Winning Soloists
Let’s hear it for our winning soloists!

Chuck Pereau ..”Stardust”
Vicki Fuggi……..”Summertime”
Janet Dwyer……….”Where Have All the Flowers Gone”
Star Warford …….”Come Rain or Come Shine”
Linda Ewoldt ………”George M. Cohan Salute Soloist”

      Carol Smith did a great job in managing the April 1st auditions.  She arranged for Jackie Rouden, Marilyn Wagner, and LaVonne Cahill of “The Harmonaires” to help Doug Custance serve as audition judges; she set up the audition schedule for 21 candidates; she made all the necessary contacts; and she helped move all 21 candidates through the audition room in just a few minutes over an hour.  Let’s hear it for Carol Smith!
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In addition to the four solo performances there is a whole list of entertainers highlighting our chorale renditions.  The Laguna Hills High School Flag Team will present colors, there will be a Guest Reader, the “Shirts and Skirts Square Dancers” will perform, and guest instrumentalists will include guitar, bass, and drums.  In addition uniformed representatives from the U.S. Armed Services will mount the stage as we sing their theme songs.    
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WITH THIS LINEUP OF TALENT  IT’S EASY TO SELL TICKETS!

“WE CELEBRATE EDUCATION”
as we
"CELEBRATE AMERICA"

      For many years the Chorale has given Scholarships to music students at Saddleback College and this year is no exception - two more $500 Scholarships will be awarded to Saddleback music students chosen through the Saddleback College Foundation.  New to the Chorale this year, though, is locating a musician actively involved in the field of Chorale Music who is still in the process of paying off student loans.  Janet Dwyer, Chairperson of the chorale Scholarship Team, has located that candidate by finding Ms. Donna Beccia., a Student Teacher at El Toro High School. 

Ms. Beccia will be honored at our “Celebrate America” concert when she is introduced and as she directs the Chorale for our rendition of “God Bless America” during the concert. 
Chorale funds have been sent to Alliant University in San Diego to give one thousand dollars worth of scholarship assistance to Ms. Beccia.  Since she teaches locally the Chorale and the audience will benefit from the expertise gained through her musical education.     

On May 15th Chorale Board Members Janet Dwyer and Carol Andrews will be on hand to witness the presentation of the two scholarships during the annual Saddleback College Students Foundation Reception and Awards Ceremony. 

www.villagechorale.com
BY KEN MIN, PUBLICITY CHAIR

Our website has a tremendous capacity, having the chorale schedule updated, special announcements posted, copies of newsletters stored, chorale handbook information listed, officers information shown, etc.  Our website also enables such as sharing photos, favorite music recordings, favorite video recordings, sheet music pieces, etc.  If there are any favorite things to share with our chorale members, please contact Ken to coordinate sharing scheme through our website.  Do not put your favorite things on your book-shelves.  Put them on the website.  This website, owned by the Village Chorale and cherished by all members, is a modern-day communication medium, hopefully linked to everybody’s health.

A FOURTEEN THOUSAND SORT DAY

      FOURTEEN THOUSAND!  That is the number of octavos which must be located, handled, organized, and filed to close out the semester!  Our Library Chairperson Karen Min has been on the job every week making sure you have your copy of music in hand as needed.  Betty Denton has taken responsibility for being sure each new purchase is identified with our name, the file number, and the copy number.  And now “Bravos” to Jeanette Rice who has taken on the overwhelming responsibility of getting fourteen thousand pieces of music back into our files. 
SORT DAY!  That is the day Jeannette will be leading us through the process of getting everything back in order. It will happen on Tuesday, May 27th at 2:00 p.m. in the CH3 rehearsal room!
Things everybody can do to help: 

1.  Sign up to help.  Look for sign up sheet on sign-in table.  
2.  Exit right when leaving the stage after the concert so you can remove your music from the folders and drop it into the boxes which will be ready at the foot of the stairs.
3.   When you run across Chorale members who for any reason will not be dropping their music in those boxes ask them if they have turned in their music.  This may eliminate a lot of follow up to locate “lost” music.

After a short illness our friend and fellow chorale member, Grace Verte, passed away in April less than a month before her May 22nd birthday.
        Grace was born in Vienna, Austria and lived in New York City and Sedona, Arizona before moving to the Village.  She enjoyed all the activities available to her here in Orange county and especially enjoyed the flowers and the climate.  Her friends, long term and new, were very important to her.   
        Grace took piano lessons as a child and then again briefly in her 20s.  She became interested in choral sounds while at a Lincoln Center “Messiah” sing-along. Then after attending a Village Chorale Concert for the first time in December ‘07 she  joined us in January ’08.  She hoped to have a future learning  more about singing.  By mid-February she expressed her pleasure at already having gained from the experience.  She said “I feel that I have found my voice, after a few mishaps in my life.”  She was thoroughly enjoying the new experience. 
        Interesting sidelights about Grace:  She once shook hands with Dali.  “The Highly Sensitive Person” was top on her next-read list.  She loved fruit, blueberries, and éclairs, claiming she could eat them all day!  She thought the hippie generation should be described as “Love Without Power.”
        Even in the few weeks we started getting to know her, before her illness began keeping her away from rehearsals, we could tell Grace was a significant person to know and a good friend to enjoy!
        We will miss you Grace Verte!

News bits

 1. The count as to whether to finish the year with hot-dogs after the concert in Clubhouse 1 or at a Tuesday afternoon patio party ended as a tie.  As we go to print the Board vote is yet to be determined so watch for upcoming announcements before making plans for where you will be  eating hot dogs that week end!  There are still door prizes to be given away so don’t miss it either way!  

