A blog for the Alexandria, Virginia, Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Looking Back on the August 31st Chapter Meeting and Dog Days Event
Our annual trip to Manassas to sing with other chapters from the VA area was fun. Early arrivals were greeted with a huge spread of goodies provided by the host Prince William County Chapter, Bull Run Troubadours. The location at Sacred Heart Church has great parking, plenty of room for all.
As a help, our guys had brought the risers down and set up sound equipment for the evening. The host chapter helped unload, but YeEd saw the usual suspects, Bob Blair and Dennis Ritchey, working to get the sound all set.
It was great to see Terry Jordan back as well as Larry Silva and Alan Durick who were visiting too. It is a great nite to see many long-time barbershop friends.
Before the show, YeEd got a call from Dick Hall reporting that Carolyn is some better but still in the rehab center at Southern Maryland Hospital. He hopes she will get to come home on Friday. They really appreciate all the cards and calls from the Harmonizer family.
The Dog Days event, originally held to help chapters add some summer activity to their schedule, included six choruses this year. Those choruses also had their chapter quartets sing as part of their part of the program.
Our Dick Dangel was the opening act to get the early arrivals in the audience involved in some music. He brought his accordion and song sheets and had everyone sing a few while the choruses got ready.
The host chapter president welcomed everyone and turned it over to the chapters then. When one chorus finished, that director would teach a tag or direct a song for all to sing while the next chorus came onto the risers. Things flowed along great.
Harmony Heritage Singers from down in Mt. Vernon were first. They have a lot of Harmonizers on the risers with them. Bob Wachter is director. Chris Buechler is an assistant director. As is tradition, they sang ?Old Bones? featuring 96-year-old Bix Doughty.
After they sang, two special visitors from the Barbershop Harmony Foundation in Nashville were introduced - Ryan Kileen and Clark Cleveland. Ryan gave a few remarks and thanked everyone for their support of the Foundation which means ?the song will live on? for future generations of singers.
Second chorus was Blue Ridge Barbershoppers directed by Glenn Williamson. Third was Culpepper Minutemen Chorus directed by John Knueven. Fourth was Fairfax Jubilaires directed by Richard Lewellen. It was his birthday so we all sang to him. Their quartet, FOUR GOOD MEASURE, sang with our Austin Cotton on bass.
The host chapter sang fifth with Glenn Williamson directing. Our Bruce Lauther sang with one of their quartets.
The Harmonizers were last up with Director Joe out front. We kicked off our set with the re-engineered ?There?s A Meeting Here Tonight? that got the audience fired up. This year we included one of our quartets, DOWN A FOURTH, in our show. And also our contemporary accapella group, TBD, got the audience involved and clapping and cheering.
It was a shame there was not enough room to do all the stage movements for our contest uptune, but the guys were animated and made it come alive from the risers. ?Summertime? had folks sitting on the edge of their seats watching the facial sell of all the guys on the risers. Then ?Stars and Stripes Forever? brought the audience out of their chairs.
Thanks to all of our guys who did the mc work for our show. Always good! And gotta say thanks to the many Harmonizers who drove an hour or two to get to this one.
As a wrap up for the evening, and as is the custom at this event, all barbershoppers came to the risers and our Joe lead them in ?Keep The Whole World Singing.?
As you would expect, there was tag singing around and more quartets singing another song for friends and family. There was a nice sized crowd of family and friends for the evening.
Now it is back to our Tuesday nite musical workout in prep for the fall contest, Oct. 1-2 in Lancaster. New guys - you need to have a ticket and uniform and a room. See Bob Rhome for ticket and room. See Tom Kern for uniform. Guess we better say that goes for the not-new guys too!!
REMEMBER - we meet in the cafeteria of the school next to Durant on Sept. 7th.
Until next time - editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. ?Ye Ed.)
Looking Back on the August 24th Chapter Meeting
This is always a fun time of the Harmonizer year as guys are returning from trips, vacations with families, or special assignments. Was great to see Craig Kujawa back from his sea duty. And Pete Frank was in town from Erie.
The new risers were up and ready at 6 pm or so and then Mike Kelly stepped in to help set up the sound and av equipment for this busy evening.
Tony Colosimo conducted a solid physical and vocal warm up period. Then he turned it over to Director Joe who started right off with the contest songs for the district competition Oct. 1-2 in Lancaster PA. Great to hear the chorus crank it back up to the high level of July. For those who have been gone, Joe has introduced some new techniques to make the process fresh and fun. And of course any barbershopper worth his salt has gotta like ringing cords. Good work.
During the evening, the music team also provided a couple chances for the singers to produce ?Make Me Better? recordings as part of the self evaluation process. This is all the Philly chorus has to do in the way of qualification before district. New guys, and there are sure a lot of them, will be given individual help. (YeEd got wind that two guys passed their auditions after rehearsal last nite. And another is gonna do his audition on Thurs. nite at the special guest audition nite.)
Guys were asking YeEd about the RAISE THE BAR blue t-shirts some guys were sporting. Suspect we will hear more about that soon!
The team with Joe, Tony, Terry and Chuck worked on the others songs for our set at Dog Days on Tues. Aug. 31st. ?Summertime? and ?There?s a Meeting Here Tonight? each got some review and stage presence drill. ?Stars and Stripes? was worked on too.
We all were reminded of the important chapter show on Tuesday, Aug. 31st call Dog Days. This is a long-standing tradition where many chapters in the area come together, sing some songs for each other, mix and mingle and share goodies, and cheer for each other. They have always had it on a Tuesday so the Harmonizers could attend en mass and entertain our fellow barbershoppers. Everyone should make plans. If it means getting off work early or at least doing a map quest, plan ahead. Some guys arrive a little after the event has started, as we always sing last. Talk to some of your riser guys to car pool. And invite the new guys and guests to ride along. Evening starts at 7 pm at Sacred Heart Church, 12975 Purcell Rd., Manassas 20112. There is plenty of parking. Hall has AC too. And so you won?t be surprised -- our former director, Richard Lewellen, will debut as director of the Fairfax Chorus during the show.
