2013 crescendo
TRANSCRIPT
CRESCENDO Volume 6: 2012 - 2013, 38th Season
The Community Chorus at South Ber-wick’s 2012-2013 season was, to put it sim-ply, awesome. CCSB prepared and per-formed two wonderful concerts. The first ushered in the December holiday season with color and fanfare and included a brass ensemble, soloists, and even the audience joining in on a few pieces. The second was in early April, and celebrated choral singing across generations in a marvel-ous collaboration between CCSB and the Sandpipers Seacoast Children’s Chorus.
There are many ways we measure the success of a season.
CCSB enjoys substantial community support, as demonstrated by the success of the Friends of CCSB annual fundraising campaign in the fall. Dozens of individuals and businesses once again chose to finan-cially support CCSB. The list is impressive. The campaign provides an important part of the budget, and is a key to sustaining the program. In addition, numerous in-dividuals and businesses donated time, services, and other support without which CCSB would not be such a thriving organi-zation. This is truly broad-based commu-nity support from throughout Seacoast
Maine and New Hampshire.At concert time, it’s great to share
our music with large audiences. CCSB’s concerts are attended by hundreds of people. Our audience includes many folks returning time after time, and new folks just discovering CCSB. Audience numbers exceeded CCSB’s expectations for this
GREAT CHORAL REPERTOIRE
Editor’s Note
You know those times in your life when you pause and reflect on the meaning of life? When every word you read, every song you hear, every memory you have, seem to echo in your head the questions that are just too lofty to answer? This spring we had the opportunity to contemplate such lofty questions with words from this 4th century Sanskrit:
Listen to the salutation of the Dawn.Look to this day, for it is Life, the very life of Life.In its brief course lie all the veritiesand realities of your existence.This bliss of growth, the glory of action, the splendor of beauty.For yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision, listen.But today well lived makesEv’ry yesterday a dream of happiness, and ev’ry tomorrow a vision of hope.Look well therefore to THIS day, Such is the salutation of the dawn.
season, and that’s just great!CCSB’s chorus membership remained
strong, and grew in 2012-2013, indicating true appeal to singers. Many singers have been with the group for years, and even de-cades. Some leave and then return. It seems the word is out, as CCSB attracts new sing-ers all the time. Some have significant cho-ral experience, choosing CCSB over many other opportunities, and many simply want to participate in a strong, supportive, musi-cal organization.
There was a buzz this year about CCSB’s musical achievement. Director Harry Moon’s vision and choice of programs was as challenging as it was successfully accomplished. There was majesty in December’s "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" with brass, soloists, and chamber singers. Audience members said it was the finest holiday concert they had experienced. April’s "With Voices of Singing" was an inspiring mix of musical generations, sharing contemporary works that held unusual poignancy in poetry and sound. Finally the culture of CCSB is unique and enjoyed by all participants. Every member shares the commitment to the mu-sic, but beyond that, fellowship, a willing-ness to contribute, a sense of humor, and support for others all make membership in CCSB a pleasure. Yes, by any measure, the Community Chorus at South Berwick had an awe-some season indeed! ♪
•OurIsland
CCSB performs "With Voices of Singing", with Sandpiper’s Seacoast Children’s Chorus, at Marshwood High School, South Berwick, ME, Spring 2013
CCSB Season Summary 2012-2013
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CCSB / CRESCENDO2
CRESCENDO
Dr. Harry MoonMusic Director & Conductor
Board of Directors
William Straub, PresidentJoe Stieglitz, Vice-President
Meg Rotondo, SecretaryGretchen Straub, Treasurer
Michael Herlihy, WebmasterLiz Plante, Mailing Manager
Sue Beattie, At LargeStacey Camire, At LargeSue Downey, At Large
Elizabeth Dauth At LargeJoAnn Rohde, At Large
Staff
Marlene Hudson-Moon, LibrarianJoe Stieglitz, Concert ManagerWilliam Wieting, Recording
CRESCENDO is an annual publication of the Community
Chorus at South Berwick.
2012/2013 Contributors
Sue Downey, EditorDiane Burbank
Kate Leith, LayoutHarry Moon
Patty SchremmerDavid Snow
William Straub
CCSBP. O. Box 554
South Berwick, ME 03908www.CCSB-SING.org
Notes from the Conductor...
