Time to celebrate the holidays with a concert by your favorite chorus. It's fun and it's free so join us on the 15th!

Summer fun

We took a break from rehearsing for our September 8th concert last week and held our annual choir picnic at Golden Gardens. We had a little more sun than last year and the temperature was a bit warmer but it was still brisk at the beach. Chris B. served as grillmaster providing hot dogs for all and members brought salads, fruit and yummy desserts. Gordon brought his ukelele and strummed out a few tunes for us. Chris V. and Brandon sang in Italian. Penelope, Rosalyn and Mariah got some rounds going. Meghan brought her darling kids. It was a lovely time. And now back to rehearsals!

More pictures on Flickr!

New season, new music!

Welcome to June! Our spring concerts are over and it's time for a new season at the Market Street Singers. Did you know that we're one of the few choral groups in Seattle that keeps singing through the summer? It's a great time to come check us out if you've been considering joining us. We keep things light and breezy in the summer with a lighter music selection. This season we'll be entertaining ourselves (and our audiences, we hope!) with musical theater. We'll be singing a selection of pieces from Gilbert and Sullivan and Lerner and Loewe.

We start rehearsals for our new season this Tuesday, June 5th. Can't wait to see what Chris V has picked out for us. They Call the Wind Maria? Get Me to the Church on Time? If Ever I Would Leave You? We Sail the Ocean Blue? Three Little Maids from School Are We? The possibilities are nearly endless!

Report from Folklife

We had a great sing-a-long at NW Folklife on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day and lots of people came out early to enjoy the festival. We had more than a hundred people at the classical sing-in we hosted at noon! The music went well and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We were in a little courtyard next to Intiman Theater that had good acoustics and shade (not usually a problem in Seattle, I know, but we were happy to have it on Saturday!). It was even pretty with blooming rhododendrons and a climbing hydrangea. Thanks to Chris V. for leading, to Ingrid for playing, to all the choir members who came for participating, to the festival-goers for singing and to the weather for cooperating! More pictures on Flickr (see the link to the right) but here's what it looked like...

Another thank you!

One more thank you for the publicity from the fine folks at Ballard Market. They have our concert info up on their sign on 15th (south bound side) as a free service to the local community. In fact, we owe them thanks for years of support. Did you know that if you shop at Ballard Market, save your receipt and pass it on to your favorite choir member or bring it to one of our events, we can turn it in for a cash donation from the Market? Such an excellent program to support local non-profits. Shop local and support community arts!

One week away!

Our concert, Turn the World Around, is coming up next weekend and we've got some big publicity hitting this week. We'd like to give a huge thanks and shout out to these two supporters of the local arts community!

First, Art Zone with Nancy Guppy has a really nice promo for the concert toward the end of this week's program. It first aired last night but it will be repeated all week on Channel 21 and on KCTS 9. Or you can go to their website to stream the program any time. Nancy does great things for the arts in Seattle. If you don't know her (although, who in Seattle doesn't know her?) this is your chance to start watching her show or friend her on Facebook for regular arts updates.

And second, KING-FM will have several spots mentioning the concert and playing recordings of some of the pieces we'll be performing. (Not our recordings...not yet. Something to work for in the future.) Tune in to hear Sean MacLean on Northwest Focus, KING's show that focuses on local performances, play three of our pieces. Monday, May 14th at 8:15 he'll play "How Can I Keep from Singing," Tuesday, May 15th at 8:24, "This We Know," and Friday, May 18th at 9:45 he'll play Verdi's "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" aka "Va Pensiero." All times are approximate. I'm a huge fan of Sean's (and a "founding member" of listener supported KING-FM) so I'm pretty excited to hear him mention us.

Tell your friends about these two great programs and how they are supporting the arts in Seattle. And come to the concert next Saturday or Sunday to provide your support in person!

A little boasting about our members

We have such a great and varied group of singers in The Market Street Singers. We love finding out little tidbits about their non-singing lives. Today we'd like to boast a little about soprano, Rhiannon Held, who is soon to become a first-time (but not the last time!) published author. Her novel, Silver, will be published in June by Tor Books. They recently posted this excerpt on their website. We'll let you know where she'll be signing copies in the Seattle area as soon as the book comes out!

Michael Delos as guest soloist

Michael Delos will be singing the baritone solo in Earl Robinson's "Ballad for Americans" at our upcoming concert. In addition to an active performing schedule and private teaching, he is also an adjunct professor of voice at Cornish College of the Arts. Check out his bio on their website. We're very excited about partnering with him on this project. We hope you'll be there to hear it!

See concert details on our website!

Concert coming soon!

New season, great new music!

We had a great first rehearsal of the season last night, dipping our toes into some of the fantastic music that we'll be singing for our concert in May. The theme of the concert will be music for change, music that took a stand for some political or social cause. Sound dry? SO not true. I was choking back tears during more than one first reading of a piece last night. Of course, as an opera lover, the highlight of the evening for me was getting to work on Va Pensiero from Verdi's Nabucco, an anthem for unification of Italy when it was first written and performed. Check out this video from the Rome Opera recorded this fall to see what is means to modern Italians. Not a dry eye in the house!

Thanks to Roger in the tenor section for first posting the video on our Facebook page. Unless your Italian is really good, be sure to click on the CC button at the bottom of the player for the English translations!

Funded!

The Market Street Singers are extremely proud to announce...


WE HAVE BEEN AWARDED THE CIVIC PARTNERS GRANT FROM THE SEATTLE OFFICE OF ARTS & CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN 2012!!!