The before-break business session included the usual birthday announcements by Mark Klostermeyer. Then Ken White introduced a long line of guests - many returnees and applicants. Alexander Kulessa was a special guest from the barbershop organization in Germany - Bing. He found us through Bruce Minnick who got a request to host Alexander via a fellow in the Vocal Majority. Alex is staying with Lew Klinge while he meets and visits in DC area and attends Harmonizer events. He will also visit the Vocal Majority, The Ambassadors of Harmony, Westminster, Masters of Harmony and Toronto Northern Lights.
Ken also reported that there has been good response for the special Audition nite on Thurs, Aug. 26 at 7 pm at Durant. It is good to suggest this audition nite to any potential singers. If they need a ride, you can bring them. But the chorus is not expected nor needed. A small crew will run the auditionees thru the process with Joe listening to each one.
But Ken did stress that all of us need to be lining up men to come for the fall special guest nite, Tues. Oct. 26th at Durant. This is a chance to get a guy into the chorus for the holiday show and for sure get him ready for next year?s International convention and contest in Kansas City.
Break time was busy as usual. [Note: we need more contributions of goodies. Coffee service to resume after Sept. 1st] Many guys have ordered scrip cards for Marriott and will use them to pay their hotel bill in Lancaster. The chapter makes good money on this project and it will help us fill in some budget shortfalls in 2011. So be sure to order your cards from Bob Eckman or Dick Hall.
Bob Rhome is working to help all of us get a room and ticket registration for the district contest. If you have not spoken to him in person or via email, please do so. All Harmonizers should plan to attend to either sing or cheer.
Alan Wile continued his Harmo Heroes project and chose five guy?s names out of the hat to be interviewed next. Great project that will create bios of all of the members on the website.
Don Dillingham, a new guy who got a medal in Philly, gave a testimony about his experiences with the chorus and his desire to keep the fires raging.
President Newton reported that Carolyn Hall is now in the rehab center of the Southern Maryland Hospital. (YeEd spoke with Dick and Carolyn today. She appreciated the response from all of us. Dick suggests cards or notes could be sent to their home address (4305 John St., Suitland, MD 20746), as he is there to get the mail each day. But she does have a private phone in her room - 301-877-5862.
Joe reported that he visited with Geri Geis recently in planning and she shared that she and Royall are going up to NY and will stop and see our friend and arranger, Walter Latzko. He is a loyal fan of the chapter and loves hearing from us.
After announcements, it was back on the risers to work on our music and presentation skills. It was noted that the ?singable doots? appeared again during rehearsal.
The guys on the risers are enjoying the new song, ?No More Sorrow,? made famous by GAS HOUSE GANG.
Then Joe gave the guys a brief taste of the new uptune for the 2011 contest cycle. Chapter librarian, Bob Mattes, had prepared part specific handouts for the first portion of the song to be learned. Joel Golden had also helped Joe clip the learning tracks into segments needed in teaching the first portion. The complete tracks were done by Tim Waurick. The overhead projector and sound equipment were useful tools in the process. The song is gonna be a smashing success!
As usual the learning and fun ran right up until 10 pm. Then it was work to get risers loaded on the truck to take to Dog Days. Plus audition sessions were held for new guys to get into the chorus. And the usual tag singers were at it again.
A larger and larger contingent of tag singers is beginning to emerge after getting their food at our Tuesday nite afterglow. They adjourn outside and sing away.
REMEMBER: Dog Days Event in Manassas on 8/31; and then we will be meeting in the school that is adjacent to Durant starting Sept. 7th. The city will be replacing the floor in the main hall of Durant.
Until next time - editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. ?Ye Ed.)
Looking Back on the August 17th Chapter Meeting and Market Square Show
This was a busy nite for the chapter and chorus. Set up went well, tho someone found the head off a nut from the risers on the floor. So before you knew it, Bob Blair was under the risers with his socket wrench and found where it had fallen off. And these risers are just a few weeks old!! Tip for all - if you see any nuts or bolts, save ?em.
There was a good crowd of guests arriving early - some are applicants and needed to practice with a quartet, others filling out paper work, others just meeting the guys.
Early on we learned from Dick Hall that his sidekick, Carolyn, was in the hospital. He left early to go back to the hospital. On top of it all, her birthday is Wednesday. So - all of us need to drop a note or card in the mail to their home. Bob Eckman took over selling the scrip cards and taking orders for Marriott scrip cards that guys can use to pay their hotel bill in Lancaster at district convention.
Will Cox conducted an important vocal warm up to launch the musical portion of the evening. Director Joe was up on the risers getting a feel for the sound and helping fire back some bari! Was funny, Terry came up to YeEd at one point and asked, ?Have you seen Joe?? He was having fun being one of the riser singers.
First music work session of the nite was to refurb the choreo for ?Meeting Here Tonight? as originally learned. We had created a stripped-down-choreo version to get thru some shows, so this gets the entertaining package back up to snuff. Chuck McKeever taught and reviewed. The front row guys worked on their own in the lobby.
Mark Klostermeyer, ops vp, kicked off the prebreak announcements with birthday reminders. Terry Reynolds, music vp, announced that vocal coach Michael Gellert will be back with us next week. Guys can sign up for a single session at $20 or a group-of-five session for $4 each.
Membership vp Ken White reminded us all of the Thurs. Aug. 26th audition nite. Joe will conduct the auditions. Our duty is to get prospects to attend. It starts at 7 pm at Durant. Phil Ferguson is coordinating the event.
Ken also reminded us of the Tues. Oct.. 26th guest nite at Durant. As usual, we need to bring in as many prospects as possible. Steve Lingo is point person for this one.
Some of us were talking last nite that it is often the lady who talks a guy into singing with us. So don?t overlook that plan as you try to get a guy to come sing. Invite him and his wife to come on Tuesday. We?ll have the coffee pot on for them.
Then he introduced our guests. Will Cox directed the Harmonizer Welcome song.
There were some goodies out for the break, and the guys managed to make a clean sweep of the table and all but a few crumbs were gone. (We need you all to restock the cupboard - cookies, salty things, healthy things if you must, candy. Bring it on Tuesday when you come.)
After break, Kevin Roth announced details of the Harmony Brigade event this weekend in DE.