Crescendo!The word crescendo came into ex-
istence as a musical term sometime during the 1770-80s period in Italian musical circles. The word indicates a gradual increase in loudness or force of sound. From the Latin root, crescen-dum, it means, "to grow." The word, I believe, is most appropriate as the title of CCSB’s yearly publication Crescendo. Exposure to new and familiar choral lit-erature, and pushing the boundaries of harmony, challenge each singer to open his or her mind to new choral horizons. The result, then, is increasing exposure to new interpretations and techniques within musical realms.
Thinking in terms of growing, our society is well versed in the pursuit of continuing education. Whether semi-nars, symposiums, short-term classes, workshops, or simply independent study, the focus is on the premise of im-proving and broadening our horizons. Perhaps one can think of it as expanding
personal experience, shedding light on new ideas, and confirming past beliefs. In our CCSB community, there is an interest in improving, learning, and
confirming the ability to sing. We offer vocal workshops to these members. Those who participate find their vocal sounds vastly improved, their voice range extended, and technique developed.
The Sandpipers’ performance, in our last spring concert, refreshed our memories of early childhood singing. How important was that early introduc-tion to our growth in singing! And what joy in performing before our family and friends! For many of us, this experience has continued to grow through the years. For CCSB one way to encourage growth is the vocal workshop, a "cresecendo-ing" idea! ♪
CCSB, Sandpipers, and orchestra hard at work...and it is work! Lots of great, fun, hard, work!
Harry at Work
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Let the Children Come
Members of the Sandpipers Seacoast Children’s Chorus rehearse wirh Dr. Moon and Sandpipers director, Ms. Tamara Rozek
"Out of the mouths of babes." "Children should be seen not heard." "It takes a village to raise a child." "A child shall lead them." An assortment of proverbs, biblical references, adages; some often used, others perhaps over-used. In our case, this past spring season allowed us to interpret "children" through the poetry of a song’s lyric, the sound of angelic voices, and the tenderness of our hearts. Our joint concert with the Sandpipers Seacoast Children’s Chorus was a joy. Every adult should be lucky enough to perform with a child… it will affect you, in ways you expect and in ways you don’t.
Words typed cannot compare to the words heard. We encourage you to visit our website to enjoy two specific songs from our spring concert. Al Shlosha D’Varim (the words simply repeat the Hebrew phrase "the word is sustained by three things: by truth, by justice, and by peace.") and Let the Children Come (a song dedicated to the child victims of the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995). ♪
www.ccsb-sing.org/media.html
In the category of "really cool and important to note," this photograph completes a circle that began in 1975 when Dianne Colby Dean followed her desire to share her love of choral music with the community and founded the Community Chorus at South Berwick. Nearly 20 years later, in 1993, Dianne responded once again to her passion for music and education, and began the Sandpipers Seacoast Children’s Chorus, providing the opportunity for children, ages 7-16 to lift their voices, and our community, in song. Pictured, from our spring concert: Dianne Colby Dean, current CCSB soprano, with Harry Moon and current Sandpipers’ Director Tamara Rozek. 38 years in the making…and music to our ears!
From the Archives…
Choral Groups in Harmony
On June 11, 2000, CCSB par-ticipated in Choral Jubilee 2000: A Festival of Community Choruses, held at Portsmouth High School. In addition to CCSB there were nine other groups: Sandpipers Children’s Chorus, Seacoast Community Chorus, The York Singers, The Seacoast Singers, The Cocheco Children’s Chorus, The Portsmouth Women’s Cho-rus, The Granite State Choral Society, Amare Cantare, and The Rockingham Choral Society. The groups brought together a total of 350 voices.
For the first half of the pro-gram, each group performed two of their own pieces.This was the last CCSB perfor-mance to be conducted by Dianne Dean. Our new conductor, Harry Moon, had just moved to the area, and participated in the event as a tenor in Amare Cantare.
The highlight of this concert was the world premiere of the composition Celebration and Remembrance. Russell Grazier Jr., a Portsmouth native, was commissioned to write this piece for the Choral Jubilee. The song grew from poems written by Portsmouth residents about their city. It was written in seven movements for the huge chorus, accompanied by trumpets, xylophones, pianos, and chimes. Poetry readings made the transitions between movements and t ied them together . Graz ier h imsel f conducted the piece. A well-deserved and lengthy standing ovation capped the occasion. ♪
www.sandpiperschorus.com
CLICK! LISTEN! ENJOY!
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Member Spotlight...
Bill and Gretchen Straub, a Leading Team
CCSB / CRESCENDO
Bill Straub is in many ways the face of the Community Chorus at South Ber-wick. President of the group for nearly ten years, he steps onto the stage to welcome audiences at the start of every performance. Behind the scenes, his wife Gretchen has been Treasurer of CCSB longer than she’s been a singer. How did this come to be?
