Newsletter September 2007

Message from Mary Ann

This summer, visiting with Susan Poelchau, I commented about the challenges of teaching Beowulf, a text I have always found deeply challenging. As it happened, she had a new recording of the work performed by a singer/harpist, Benjamin Bagby. I immediately ordered it and have just finished the astonishment of hearing, for the first time really, a superb rendition of an ancient work brought to life by a wonderful musician.

What I have learned is this: Music is more essential than the words we use. It enhances our experience. It deepens our understanding. It takes us to places we cannot go alone. It is a gift that everyone shares, whether as performers or composers, listeners or critics. At some level, it speaks to us all.

Watching and hearing Benjamin Bagby, I was constantly aware how far his gifts exceed any of mine. He sings and speaks in a language a thousand years removed from ours. He plays an instrument so simple that it looks like a toy, and yet he pulls from his sweet sounds and bold. He has memorized hundreds of lines of poetry and converted them into music where needed, adding voicing, melody, and rhythm. When I consider what those of you who are pianists and singers do with concerti and operas, I am equally in awe. And to compose? Incredible.

For our organization, I suggest that we have much to share. We all need friends like Susan who gave me the great gift of information. We all need a safe place to come and learn or perform. We each need a place where as much or as little as we can give of our time and talents will be appreciated.

For this year, it is my hope that we will all support the aims of Mu Phi. We have the important task of offering continuity for many, old and young, in one of the most important realms of our lives. It is a treasure not to be missed.

Best,
Mary Ann Taylor

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Meetings Our first meeting this Fall will be on Saturday, September 15 at 10:30 am, at the J Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street – 4th floor Bradshaw Gallery. Tina Murdock, who is Music Librarian at the library, will give us a tour of the Music Division of the Library. Following the program we will serve your choice of three salads (see choices in the Meeting section), plus cookie and bottled water. The cost per person will be $7.00. You need to reserve for this meeting so we can order your lunch. Your payment will be your reservation and should be received by September 11. Mail your check made to Mu Phi Epsilon to Sylvia Taylor Lerch. Mark your calendars for our meetings and note your co-hostess date! If you cannot be a co-hostess when assigned, please switch with someone else. Note that there is not a meeting every month and we are now varying the days so we can accommodate more members. Contact Sylvia Taylor Lerch for meeting locations. Top
Meetings for the Year
Saturday, Sep 15, 10:30 AM	J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street – 4th Floor Bradshaw Gallery Program: Tour of the Music Division of the Library, Tina Murdock, Music Librarian Catered Salad Luncheon to follow; specify if you want a Wreck Salad (turkey, roast beef, ham or salami), Chicken Salad or Veggie Salad, each with cookie and bottled water – from Potbelly Sandwich Works: $7 per person (please reserve to Sylvia Lerch with your check made to Mu Phi Epsilon – received by Tuesday Sept 11) Co-hostesses: Frances Estes, Becky Corley, Sharon Kraus Parking is $.75 per hour, max $3 for the day on weekends. Driving directions into the parking garage from every major entrance into downtown is on their website, in case anyone may need it: http://dallaslibrary.org
Tuesday, Oct 9, 7:30 PM	Home of Pat Suitt Program: Dances and More Pat Suitt and Priscilla Long: Dances for Four Hands Cornell Kinderknecht, oboe / Cynthia Stuart, piano - Cynthia Stuart - Longing Les Amis: Frances Estes, oboe; Ruth Reed, violin; Gretchen Nichols, cello; Pat Suitt, piano - Martinu - Quatuor for Oboe, Violin, Cello and Piano Co-hostesses: Claudia Jameson, Cathy Hargrave, Tena Hehn
Monday, Nov 12, 7:30 PM	Home of Edie Pfautsch Frances Estes, oboe and Katherine Freiberger, piano Dallas Ensemble of Viols: Judson Maynard, Hazel Mosely, Susan Poelchau, Susan Scheib, Violas da gamba: Michael East - Duet for 2 bass viols Ferrabosco the Younger - Two Fantasias Celebrating Edie Pfautsch: Joan Merriman Co-hostesses: Pat Hill, Sue Johnson, Ruth Reed
Monday, Feb 11, 7:30 PM	J. Erik Jonsson Central Library Auditorium, 1515 Young Street Program: SAI and Mu Phi Epsilon Claudia Jameson, soprano Mary Ann Taylor, flute and Jerry Taylor, piano Camerata Woodwind Quintet The SAIs are hosting this year.
Tuesday, March 11, 7:30 PM	Home of Sylvia Taylor Lerch Sylvia Taylor: George Gershwin's Life Katie Radford and Pat Suitt: Gershwin Preludes for Piano – Katie Radford - I and Pat Suitt - II and III Susan Poelchau and Sylvia Taylor: Gershwin Rialto Ripples Rag for piano 4-hands Cherie Bell, soprano: Songs from Tin Pan Alley Co-hostesses: Karen Glosserman, Priscilla Long, Jenny Smith, Cynthia Wadley
Monday, April 28, 7:30 PM	Highland Park United Methodist Church – Cox Chapel Program: Organ Music Sadie Rowe, Organ Chris Brunt, Organ Jenny Smith, Trumpet Co-hostesses: Julie Schmitt, Sandra McMillen, Mary Ann Taylor
Saturday, May 17, 11:00 AM Top	Chimneyhill Clubhouse, 9223 Emberglow Mary Williams, hostess Pot Luck Luncheon – bring your favorite dish Program: Music Therapy Speaker TBA Sandra McMillen: Sing-along Co-hostesses: Martha Peak, Susan Poelchau

