I had a wonderful evening between Christmas and New Year’s hosting a party of some
(and by no means, all) of Seattle Men’s Chorus’ (SMC) alumni from the 1970s and 1980s.
Saturday, February 18, 2012 - 2:00 pm
Sunday, February 19, 2012 - 2:00 pm
Benaroya Hall
LETTER FROM DENNIS COLEMAN
I had a wonderful evening between Christmas and New Year’s hosting a party of some (and by no means, all) of Seattle Men’s Chorus’
(SMC) alumni from the 1970s and 1980s. Some of these men continue to sing with the Chorus and all are audience members. It was gratifying to renew some old
friendships and recount stories of the first decade or so of SMC’s existence. These are some of the men on whose shoulders the Chorus now stands.
At year’s end we also remember the several “angels” of SMC who have passed away over the years and honor them for their legacy.
It was really great to see so many of you at SMC’s Holiday Concert this year! Audience size increased by 1,000 over last year and we reached
our budget goals for ticket sales and Holiday Raffle sales. Thank you!
Many of you commented on the quality of the singing, especially on the a cappella numbers like “O Magnum Mysterium” and
“When the Song of the Angels is Stilled”. There’s a reason why the Chorus is singing better than ever.
Beginning two years ago, we initiated a program in cooperation with the University of Washington School of Music, hiring a number of graduate
choral conducting students to act as “vocal coaches” for each section of the Men’s Chorus. This is made possible by a generous two-year gift
by a committed donor who had specific musical goals in mind, such as better intonation and more focused and buoyant tone quality. Our vocal coaches led voice
classes and sectionals devoted to learning notes and developing a unified sound for each of the four voice parts in the Chorus. The musical principles taught
were reinforced from the podium at each rehearsal.
You may have noticed a young man who conducted “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” in the Holiday Concert. Kristopher Jenkins, our second
tenor vocal coach, is a Masters candidate in choral conducting at UW and teaches at Monroe High School. Jeremiah Selvey, a doctoral candidate at UW and our
Baritone leader, will be conducting one piece in our upcoming Beatles concert Come Together at McCaw Hall on March 31 and April 1. Chris McCaffertty, our first
tenor vocal coach, is a professional choral singer who will conduct in June’s Sing Out concert. At present we are searching for a bass vocal coach to
replace Brian Winnie, a UW doctoral candidate, who was hired as the artistic director of ChoralSounds Northwest.
We are privileged to have two other conductors on staff. Eric Lane Barnes acts as assistant artistic director and is a brilliant composer and lyricist.
Rhonda Juliano, Seattle Women’s Chorus (SWC) assistant conductor, has been a professional music educator for many years and is one of the most talented
conductors in the Seattle area.
Thank you for supporting SMC and SWC by attending concerts in record numbers! Thank you for your financial support that keeps the artistic
program improving year after year. We couldn’t do it without you.
