Though I am not a self-described "arts lover," I have to admit, I love living in the Sarasota area. When I do find a few minutes to "smell the roses," I enjoy the diverse range of artistic talent that manifests itself in so many ways in our community. From admiring the amazing 3-D creations at the Sarasota Chalk Festival to the incredible pieces of art sculpted from sand on the beach to listening to the Garbage-Men Band playing music on their cereal boxes, there is so much to admire and appreciate--and I know I haven't even scratched the surface of all the visual, tactile, and auditory art available. 

In our June eNewsletter, Main Street Graphics is proud to feature Key Chorale as our client "In Pursuit of Excellence." 

If you've never heard of Key Chorale, you are truly missing an experience you will never forget. 

Some people may think of a "symphonic chorus" as stuffy and uninteresting. "...why do you care about the only symphonic chorus in the area?" one reporter, Megan Greenberg, asked in a recent article, "Well, I think that answer lies in the fact that this 27-year-old chorus of auditioned singers is revolutionizing the stereotype that many have affixed to a group of choral singers. This is not your typical Tabernacle choir, they are mixing Mozart with Radiohead, for Pete's sake!" 

Indeed, though Key Chorale performs the greats by composers like Mozart, this is not your grandmothers chorus. 

What would the movie Star Wars have been without it's heart-rate revving sound track? Not nearly as rivoting I'm betting. Key Chorale recently paired its musical talents with the visually gripping performance of feats by The Flying Wallendas. The combination of the visual anticipation and the auditory climax makes for an incredible, exciting show. 

This recently completed season was a resounding success with two critically acclaimed sold out performances of Annelies, an oratorio inspired by the diaries of Anne Frank. Later in the same season, the chorale collaborated with Circus Sarasota to present, Cirque des Voix, an explosion of dramatic choral music paired to visual artistry of circus performers. Both performances thrilled audiences in this unique creative collaboration. Last month, at the Sixth Annual Memorial Day Concert, Key Chorale joined The Jacobites Pipe and Drum Band for a lively Celtic and Irish concert featuring Highland dancing. This popular concert was a preview of the summer tour the group will be taking of Ireland and Scotland.

Speaking about a recent one-night only performance in which Sybarite 5 and Key Chorale combined a larger, outer chorus with a smaller, inner chorus to perform a mash-up between the music of Mozart and critically-acclaimed, "uber-amazing," Radiohead, Greenberg wrote "I bet Mozart would be quite pleased to hear his concertos mixed with Paranoid Android. We really have come a long way, folks." 

Sybarite 5 is a classically trained string quintet who have changed the face of chamber music by, well, by making it "really cool." They've performed everywhere from The Library of Congress, Lincoln Center and the CBS Early show to the Aspen Music Festival. They've even done a show for his Holiness the Dalai Lama. Incredible, right? 

Though this 26th successful season for Key Chorale has concluded, planning for the 27th season is well underway. Flyers for events are beginning to roll off the printing press here at Main Street Graphics and this is a sneak preview to some of the innovative performances you may want to put on your calendar!

• November 4, 2012: MOZART 1791 - The Final Year
• January 25-27, 2013: CIRQUE DES VOIX The Third Edition 
• February 24, 2013: THE VAST ETERNAL SKY - works of Maurice Durufl� & Ola Gjeilo
• April 14, 2013: "ANNELIES"- Inspired by the Diary of Anne Frank

Learn more about Key Chorale:

www.keychorale.org

www.facebook.com/KeyChorale  

Jodie Meyers

Main Street Graphics

Here are twelve ways to assure that prospects will read your business card and be more likely to do business with you. 

Let's say you attend a business function. You meet a top tier prospect, and give her your card. As you are driving home, you realize that twenty other people may have approached that prospect and presented their business cards. So what will make your card stand out from the collected stack? 

Here are twelve ways to assure that prospects will read your card, and will become more likely to do business with you. 

1. Keep your card "reader friendly" by providing ample white space. Unfortunately, we are tempted to jam as much information on the card as the printer can squeeze in. However, people don't want to bog down by reading lengthy paragraphs. Note how short this one is, and the one before it. Easy to read, don't you think? 
2. Display your photo on your card. Think what happens when the prospect you met at the reception flips through the cards she collected. Which people will she remember most easily? The ones with photos, of course. For many years, real estate pros have acted on this assumption, and they are right. An important caution: Be sure to use a recent picture, no more than five years old. The person who uses an outdated picture raises suspicion. What else about them is obsolete or misrepresented? 
3. Stick with a standard size. You want your card to fit the card collections others maintain. An odd-shaped card might be tossed away as too cumbersome to keep. 
4. Never economize on paper stock. The dollars you save won't compare with the dollars you will miss out on because prospects think you may be second rate, like your card. 
5. Spend what is needed to include color. Think about it-how many of your potential clients have black and white TV, cameras and magazines? Avoid psychedelic colors unless you are a designer, artist or entertainer. Your color photo will reflect a warm, vivid personality, so there's no need to shock the senses of readers. 
6. Include your slogan. My company slogan identifies my purpose: "Helping you finish in first place!" Six words are enough--if they are the right words. 
7. If you have a logo, use it. Picture this in your mind: "Golden Arches." Know the product? I am sure you do. Did you salivate? Probably so. That's the power of symbols. My logo is a winner's trophy, which fits my motto of helping organizations and individuals finish first. Matches my company name as well: Championship Communication. 
8. Tell readers how to contact you by phone, fax, mail and Internet. This sounds elementary, yet you would be surprised at how many marketers omit this essential data. 
9. Keep your card current, by printing new ones when you change your office location, phone number or e-mail address. When someone gives you a business card with a new number added in pen, you rate their work second class, or worse. 
10. Use both sides of your card for information. No need to let half the space go unutilized. Many professionals put their mission statement on the reverse side, and show it to prospects when they meet with them. 
11. When you give your card to a prospective client, don't offer just one. Instead, ask: "How many of these will you need, to share with your staff?" You will be amazed at how many more cards you will put into circulation with this simple question.  
12. You may want to distribute more than one card, with each card reflecting a different service you offer. Several years ago, a retired executive handed me three business cards, each representing a new venture he had launched, with distinct services offered.