Bill grew up in Potsdam, New York, where his father was an engineering professor at Clarkson University. Pots-dam is also home to the Crane School of Music. Both the community and Bill’s life were full of music. He sang in "every chorus around," as he grew up. Bill started playing cello in fourth grade, and continued through college. He came to UNH for an undergraduate degree in civil engineering.
Meanwhile, Gretchen was born near Pittsburgh, PA. When she was a toddler, her father, also an engineer-ing professor, was offered a job in the Sudan. Her parents packed up their four kids and went to Africa for three years. Next came a position in Thailand, which she considers where she grew up. Gretchen attended an international high school in Bangkok. She chose to attend St. Michael’s College, near Burlington, Vermont… So off to Vermont she went. After her freshman year, her father re-
located to nearby Potsdam, NY, where he became the chair of the Clarkson civil engineering department. Children of faculty members could attend Clarkson for free, so she transferred there. She had two choices for her studies: engineering or account-ing. Gretchen chose accounting.
Bill was home that summer of 1975, between his sophomore and junior years. There was a "Meet the New Fac-ulty" picnic… and Bill and Gretchen met. It wasn’t long before they knew they were interested in being together. After graduating from UNH, Bill went to Dartmouth for graduate school. Gretchen, now working as an accoun-tant, took a job in Hanover to be with Bill.
In the fall of 1980 Bill and Gretchen moved to Portsmouth for Bill’s work as a consulting civil engineer. Unable to find a Portsmouth apartment that would allow them to have a dog, they found one in South Berwick. They married in 1981. Having decided they liked South Berwick, they bought their current home the following year. Their sons came along: Adam in 1984 and Brian in 1986.
Fast forward to 2000, when Adam was a junior in high school. CCSB was starting its second life, organized as a non-profit with a Board of Directors, and
a new conductor – Harry Moon. Kris Bisson was the first president of CCSB. She had taught Adam piano and drama in Jr. High, and invited Adam and Bill to join the chorus. Adam showed interest, and Bill saw it as an opportunity to do something together with his son (Bill hadn’t sung since high school). Both of them loved it. Adam sang for two years before he headed to college, and Bill stayed on.
In 2002, Gretchen was recruited to use her accounting skills as treasurer for CCSB, by their neighbors Suzi and Andy Moore, CCSB singers. President Nancy Wetzel decided that it was okay for Gretchen to be treasurer even though she was not a singer in the chorus. Gretchen, who had absolutely no musi-cal background, was amenable to that.
Then in January of 2003, the Moores came to get Bill to ride to the first re-hearsal of the new term. They tried to get Gretchen to come along, almost as a dare. She thought about it. She knew that singing in the chorus was "kind of involved," but she thought, "No matter. I can do it."
Since Gretchen didn’t know whether she was a soprano or an alto, Harry listened to her sing, and determined she was an alto. She thought, "Okay – whatever that is…" Adam showed her
...Continued on next page
Bill Straub
Did You Know?...
It’s all about acoustics...
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That’s why one concert in a church will sound different than the same con-cert in a large auditorium.
In a hall that has a harmonious or geometric pattern, all sound reflects perfectly and sets the mood for the ex-perience of music, easing the audience into the preferred state of calm relax-ation. A room that does not have har-monious proportions will never have a good acoustic sound, no matter what anyone does with it.
The sound one hears in all venues consists of two types of sound: Directly radiated sound (the primary sound) reaches the ear directly from the source. It is this first sound that determines the volume level. Volume, easily understood as the loudness of sound, is measured in units called decibels.
Reflected sound (usually mistakenly referred to "reverberation") reaches the ear after being reflected off the various surfaces of the hall (walls, ceiling, etc.) or artificial reflectors.
Sound travels in different speeds.The directly radiated sound has a high-er frequency and radiates faster and more directly in straight lines, while lower vibrations (frequencies) like the tenor/bass/voiced instruments, radi-ate more slowly and almost equally in all directions.
Considering that the primary sound and the higher frequency will arrive at the reflection point faster and will then bounce back, it will meet the slower, lower vibration sounds on the way back, making for a mess of sound in the middle. What it amounts to is similar to the effect of reprinting the same pic-
ture a number of times on top of itself, with each reprint shifted slightly with the color values. For a musician/sing-er it is sometimes hard to hear if you should play/sing louder or softer be-cause the sound coming back to you is not the original sound that you made.
