Volume 19 No 2 Winter 2019
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From the Music Director
Jon Noyes
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Greetings! As we celebrate our 25
th
Anniversary season, I have been thinking back on the thousands of young people whose lives have been enriched through their participation in “a musical experience which is challenging, rewarding and enjoyable.” Considering the fact that some of our current members still await their ninth birthday, and our original members are just reaching their fortieth, we have truly reached multiple generations! I recently spoke with Lauren Bagley Noonan who was a member in the early years of the choir and is now a teacher in the Fairfield Public Schools. She told me that “the FCCC was the best thing she did” in her youth and she inquired about having her own young children join the choir soon! (Please see more from Lauren in her letter below.)
This quarter-century milestone is a testament to the quality and strength of the FCCC program, and the music staff and Board members who have worked tirelessly to achieve our Mission. But we wouldn’t be where we are if it were not for the talented and enthusiastic young people who arrive at Fairfield Woods Middle School for each rehearsal, sometimes tired or otherwise preoccupied, and leave rejuvenated and happy! Our sincere thanks to the parents who support their children and the choir in so many ways.
Please be sure to read below about the exciting concert season that approaches. Our talented choristers have already been involved in three performances. We performed the National Anthem on October 19 for the Home Opener of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. On November 2 the Chamber Singers performed at a gala fundraiser for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford which raised $1.493 million! On November 22 the FCCC Chorale performed for STARLIGHT: ENCHANTMENT IN THE WISHING FOREST, a Winter Festival corporate event at the SoNo Collection – the new shopping mall in South Norwalk.
December is now just around the corner and the FCCC is preparing for a busy winter season with seven performances over fourteen days in December!! We hope you will be able to join us for many of these wonderful events.
Please keep in mind our big celebration when we hold our 25
th
annual Spring Concert on May 16, 2020 at Carnegie Hall! Tickets will go on sale to the public in late February. We hope to fill the hall!
Best wishes for a happy holiday season,
Jon Noyes
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From Executive Director
Michelle Dodd
From the Executive Director’s perspective, the 2019-20 season is off to an incredible start. We were thrilled to enter into a partnership with Fairfield County Bank who signed on in October as the choir’s new Season Sponsor. FCB has been incredibly supportive not only with their financial commitment, but also in strengthening our insurance coverages and providing a deeper level of customer service for the choir’s banking needs. In addition, FCCC welcomed nine new advertisers into the season program book, on top of the nine returning advertisers. Financial support from sponsors and advertisers facilitates keeping tuition costs lower than the national and state averages, and making the program more accessible to all.
Keeping the good news rolling, the FCCC was selected by Choral Arts New England for a 2019 Alfred Nash Patterson Grant. The grant was awarded at a beautiful ceremony held in Old South Church in Boston MA on November 3
rd
. The funds will support specific needs related to the 25th Anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall in May. The FCCC was honored to be selected as one of 15 honorees out of the 52 applications received.
On a less happy note, as excited as I have been to be part of the FCCC leadership team this fall, it is with a heavy heart I must announce this will be my first and last column as Executive Director. It has been an honor and a privilege to be affiliated with this fine organization, and I never would have imagined that my tenure would be cut short.
I have truly enjoyed serving in this role and appreciated the opportunity to work with everyone. It pains me on so many levels to step down from this position. I love the organization, the people and the work. I had no intentions of seeking other employment, however I was recently approached by a company at which I had interviewed in early 2018. They reached back out to me now because their hiring needs have changed and they wanted to bring me in as soon as possible. It is an opportunity I couldn’t ignore for full-time employment at a company I’ve been interested in for two years. It will enable me to help support my family to a greater degree.
I’m disappointed I will not be as intimately involved with all the excitement of FCCC’s 25
th
Anniversary season, however I will remain one of the choir’s biggest fans and will look forward to following the events throughout the year.
Thank you and best wishes for continued success.
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Upcoming Performance Schedule 2019-2020
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The twenty-fifth annual Winter Concert of the Fairfield County Children’s Choir will take place on Sunday, December 8, at 3:00 PM at the Klein Auditorium in Bridgeport. Highlights will include
One Voice, Clear Water
and
For Unto Us a Child is Born
from Handel’s
Messiah
. Holiday selections will include
Do You Hear What I Hear, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Angels We Have Heard on High, Velvet Shoes, Ocho Kandelikas
, and
Let It Snow,
among many others!
