Choral Arts Alumni Reunion: May 1-2,  2010

Lehigh’s choral tradition celebrates 135 years!  Our 130^th was such a success, that to mark the occasion this time ­– as well as the 25^th season of Choral Union and Steven (“Doc”) Sametz’ 30^th year at Lehigh – alumni singers of the Glee Club, the Women’s Chorus, the University Choir, the Choral Union and Dolce are returning to campus May 1-2, 2010 for a weekend of singing and celebration!

No matter if you haven’t sung in days or decades, you are welcome to come back, sing, see old friends, peruse the Poop, and recapture the joy and camaraderie we share in singing.

We’re welcoming you back to take part in events on both large and small scales. Our celebration begins on Saturday morning, May 1 (see our full schedule).   The morning is a chance to reacquaint yourself with the “new” Lehigh campus and our home in the Zoellner Arts Center in case you’ve not been back for a while.   If you’re driving and can only get here by 2:30 pm, don’t worry… you’ll still be here in plenty of time!

Saturday, May 1 at 2:30 pm:  The official start of the schedule begins at 2:30 pm with a warm-up and rehearsal for the main event: our Saturday evening performance of Tchaikowsky’s 1812 Overture and Steven Sametz’s  Not an End of Loving, a new work commissioned by Lehigh Choral Union to celebrate its 25th anniversary*.  These are both short works (see details below on how to prepare) and will be on the first half of the evening’s program.  Then you are invited to sit back for the second half and enjoy Doc’s Carmina amoris, the choral symphony he wrote for Lehigh Choral Arts.

There will be an informal dinner before the concert, a moment for you to change into your concert attire, and a reception following the concert.

Sunday, May 2 is less formal and we have time to be among ourselves, tell stories, enjoy brunch, and sing favorites that you suggest from years past.  We will have a chance to sing at both the Zoellner Arts Center and in Packer Memorial Church, the site of so many Christmas Vespers performances over the years.  Jerry Bidlack, who ran the Women’s Chorus in the 70’s, will be on hand with Debra Field, the current director of our women’s ensemble to help lead sessions.  Doc will lead us, the Glee Club, and Choir alumni in favorites that honor our long traditions.  We will also have a moment to remember Robert “Boss” Cutler, who gave so much to the program over his long career at Lehigh.   And there will be a “memory room” – bring your pictures and stories!

Preparation: to help you prepare for the Saturday night performance, we’ve put several items on-line that you can easily download.

• a score of the Tchaikowsky’s 1812 Overture with the Russian in easy to pronounce phonetics.  Please note that the material on page 4 (bars 207-302) will be sung by the University Choir women alone, so you are not responsible to learn that section.
• a phonetic pronunciation guide for the Russian .  (Please don’t be daunted by singing in Russian! We’ll have plenty of time to go over this.  But the pronunciation guide – and the phonetics on the music – will help!)
• audio examples, spoken slowly in Russian by Victor and Tanya.  Simply right-click on either of these links, then click “Download [Linked] File” or “Save Target As” to save the file (and play it).
• a Youtube performance of the 1812 Overture (Part 1 and Part 2). (Doc warns us that this is not the best of performances, but will give an idea)
• a score for the new work, Not an End of Loving
• a midi file to listen to the new work, Not an End of Loving. Simply right-click on the midi link, then click “Download [Linked] File” or “Save Target As” to save the file (and play it).

Registration: Quick and easy! Please click here and sign up now for this weekend of  fun and song!  Don’t forget to register online by Friday, April 16th! If you miss that date, then registration costs for Saturday increase by $10! Online reservations will be CLOSED at NOON on TUESDAY, APRIL 27th.

Concert Attire: All Choral Arts Alumni are encouraged to wear concert dress (Black tuxedo or dark suit for men, black dress or pants suit for women).  But come as you are if you’d like…

Hotel Information: We’ve included useful hotel information for the Reunion Weekend, but don’t delay making your reservations, as time is running out to secure rooms at specially discounted rates.

No matter if you’ve been gone five or fifty years, we know singing lasts a lifetime.   You are part of the long and strong choral traditions of Lehigh.   Once a Lehigh singer, always a Lehigh singer!

We hope you’ll come back and join in the upcoming festivities.  We should make some memories and glorious music!

* The new Sametz’ work, ’Not an End of Loving’, will be premiered by Chanticleer at Zoellner Arts Center on April 17, and reprised by Lehigh Choral Arts at the Choral Alumni Reunion.