New Library Concert Series Begins The Library Concert Series fall season will start on September 30, 2007 and end on November 18. The programs include pianists, singers, a guitarist, and ensembles from traditional chamber through exotic flutes and, once again, the show-stopping Doo-Wop Vocal Band, who drew a great crowd last year! The available slots filled up early this year and there is a substantial waiting list in case of cancellations. It’s great that so many performers want a chance to utilize the Library’s lovely auditorium for a public concert. Word is out! Thanks to all members of the Committee and especially to Mary Williams for printing and publicity and to Claudia Jameson for all the groundwork she has laid over the past few years. Susan Poelchau, Library Chair Please volunteer to introduce a program or two this year. You won’t be disappointed if you spend a Sunday afternoon this way. All instructions of what to do are in the yearbook. Contact Susan to volunteer (but be quick – she’s leaving for Europe!). ******************************************* Sunday Concert Series** Come to the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library Auditorium, 1515 Young Street, Dallas TX Sundays at 3:00 PM --- Concerts are FREE and open to the public. See information about the performers and their programs (as they are received) on the Concert tab of our website
Sep 30	Soo Hyun Cho, Piano
Oct 7	Stacy Arnold, Guitar
Oct 14	Hye-young Song, Piano
Oct 21	Sherna Armstrong, Mezzo-soprano
Oct 28	Update: CANCELED
Nov 4	Cornell Kinderknecht, World Flutes and Cynthia Stuart, Piano
Nov 11	Dallas Renaissance Ensemble: Music of Heinrich Schutz
Nov 18	Dallas Camerata Woodwind Quintet and Doo-Wop Vocal Band
Feb 3	Leslie Spotz, Piano
Feb 10	Aaron Cotton, Guitar
Feb 17	Violin students of Jan Sloman
Feb 24	Michie Akin, Piano
Mar 2	Justin Gray, Piano Update: North Dallas Trombone Choir
Mar 9	Liptonshire Chamber Players
Mar 30	Students of Dr. Leslie Spotz from Tarleton State University
Apr 6	Frederica Phillips, Piano
Apr 13	Rio Brazos Recorder Ensemble
Apr 20	Virginia Dupuy Voice Studio - SMU
Apr 27	Phoenix Trio: Nancy Messuri, Violin, Dwight Anderson, Cello and Doohi Lee, Piano
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Chapter News Officers for 2007-2008
President: Vice-President (Programs) Secretary Treasurer Historian Steward Chaplain (Meeting hosting) Chorister	Mary Ann Taylor Sylvia Taylor Lerch Sandra McMillen Sharon Kraus Edie Pfautsch Patricia Hill Sadie Rowe Phyllis Wilson
Committees Programs Social/Hosting Library Concert Series Chair Finance Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation Newsletter/Webmaster Notification Chair Patrons Sunshine Yearbook Mu Chi Chapter Advisor	Sylvia Taylor Lerch Sadie Rowe Susan Poelchau Pat Hill, Cherie Bell, Mary Williams Zelda Hantz Ruth Reed Mary Williams Pat Suitt Frances Estes, Ruth Reed, Julie Schmitt, Joanne Turrentine Frances Stuart / Pat Hill Frances Estes Mary Williams Sandra McMillen
Yearbooks New yearbooks will be printed prior to the September meeting. If you have any changes to your address or e-mail, please send ASAP to Mary Williams. Music Therapy Award Our chapter gave this award at the spring SMU honors program to Lillian Hunt. Dues Dues are due now to Sharon Kraus - so she can pay our international dues on Sept 10th. See your yearbook for info on Emeritus status (if you are over 80) and where your dues go.
Members: * International Dues + Annual Triangle Subscription ^ Local Dues TOTAL: Patrons: Top		55.00 10.00 17.00 82.00 25.00
Newsletter Please let Mary Williams know what you are doing so we can all keep in touch. Next newsletter deadline is October 20th for our November newsletter. If you can receive your newsletter by e-mail, let Mary know. Top

Spring meetings

April Meeting

Claudia Jameson, soprano and Frances Estes, oboe performed selections from Ten Balek Songs by Ralph Vaughn Williams.