The more mellow the sound, the more freedom the musicians have in the manner in which they can produce and articulate the sounds.
In most symphonies or choral works, the fundamental (lower) tones, not the overtones, carry all the expressive, hu-man nuances of the music, therefore a hall that is too "bright" masks (eradi-cates) the many nuances of the music, and a regular audience quickly be-comes used to music without any spe-cial nuances.
Ever since the invention of the equal-izer, people have been hearing "grossly distorted sound reproduction (record-ings, broadcasts, live sound reinforce-ment)." Although original sound has always been imperfect, as well as ex-pressive, they think that the music in the symphony hall should sound like the recording, and that the recording should sound like the music in the hall. Considering all of this, it is the conduc-tor who must understand the venue and adjust the tones of the orchestral or choral group to accommodate the room. Thank goodness that the most sensitive instrument of measuring sound is by far the human being. ♪
*taken in part from @1982 The Anstendig Institute, R 1984
how to follow the alto line in the musical scores. She learned that the "little black notes go up and down." She listenscarefully to Harry’s instruction, and to her neighboring singers. Even after all these years, she says, "Singing is really hard. I feel like I’m just keeping up."
In the spring of 2004 Nancy Wetzel, as the second president of CCSB, was planning to retire, and she needed some-one to take her place. She made a point of telling Gretchen, who thought: "Bill could do that." Bill gave it some thought. He loved everything about the chorus. "I can do that," he said.
And he has. Bill has now finished his ninth year as president of CCSB. He has maintained his motivation as president with ease because he loves what the chorus does. He loves the process of learning the music, and the quality of the performances. "Being in charge of this organization is easy, because so many offerings come from the group. It’s satisfying. I see my job as being ‘a funnel’ keeping everyone’s efforts go-ing in a common direction. "And," he adds, "Gretchen does far more than it may look. She’s always been a vigilant sounding board and second set of eyes for everything. In many ways we’ve been co-presidents." He likes coordinat-ing everyone’s contributions, helping to put it all together, and seeing what happens at concert time. "Working with Harry in achieving all of this has been a wonderful experience. I apply the logic of an engineer to the organization, and Harry works his magic as a teacher and director."
Bill and Gretchen are a strong team, providing seemingly endless support for the chorus. One December night when a concert was finished, a U-Haul truck packed with the paraphernalia that travels between concerts, including three tympani drums, was parked out-side the Straub home, in preparation for the next day’s concert. It was late, snow-ing, and the temperature hovered near zero. Suddenly Gretchen had a thought: "What if the tympani cracks because of the cold?!" So there they were, at 12:30 in the morning, dragging the tympani into their house so they wouldn’t freeze.
You would be hard pressed to find more dedication than that. ♪
Bill and Gretchen Straub ...Continued from page 3
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Behind the Scenes...
CCSB / CRESCENDO
CCSB is most fortunate to receive donated services from members of the community. Recent contributions include:
• Ticket Outlets: South Berwick Pharmacy, York Flower Shop, and Gary’s Guitars in Portsmouth
• Photography: Sandy Agrafiotis• Rehearsal Space: First
Federated Parish Church (S. Berwick)
• Concert Venues: SAD 35 and Marshwood High School (South Berwick), and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (Newington)
• Printing Graphics and Newsletter: CMA Engineers
• SpringRaffle: Members of the Chorus
Community SupportEvery few years we raise money for our group, and raise the excite-ment of spring gardening, with our famous Plant Sale . This year was terrific thanks to the help of Stacey Camire, coordinator extraordinaire, our master gardeners Nancy Wetzel and Helen Brock and our garden host Diane Burbank. And of course our many diggers, volunteers and customers!
The CCSB Board meets monthly. Pictured, Bill Straub, Sue Downey,Harry Moon, Mike Herlihy, JoAnn Rohde, Joe Stieglitz, Stacey Camire,
Elizabeth Dauth, Sue Beattie, Liz Plante, Meg Rotondo
CCSB is on FACEBOOK! Are you?
Save the Dates for a CCSB Community Supper!November 27, 2013 and December 4, 2013 at
R O B E R T ’ S M A I N E G R I L L in Kittery, MaineFull information will be available
on our website this fall!
Share wi th your f r iends ! Encourage them to check us out !
We’re interested in increasing our presence on social media. Please LIKE us on FACEBOOK! Type www.facebook.com/ccsbsing into your Internet browser OR when logged onto your Facebook page, type Community Chorus at South Berwick in to search bar. Directly below our cover photo, click LIKE! You’ll see updates on our concerts, links to our music files, programs and the pdf of this Crescendo newsletter.
