Dearly beloved choristers

All by myself

Don’t wanna be

All by myself

Anymore

Thank you Celine Dion

Actually of course I am not all by myself.  I have a wonderfully supportive husband, and a wealth of friends and family somewhere ‘on screen’ .  But it certainly does feel lonely at times doesn’t it, and with no real end in sight yet.  So last Thursday your tirelessly devoted Bureau met on Skype yet again to discuss our future….OUR future together, yours and mine.  Here is what we talked about:

1. You cannot have failed to notice that the website has had….shall we say….a few problems lately.  All is good now thanks to hours and hours of unstinting effort put in by our Treasurer, Terry Delmar. This man really does deserve a round of applause from us all.  the rest of the Bureau are in awe of his technical prowess and when we asked how we could help him he said that it is really only on the financial side that the chorale NEEDS an Assistant Treasurer which Terry assures us is not much work.  He has offered to put together a handover pack which would document everything you need to know to be an Assistant Treasurer and he will train a new person how to install and use the accounts package.  There must, please, be someone out there who could help and you would receive the adulation of the rest of the Bureau as a result.  And chocolate cake and nibbles when we can meet properly again.

2. We have had one or two enquiries about fees….and here is the really good bit!  You will be charged NO fees until we can meet again, one way or another, in August or September.  Yes, you read it right…..nothing!  But for this you will have to work a bit.  As you know from a previous letter a fund raising Garden Party is planned for late June, or at worst late August, early September.  With a …..shall we say politely ‘elderly’ choir there is a good chance that most of us will be vaccinated by then (I am!) and hopefully the infection rate will be much reduced as a result of that plus restrictions.  At this Garden Party we plan to have a mini concert of songs which the Zoomies are currently learning.  There are some really good songs which are lovely to sing….’Go Down Moses’, ‘Tandis Que Tout Someille’, ‘Dream a Little Dream’, as well as some excellent canons…..’Bonsoir’, Shalom Chaverim’ and ‘Evening Rise’.  But there are really not enough of us Zoomies to have an effect.  Please try joining us.  I myself was reluctant and I would admit it is not ideal.  But at the end of a Monday night session I feel so much better, both physically and mentally, and I genuinely feel part of something I have always loved.  In the week I can practise songs I know I am going to sing some time in the not too distant future….which lends a sense of purpose to it all ….and a a sense of purpose is something most of us have been lacking for a while.  But it is not just me who is urging you to join us…..here is what fellow Zoomie and Bureau member Ralph Robbins has to say:

‘No-one likes Zoom much; this is in evidence every Monday evening when we only have 15 choristers from a chorale numbering more than 45 turning up to rehearse some really good songs.  Why am I there?  Because I like singing; because I like to be in the company of fellow choristers; and for all the other benefits we know singing brings.

Now there is another good reason to Zoom in on a Monday evening.  Your Bureau is planning a Singing Garden Party in late June where we sing a few popular songs together and honour our Past President and Founder of our beloved chorale.  And, we get to eat, drink, and make merry.

What’s not to like?  So come on, come on Monday evening for a few weeks so that we can recapture the spirit and that quality chorale singing that we have experienced in happier times as we begin to emerge from this trying period that we have all experienced’.

And lastly….but far from least….our charismatic Chef de Chorale Anke de Bruijn:

« Dear Rossignols

Yes, I would like to agree with Judi and Ralph and the Bureau that we would love to see you again.  Zoom can be a little daunting but…..it is so rewarding!  Please give it a try.  There are numerous videos on YouTube teaching you how to do it.  One year ago I was anti-Zoom.  Now I am convinced it is a very workable way to continue what we all love doing: to sing and be in touch with each other!

    Love, light and blessings

    Anke« 

How can you resist?  Back to Celine Dion ‘Here’s hoping we’ll all be together soon’.

I know I do!!

Very, very best safe wishes to you all….and then a bit more.

Judi Harding

Proud President of the Chorale de Cazals