Monday, 11 May, 2015
Hello!
It’s been an “interesting” seven weeks.
In mid March, after we had sent materials for our second Encore! experience, we received a message from Pastor Brown at Hallowed Hills, site of last summer’s Encore! He informed us that renovations needed to be completed before the camp could open. While he thought they would be open by August, he couldn’t guarantee that. We immediately began to research other possibilities in case Hallowed Hills was not a viable option. On April 27 I received a phone message from Pastor Brown, relaying his disappointment and letting us know that their board has announced that the camp will be closed this summer.
Because we’d known for some weeks that Hallowed Hills might not work, we consciously did not do the normal follow up with potential singers. It did not seem right to continue to promote something that might be at a different location and at different dates. Therefore, Encore! applications are understandably fewer than last year.
With all things considered, we’ve made this decision: this year’s experience will be a Cardinal Chorale Music Workshop. We will choose the new Chorale and alternates, recruiting as necessary, and hold it on the campus of Muskingum University in New Concord, July 26-30. All staff members are volunteering their time. That gift, and the shorter time frame, will allow us to honor the announced fee of $375.
To say that we are excited about this new chapter would be an understatement! Muskingum’s beautiful campus, proximity to I-70 and I-77, campus security personnel, new music building, air-conditioned residence hall and dining hall, performance venues, and concert grand pianos will be an ideal setting to develop the 21st edition of the Chorale. Not since the rehearsal week before its 1998 European tour has the Cardinal Chorale had this kind of opportunity to develop as an ensemble, learn so much new music, and do some fine tuning.
Muskingum will also be “home” for Encore! next summer: tentative dates are July 10-17, 2016.
Instead of a hiatus, this lateral move will give us the opportunity to explore Muskingum’s resources, take PR pictures of the Chorale and staff on campus, and inspire us to be enthusiastic ambassadors for the 2016 Encore! Honors Choir experience.
While the Cardinal Chorale has developed an enthusiastic following for its week-long June tours, the only other Chorale commitments are this summer workshop, a traditional post-Christmas concert in Pickerington, and a February reunion weekend in Coshocton. It’s a schedule that even busy college singers can handle.
If you want to be considered for the new Cardinal Chorale and attend the Chorale Workshop, please complete the online application: http://goo.gl/forms/m3tZSswCSt by May 25. Even if you have completed an Encore! application you will need to complete the online form to confirm that you are available for these new dates. Unlike some other applications, it does not require your choral director’s recommendation or signature. If you cannot open the form or if you have questions, please email: thecardinalchorale@gmail.com or call us: 740/623-0554. All who apply will be contacted about the simple audition process.
I hope you’re as excited about this news as we are! Please share this news with others who may be interested.
Come, lift your voice and sing!
CRS
Charles R. Snyder