grade in September can choose to remain in Bel Canto or can choose to audition to move up to the Bella Voce Choir which is for choristers from 5th – 8th grades. Choristers in Bella Voce who wish to audition for a spot in the Concert Choir must be entering the seventh grade or higher in September. Choristers are not moved up automatically. Choristers who do not audition to move up to another choir will stay in their current choir. Currently, auditions are being scheduled for Monday, June 25 and Tuesday, June 26. Auditions are scheduled every 20 minutes from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. If your chorister is interested in auditioning to move up to another choir, please email Lori Harden at richdecorates@nac.net with your child’s name, your phone number and the appointment time and date that you prefer. You will receive a return email to confirm the time and date of your appointment. If neither of these dates work for you, please email Lori Harden for other arrangements.

If your child has a friend who attended ‘Bring a Friend to Choir Practice Day’ who would like to audition for the Children’s Chorus of Sussex County, please share this email with that friend’s parents so they can schedule an audition appointment.

Any questions?

Contact Lori Harden here.