The FCCC will participate in a number of annual community service projects to sing holiday songs and spread good cheer. On December 9 the FCCC Chamber Singers will travel by bus to the Bridgeport Women’s Shelter, the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and other locations. On December 11 the Chamber Singers will perform our annual concert at the Meadow Ridge senior living facility in Redding. On December 16 the FCCC Chorus will perform at the Carolton Chronic & Convalescent Hospital. On December 17 the FCCC Concert Choir will perform at Fairfield’s newest senior living facility, Sturges Ridge. We hope that our singing brings many smiles and warm hearts to the chill of December.
One of the season’s highlights will occur on December 14 when the Chamber Singers are featured in a full-length concert as part of the prestigious Music for Youth Concert Series. The concert takes place from 7:00 - 8:00 PM at St. Thomas Aquinas Church (1719 Post Road in Fairfield), one of the most acoustically splendid settings for a cappella music in Fairfield County. It is
free
and open to the public. This concert is highly recommended!
For our annual Broadway Concert on February 8 at 7:00 PM at The Klein, we will be performing medleys from
Oklahoma, Aladdin, Once
and
Les Miserables
. This show includes our pit band and an incredible group of soloists! On Saturday, May 16, 2020 at 8:00 PM, the FCCC will celebrate by presenting our annual Spring Concert at the world’s most famous concert hall, Carnegie Hall! Our anniversary season will conclude in France and Belgium when our Chamber Singers perform at the World Choir Games from July 8 - 16, 2020! Info on the World Choir Games can be found at:
Please join us!!!
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Chorister Profiles - FCCC Senior
!
Lilly Merchant is a member of the FCCC Chamber Singers. It is always interesting to learn about our seniors, their favorite songs and to hear their thoughts about the choir.
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Name: Lilly Merchant
Age: 17
School: Fairfield Warde High School
Town: Fairfield
Favorite FCCC Song: Sing Me To Heaven
In My Own Words: I joined FCCC in the 6th grade after my elementary school chorus teacher recommended it to me, and it has been one of the most powerful experiences in my life. I remember the first time I really fell in love with choir, singing at Carnegie Hall when I was in the 7th grade, and the sheer beauty of the musicians gathered there awed me. I remember seniors telling me that time would pass too quickly, and that the work put into choir was worth it to stick to through the end. I didn't really believe them until now. Through all of the pieces we have sung, the directors we have had the pleasure of working with, Eric Jacobson, Nick Page, Raymond Wise, I have grown so much as a musician, and, in turn, as a person overall. I can firmly say that I would not be the person I am today if not for FCCC
.
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Jared Bovine was a member of the FCCC from 2007 - 2016. He is now a senior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. He sent the following note to Jon Noyes in September. Congratulations to Jared for all of his successes!!
Hi Mr. Noyes,
I hope all is well! It’s been a while since we’ve spoken, and I just wanted to check in and see how you are. I also wanted to ask how everyone is at FCCC. It’s crazy to think that at this point, the majority of the people whom I knew in Chambers are either upperclassmen or have graduated!
Amid what has been an incredibly busy few years, I wanted to fill you in with what I’ve been up to at Vanderbilt. I’ve stuck with my original major and plan to graduate as a mechanical engineering major, materials science minor, and with a concentration in music composition. Regarding the latter, I’ve been taking private composition lessons at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music. I’ve also taken a handful of relevant elective classes, including orchestration, advanced orchestration, and a class covering the fundamentals of digital audio (recording, editing, mixing, and mastering music). I’ve taken these because a potential career interest of mine is scoring for film, television, advertisements, or other media outlets.
You may recall I mentioned joining a co-ed a cappella group my freshman year. I’m still a member of this group, and I have served as the Music Director for the past 3 years (2017 school year – present). I’m proud to say that I’ve taken the best of my learnings from FCCC and musical experiences prior to college, and used these to transform the group into a high-quality musical ensemble. The same principles which apply to any choir also apply to our 15 member ensemble of singers, despite the fact that we perform more current music. Each year we compete in the International Competition of Collegiate Acappella (ICCAs): a competition comprised of a video submission, quarterfinal, semifinal, and final round with groups from the U.S. and UK. Our group, which is about to turn 7, had never placed in the quarterfinal round before I began my term. After I started as music director, the group placed 3
rd
in the quarterfinal (2018), and then the following year placed 1
st
in the quarterfinal to advance to the semifinal round for the first time. This year, we are hoping to continue the upward trend and at the very least place at the semifinal round!
read more...
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J
acqueline Sugrue
presented “Hispanic Folk Music, Games, and Dances” at the OAKE Eastern Division Conference on October 26th in Fairfax, VA. The theme of the conference is “Peace, Unity, and Harmony.”
