Tag Archive for: contributions

A Message from Our Board — June/July 2022

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What a year this has been for the members of Northeast Piedmont Chorale! After not performing for more than two years, the Chorale presented two very exciting, successful, and meaningful spring concerts on Friday, April 29, at New Hope Baptist Church in Raleigh, and on Sunday, May 1, at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in Henderson. Accompanied by a 17-piece orchestra and our very talented accompanist and narrators, the Chorale took our audiences on an historical journey of our country, from 1776 to the present, with a message that resonated with everyone from those performing to those listening in the audience.  Many people filled the seats of both venues and made generous donations to the Chorale at the end of each concert. We are humbled and very grateful for the generosity of our community supporters, including our families, friends, and businesses. Thank you!

While the summer is a time when our Chorale members take a well-earned break, board members meet each month to take care of Chorale business and prepare for a new season. An important issue under consideration is whether or not to require full Covid-19 vaccinations, including booster shots. Throughout the summer, the board will continue monitoring the status of Covid-19 in our area and what medical experts are recommending for those participating in singing groups. We will also be sending out an anonymous survey to our members with questions about this issue. At the end of the summer, after considering information from medical experts and our Chorale members, we will share our decision with our members, and we will also publish it on this website. 

The 2022-23 season promises to be an exciting season with music that will appeal to everyone. Rehearsals for our fall concerts begin on Monday, September 12, 2022. The theme of our fall concerts is “Rejoice!” in celebration of the holiday season. Audiences will recognize many of the traditional songs they love, and a few that may be new to them. We promise that everyone will be humming the tunes at the end of the concert. Also, there will be a special fundraising event, “Pass the Baton,” that will give someone from the audience an opportunity to direct the Chorale and orchestra in a well-known Christmas carol. Join us for a very special holiday event on one of the following dates:  

  • Friday, December 16, 2022, at 7:30 p.m., at Wake Forest Baptist Church, 107 E. South Avenue, Wake Forest, NC 27587
  • Saturday, December 17, 2022, at 7:30 p.m., at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center, 201 Breckenridge Street, Henderson, NC 27536

Our spring season will begin on Monday, January 9, 2023, as the Chorale begins rehearsing the spring concert program.  While the theme of the spring concert season will be announced at a later date, the dates and venues of our spring concerts are:

  • Friday, April 21, 2023, 7:30 p.m., at New Hope Baptist Church, 4301 Louisburg Road, Raleigh, NC 27604
  • Sunday, April 23, 2023, 3:00 p.m., at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center, 201 Breckenridge Street, Henderson, NC 27536

We invite all who enjoy singing and performing to learn more about the Chorale right here on our website, www.npchorale.org.  If you are interested in joining the Chorale, you will find membership information by clicking on the “Join Now” button located at the bottom of the home page on this website. After we receive your membership request, our director will contact you.

The new year will bring a variety of activities like “Spring Sing” and special fundraising events. As the dates and venues are set for these events, we will post them on our website and on social media.

Your Donation Impacts Chorale’s Future

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Fill your life with music. Fill your heart with harmony.

Listen to the sounds around you: ocean breeze, symphonies.

Fill your life with music. Melodies are in the air.

Celebrate the sounds around you, anytime, anywhere.

Music, the greatest gift of all, calms the angry soul.

Renews my spirit, brings me peace. Music makes me whole.

Fill your heart with harmony. Melodies abound around you.

Harmonies resound around you. Treasure all the sounds around you.

This is why we sing.

These beautiful lyrics from the song, Fill Your Life with Music by Sally Albrecht and Jay Althouse — a song they composed four years ago to celebrate NPC’s 30th anniversary — express the reasons why singing is so important to all of us. Not being able to sing and perform together for the past year and a half has been difficult for all of us in so many ways. We miss weekly rehearsals; we miss Cindy’s directing us and never giving up until we sing each phrase well; we miss Kristen’s amazing accompaniment; we miss the sound we make together; we miss performing for our community; and we miss connecting with each other. 

While the pandemic has temporarily stopped rehearsals and performances, Chorale business has not stopped. Your board has continued to hold regular monthly meetings to plan concert programs, secure rehearsal space and concert venues, take care of any finance issues, and monitor advice from medical experts to determine when and how it will be safe to hold rehearsals and concert performances. In addition, board members reorganized and updated the NPC music library and website, approved the purchase of new fall season music, and approved investing our small endowment fund with a new vendor. Also, we cannot forget that our director, Cindy, spent hours creating tutorials to help us learn our parts for the spring concert music. 

During the pandemic, we have been able to cover Chorale expenses with the money we have in our Chorale account, but because we have not collected dues and have received only one or two donations for the past 18 months, it is getting harder to meet our expenses and preserve enough funds in our operating budget to begin the next season. We need your help! Your financial support is key in helping us take care of financial obligations and maintaining the level of excellence so important to all of us.

A donation from you in any amount will have an impact on the future of the Chorale. You can make your donation on our website at www.npchorale.org/donate/, or you can send your check to the following address: Northeast Piedmont Chorale, P.O. Box 551, Louisburg, NC 27549. Don’t forget that NPC is a non-profit organization under the IRS Section 501(c)(3), so your donations to the Chorale are tax deductible. 

Thank you for your dedication to the Northeast Piedmont Chorale. 

With Warmest Regards,

C. Edwards, J. Finegan, J. Frazier, H. Jackson, J. Miller, K. Moore, M. Roberts, C. Rogers, P. Scott