Men's Honor Choir Communications
Links on this page:
Letter from Jeffrey Welcher
to Students and Teachers
- 1/18/10
One more male chaperone needed - 1/30/10
Letter from Jeff
Welcher, Men's Choir Coordinator - posted 1/18/10
Dear students, teachers and parents,
Students, by now you should have a good handle on your music. I
encourage you to keep practicing daily to become proficient on your part
by February 10. This letter includes some important details that we need
to convey to you so that everyone arrives prepared in Philadelphia.
Students, please read this email very carefully and then print it out or
forward it to your parents ASAP. There is information in this letter
that they need to know, and we are relying on you to communicate it to
them. Teachers, if you could either print out this email and deliver to
parents, or forward it to them via email as well, that will help us
ensure that everyone has received it.
- REGISTRATION: Honor Choir Registration goes from 2pm-5 pm on
Wednesday February 10 in the Franklin Hall Lobby at the Marriott.
Marriott room check-in does not start until 4 pm. Singers and
sponsors who arrive earlier than the hotel check-in time may store
your luggage in Room 309-310. This room is at the top of the
escalators on the third floor. The luggage room will be open between
12:00pm and 5:00pm, and we'll have an ACDA worker staffed there for
security purposes. Please know that this is not a check-in/check-out
situation, it is just a place to put your luggage.
- SCHEDULE: Please find the final schedule at
http://www.acdaeast.org/2010_phila/schedules_hc.html. As you can
see, there is a good mixture of rehearsal time, sightseeing outings,
and social activities. Students, remember that the primary reason
you are in this choir is to sing, and there will be a lot of that,
so we will encourage you to stay hydrated, take care of your voice,
and get good sleep at night. For our outings to sightseeing
attractions, restaurants and performance venues, we will be walking
outside. Please dress appropriately for winter weather in the
Northeast!!
- MEALS: All breakfasts for students will be served buffet style
at the hotel. These were included in the registration price. There
will be THREE lunches that students will need to pay for on their
own. We will be walking the singers to neighboring food courts
including the famous Reading Terminal Market for lunches. Budget
about $10 per lunch. Dinners are included in the registration price
as well and locations are listed on the schedule. Please note that
on the first night, Wednesday February 10 there is no group dinner
for students before the first rehearsal. We ask that parents and/or
sponsors assist their students in plans for this meal. There are
several restaurants within a block of the hotel, as well as Reading
Terminal Market, which is open until 6 pm on weekdays. Here is the
website for Reading Market
http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/
- DRESS: Required concert dress will be white shirt, tie and dark
suit or dark slacks and blazer(black, navy or charcoal gray).Also
make sure you wear or bring a warm winter coat.
- PART-CHECKS: Our system for administering part-checks or
"re-auditions" has been simplified. We will use a more efficient
procedure that involves hearing you during the first hour of
rehearsal. We will listen to you perform short excerpts from your
repertoire in small groups or "clusters". We want to ensure that
every individual singer has done the necessary practice to learn the
repertoire well. We will immediately notify teachers and parents of
any unprepared students.
- REHEARSALS AND INFORMAL CONCERTS: All rehearsals at the Marriott
will be open for parents, chaperones, teachers and concert attendees
to observe. Our final concert at Church of the Holy Trinity in
Rittenhouse Square at 5:00 pm Saturday February 13 will be open to
the public as well.
http://www.htrit.org/ Seating is ample, but not unlimited,
so we advise audience members to arrive early to get a seat. Posted
on the ACDA website
http://www.acdaeast.org/2010_phila/driving_chuchofholytrinity.html
are driving directions to Holy Trinity. We have two other "informal"
performances. One will be across the street from the Marriott at the
MACY's store where the historic Wanamaker Organ is housed.
http://www.wanamakerorgan.com/ We will be part of their
daily recital hour there. All parents and guests are welcome to
attend. The other brief performance will be when we visit
Independence Hall. If parents or sponsors would like to visit this
attraction, you are welcome to obtain your own tickets and join us.
http://www.nps.gov/inde/index.htm
- CHECK-OUT: After the conclusion of the 5:00 pm concert on
Saturday February 13, the Honors Choir Festival will be over and
ACDA will no longer be responsible for chaperoning the high school
students. Students housed by ACDA will have already checked out of
their rooms earlier in the day and stored their luggage at the
hotel. After the concert, parents and/or sponsors will be
responsible for picking up their student, retrieving luggage and
continuing with travel plans.
Dr. Blackstone will teach the Rabe piece "Rondes" to you
when you arrive in Philadelphia.
Please email me at
jwelcher@twcny.rr.com if you have questions about any of the
above information!
Thank you.
Jeff Welcher
ACDA Eastern Division Men's Honors Choir Coordinator
###############
One more male chaperone
needed - 1/30/10.
There is still a need for one more male chaperone for the men's honor
choir. If you are male teacher interested in helping out, please contact
Jeff Welcher via his email address:
jwelcher@twcny.rr.com.
Last revised
June 26, 2010