This is one of the most prestigious grants award by local government, even more so than the Department of Neighborhoods grant that we received while producing the Shilshole on the Pacific Rim concert in 2006. We don't yet know what level of support we will receive (we'll be told in January) and that may not be a huge sum, but just being selected is no small honor as it represents a meaningful endorsement by the city and our peers (a team of people who are very much in the know about music and choirs in Seattle). It also looks great to future possible grantors. Here are key portions from the city's very complimentary awards letter:


"On behalf of the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, we are pleased to notify you that based on the score you received in our peer panel review process and current budget projections, your organization is set to receive Civic Partner funding in 2012.


Congratulations! Your organization has passed rigorous review for public impact, quality and capacity by an independent peer panel of professionals with wide knowledge of the cultural sector. The city is proud to invest in your programs and services, knowing that your work is central to the vibrancy and quality of life in Seattle.


For planning purposes, you may count on Civic Partner support from the city in 2012 and are welcome to use our commitment in approaching other funders. Funding amounts are contingent on the city budget so as always, the Seattle Arts Commission, our citizen advisors and advocates, will count on your continued support in communicating the impact of these funds."

Huge thanks and kudos to everyone who worked on the grant application, especially Lucinda!

Santa Russ gets noticed!

Our own Santa Russ was featured in a post over on the Seattle Times job blog. Russ has been singing with the Market Street Singers since the very beginning of the choir, has served on the board of directors and (wearing his other, non-Santa hat) has designed and printed all our publicity posters, fliers and programs. We're so lucky to have our very own Santa...

December 20, 2011

Yule Job: Santa Russ

(Arthur & Associates)

What do you do? I have the wonderful job of having my picture taken with thousands of children of all ages while they tell me what they’d like for Christmas. It’s also a good time for me to review the "Naughty or Nice" list. Since Santa’s milk glass is always half full, I sometimes have to ask the tough questions of those who might need to convince me they belong on the "Nice" side of the ledger.

How long have you been doing that? Some would tell you I’ve been bringing joy to children for hundreds and hundreds of years. My, how time and reindeer fly! It’s a good thing I age well.

What are the most important skills or qualifications for the job? Well, as you know, there is only one Santa and my qualifications are simple: I love bringing happiness to children. Seeing the magic and anticipation in the eyes of those coming to see me is what keeps me young.

Best part of the job? Without question, the best part of the job is seeing the genuine love and excitement children have for me. Being appreciated never gets old. Best adult thing that’s happened: I partnered with a young man to surprise his girlfriend with a wedding proposal, and she said yes! Best thing about the job that happens fairly regularly: It’s when a young child looks you in the eyes and says, “I love you, Santa.” That never gets old or taken for granted.

What surprises people about your job? It can be a little harder than it looks to sit with hundreds of families in a given day, hearing their stories and having flashes go off all around you, but it’s all worth it. Could you imagine a better job than being jolly old Santa? I get to play in the world of imagination with every child who believes in me and for that, I will never get old.
--Via his elf, David Mickelson at Arthur & Associates

And if that weren't enough, his space age, top-of-the-Space Needle persona is featured in a photo gallery also at the Seattle Times. Check it out here! Super cute pictures!

Caroling photo

From a fan...

I really enjoyed the street show as well as the full chorus in the church. Here's a momento from the streets.

Best wishes, and thanks again!

Herbie Weisse

Market Street Singers Carol Market Street

Sarah C. got a nice picture of the choir caroling on Market Street after last Saturday's concert. Cold but fun!

Holiday Joy to Go Concert

Lovely little concert last night, if we do say so ourselves. The choir sang for about 45 minutes, mostly Christmas pieces with one Hannukah song as well. Then we opened up the floor for a sing-a-long. Have to say there were lots of good voices in the audience. Potential members, perhaps??? Afterwards, we reconvened in front of the Ballard Library and caroled along Market Street.

We'll be singing at the Ballard Landmark on Tuesday and the Columbia Lutheran Home next Sunday as part of our mission to use music to build community in Ballard and throughout Seattle. Happy Holidays, everybody!

The Board's Holiday Dessert Buffet

Last night was the Market Street Singers' Board of Directors' (first annual? Who knows!) Holiday Dessert Buffet. During this year's annual meeting we held a silent auction selling services to each other to raise money for the choir. The Board as a group sold spots for a dessert buffet at Barb and Ed's beautiful Magnolia house. Board members provided an array of desserts, wine, coffee, punch and hot chocolate. It was a lovely evening and a great fundraiser. Special thanks to Barb and Ed for hosting!

Holiday Joy To Go -- the Poster!

TMSS 2011 Annual Meeting

I'd say that Tuesday's annual meeting was a success by any standard. We accomplished all the business we needed to get done with a minimum of fuss (or boredom). We ate yummy pizza, tasty veggies and delicious desserts (kudos to the cooks and bakers!) The silent auction went off beautifully (again, kudos to everyone who donated services and everyone who bought them!) And we even got in a little rehearsal time. Props to Kate for keeping everything so organized and moving along and to all those who pitched in to help with set up and clean up and everything in between. Pictures from the evening are posted on Flickr but here are a couple to get you to click through.

Very belated picnic pics

I realized recently that I never got around to posting the small number of pictures I took at the picnic this summer. I just added them to our Flickr group so you can go see us shivering at Golden Gardens in July. Here's one to get you started. I love the expressions on these faces...

 

Future performance suggestion?

As I promised the board, I plan to post occasional bits or fun as well as news about the choir. This video has been making the rounds lately after being picked up by Gawker.com. Once you watch it (it is pretty funny) be sure to click through to http://laolaiqiaogaga.blogspot.com/ and read the translation of the lyrics and the comentary about Chinese culture. So interesting!