It's been a while since we have been in touch -- and as you will see as you read on, it's mainly because GNHCC has been very busy with rehearsals, community outreach, and all kinds of exciting projects -- including our participation in the ACDA's 2015 International Conductors Exchange program.

Ruby Tuesday's of North Haven has generously offered to partner with Greater New Haven Community Chorus for two full days of Giving Back.  Eat at Ruby Tuesday on Monday, February 9 -- or -- Tuesday, February 10, and 20% of your entire meal ticket will be donated directly to GNHCC!

 

This is a part of Ruby Tuesday's Give Back program to support their local community. The required flyer that is needed to be presented to your server is posted below.  In order to participate in the fundraising event you must download it, print it and bring it with you.

 

In the event of inclement winter weather and hazardous driving conditions, please check our website for any possible cancellation notices.

 

Participation Flyer    -    Menu    -    Map / Directions

GNHCC will be participating in the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) 2015 International Conductors Exchange Program (ICEP) with visiting Swedish choral conductors.  In 2015, ACDA will host fourteen choral conductors from Sweden who will travel to the United States to be official guests in each of the seven divisions and at the National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. In turn, the Swedish Choral Directors Association (SCDA) will host fourteen U.S. conductors to be official guests at the Scandinavian Choral Convention in Stockholm, Sweden, in October 2015.

 

GNHCC will host Swedish choral conductors who will work with the chorus on Friday evening, February 20, 2015 at a special rehearsal.  The two visiting guest conductors are Pär Olofsson and Ida Fahl.

 

Pär Olofsson     (Photo Credit -Joel Nilsson)

Pär Olofsson (born 1973) is a Swedish composer, conductor and organist based in Stockholm, Sweden.  After completing medical studies, Pär attended the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and studied organ, piano, conducting, voice and music theory.  Pär graduated with a masters degree in church music in 2003.  He is currently holding a position as music supervisor and choir director at Oscarskyrkan (King Oscar´s church), in central Stockholm.  As head of the college of musicians, Pär manages the music program of four churches, four fellow organists/conductors, as well as 300 choristers divided into eight choir groups.  As a conductor, Pär is specialised in contemporary a capella music. He has founded Oscars Motettkör, a semi-professional chamber choir, as well as Oscars Youth choir.  These groups have participated in many first performances, and have also successfully toured both Europe and Asia.  Pär frequently conducts the major works for choir and orchestra.

 

As a composer, Pär is most prolific in the field of choral and vocal music. In his many compositions and countless arrangements, he combines rich and generous sonorities and whimsical ideas with rigorous craftsmanship and strict thematic development. He has written for a large number of formats ranging from solo voice to full orchestra. His works has been premiered by leading soloists and choral conductors in Sweden.

 

Ida Fahl

Ida Fahl is an organist and choral conductor at St. Birgitta Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Kalmar, in the south east of Sweden.  For nearly twelve years she has studied music at a high level, specializing in various instruments and musical expression.

 

Having received three music degrees, she continues to compose, perform and teach music as well as conduct.  She sings professionally and works with choral singers at all levels, encouraging singers to develop techniques that allow them to use their voices in a healthy way, and to lift them to a higher level, be it in a classical piece, contemporary pop or Swedish folk music.

 

Ida has recently been granted a scholarship from the highly regarded Madeleine Ugglas Scholarship Fund.  She arranges a great deal of music for her own choirs, and in 2010 was commissioned by Töreboda parish and music school to compose a mass of 45 minutes of music for choir, soloists, orchestra and band, which she also conducted.

 

She currently conducts three choirs; Katarinakören (SSAA), Birgittæ Drängar (TTBB &SATB) and Aspiranterna (beginners, SAB).  In the future, she plans to start my own chamber choir.  Travelling and communicating in different languages is a great part of my life, and she is looking forward to the ACDA/ICEP exchange.