 2. All four officers elected at the April annual business  meeting are returning to positions held during the F’07/S’08 year.  Congrats to Pres. Carol Andrews, Vice Pres. Marlyn Chan, Sec. Vicki Fuggi, and Treas. Maribeth Clausen.

 3. She’s back!  Monica Gomez from Mechanical Mann,  that is!  She brought a check and  a table full of goodies in February. And she is back today with more of the same!  We REPEAT . . . “And don’t we love it?”

4. Julie Matonic has done a superb job this year as Performance Team Chairman and Board Member.  Among her tasks has been locating and following-up contacts with  guest instrumentalists.  As well, she was undaunted in searching for veterans to appear in our concert and groups to handle post-concert events.  High five to Julie! 

5. Its “Get Paid to Eat” time again!  Ann Cullinane has made arrangements for our next Rebate Event to be held Wednesday, May 14th at the Bon A Pita Café and Grill (between Vons and the Methodist Church) on Moulton Pkwy.  Pick up your flyer on the sign-in table.  See you there!

 6. Sixteen Chorale members trekked to Garden Grove on Saturday, May 3rd for a mini concert at the Garden Grove Assistance League.  The group sang “This Land’ is Your Land,”  “God Bless America,” and “This Is My Country.”  There were great solos by Soprano Janet Dwyer and Tenor Chuck Pereau.  And of course the closing “Go With a Song in Your Heart.” 
Sopranos beside Janet were Carol Andrews, Carol Axel, Maribeth Clausen, Karen Min, and Mary Young.  The alto section consisted of Marlyn Chan, Lennie Habenicht, Julie Matonic, Margie Sutton, and Star Warford.  Ken Min and Chuck Pereau were the two tenors and Al Gross, Larry Irion, and Del Matonic handled the bass parts.

May

Sat,  3    Small Group Performance at
             Garden Grove Assistance League 2:30 p.m. 

Sun, 4         Happy Anniversary!  Janet Dwyer

Mon, 5         Happy Birthday!  Joe Castro

Tue, 6     Ticket Sales Today 1:30 – 2:00 & 4-4:30 p.m.
              Chorale Rehearsal   2 – 4 p.m.

Thu, 8          Happy Birthday!  Star Warford

Fri, 9           Happy Anniversary!  Ken & Karen Min 

Sat, 10           Happy Birthday!  Grace Lin

Tue, 13   Last Day Ticket Sales 1:30 – 2:00 / 4-4:30 pm
             Chorale Rehearsal   2 – 4 p.m.

Wed, 14 REBATE EVENT Bon A Pita 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
               Happy Birthday!  Florence Friedman

Tue, 20   Chorale Rehearsal   2 – 4 p.m. 

Wed, 21      Happy Anniversary! 
                   John & Dorothy Stevens 

Fri, 23    Dress Rehearsal   1:30 – 5 p.m. 

Sat, 24   “Celebrate America” Call 1:00 p.m.
               Concert    3:00 p.m.

Tue, 27   ?Patio Party & Hot Dog Roast?  TBA 
            Music Inventory Workday Time TBA 

Thu, 29         Happy Birthday!  Adrianne Cross
             Happy Anniversary!  Mary Rose Hoang
                 Happy Birthday!  Gloria Kirbens

Soprano Janet Dwyer – Doug and Janet were married in ’04;  likes to do Yoga, walking, reading; is good at singing and cooking; is known for her smile & cheerful outlook AND for expertise at guitar; next-read: “The Secret Things of God”

Tenor Joe Castro – Joe is known for being one of our favorite Chorale soloists;  He claims expertise at throwing a Frisbee; does not like politics; favorite author is Poe; favorite magazine is “Road and Track”; favorite team: USC 

Alto Star Warford – did first stage solo at age 4 -  sang ever since; is widowed/divorced; has 2 children; is into computers; shook hands w/Dave Brubeck; says re: hippies – “they copied us beatniks”; would like training as: physicist

Soprano Karen Min & Tenor Ken Min – both are Board Members; lived in Cleveland, Ohio; daughter Janet is atty; Karen likes gardening; Ken shook hands with Mark Price of Cleveland Cavaliers; loves fish, shashimi; Karen is the cook

Soprano Grace Lin – is new this semester; has been interested in choral sounds since high school; is married to Fong Jen Lin; born in Taiwan now lives between Gates One and Three

Soprano Florence Friedman – is widowed; starts groups: the “Niftys,” a group for widows,  etc; her kids say “You’re never home!”  Favorites: Woody Allen, nap time, the Laguna Beach ocean vista, “Yoga Magazine”; belongs to 6 clubs 

Soprano Dorothy and Bass John Stevens – married since 1954; have 2 children, 4 grandchildren; they are dependent on each other; John is chorale’s favorite photographer; favorite room – she/den, he/computer room and kitchen; 
wish trained to be:  she/teacher & he/chorale conductor

Soprano Adrianne Cross – was trained to be classical musician - choirs and piano; would be lost without her poetry & music; once shook hands with the Pope;  has plans to learn - Spanish, history, finance, etc & to read re: Renoir

Soprano Mary Rose Hoang – Bao and Mary Rose were married in ’99; next-read: “Dragon Knight”; loves oatmeal; lived in refugee camp in Malaysia; creates slide shows; is apt at foreign languages; wishes she was UN translator

Soprano Gloria Kirbens – artist – teaches & has had one man show in CH3; was Cartographer in Denver area; likes Snoopy; began learning music as a child – piano and violin; has been on Board many years; is “Annual Potluck Chair”