Susan Poelchau, piano, played Schumann's Waldszenen Opus 83 (Forest Scenes).

Sylvia Lerch graciously hosted us and co-hostesses were Ellen Stamelos and Tena Hehn.

May meeting

We met for pot luck lunch at Martha Peak’s house. Thanks to co-hostesses Ruth Reed and Pat Suitt. Membership Certificates went to Rosalie Alexander – 50 years and to Nikki Wilbanks, Sue Johnson and Joanne Turrentine – 60 years.

Susan Poelchau installed new officers:

Front row: Pat Hill – Steward, Phyllis Wilson – Chorister, Sadie Rowe – Chaplain, Sylvia Lerch – Vice-President (Programs). Back row: Edie Pfautsch – Historian, Mary Ann Taylor – President, Sandra McMillen – Secretary and Sharon Kraus – Treasurer

We had a wonderful program with our incoming president performing as well as visitors from Stephenville.

Right: Linda Tyler, bassoon; Jerry Taylor, piano; and Mary Ann Taylor, flute.

Below: Performers from Tarleton University: Julie Hiller, Marika Kyriakos, Gabrielle Spotz, and Leslie Spotz.

Thanks to these great performers for making the trip to Dallas to perform for us! Leslie and some of her students will be performing on the Sunday Concert Series this year.

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Member News

Tena Hehn celebrated her 60th birthday and remission of cancer with a party. At that party she was presented the Mu Phi Epsilon Presidential Award for Excellence by Sandra McMillen. She was also voted TMTA (Texas Music Teachers Association) 2006-2007 Teacher of the Year this year. Congratulations Tena! Taking a summer off from teaching, she took a European riverboat cruise with a friend and is remodeling her house.

Bettye Zoller Seitz was featured in the Spring Triangle in an article on Voiceovers. Bettye has long been a pro in this field.

Cynthia Wadley has a new e-mail address:
ckwadley@att.net. We look forward to seeing her again this year at meetings.

Melanie Priest has left DISD for private school teaching and can now be reached at soloring@tx.rr.com.

Wynona Lipsett’s husband Don, was hospitalized in Florida with a stroke on their way home from a trip to South America in spring. He is expected to fully recover.

Welcome to new member Jenny Smith, who can be reached at: jenny_smith@baylor.edu. We will hear her play trumpet at a meeting this year.

Mary Peak, daughter of member Martha Peak, died on August 10th. Our condolences to Martha and her family.

Our condolences also to Betty Seitz whose daughter-in-law died suddenly.

And condolences to Cynthia Wadley, whose husband, Dan, died May 18th. He often attended Mu Phi events and we will miss him.

Dan Wadley: Born June 3, 1926 in Dallas, TX. Died May 18, 2007 in Dallas. Devoted to his family, he was a friend to everyone. He embraced life, and people, and God unashamedly. His life was an example of optimism, his last 2 1/2 years battling pancreatic cancer a model of perseverance. He will be deeply missed. Survived by his beloved wife, Cynthia Wadley; daughter, Linda Shaub and her husband Mike; son, Bruce Wadley and his wife Beverly; son Greg Wadley and his wife, Barbara; son, Tim Wadley and his wife Laura; fourteen grandchildren and one great-grandson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Brookin, Sr. and Bess Morse Wadley, his sister, Louise Wadley Bianchi, and his brother, Brookin Wadley, Jr. Dan, a graduate of Highland Park High School, attended Southern Methodist University and served courageously in the Pacific Theater with the U.S. Navy during World War II. He worked many years for Revere Copper and Brass. Dan was an elder, deacon, Sunday school superintendent, and long-time member of Northminster Presbyterian Church, now Lake Highlands Presbyterian Church. The memorial service is 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 at Lake Highlands Presbyterian Church, 8525 Audelia Road, Dallas, with 1:00 interment at Restland Memorial Park. Visitation is Monday, May 21, 6:00 - 8:00 at Restland Funeral Home, Greenville Avenue at Restland Road, Dallas. In lieu of flowers, family requests that memorials be made to Lake Highlands Presbyterian Church.

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