1. Notes for this week

• Last Monday's Meeting :
  • A very good rehearsal, with 18 singers present.
  • A good afterglow at The Corner Tavern.
• Guest Report:
  • Steve Cutlip, Vern Pike, and John Quick were back with us.
  • A new guest, Michael Thai, joined us also. Welcome Michael! He also joined us at Afteglow.
• This Saturday, August 27, is our performance at Cary's Lazy Daze town festival in downtown Cary. Our contractually mandated show up time is 10:30AM.
  • Uniform Requirement: Chorus grey golf shirt, chorus blue jeans, comfortable shoes.
• Next rehearsal is Monday, August 29 at Searstone at 7pm. Our usual location and time.
• We will not meet on Monday September 5 for Labor Day.

2. Carol's Korner

• Please keep reviewing "Prayer of the Children" as that will be part of our program for Springmoor on September 26.
• Step out quartets: In the Springmoor concert, we will also include all of the quartets and their songs that were part of  our performance at Searstone. Please take it upon yourselves to arrange quartet rehearsals for those songs.
• The songs we will be singing for the District Contest on October 15 are "Over the Rainbow" and "The Bare Necessities" so we will be singing these songs every week between now and then. Please get off of the page as quickly as possible for "Over the Rainbow" so we can really make music together
• Remind yourself to keep your body “in tonus” meaning bouyant, open, energized from the legs up. Avoid the urge to stand straight-legged and dead still, which will lead to tension and disconnection from your core when you open the throat to allow your body to draw in the air it needs to start the next phrase.
• Keep allowing yourself to sing a line of clear, forward, tall vowels that require the consonants to come forward to sing through the vowel placement.
  • Please practice staying on top of the pitch, especially on the swipes, and keep that hopeful feeling to keep the intonation clean as we head into the body of the song.
• Monday Aug 29 plan includes the following songs. The emphasis is on the Christmas songs, contest songs, and Springmoor concert, in that order. 
  • All I Want for Christmas
  • It's a Hanukkah Song
  • Merry Christmas, Darling
  • Songs of Christmas
  • White Christmas
  • Winter Wonderland
  • We Need a Little Christmas
  • Bare Necessities (already off spots )
  • Over the Rainbow

3. Future Notes

• We will not meet on Monday September 5 for Labor Day.
• September 10 is our first of 7 football concession sessions at Carter Finley stadium.  These are our most important fund raiser events of the year.  We need to provide 6 workers for each event.  The signup sheet is available now.
  • Remember that it does not have to be just chapter members working the concession. Family and friends can help out, too..
  • Tim will provide more details as we get close. Meanwhile, click Concession to sign up as you are able.
  • Here is the entire schedule, as far as we know right now:
    • Sep 10 - Kickoff @ 12:30pm    Report to work @ 9:30am
      • This is the same date as NSC District's Lakeside Harmony weekend. Note that Chapter responsibilities take priority.
    • Sep 17 - Kickoff @  7:00pm    Report to work @  4:30pm
    • Sep 24 - time TBA
    • Oct  8 - time TBA
    • Oct 27 - Kickoff @  7:30pm    Report to work @  5:00pm
    • Nov  5 - time TBA
    • Nov 12 - time TBA
• September 10 is also the district’s Lakeside Harmony Camp at the Durant Nature Preserve.  It is an all day fun event of education and singing.  The chapter obligation comes first, but after filling that you should attend this event if you can.
• September 26: Concert at Springmoor in north Raleigh.

4. Long Range

• October 14 and 15: NSC District will hold this Fall's Convention at Asbury UMC Church at 6612 Creedmoor Rd, in Raleigh.
  • Volunteering: HCA/HOC Choruses in Durham are the hosting chapter. with Jason Kekas as the Convention  Planner and Chairman. Let Nic know if you are available to help as well. 
  • Particpating: We will compete at the Convention with The Bare Necessities and Over the Rainbow. Look for future announcements about the qualifying process!
• Christmas Season:
  • Show: Dec 5 at Searstone. Full Christmas Concert
  • Show: Dec 6, a Tuesday evening, We will put on a Christmas show at the Cary Arts Center theater.   We will need to sell tickets and Ads.  Start thinking NOW about who you might want to invite or sell an Ad to. 
  • Show: Dec 19: Christmas Concert at Springmoor Retirement Community in north Raleigh off Creedmoor Rd. This is HUGE. We have performed there soooo  many times over the years, and they still invite us back. Around 7pm. Put it on your calendar now. If you are unable to participate, let Mike Muha know ASAP!
  • Community Singouts: Please be on the lookout for possible other places to sing at Christmas time. If they can't come to us, we will come to them! Just to put some context about it: We had 14 singers at our Christmas singouts in North Hills Shopping Center, while at the same time we were having only 10 or 11 at (Zoom) practice sessions! Everyone likes singouts in the public setting. Note that we will make every effort possible to schedule these for Monday evenings. We know your time during the Holiday season is precious, so to ask for another night is difficult. We hope you can keep your Monday evenings reserved for Oak City Sound throughout that season.

5. Champagne Room

• 7th Dimension was busy again this past week, giving a 30-minute performance at the Magnolia Glen retirement community. The chorus has performed there a few times in the past.