Choral Singers, Please Rise to the Occasion
Class of 1961 60th Reunion
Invites you to participate in an HGC-RCS Chorus
After Dinner on Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Singers from Classes of 1959 through 1966 are invited to participate
Our RCS Planning Committee includes Toni Plehn ‘61,
Kathy Maclaurin ’61, Jean Leventhal ’63, and Joyce Curll ‘64
Our HGC Planning Committee includes Tom Blodgett ’61,
Ben Cox ‘61, Nat Coolidge ‘61, Peter Strauss ‘61,
Allen Burns ‘63, Drew Quale ’63 and Bill Mares ‘62
Pieces it has been suggested we include in the program are:
Faure and Brahms Requiem selections, Mozart’s Ave Verum,
Berlioz’ Shepherd's Farewell from L'enfance du Christ,
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Pie Jesu, and others.
Rehearsal will be the day before (Monday, May 24, 2021) in Holden Chapel from 1 pm to 4 pm.
Hotel space will be reserved for those not registering for the 60th Reunion.
For those driving to Cambridge, we plan to have another rehearsal a month in advance.
This far in advance, we are not asking for a firm commitment. But if you think you might be interested
in joining this HGC-RCS Chorus, please reply to Tom Blodgett at tblodgett@ft.newyorklife.com,
and we will keep you posted as our planning progresses.
If we tackle the Requiem selections, we will need a heck of a good pianist, like Bernie Krieger. We will see if Bernie thinks he could do it. We are also confident that Joel Sachs and Richard Wilson ’61 could do it. We will also look carefully at whether one rehearsal will be enough time to get us up to speed. It is highly likely that all those within driving distance of Boston will be invited to a rehearsal in Holden Chapel for most of Saturday or Sunday in late April 2021, a month ahead of the performance. Depending on our final selections, we may send the music to you in advance, and/or schedule additional rehearsal time as we assess your interest.
If our voices are up to doing A Capella music from the Renaissance, we could add sacred (Josquin, Vittoria, and Tallis) or secular English (Dowling, etc.). And there is Randall Thompson’s Alleluia.
Although it may seem far in the future, planning for the 1961 60th Reunion in 2021 has already begun. Other 60th Reunion events on Tuesday, open to all Classes, will include the Memorial Service and several Outdoor Luncheons, including one that is Radcliffe-only.
We are hoping to assemble a chorus of 30 to 40, evenly divided between men and women. If needed, we will achieve the SATB balance by filling in with undergraduates. Toni Plehn, Jean Leventhal, and Joyce Curll are working with us to locate the RCS members, and Jim Giessler, Director of the HGC Foundation, is helping us confirm a great Conductor, If Andy Clark cannot do it. Jim Giessler may be able to convince Jim Marvin to conduct for us.
Please send me a note if you have done choral or choir singing and would like to contribute to making this a great success.
With best regards,
Thomas N. Blodgett
Harvard 1961 Class Committee Co-Chair
P.O. Box 84, Dublin, NH 03444
tblodgett@ft.newyorklife.com
603-924-8030