Download Welcome to the Pioneer Valley Cappella

Pioneer Valley Cappella – Membership Information
Updated February 2013
Welcome to the Pioneer Valley Cappella (PVC), an auditioned a cappella choral group
dedicated to singing classical music from the Renaissance through modern periods. We have
been singing and performing in the Pioneer Valley for more than thirty years, and we take great
pleasure in exploring repertoire and performing it beautifully and expressively.
Rehearsals and concerts
We meet on Thursdays from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. at the Wesley United Methodist Church in Hadley,
MA. Free parking is available behind the building. Our fall semester usually runs from
September to mid-January and the spring semester from late January to mid-May. Each
semester culminates in two concerts. We break for the holidays in late December and do not
meet in the summer months.
We often sing in mixed formation, not in sections, because we feel that this enhances the singing
experience and creates a more harmonious sound. The director may determine specific seating
placements for best sound.
Singers are expected to prepare their music for each rehearsal, to mark music with all the
director’s notes, and to take responsibility for getting all notes from any rehearsals they may
miss. Please organize your music in a black binder with tabs so that you can find each selection
easily.
Attendance
Regular attendance at rehearsals is essential. Please notify both the music director and the clerk
if you expect to miss a rehearsal, and please give as much advanced notice as possible. If you
have lost your voice but are not contagious, you are strongly encouraged to attend rehearsal, to
listen and take notes.
If you are forced to be absent from more than three rehearsals, the director may ask to hear you
sing music from the program to determine whether you are prepared, and your participation in
the concerts will be at his discretion.
Cancellations
When the weather is bad and travel could be dangerous, the director and president may make the
decision to cancel a rehearsal; you will be notified by email, phone or both by mid-afternoon.
You may also get in touch with any board member to check on whether the rehearsal will be
cancelled.
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Dues
Membership dues are collected each semester to pay for our operating costs: the director’s
stipend, rental fee for rehearsal space, photocopying music, instrumentalists, etc.
Dues are set at $100/semester, or less for those who would find that amount burdensome. In
order to make it possible for us to have a sliding fee scale, we encourage those who can afford to
contribute some amount in excess of dues to do so.
Music
Copyright-protected music may be purchased by PVC and given to you to keep (the cost is
usually covered by your dues) or it may be borrowed from another group. Please be sure not to
make any permanent markings in borrowed music.
Concert Dress
Concert dress for men is tuxes with black tie; for women, formal attire, all black.
Auditions and New Singers
It is the responsibility of the music director to audition and select singers and to determine the
balances among voice parts. Newly-admitted singers are on a probationary status for their first
semester; after that, members of the group are generally retained from year to year.
Singers who take a leave of absence from the group will be given priority to fill empty slots, but
cannot be guaranteed a slot will remain open for them.
Musical/Vocal Quality
It is also the responsibility of the music director to control and refine the quality of the group’s
sound. Thus, membership is always at the director’s discretion.
If the director identifies a problem with an individual singer, s/he will speak directly and
confidentially to that singer to define the problem and suggest ways to solve it. The director may
also choose to re-audition the entire group before the beginning of a new season.
Volunteer Opportunities
If you wish to contribute extra time and energy to PVC, or might be interested in joining the
board, please let the president know.
Annual Meeting
PVC meets at least once a year to conduct business, usually on a Thursday night in May after
our last concert. We discuss the previous season, elect our board, and have a party. Please attend
these meetings if you can.
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More detailed description of PVC rules and procedures can be found in our By-laws, which are
available in the members' section of the PVC website.
Music Director and Officers:
Geoff Hudson – Music Director, (413) 230-3782 (home); [email protected]
Elizabeth Chilton – President, (413) 575-4507 (cell); [email protected]
Sarah Metcalf – Clerk, 413-584-6604 (home); [email protected]
Lisa Ruch – Treasurer, 413-527-1341 (home); [email protected]
Board Members:
Brit Albritton, 413-584-6604 (home); [email protected]
Booker Bush, 413-727-8497 (home); [email protected]
David Mednicoff, 413-210-6757 (cell); [email protected]
Christine Overstreet, 413-538-3331 (office); [email protected]
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