Several announcements were made related to the Mid-Atlantic District contest coming up Oct. 1-2 in Lancaster. Reminder about buying scrip cards to pay your Marriott hotel bill - the chapter nets some good cash on these. Reminder by Terry of the two Sept. extra rehearsals. One is Thurs Sept. 23th in conjunction with a show in the city. The other is Thurs Sept. 30th. Those two rehearsals and the other four Tuesday nite rehearsals in Sept. are mandatory. If a chorus member can?t make one of them, he needs to speak to Terry or section leader, just so they know your plans.
But similarly, Bob Rhome is eager to help each of us get your hotel room for the weekend and to purchase event tickets for the contest and convention. If you have not given Bob your form or spoken to him about your plans, do so now. Also if you plan to sing but are staying with friends or have bought a ticket on your own, it helps him plan for chapter events that weekend.
(YeEd would add that many of us may be asked by section leaders, assistant directors and visual team members to help coach and instruct all the MANY new guys who have joined since Philly or are in the process of doing so. We want them to sing on the district stage with us.)
Terry also gave a plug for the guys to bring recording devices so they can submit ?Make Me Better? self evaluations before the district contest.
Bruce Lauther had many of the 5th place medals back from the engraver. Klostermeyer was glad to report his last name did fit on the back of a medal. (Now you know why we refer to him as K12)
President Newton reported on Carloyn Hall and announced the board meeting for 7 pm at Durant on Wednesday.
Then Director Joe took over and worked the chorus hard on contest preparation. There were some note changes but no major changes in interp or visual. Just drill and review, and here again, helping the new guys get comfortable.
Before the nite ended, we all were reminded of the important chapter show on Tuesday, Aug. 31st call Dog Days. This is a long-standing tradition where many chapters in the area come together, sing some songs for each other, mix and mingle and share goodies, and cheer for each other. They have always had it on a Tuesday so the Harmonizers could attend en mass and show our stuff from the international stage. Everyone should make plans. If it means getting off work early or at least doing a map quest, plan ahead. Some guys arrive a little after the event has started, as we always sing last. Talk to some of your riser guys to car pool. And invite the new guys and guests to ride along.
All Harmonizers are encouraged to attend Dog Days, even if you are not a regular these days. Come sit with YeEd and help take notes!! The evening is hosted by the Prince William County Chapter at 12975 Purcell Rd. in Manassas, always during the hot muggy ?dog days? of summer. The hall has AC and lots of room. Plenty of parking. We take the risers and sound equipment for the nite to help.
Now a quick report from the Market Square show last weekend.
It was a terrific nite in Old Town Alexandria on Fri. Aug. 13th for the annual Harmonizer appearance at Market Square. We were part of the summer series there hosted by the Alexandria Dept. of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs.
There was a good crowd from beginning to end for the show. The chorus sang a full list of our best songs. Four guys formed LOW HUMIDITY quartet for the show - Dan O?Brien, Tony Colosimo, Ken Ives and Steve White. After one song, Rick Savage took over tenor and Steve joked that they had worn out one tenor already.
Membership vp Ken White had brought postcards to pass out to folks in the audience. It was fun to meet some prospective singers and for sure some ticket customers from this gig. Also good to see some of our recent guests in the audience.
Until next time - editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. ?Ye Ed.)
Looking Back on the August 10th Chapter Meeting Director Joe was back from Harmony U and over 80 other Harmonizers were back after some summer time breaks - everyone ready to get back to singing and back to work in prep for upcoming shows AND the district contest the first weekend in Oct.
(YeEd noticed a lot of bronze medals last nite too!)
After Tony Colosimo did the vocal warm ups, Joe spoke briefly about the week in Missouri with all the other barbershop leaders, judges and students at the school. He was modest and did not share that we was asked to direct the Saturday nite chorus on the show they had.
But he didn?t talk long, and got the guys right to work on a full song list for this Friday?s show at Market Square in downtown Alexandria - another show we are doing for the city as a thank you for their support of the chapter. The assistant directors all worked so they would be prepared to direct their songs for the show. Greg Tepe is show producer.
Joe stepped in now and then and especially did some review on the contest songs (we will use them in the show, tho cut out the stage moves for ?Hello My Baby? since the risers will be on the cement deck outside City Hall.
A couple guys figured a way to get our colorful banner to display above the chorus - so that will go to the show too. Membership VP Ken White (who gets a gold star for cleaning out the membership/guest sign-in cabinet after years of guys stashing stuff there) will have colorful postcards, which match the banner, to pass out to interested singers in the audience Friday nite. Some guys not on the risers can help pass them out.
Mark Klostermeyer, operations vp, started the business meeting with birthday reminders. Secretary Buechler presented new-member packet materials to Edgar Blancas.
Ken White reminded everyone of two import 26th dates. On Thursday, Aug. 26th, the music team will conduct auditions for men who want to sing with us. Session will be at 7 pm at Durant. Joe will conduct the actual audition. All are asked to promote this event. We are not needed to attend, but can certainly bring someone who is interested. The marketing crew is promoting the event in circles where musicians might see the opportunity and come check us out.
The second date is Oct. 26 - another regular guest nite during our Tuesday meeting and rehearsal. For sure we all come to that one and bring others prospects!
Dick Hall reminded all members that they can earn a lot of money for the chapter by buying Marriott script cards in advance of the district contest. You buy $100 script cards from the chapter (see Dick or Carolyn), then use them to pay your hotel bill in Lancaster. Rooms are a little over $100 a nite. The chapter pays less than $100 for the card and earns a healthy percentage of net. SO - everyone needs to do it. See the Halls and let them know how many cards you want to buy.
For break, we celebrated summer again and had a huge watermelon feast during break.
After the break, Ken Fess, producer of our recent Westminster show, presented chapter president Dick Newton a check for nearly $41,000 as income from ticket sales. Hurray!! And thanks again Ken.
Ken also announced that the proposed show with the Ambassadors of Harmony will not happen. Too many schedule conflicts with the two busy choruses to allow us to contract a show venue.
Tom Kraus plus Jeremy Knobel, Phil Ferguson and Joe Cerutti have joined forces as the last four class presidents of new guys going to International to encourage total commitment for medal worthy performances among all of our singers for shows and contest gigs in the months ahead. More to come via email.