The Community Chorus at South Berwick is supported by the generosity of many people. This support provides the financial basis for CCSB’s great programs. Below is a list of the donors for our recent 2010-2011 season. CCSB recognizes these individuals and businesses as essential to our success. CCSB is a non-profit
organization per 501 (c) 3, and all donations are tax deductible.
Friends of Community Chorus at South Berwick
7www.CCSB-SING.org
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
Ensemble - $250 or MoreSusan and David BeattieCharlotte "Toni" BrendelMichael and Paula HerlihyWilliam and Julie KathHarry and Molly MoonLester and Ann SenechalWilliam and Gretchen Straub
Quartet - $150 to $249Pam Bertram and Joe StieglitzRichard and Suzanne BicknellWes and Pat KennedyMargaret and Andrew Rotondo
Trio - $100 to $149Thomas BeattieRenae Broderick and Douglas BordewieckStacey and David CamireKam DamtoftDavid and Elria EwingVicky and John GuyNathan and Helen HazenTerrie Harman and Tom McCarronVirginia MenihaneGail Kelley and Andrew MertonEd and Marita O’DellPatty Lyman SchremmerJacquelyn and Mark VillinskiMarilyn Wentworth
Duo - $50 to $99Stephen BannonJeffrey Bonney Mr and Mrs E.M. BrockSusan Straub ClarkHelen Brock and Doug KnightJim and Dianne DeanKenneth and Donna DownesNancy DowneyAlethea FroburgAnna-Lisa GotschlichKimberly GreenBill Jones
Cynthia KellyBarbara KnightDanny and Victoria LaShombRenee and Randall LeavittWendy PirsigGordon and Sharon QuimbyPat and Wen RedmondDavid and JoAnn RohdeGreg and Maureen SoucyJames and Louise StevensDavid and Betty SnowThe Stuart FamilyPuff UhlmanHon. Janet G. WallGary WetzelBill and Amey WietingDavid Yarian
Solo - to $49Harriet and Dale BolducMichael CannonJudith and Peyton CarrRichard CurrierMary CushmanJoan DevriesArthur Di MambroJudith and Robert Maxted-RicePatti Mitchem and Fred WildnauerBernie HarperJennifer and John HenriquezMitch and Jack KareckasStephen LizioJudith ParksKate ReynoldsCatherine Scott
BUSINESS MEMBERS
Ensemble - $250 or MoreKennebunk Savings BankLassel Architects, P.A.Liberty MutualP. Gagnon and Sons, Inc.People’s United BankStarkey Ford, Inc.Illinois Tool Works Foundation-MatchingGive With Liberty-Matching
Trio - $100 to $149D.F. Richard, Inc.Garrison Family DentalGreater York Region ChamberLabel Tech, Inc.N.E.A.T. PhotosRELYCO Sales, Inc.
Duo - $50 to $99Black Bean CaféRobert Bogard, DDSJohn DiNella, D.P.M.Dupont’s Service Center, Inc.Eliot Small Engine and AgwayGail Adams Music StudioHerold Family DentistryKats Ketch PotteryMad TheatricalsMcHenry Architecture, PLLCPiscataqua Dental PartnersSaxony ImportsSouth Berwick PharmacySouth Berwick PizzaVillage Motors ServiceWarren Pond Boatworks
Solo - to $49Bamford Investment Company, LLCBondgarden FarmCeres BakeryCharter Oak Capital ManagementLeroy’s StylesNorth Star ChiropracticPOP CommunicationsRice’s AutomotiveThe Eyeglass Shop
P.O. Box 564South Berwick, ME 03908
Non-ProfitOrganization
U.S. Postage PaidPermit No. 20
South Berwick, ME
Spring 2014"Tenebrae to Lux Aeterna"
Music by Rheinberger, M. Haydn, J.S. Bach, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schubert
with string ensemble
Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6, 2014
2013-2014 Concert Series
Call for Singers...Community Chorus at South Berwick is
a non-audition chorus. We welcome new singers to join us for the upcoming 2013-2014 season.
Monday rehearsals begin September 9th.
For more information, contact Dr. Harry Moon at 207-384-7059, or visit our website:
www.CCSB-SING.org
Winter 2013A Christmas Garland:"A Boy was Born"
Music by Poulenc, Britten, Victoria, and carols
Saturday, December 7, and Sunday, December 8, 2013