The Radcliffe Choral Society
Alumnae Newsletter   March 2008


IN THIS ISSUE
Invitation from the President
Women's Choral Festival and ACDA
March Events
Tour Update
A Message from the Friends of RCS
Cara with Faith Warner '45
Invitation
from the President:
Dear Alumnae,

It's always wonderful when current singers of the Radcliffe Choral Society are able to meet former singers- like you!  We love to hear stories from past tours and concerts, and learn about the RCS traditions that you remember with the conductors you sang for.  I have always wished there were more occasions for this, and I'm happy to say that this year there will be.  Many of you will be coming to Cambridge to celebrate your class reunions during the time that RCS will be preparing for its departure to Costa Rica.  On Friday June 6, Radcliffe Day, please join current members of the Radcliffe Choral Society for tea at 3pm in the Radcliffe Yard.  We would love to meet alumnae from every decade!  More details to come, but in the meantime please save the date, tell your RCS friends, and enjoy reading the most recent news from Cambridge.

Warmly,

Cara Ferrentino
President

In photo, taken at RCS concert at Taft High School concert 2/14/08: Faith Killiam Warner '45 and Cara Ferrentino '08.
RCSers at the Friends' reception after the Women's Choral Festival
Women's Choral Festival
For our first concert of the spring semester, RCS continued its tradition of collaboration with other women's choruses with a joint concert with the Wellesley College Choir and the Handel and Haydn Society Young Women's Chorus on February 9th.  The Friends played a major role in making this evening of music memorable, presenting each RCSer with roses before the concert and providing us with a wonderful reception afterward.  In photo, taken at Friends' Reception: Elizabeth Spira '11, Joan Xu '11, Bianca Calderon '09, Alexandra Dickson '09.
 
American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Convention
Several days after our Women's Choral Festival, RCS set out to perform at the American Choral Directors Association Eastern Division Convention in Hartford, Connecticut. Despite the rain the day of our departure from Cambridge, the Glee Club showed up to serenade us on the bus --heart shaped boxes of chocolates at hand-- just before we left.  On February 14th we gave an outstanding perfomance at ACDA, which received a standing ovation.  That evening we gave a spirited performance to thank our hosts at Taft High School, our manager emerita Antonia Fraker's alma mater, where we had stayed the previous night.
 
The 'Cliffe Notes perform at fall retreatPhoto taken at Taft Concert, 2/14/08.
RCS chocolate tasting!March Events
March 1st marked the day of RCS's first Chocolate Tasting event! RCSers brought a variety of chocolate to share and sample, from intensely dark bars to home-made truffles, to our favorite from our 2006 tour to England: Cadbury's.  The event gave RCSers a great opportunity to relax and connect with each other after ACDA.  On March 8th, we had our spring concert with the Harvard Glee Club, called Musica Diversa.  Our assistant conductor, Kate Woolf, who will be taking us on tour, led us through a lovely, truly diverse set that featured Renaissance motets, American folk songs, and some of the Spanish-language repertoire we will be bringing to Costa Rica.

Photo: Our chocolate tasting in the Reid Tonkens Room in Winthrop House.

Upcoming Events
On April 11th, we will be joining with the Harvard Glee Club and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum to perform Igor Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms to celebrate the Glee Club's 150th anniversary!
Tour managers Stella and Jenny in Monteverdi, Costa Rica.
Costa Rica Tour Update
Summer tour managers Stella Lee and Jenny Hsu went on a week-long "pre-tour" trip during Intersession to meet with tour contacts and finalize schedules.  Everything is coming into place and we are so excited for June.  Thanks so much for your support!  Please be sure to visit our tour website for more information about our itinerary and ways you can help!

In photo: Stella Lee '09 and Jenny Hsu '09 in Arenal, Costa Rica.
Stay Involved!

For updates, our concert calendar, and streaming recordings, visit our website.

To join the Friends of the Radcliffe Choral Society, the alumnae foundation of RCS,  email: [email protected].

Any questions or comments?  Email co-historians Anne Lewandowski and Aruna Gnanasekaran at [email protected].




The Radcliffe Choral Society



















A Message from the Friends of RCS
Dear fellow RCS alumnae,
 
It's a pleasure to be able to watch successive generations carry on the tradition of fine music making and an honor to be able to serve on the board.  We invite you to join us at our next Friends of RCS meeting, scheduled for May 7th, at 7 pm.  If you are local, the meeting will be held in the basement of Harvard Hall; if you are distant, we can arrange conference calling, if you'd like to join us by phone. At that time we'll hear the lastest update on the group's tour plans for Costa Rica and how fundraising efforts are going.

Plans are also underway for alumnae of the 1983 European Tour (25 years on!!!), to reunite in Cambridge on Sunday June 8th (reunion weekend).  This will follow the RCS/alumnae tea scheduled for the preceding Friday.  Whether an alumna of the '83 tour, a local RCS alum from another era, or an RCS alum passing through, we invite you to join us either for the tea or for the Sunday gathering.  Details and invitations will follow. We will ask for an RSVP to ensure we have a headcount for refreshments.  At this time, it's anticipated that Bev Taylor will join us in town for that event.  We'd look forward to seeing you, too.  If you are interested in reunion details, please email Wendy Coleman at [email protected].
 
Best to all,
 

Wendy Coleman and Liz Bedell
Co-Presidents, Friends of RCS