Music vp Terry Reynolds reviewed plans for release of new music and for schedules of learning new songs. He also reviewed plans for self evaluation processes as we get ready to form a contest chorus for Lancaster. The Make Me Better recording plan will continue as well as visual self evaluations. He announced that the Sept. 12 fund raising show for a Bowie, MD, nonprofit group has been canceled since the group has had to go out of business.
Bob Rhome is eager to get registration orders (tickets) and housing reservations for the Harmonizers who are going to Lancaster. Your deadline is Aug. 31st.
Alan Wile continued his successful Harmonizer Heroes project and thanked the guys who have prepared their bio sheets for Alan to post online. He is working to get a complete set of bio reports from all of us on the web.
President Newton announced the official letter has been received from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts alerting us that we will be given a grant of $11,365. We are humbled to know that we have been chosen to receive the grant.
He also reported receiving $1000 from our Mid-Atlantic District to help with our expenses for International in July.
And he read a warm personal note from Ms. Shirley Bolstad, widow of the late Bruce Bolstad. She included a generous financial gift as well.
Then it was back to work on the show tunes for Friday evening. Show is at 7:30 pm near city hall (where the fountain is on King Street about 2 blocks up from the Potomac River). Harmonizers can park underground and have their parking ticket validated to cover the cost. Chorus comes already dressed without make up for warm up in the foyer of City Hall.
Another gold star from this week goes to Bob Blair and Klye Blomgren who hauled all the 50th anniversary display boards back to our storage unit.
All the best to Jeremy Knobel who will be absent a lot for the next few months. He is starting work on his law degree. And good luck to the other college guys who are heading out in the next couple weeks. YeEd thinks Kellen Hertz and Edris Qarghah plan to come back for district. YeEd also hears that Will Daniel Mudd-Simmons may be back in the area for college and we hope he will be singing with us soon.
Until next time - editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. ?Ye Ed.)
Harmonizers on the HIgh Seas (High Cs?) The Harmonizers that went on the Barbershop Harmony at Sea Cruise to Bermuda had a great time. We were small in number but got to know each other a lot better. The only male barbershoppper who was not a Harmonizer was David Ellis, Cindy Hansen?s husband.
There were no female tenor?s on the cruise so David Ellis had to sing female tenor with the women in addition to singing with the men. Also, the only female baritone on the cruise got sick and Joe Cerutti had to sing baritone with the women. The Harmo family that were with us was Dan O?Brian?s wife Laura and their son, Dick Dangel?s wife Carol and Bob Rhome?s wife Anne. The single guys were Joe Cerutti, Ian Poulin, and me. The number of female barbershoppers attending were slightly larger than the males.
Missing in the photo of the guys was David Ellis because he was over rehearsing with the women. Missing in the combined photo is Joe Cerutti because he was directing the combined chorus singing on the atrium steps.
Right after International some of our guys went on a ?Barbershop Harmony at Sea? cruise to Bermuda. Joe Cerutti and Cindy Hansen were the leaders of the group and word is they did a lot of singing and had the usual fun on a cruise. Our guys included Ian Poulin, Dan and Laura O?Brien and Ben, Dick Dangel and Carol, Bob and Anne Rhome, and Sam McFarland. Cindy?s husband, David, was also there to sing in various quartet combinations.
And how about the great news releases and coverage our own Martin Banks has gotten for the chapter in local media and in Society media! Good work.
This past Sunday, Aug. 1st, another group of Harmonizers and their families and friends went to Nationals Park to see the Nats play the Phillies. Our Nats almost pulled off a three-game sweep, but got beat Sunday, 6-4. Thanks to Brad Jones for organizing this fun time - he even got us seats in the shade (and as it turned out, we kept dry when a little rain shower passed over). Other members in addition to Brad were Alan Wile, Ike Evans, Phil Ashford, Gary Mankin, Bob Rhome, Chuck Powell, Jerry Kindred, Tom Giffith, Rick Wagner, Joe Wagovich, Max Kieba, and Jack Pitzer.
Then here is a report from our guys in Missouri. Last week, Gary Plaag, Chris Buechler, Chuck Harner and Joe Cerutti attended judges Category School on the campus of Western Missouri State, in St. Joe. After a week of training and testing as to their skills in setting numbers and ability to offer remarks and suggestions to competitors, all ?passed? and are certified. This is Joe?s first time as an official judge, while the others were there for recertification. Joe is a music judge, Gary is a presentation judge and Chris and Chuck are contest administrators.
YeEd figures we will get more news from St. Joe after this week?s Harmony University on the same campus. Joe and Gary are on the faculty there. Reporters tell me Patrick Kim, Ken Fess, Ray Kahler, Tom Gannon and Bob Wachter are attending classes this week as part of the school. Chris and Joe Sawyer are attending a special event as part of Harmony U called Director?s College. One tradition at Harmony U is the chance to enjoy all the ice cream you want in the evenings. So YeEd figures we will hear about that too!
It was great to see Victor Hills back from the mountain city of Santa Elana in Belize. He was part of a church mission group who went there to staff a summer Bible camp for over 100 children, as well as to help with construction projects. Victor ran the music part of the school each morning, and got some good exercise hoisting lumber and shingles each afternoon.
Now a report on the third ?summer camp? at Durant on Aug. 3rd.
It was a busy nite. History displays were up again. Chairs facing the stage and a screen for the evening?s presentations. Camp director, music vp Terry Reynolds, did a great job for these three weeks.
Will Cox did the warm up and Mike Kelly helped the guys learn another Barberpole Cat song.
President Newton did a detailed presentation about chapter finances - where the money comes from and how it is spent. A few points he made: having dues income from 200 plus members helps; our shows bring in about 1/3 of our income; package shows also bring in a lot; fundraising such as selling Entertainment books, scrip cards, and White House Ornaments, are a huge income factor; we get several thousand dollars in grants from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts; and as our sponsor, the Alexandria Dept of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs provides a cost free meeting space for chapter meeting nite and board meetings and other events. Dick stressed ways guys could make contributions to the chapter including checking into matching offers from their employers. He also explained the various ways members and their families or our patrons can support the Harmony Foundation.
