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CYNTHIA’S
NOTES
Dear
Mu Phis,
 This
is my last letter to you as president. It has been an honor to
serve in this position, although I could not have done it without the
help of many of you. My only regret is that I did not accomplish
some things I had planned to do.
This year I had hoped for us to
have a continuing relationship throughout the year with the Mu Chi
Chapter at SMU. Their members presented an outstanding program at
our September meeting. Perhaps in the future we can have more
contacts with them than the once a year program. We will, I am
sure, continue to give the two scholarships to SMU music students.
This year the Honors Convocation is Wednesday, April 27, at 1:00 p.m. in
Caruth Auditorium. All are welcome.
In the Weekend Guide section of the
Dallas Morning News of March 25 in the Cheap Date column, the writer
highlighted our library concert series. She had attended the
concert given by Rinna Saun, pianist. A brief background of Ms.
Saun and the composers’ names were included in the write-up.
Also the dates of the remaining concerts for this spring were listed.
Please note that the April meeting
is Tuesday the 12th. We will have the election of officers
with installation in May. Bring your contribution to the
non-event. Also bring your SERV hours.
At the March meeting as required by
the International Executive Board we voted on 5 bylaws resolutions and 7
standing rules changes. Most of these are increased fees and dues
to make our fraternity's finances stable. All passed except the
one increasing the alumni dues from $42.00 to $65.00. Some members
expressed the opinion that a $23.00 increase was too much especially to
attract new recent graduates. Others would vote for a smaller
increase or a phased-in amount. Members want to add these
suggestions to our no vote, so come and express your opinion.
In closing I want to thank all of
you for your help and support during the last two years. Thank you
for your interest and prayers for my husband and me during his
illness. After several months of procedures and many doctors’
visits, he is doing very well.
Support Susan Poelchau as she takes
over as president next month. We are so fortunate to have her in
this position. Remember the key words of our creed: Music,
Friendship and Harmony.
Cynthia
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| SPRING
MEETINGS
Tuesday, April 12, 7:30 pm – home of Mary Beth Johnson
Program: "The More the Merrier"
Susan Poelchau, Julie Schmitt and Mary Beth Johnson: Bach three-piano music
Ellen Vanderslice, trumpet
Les Amis Ensemble – Frances Estes, Ruth Reed,
Gretchen Nichols and Pat Suitt
Co-hostesses: Julie Schmitt, Cathy
Hargrave, Sue Johnson, Gretchen Nichols
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Saturday,
May 14, 11:00 am - home of Pat Hill
Program: “Romantic
Waltzes"
Kay Newman: Debussy - Le Plus que Lent
Frances Stuart (maybe – depending on health): van
Katwijk - Waltz
Pat Suitt: Chopin - Waltz in C# minor, and Posthumous
Waltz in e minor
Sylvia Taylor Lerch -
Chopin Waltz in Eb
Ruth Reed, Violin and Susan Poelchau, Piano - Rondo
from the Kindersymphonie by Cornelius Gurlitt (various members
will be handed toy instruments to show off their rhythmic reading
ability in a spirit of good fun!)
Co-hostesses: Everyone – bring your favorite
salad, casserole or dessert
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PAST
MEETINGS
February
Meeting
Thanks
to Sadie Rowe for arranging the excellent program at Highland Park
Presbyterian Church on February 14th. A very good professional CD was
made of the program. If anyone would like to order one, call Sadie:
214-522-4805. The cost is $10.00. Hostesses were Sadie Rowe, Frances
Estes, Tena Hehn, Pat Suitt and Karen Schoenrock.
The
program included SAIs:
Virginia
Kassel, Organ - Benedictus by Max Reger
Emily
Hartnett, Piano - Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue by Cesar Franck
SAI
Ensemble with Nelta Owen, Director and Paralee Curry, Piano - Three
Spanish Ballades for SSA, Piano, and Woodwind Quintet by Eugene Butler;
and two Deems Taylor pieces: Waters Ripple and Flow (for SSA, Piano, and
Woodwind Quintet) and May Day Carol (for SSAA, Piano, and Woodwind
Quintet).
Chorus
members included: Blodwen Henry, Chelsea Owen, Jane Aten, Mary Jane
Dickson, Marion Triano, Jo Anne Eden, Marian King, Virginia Kassel,
Yvonne Stewart, Karla Wintle, Mary Carolyn Bradley and Marianna Seaton.
The
SAI Woodwind Ensemble included: Flute: Heather Waggoner, Oboe: Mary Jane
Dickson, French Horn: Nita Redmond, Clarinet: Michelle Kennemer and
Bassoon: Margaret Richter.
Sadie
Rowe, Organ, represented Mu Phi - Improvisation "Aka Tonbo"
(The Red Dragonfly) by Joyce Jones and Prelude in G minor, BWV 558 by
J.S. Bach.
