Greetings Everyone!

Hope you are all enjoying the summer and have managed to keep your cool in the midst of all the hot, muggy weather. It is almost time to start singing again, and I hope you are all primed and ready for what will be a very exciting choir season.

Our first choir practice will take place on Monday, September 12 at 7:30 p.m. We are rehearsing again this season at the Salvation Army North Toronto Community Church, 7 Eglinton Avenue East.

Our Christmas/Holiday concert, Gloria, will be on Friday, December 2, and we will be returning once more to the fabulous Celebration Hall at Eglinton-St. George¹s United Church, 35 Lytton Boulevard. As many of you know already, this concert will feature Vivaldi¹s Gloria as well as other
seasonal selections including our traditional carol sing along. Our community service concerts will start in November and go right up to Christmas, with a few hardy Choristers even going out on Christmas morning to share songs of the season.

Please mark your calendars right now with the schedule of mandatory rehearsals leading up to our December 2 concert date:

	Monday, November 14
	Monday, November 21
	Monday, November 28

Choristers must attend these three rehearsals if they want to perform in the December 2 concert. If you are unable to attend one of these required rehearsals, tell me as soon as you can, because I need to know who will be performing for my planning. And even if you cannot take part in the December
2 concert, don¹t forget you can still participate in any of our Community events. These performances are integral to our mission and close to the hearts of many. We want as many Choristers as possible to be at these community events and I would like you all will be able to take part in at least 1. Also, remember that full attendance at any term¹s community performances entitles you to attend the Appreciation Soiree!

We will be working out the schedule for sectional rehearsals during September. There will be 4 rehearsals for each section before our December 2 concert. As usual, you will be receiving taped vocal parts to help you master your parts. With a mere 8 choir practices prior to the mandatory rehearsals, we rely greatly on the sectional rehearsals to help us learn the music so we can sing with confidence.

Looking forward to May 2006, we will be presenting Opera, anyone?. This concert will feature a fully staged performance of Benjamin Britten¹s one-act opera, Noye's Fludde. This opera is based on the medieval Chester Miracle Play that recounts the story of Noah and the Ark. Britten wrote it to include children¹s choir, children¹s recorder ensemble, youth orchestra, bell ringers, percussion ensemble, trumpets and organ, and there is even a part for the audience! We will be constructing sets and costumes, working with a dramatic director, and immersing ourselves in the world of opera. The rest of this concert will include famous operatic choruses from Handel to Verdi. Opera is enjoying a tremendous renaissance, and we will join the excitement!

Hope you all have been having a great summer, and I look forward to seeing you on September 12.

November 27, 2005 (Sunday) 2:00 p.m.	Choir Community Concert MOMIJI 3555 Kingston Road
November 30, 2005 (Wednesday) 6:45 p.m.	Choir Community Concert Castleview-Wychwood Towers 351 Christie Street
December 2, 2005 (Friday) 8:00 p.m.	Fund-Raising Concert GLORIA: A Holiday Concert Eglinton - St. George's United Church 35 Lytton Boulevard
December 5, 2005 (Monday) 7:00 p.m.	Choir Community Concert Ewart-Angus Home for Early Alzeimers 268 Merton Street
December 10, 2005 (Saturday) 2:00 p.m.	Choir Community Concert Cedarhurst Early Alzeimers
December 12, 2005 (Monday) 7:00 p.m.	Choir Community Concert Providence Healthcare
December 17, 2005 (Saturday) 3:00 p.m.	Choir Community Concert The Westbury Chronic Care Facility
December 19, 2005 (Monday) 7:00 p.m.	Choir Community Concert Erin Meadows Senior Residence