Brad Jones then alerted the guys to the Harmonizer Legacy Endowment plans. More details will be coming out in early fall. The goal is to establish an endowment fund that will cover major costs in the future and protect us when we take a hit like we did when there was 20-plus inches of snow during our Singing Valentine dates in 2010.
Next activity was a different kind of tag taught by Dick Dangel. He says it is a ?polyphonic? tag - all four parts sang a different melody. He got it from a general session at a Harmony University in 2005. It was fun.
Terry finished explaining the judging categories - tonite was presentation. He also explained how judges are trained and certified, such as our guys just did this past week. And he alerted guys who might want to become a judge as to how the process works.
Before break, ops vp Mark Klostermeyer announced birthdays. Mark shared the good news that Roger Day is home recovering from his recent surgery. Roger is taking calls and making good progress.
Alan Wile continued his Harmo Heroes project and drew names from the hat of six more guys who he will photograph and get their bio together - all aimed at the website so we know each other better.
Membership vp Ken White introduced another long line of guests - many singers and prospects and a couple applicants on the list. Bob Thames was with us and brought greetings from our other Harmonizer friends in The Villages in FL.
Bob Rhome was busy collecting the forms we all need to submit to him regarding housing and tickets for the fall contest in Lancaster, PA, Oct. 1-2.
Like all good summer camps, we had a special treat of S?Mores for break. Thanks again to Pat Pitzer for making the great desserts. And we had them without a camp fire!!
After break we had a few Moments in Harmo History (YeEd was quickly corrected after he told the stories: we are just over 60 years as a chapter - not 70, and Bud Arberg was our third director.)
Second half of the nite was our Summer Camp Tag Quartet Contest. Entries had to sing two tags for the judges. So the break was also filled with quartets all over the hall doing a couple last minute times thru their tags. It was fun to see! We had eight entries! Lew Klinge was mc again and we all got some good laughs. He made his usual pretend call to Ev Nau and discussed the status of things in Alexandria with him. The biggest laugh was when Lew told Ev we tried to sell our old uniforms to funeral parlors in Miami Beach, but they only wanted the coats - no slacks or shoes!!
First place tag quartet was 7TH STREET - Dan O?Brien, Bob Caldwell, Ken Ives, Rob Korsan.
Second place was KN? EH (Pronounced kin, long A like a Canadian ?eh? sound) - Tom Griffith, Will Cox, Jim Shoenhard, Chris Yates.
Third place was FRiDAYS! - Dan O?Brien, Bob Caldwell, Ken Ives, Steve Murane.
Klye Blomgren got the George Azzam Put Together Quartet guy award for singing three different parts in three different quartets. So he got to direct our closing song.
Prize-winning lead, Bob Caldwell, won the 50/50!
We got things put away and a nice crowd got over to the afterglow.
Terry was given a good round of applause from the guys for his work on the camps. He did remind guys that we would be back on the risers and singing up a storm next week.
Until next time - editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. ?Ye Ed.)
Harmonizers Sing at Independence Hall! The Alexandria Harmonizers and Miss America joined forces to lead patriotic ceremonies at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4th. With a statue of Thomas Jefferson and a large replica of the Declaration of Independence as backdrop, Virginia and Pennsylvania were joined once again in a historic, full-voice Celebration of Freedom.
Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, a former Miss Virginia and Miss Arlington, performed the National Anthem. A delegation from the Harmonizers, fresh from their 5th place International Chorus Contest performance, began the program with ?The Stars and Stripes Forever,? following it later with ?God Bless the USA.? The day?s festivities featured dignitaries, military units, and youth performers, and was followed by Philadelphia?s popular Independence Day parade that included a host of barbershoppers from the BHS International Convention.
The ?incredible Alexandria Harmonizers? (as introduced by the M.C.) were clearly a hit during the event that was televised to an audience of 1.3 million viewers, helping to keep barbershop in the public?s eye as one of America?s unique forms of music. City officials were so impressed by our performance and our stage-savvy professionalism that they arranged for the Park Service to give our contingent a private tour of Independence Hall.
Under Master Director Joe Cerutti, the Alexandria Harmonizers Chorus competed this year among 27 groups from the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. With a total of 16 international contest medals including four gold medals, the Harmonizers have taken barbershop harmony and the name of Alexandria, Virginia across the United States, and indeed the world, in landmark performances in the Nation?s Capital, Carnegie Hall, Disneyland, and Canada, on the Internet, and in television broadcasts for the Kennedy Center Honors, Wolf Trap Galas, and America?s Got Talent.
Open Auditions August 26 The Alexandria Harmonizers will be holding Open Auditions on Thursday, August 26, at 7:00PM at the Oswald Durant Center, 1605 Cameron St., Alexandria, VA, near the King Street Metro Station.
We are seeking auditioners for 30 available slots on our Risers and Front Row. All voice parts may apply.
No preparation piece is needed. Auditions will be conducted by Master Director Joseph Cerutti, Jr., or one of his Assistant Directors.
Stage and choral experience strongly preferred but not required.
As members and guests gathered, Carolyn and Dick Hall took up positions to sell gift cards and 50-50 "opportunities"; Sandy Stamps prepared to sell White House Ornaments (WHOs); Bruce Lauther took medal engraving orders; Chuck Harner and Bob Rhome set up the chapter's historical panels; Ellen Dellert brought some edible goodies, Music VP Terry Reynolds set up the big screen on the stage and laptop and projector down below; Dennis Ritchey made it possible to fill the room with sound; and a team set up about 80 chairs. What a team!
At 7:00 p.m. (or slightly before), Assistant Director Will Cox warmed up all comers. Terry followed with an explanation of the night's program. And Assistant Director Tony Colosimo really rehearsed the well-known Barberpole Cat, "Shine On Me."
Terry provided an historic overview and an explanation of the presentation judging category, which is all about mood generation and the overall effect of the performance and its impact on the audience. He identified the five major elements of the category as entertainment value, audience rapport, artistry/expressiveness, vocal/visual agreement, and from the heart/believability. As with the singing category (discussed last week), scoring levels are: A = 80 & above; B = 60-79; C = 40-59; and D = below 40.