 

The ACDA International Conductors Exchange Program (ICEP) was inaugurated in 2010 with a highly successful exchange with Cuba coinciding with the 2012 division conferences.  In 2014, this extraordinary program worked with China and their partner, the China Chorus Association, to provide once again the opportunity to create meaningful international collaborations that coincided with all seven of their annual division conferences.  To this end, they have established an ongoing exchange program of potential leaders from the U.S. choral community and their international counterparts.

 

The mission of the American Choral Directors Association is to inspire excellence in choral music through education, performance, composition, and advocacy.  GNHCC is very proud and extremely honored to have been chosen and invited to participate in this program by the ACDA's Eastern Division.

GNHCC partnered with the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) this year to expand its annual coat drive.  The event was held during the last two weeks of January.  GNHCC members gathered and donated new and gently used warm clothing from their families and friends which was donated to NHPD to be distributed in the greater New Haven area by NHPD.  Several bags of warm winter clothing were donated for men, women and children - including coats, sweaters, sweatshirts, sweatpants, socks, hats, gloves, scarves and mittens.

 

While police departmental involvement in charitable events and individual acts of kindness are routine, New Haven's new initiative is a unique integration of charity into daily police activities.  By teaming up with the New Haven Police Department, GNHCC provided coats and warm clothing for distribution to local coat drives.  

Lt. Sam Brown, NHPD   (Photo Credit - NHPD)

The idea of an officer gifting coats to adults and children who appear to need them was realized through the efforts of New Haven Police Lt. Sam Brown.  He took the donations a step further and came up with the idea to have police officers keep the coats in their cruisers to hand them out whenever they see someone without a coat.  "That's extremely important because you get to meet the need immediately, right on scene," said Brown.  Lt. Brown was recently promoted to lieutenant in the fall of 2014 and is the District Manager of the Dixwell Community Management Team at the Dixwell Substation.

 

GNHCC board president, Katherine McManus prepares donations collected for annual coat drive

GNHCC board president, Katherine McManus said "With the recent cold weather we have been having, and the weather continuing to be bitterly cold, we are pleased to be able to work on this with the wonderful men and women of the New Haven Police Department.  This partnership relates to part of the mission of GNHCC - 'Building Community One Note at a Time.'"

On Friday evening, December 5, members of GNHCC gathered with their friends of the Christ Church Choir at Christ Church on the Guilford Green to present their annual "Choirs for a Cause" concert to raise money for two charities.  Approximately $1,000 was raised and through the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund was sent to the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and Doctors Without Borders (DWB).

 

WWP was selected by GNHCC and is a veteran's service organization that offers a variety of programs, service and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following the events of September 11, 2001.  The organization helps thousands of Wounded Warriors - and their families - as they return home from the current conflicts. 

 

DWB was chosen by Christ Church and provides help to people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to those affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from health care.  DWB's West Africa Ebola response started in March 2014 and includes activities in Guinea, Liberia, Mali, and Sierra Leone. DWB currently employs 302 international and around 4,000 national locally hired staff in the region. The organization operates eight Ebola case management DWB has admitted more than 8,100 patients, among whom around 4,960 were confirmed as having Ebola. More than 2,300 patients have survived. More than 1,400 tons of supplies have been shipped to the affected countries since March.

 

GNHCC and the Christ Church Choir were thrilled to make music together and be able to support these two charities.

 

Thank you to all of our families, friends and supporters that came out to spend the evening with us and hear us perform on December 13 at our fall concert at St. Mary's Church in New Haven.  A special thank you to Connecticut Children's Chorus ~ Primi Voci who joined us at our concert.

 

GNHCC under the direction of Noah Blocker-Glynn, Artistic Director

 

Connecticut Children's Chorus ~ Primi Voci under the direction of Dr. Stuart Younse, Artistic Director

GNHCC 2015 Spring Concert

Saturday, June 6, 2015 at 8:00 pm

Trinity Lutheran Church

292 Orange Street

New Haven, CT

 

Songs of Sanctuary - will feature works by Haydn, Jenkins, Walker, Whitacre, and others.  Tickets are already available.

 

As always, we are grateful for your continued support and look forward to seeing you soon at one of our upcoming events!

Sincerely,

Greater New Haven Community Chorus