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Dear FCCC
Nearly twenty years ago, on the morning after my junior prom, I stood ready to cut the first-ever CD with a choir I’d spent the last three years singing with.
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I was dog-tired, and the next several hours demanded nothing short of the hard work, concentration, and strenuous attention to detail I’d come to expect with the twenty-five other Chamber Singers I’d come to know like family. And of course, our marvelous conductor, Jon Noyes. When we wrapped, I left, knowing that this was going to be the perfect way for me to end my time with the Fairfield County Children’s Choir.
In the years that I’ve spent as an alumni, it still amazes me to think back on how those years with the Fairfield County Children’s Choir shaped the person that I’ve become today. Now a wife, mother of two, and teacher in Fairfield, that hard work, concentration, and attention to detail remains. Not only has it helped to shape me, it has remained a part of my identity that I am enormously proud of.
Looking back, there were so many firsts in those years. For a time, I was the oldest “kid” in the choir, the very first to be able to drive myself, and my friends, to rehearsals. I remember our first trip to West Point for the holiday concert. The first summer tour outside of the United States. The first concert uniforms. The first time singing the Otto Fischer
Ave Maria
, and needing to hold up the deep alto 2 section because there were no guys in the choir. Performing the world premiere of
When You Believe
from the King of Egypt (sorry, Mariah Carey). The first performance with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra. And of course, the first time to Carnegie Hall.
****
Ashley Zadravecz received the following memo from Lee Kesselman, a prominent composer from Chicago whose arrangement of Sakura our Chorus performed in May 2019.
Dear Ashley,
Marvelous performance of my arr. of SAKURA on Youtube! Congratulations and thank you!
Lee Kesselman
Glen Ellyn, IL
****
Victoria Demos, parent of Ryan Cawley, sent the following note to Jon Noyes in October.
Hi Jon,
I first of all want to tell you how much Ryan enjoyed the Boston and Cape Cod trip this past summer! Not only did he meet and make new friends, but now that he has transferred from Hamden Hall to Fairfield Ludlowe, he has been surrounded by a group of his FCCC friends in the Chamber Choir there with Lauren Pine, and they are cheering him on every step of the way as he goes through the a cappella audition process. He has made it into Close Harmony! I cannot imagine his transition to a new high school without his FCCC friends! Truly!
In addition, Ryan attended the Chanticleer Vocal Skills Lab this summer in San Francisco, and what he realized was how much he has learned from you at FCCC, and what a depth of talent there is at FCCC. It is a good experience to compare your training, I think, to those of other students across the country!
All our Best,
Victoria and Tom
Victoria C. Demos, Ph.D.
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A contribution to Fairfield County Children's Choir is an investment in the future. We train outstanding young performers, and help them to grow – both as musicians and as responsible, caring young adults. Your support makes it possible for us to bring our world-class choir experience to musically talented children, many of whom receive tuition assistance. Your gift is tax deductible, and we gratefully thank you for your generosity.
Now it is even easier to support FCCC!
Text SINGS to 44321
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FCCC Concert Calendar 2019-2020
(CS-Chamber Singers; CC-Concert Choir; CH-Chorale; Ch-Chorus)
(FCYC = Chamber Singers & Concert Choir combined)
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Sound Tigers Opening Night – Webster Bank Arena - 7:00 PM (FCCC)
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Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Gala - Hartford (CS)
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Starlight Winter Festival- SoNo Collection - (CH)
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FCCC Winter Concert - Klein - 3:00 PM (FCCC)
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Caroling at Bridgeport Mission, Women's Shelter, and others 5:30-9:00 pm (CS)
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Caroling at Meadow Ridge, Redding - 7:30 PM (CS)
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Music for Youth Concert - St. Thomas - 7:00 - 8:15 PM (CS)
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Caroling at The Carolton, Fairfield (Ch) - 8:00 PM
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Caroling at Sturges Ridge, Fairfield - 7:00 - 7:30 (CC)
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Greater Bridgeport Symphony - Bach
Christmas Oratorio
& holiday selections
(CS)
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FCCC Broadway Concert & Auction - Klein - 7:00 PM (FCCC)
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Three Generations of Song - FCCC, Mendelssohn Choir & Fairfield U. (FCYC)
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Manchester Symphony Orchestra & Chorus - 7:30 PM Manchester H.S. (CC)
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Fairfield Holocaust Commemoration – 7:30 PM – Fairfield (CS)
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FCCC Spring Concert - Carnegie Hall - 8:00 PM (FCCC)
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Chamber Singers tour to France & Belgium (CS)
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Remember the FCCC motto:
"Have Fun Being Awesome!"
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