Will tried his best to teach a tag to the multitudes -- the end of "Melancholy Baby." Evidently there is more than one barbershop arrangement, as there was some discussion whether he had the correct notes. But not to be dismayed, Will stuck to the way he learned it ... and that's the way we sang it.
Terry, Tony, and Master Director Joe Cerutti (back from a week on the bounding main) fielded questions during a segment called, "Ask Your Music Team." Questions included (1) what's the difference between choir and chorus? (nada), (2) repertoire selection? (to create a balanced repertoire); (3) contest package considerations? (top groups generally want to do new arrangements or songs that have not been sung by like groups on the international stage); (4) comedic songs? (elements in some songs and in swan songs); (5) considerations when picking contest songs? (we try ("Summertime" and "Lazy Bones") but mostly concentrate on selecting songs that are strong to the categories, as singing/performing well is more important than relationships); (6) jazz songs? (tried but the chorus didn't take to them so they were dropped; may try again sometime -- to add one song to the repertoire).
THEN Terry gave a geek's eye view of the question that was asked last week about musical half-steps, tuning, barbershop, the piano, etc. You had to be there, 'cause no explanation I might give could possibly do his exposition justice. Suffice it to say that the relationship 4-5-6-7 will produce the best barbershop chord .... I think ... and if I didn't get it right, Terry can clear it all up for you next week.
Will briefly rehearsed the "Harmonizer Welcome Song" to correct a couple of notes. After identifying the chords in need of attention we sang through the song a couple of times ... and moved on to membership.
Membership VP Ken White introduced the five guests, none of whom were there for the first time: Adam Bradley (who came after seeing us at Fort Ward Park); Rob Hartley (director of the Sounds of Aloha Chorus from Honolulu, HI ... who claims to be a friend of Joe Cerutti's); Jim Kirkland (here for the third time); and Chris Clark (chapter member Bill Clark's nephew). Hoping we'd perfected the song during the previous segment, Will then directed the "Harmonizer Welcome Song." And we took a break, which included popsicles obtained by Jack Pitzer and carried in by Lew Klinge (and all the time we thought he had martinis in the cooler ... sigh).
After the break, Alan Wile briefly spoke about the "Harmonizer Hero" program, drew (with some difficulty) the names of six Harmonizers actually in the room, and announced he'd be taking their pictures and asking them to submit information about themselves that may be shared with the membership.
Immediate Past President Brad Jones distributed tickets to the Washington Nationals game on Sunday and briefly made some comments.
Joe Cerutti then presented a program he'd given at the Youth Harmony Camp entitled, "Under The Barbershop Umbrella." His presentation was sprinkled liberally with musical "clips" of various songs, arrangements, artists, etc., to illustrate what is and what is not barbershop. Clearly barbershop is four part a cappella vocal music. It must be homophonic, with the melody in the second (lead) voice. and capable of being easily sung. He covered what is and is not contestable and made clear that virtually any type of song (Elvis, pop, Beatles, Michael Jackson, ragtime, classical, punk, jazz, Broadway, swing, and even a march) can be arranged in the barbershop style and, therefore, would qualify as barbershop. He concluded by saying that barbershop is not a musical genre but is a style of arranging music. The point made to those who attended the Youth Camp was that barbershop songs are not just "My Wild Irish Rose," etc., as almost anything can be arranged to be under the barbershop umbrella, 'though not all will be contestable. [Sure hope I got most of this right; if not, I'm sure to hear about it!]
Joe explained that he returned from his week's cruise (sharing directing/coaching honors with Cindy Hansen) with just time enough to shower, wash clothes, and repack before heading to Category School on Wednesday morning ... to be followed by a week at Harmony University (at Missouri State Western University in St. Joseph, MO). A quick survey indicated about six Harmonizer will be joining him there (only 6? seems a bit low). New songs will be introduced upon his return as will preparations for our show at Market Square (Friday, August 13th).
Visiting from Damascus, Syria, former Assistant Director Chuck Hunter was asked to teach a tag. He did -- to the song "I'd Love To Live In Loveland." Good job, Chuck ... hurry back!
Another Harmonizer we don't see very often was with us tonight -- Jerry Kindred. We love to have our inactive members visit with us ... and hope more will chose to do so in the weeks and months ahead.
Ken White won the "50-50" and took us out by leading us in "Keep The Whole World Singing." Chairs and tables and our own equipment were put away before members departed for home ... or the afterglow at the 815 South Washington watering hole and late night eatery.
Until next time - editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. ?Ye Ed.)
A diphthong is two pure vowel sounds elided together as one sound in a single syllable.
Since one can only sing one pure vowel sound at a time, it is essential in choral singing to time the group's transition from one of diphthong's constituent pure vowels to the next ("turning the diphthong").
For example, "EYE" is a one-syllable word with one diphthong sound consisting of "ah" and "ee". "Ah" and "ee" are 'pure' vowels, meaning they cannot be broken down into any constituent sounds. When singing "EYE", a chorus usually focuses on the "target vowel" (the first pure sound in the diphthong, which in this case is "AH") as long as possible, before adding the second pure vowel as directed.
We are having ?summer camp? for three weeks in July while many guys are on vacation, and to give us a chance to do some fun and educational things we just don?t get done during our busy chapter meetings/rehearsals.
Operations guy Mark Klostermeyer rallied the guys to set up chairs this week facing the stage and adding the av things like the screen.
Bob Blair and YeEd went to our chapter?s humidity controlled storage unit and retrieved the wonderful history display boards that were created for our 50th anniversary celebration. We put them up for display in Durant (and they will be up for the next two weeks) for guys to review and learn more about their chapter. Also there will be work to add boards to the display to bring it up-to-date.
Will Cox did a warm up and then Tony Colosimo explained more about the ?summer camp? plans. He taught the guys some songs they can use to sing with other barbershoppers when ever four shall meet to sing. ?Down Our Way? was first. He also taught a great tag.
Terry did a brief review of the judging categories starting with ?singing? this week. More to follow.
Then Tony worked with the chorus to review or learn ?A Place on the Risers for You? which is the song we use to send off a fellow Harmonizer who moves away or sometimes at a funeral for a member. The song was written by Bob Bates and the music and arrangement done by John Hohl in 1981. It says a lot about the cultural of our chapter.
During the chapter meeting portion of the evening, membership guy Ken White introduced a lot of guests. Several were first timers, and we had a couple guys back again from last week. One guest saw us at the Ft. Ward show last Thursday. Two former members were back to sing with us and visit - Jorge Acevedo and his family, and Rob Korsan.
Then Terry, Will and Tony fielded questions in an ?Ask Your Directors? session. Diphthong was one to be explained and many other good questions were asked. One complicated one about physics of sound will take a little more time, and so an answer was promised at next week?s session.
During break the guys checked out the history display, sang the tag Tony taught, and conducted usual business matters.
Since we were promised a movie after break, we were served movie theater popcorn to go with the show. (Thanks to Pat Pitzer who called the Kingstown Regal theater and the manager gave us a free supply!) The FRIENDS continued their summer soda and water sales.
One announcement was about the group ticket offer for a Nats vs Phillies game on Sunday, Aug. 1, at 1:45 pm. If you want to go, you must give Brad Jones the money and registration by Tues., July 27th. Tickets are $34 ea. Brad has gotten us a block of seats in the shade.
Then it was movie time. What a treat!! We watched the BHS video of the late Dave Stevens speaking about ?What Are We Preserving? at a Harmony College in the past. It was a huge hit and the men seemed to really appreciate his great stories and humor and ?from the heart? stories about our hobby.
After ?Keep The Whole World Singing,? everyone chipped in and helped put things away, some guys got in a tag or song and a good sized crowd headed over to 815 South Washington for our Tuesday nite afterglow.
Until next time - editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. ?Ye Ed.)
Looking Back on the July 15th Ft. Ward Show
Wow - it was a hot show! About 100 degrees. Big thanks to the guys who did the set up of risers and all of that. Dennis Ritchey worked hard to prepare the props for the show too. The in-house joke about this show always being rained out fizzled this year.
We had a huge turn out of singers and a decent crowd who came to the outdoor amphitheater at Ft. Ward for the free concert. This is part of a series of shows organized by the Alexandria Dept. of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities. They promote the event, provide sound and lights and welcome the audience. This year?s host was well coached about our recent success in Philly.
Directors Tony, Will and Joe did warm ups on the hill outside the theater. Then they filed down the path to the stage for the show opener. Scipio Garling set the stage for the show as opening MC. Dennis Ritchey did song introductions as did Class of 10 guy, Steve Lingo.
The chorus set a high level with their ?Great Day? opener and the audience loved it. Our new contemporary acepella group, TBD, sang a couple songs and entertained the crowd with their enthusiasm. The ?Ed Sullivan? number was a big hit too. All the antics with props went over just right. Tony?s solo was great as the cover for the antics. And the quartet doing the radio advertisement intro, Kellen Hertz, Brad Jones, Ken Ives and Eric Wallen, did a fine job. A gold star to Kellen who was handed the music on Tuesday nite and nudged to learn it!!
Good to hear the contest package again, even tho the audience was warned that we could not do all the stage work on the concrete, and little, stage.
A new chapter quartet, formed just for shows like this, sang two tunes - Rick Savage, Phil Ferguson, Joe Cerutti and Terry Reynolds.
Dennis thanked the City for their support and invited any men in the audience to come speak with a chorus member about joining us on Tuesday nites.
The finale number, ?Stars and Stripes Forever,? was a huge audience pleaser and got the crowd on their feet to end the evening.
Until next time - editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on in the life of the Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter. ?Ye Ed.)
AH opens Capital Force Gift Shop The Alexandria Harmonizers announce that our new youth chorus, the Capital Force, under the direction of Anthony Colosimo, now has its own on-line gift shop. Show your support for our growing chapter youth movement through your purchase of Capital Force merchandise.
Proceeds benefit the Alexandria Harmonizers.
Looking Back on the July 13th Chapter Meeting
It has been great to read the wonderful testimonials from Harmonizers about their Philly experience, especially from the new guys who have joined us. They indeed represent what it means to be a Harmonizer.
Tuesday nite was a fun nite in the life of the chapter. The hall was full of friends, former members, or inactive guys who came out to show their pride, and a lot of first time guests.
Will Cox did a great warm up for the singers right at 7. When Director Joe took over, he apologized for not being here at 6 - he forgot his medal that he had under his pillow at home!
But his remarks about ?the joys on stage of hearing that first line of the ballad, witnessing the huge audience response, and his worry that the guys on the risers had not heard his count off to start the uptune? were from the heart. He says he still is getting bombarded with emails, text messages, and Facebook messages.
But so as to not rest on our laurels, he and the music team got the guys singing right away and to brush up the songs for Thursday nite?s annual free concert we give at Ft. Ward Park in Alexandria. It is one of the ways we say thank you to the City of Alexandria in appreciation for their support. The show starts at 7:30 for those who read this that might want to come join YeEd in the audience. Based on the past summers, leaders are prepared to get out word via email if there is a rain cancellation.
Joe also encouraged all the singers to come prepared to sing any songs they know. There will be a chance to get off the risers between songs. The teal casual shirt and khaki pants are the uniform.
Chuck McKeever and TJ Jones helped guys review and remember the stage moves for some of the songs. The gang spent a lot of work on the ?Ed Sullivan? song and all the antics to pull it off.
The guys were quick to notice the brand new set of risers, with less squeak, and soft steps. Chapter leaders admonish all that they need to be cared for during set-up and take down. AND not climbing up to the back step via the back rails. There will be fines for those who do. The new Perry Risers were the photo risers in Philly. We used monies from our capital reserves to pay for them. Carl Kauffmann and Bob Blair helped guys learn how to set up and take the new risers down.
Chapter leaders are also provided a plan to get the wonderful bronze 5th place medals engraved. There are forms for turning in your medal for the engraving on the admin table. Of course, the medals will be proudly worn on Thursday nite.
Mark Klostermeyer (K12) conducted the chapter meeting portion of the evening starting with guest introductions by new membership vp Ken White. He thanked Dan O?Brien for setting the bar so high as previous membership promoter. As mentioned, there were several first time guests and potential singers. Other faces we will glad to see included Geoff Berman, Bob Wilson, Paul Laurenz and his son Noah, Paul Greiner, Arthur Louis, Gary Mankin, Bob Sutton, Brian Miller.
Ken announced that Mike Everard is reinstating his membership - so it is official, the Harmonizers are back!!!
Secretary Buechler presented an award to Bob Sutton for bringing in 10 members to the Society. Tony Colosimo earned his second Man of Note for adding Jack Stonesifer to the chapter. Jack received his official materials from the BHS.
K12 gave us a few extra minutes for break to share the Philly themed nite - Philly cheesecake and Philly cheese steaks!! Mike Everard brought the cheesecake and Steve Lingo got the cheese steaks. The FRIENDS group is still selling cold drinks during the summer months. Thanks to the members of the FRIENDS for also staffing CD sales tables for our big show in June.
After break, Carl Kauffmann thanked his team for their dedication to detail and extra hours in making the convention week in Philly go so smoothly for all of us. Jack Cameron will be following up regarding the pixs that were taken of the chorus, that guys ordered.
YeEd hears that Bruce Minnick had kidney stone operation this week. Our president Dick Newton is on business travel this week.
Ken Fess thanked his crew for their hard work in making the June 27th show a smashing success - in every way. It was a musical success, fun for all, great venue and party place, showed off the chapter as hosts and singers and administrators, and set the bar high for future events. (Word is that Ken is already hard at work in the negotiations for a show next year with the Ambassadors of Harmony and their quartets. Stay tuned for the date.)
Brad Jones asked the guys about their interest in going to a Nationals game on Sunday, Aug. 1, with seating in the shade. There were lots of hands up - so Brad will follow up with details. Everyone can join us for this - riser singers and any one else in the Harmonizer family.
Sandy Stamps, FRIENDS president, launched the sale of the 2010 White House ornaments. Our goal is to sell 4,000 this year and exceed last year?s numbers. The price will be $20 this year. You can get them on consignment to sell now. Maybe take with you on vacation when you visit relatives. We will hear from the super salesmen who sell 500 or more. We appreciate the inactive members who help the chapter with this effort. It is an important fundraiser for the chapter.
Music vp Terry Reynolds announced that we would be doing the same contest package at the fall District contest as we did in Philly. There is plenty of time for new members and those many guys who are coming back into active status to learn it and be medal worthy. The fall contest is Friday and Saturday, Oct. 1 and 2 in Lancaster, PA. There are two extra rehearsals on the books already - Thurs nites Sept. 23 and Sept. 30th.
Terry also announced the plans to change things a little for the next three Tuesday nites, Some time will be spent singing Polecat songs and other tunes our guys can sing with other barbershoppers at conventions (Polecat was a label for familiar and popular barbershop songs - the covers for those printed songs had a barberpole with a cat perched on the globe at the top - thus the name, Polecat!)
We will watch a cornerstone Society video by legendary Dave Stevens.
There will be a Put Together Quartet tag contest (stay tuned for word on it from Eric Wallen). Something was said that quartets will sing two tags. Form your own quartet or volunteer to be in a quartet that Eric ?puts together.?
We will launch a couple new songs - ?No More Sorrow? as done by the GAS HOUSE GANG, and ?That?s Amore.?
There will be an ?Ask The Director? period, some history fun facts, a brief and informative ?How Are We Doing Financially?,? and likely some special eats!!
To wrap up announcements, Joe talked more about the International week experience and in summary, thanked the guys for dedication and hard work to help our chapter and its chorus continue to be a shining light for the BHS!
He did tease us a little about the contest package for 2011. The ballad is still being finalized by arrangers, but he was able to play the uptune, ?What Do I Need With Love,? which was arranged by our coach Kirk Young.
Then Joe yielded the floor to Terry Reynolds again who was eagerly waiting in the wings with this usual post-contest statistics review. Very well done, of course, and helped us see (1) we are in the big leagues, (2) we should be proud that our chapter still is one of the few with multiple gold medals, (3) we got some terrific scores, (4) there are plenty of choruses on our heals, and (5) we need to score big at MidAtlantic District contest in Oct. as that is how the summer Intl. contest rankings are determined (and the buzz begins!!).
In the post Philly blitz, YeEd has learned of a few more Harmo family guys who were there such as Jerry Kindred, Will Daniel Mudd-Simmons, Al Hanenbaum and Bob Wells.
Someone reported that the Harmonizers earned their 16th medal in Philly.
Director Joe is chairman of a BHS committee, Chorus Director Development. As chair he had to present two major recognitions during breaks in the chorus contest in Philly. One was presented posthumously for Paul Tamblyn to his widow Doreen. (She was also at our chapter togetherness breakfast.) The other was presented to Greg Lyne, director of Voice In Harmony and also a former Harmonizer coach and retreat master.
Other breakfast guests not reported earlier in these columns were Society executive vice president Alan Lamson and his wife. He was elected president for next year. Plus Joe and Janet Cerutti, Sr. and Greg Pappas, our terrific artist friend.
One of our members, Darryl Flinn who was a judge in Philly, has announced his plans to retire from the judging program Several of our guys are going to this summer?s Category School (which is where judges and candidates to be judges get specific training) including Chuck Harner, Chris Buechler and Gary Plaag who will be recertified, and Joe Cerutti who will be certified for the first time.
Chris Yates did a fast change act in Philly as he sang with the Harmonizers and then with Dundalk, who sang right after us.
On contest day in Philly, the chapter carried out its traditional filling of the risers! K12 asked all the singers to stand off the risers and then invites them back to the risers by the ?class year? starting with the four men who are still singing and were singing in 1978 - Chuck Harner, Randy Lazear, Rick Savage and Steve White. Class by class, the guys took their place on the risers until only the 17 men of the Class of 2010 were left standing down. Mark declared they had all proven worthy and authorized them to discard their bandanas and take their rightful place on the risers. With a cheer from all, more men joined the ranks as brother Alexandria Harmonizers! Until next time - editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. ?Ye Ed.)
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Capital Force
Introducing Capital Force
Capital Force is The Alexandria Harmonizers' Youth Chorus, the Mid-Atlantic's new premier a cappella and barbershop youth chorus.
Read the Harmo-Blog