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March
14 Meeting
The
Classical Classics evening was a "mostly Haydn" evening. The
following performers played:
 -
Kay
Newman played Fantasia in d minor by Mozart
-
Sylvia
Lerch played Haydn's Sonata in E flat Major Hob. XVI:52 - (Allegro)
-
Priscilla
Long accompanied by Pat Suitt played the Haydn Piano Concerto in C
 - Pat Suitt,
Sue
Hewitt, and Gretchen Nichols played Haydn Trio No.6 in D
 -
Sylvia
Lerch gave a presentation on the life of Haydn. Here are a few excerpts
from her talk:
Haydn
had a beautiful voice as a child and at age five and one-half went to
live with a relative to get a proper education, mainly in music... At
age 8 he got a position in St. Stephen's Church in Vienna, but didn't
get the education he was expecting... At age 17, he was caned on his
hands for cutting off a chorister's pigtail with a new pair of
scissors, then was expelled from the choir... On a cold November day
in 1749, Haydn "with three ragged shirts and a worn coat as his
sole possession, without any money or letter of recommendation, was
turned out on the street" (from his diary)... Mostly self-taught,
he was employed by the Esterhazy family for over 30 years to perform a
number of musical tasks, including composition. Over his lifetime he
was so prolific that he composed the equivalent of one movement a week
for half a century, a symphony a month for two generations, a quartet
every four weeks, a sonata per fortnight - and sustained this through
a lifetime.
Thanks to hostess Pat Suitt with co-hostesses: Mary Ann Taylor, Joann
Turrentine, Carrie Loftis, Kay Newman and Priscilla Long.
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CHAPTER
NEWS
Officer
Slate
Thanks
to the Nominating Committee consisting of Sadie Rowe, Frances Estes and
Ruth Reed. They proposed the following slate of officers for 2005-2006:
President:
Susan Poelchau
Vice
President: Mary Ann Taylor
Secretary:
Frances Pearson
Treasurer:
Sharon Kraus
Historian:
Kay Newman
Steward:
Patricia Hill
Chaplain:
Sadie Rowe
Chorister:
Phyllis Wilson
We
will vote on officers at our next meeting.
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SERV
Hours
Sandra
McMillen reminds members that to turn in their SERV (Service, Education,
and Resource) hours to her by May 15th.
How
can you tell what to include? Sandra gives this summary:
Service:
accompanying, church musician, musical group participation, performance
music management (including travel time)
Education:
any type of unremunerated teaching
Resource:
work with any special populations
Include
date(s), event, category, and hours
Scholarship
Fund
Our chapter maintains a scholarship fund, mostly funded by gifts from the
chapter and individual members in memory of members and members' close
relatives. We then award two scholarships at SMU every spring. We have
given a $200 scholarship award to an outstanding music student and a
$250 award to a music therapy student. The chapter voted at the March
meeting to increase the scholarship award to $250. This year these
awards will be made at the Honors Convocation on April 27 at 1:00 p.m.
at SMU in Caruth Auditorium.
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By-law/Standing
Rules Changes
By-laws
that were approved at our March meeting were:
1.
To raise prospective candidate entry fee from $7.50 to $15.
2.
To raise the initiation fee from $24 to $50 (this is still below
comparable groups).
3.
To raise collegiate chapter dues from $25 to $50 per person per year.
4.
To allow graduate and undergraduate music majors to eligible for
membership at any time. To allow music minors or non-accredited music
students to be eligible for membership if their grade point is at
least 3.0 for undergraduate students and 3.5 for graduate students.
Standing
rules that were approved at our March meeting were:
1.
To require that music delegates to the International Convention go to
business meetings or forfeit their travel reimbursement.
2.
To require that persons living within 300 miles of a convention site
travel by train, bus or car; airfare will not be reimbursed.
3.
To raise the fee for establish a new collegiate chapter from $125 to
$150.
4.
To raise the fee for reinstating a collegiate chapter from $100 to
$150.
5.
To raise the transfer fee from $50 to $100.
6.
To raise the collegiate fee to attend convention from $25 to $50.
7.
To raise the alumni fee to attend convention from $25 to $50.
The
following resolution was rejected by our membership:
To
raise the alumni member annual dues from $42 to $65. This fee is in
addition to Triangle subscription and local dues. In discussion,
members stated the higher fees made it harder to attract new members
and placed a hardship on many older members with a fixed income. At
the next meeting we will discuss recommendations that we would
support; these recommendations would be sent to the International
organization.
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Newsletter
This
is the last newsletter of this season. Keep up with the chapter on the
website until the next newsletter that will be out in late August.
Deadline for that newsletter will be August 25th. Thanks for all your
help in sending news - so that we can all keep informed.
Mary
Williams, Newsletter Editor/ Webmaster
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MEMBER
NEWS
Frances
Stuart hurt her back a few weeks ago, and this past week had a severe
infection. Susan Poelchau reported on Tuesday: "Frances Stuart is
in Roberts, Baylor's main building, Room 1519 but I'm not sure how long.
Her infection is under control and she is off the IV antibiotic,
but she is being observed a little longer as her legs are weak.
Her voice is weak but brief visits or calls should be OK.
Her niece told her we were asking about her."
Bea
Carney is moving to Bentonville, AR to be closer to her son and his
family.
Sandra
McMillen will have knee replacement surgery on May 3rd at Charlton
Methodist Hospital. She
expects therapy and recuperation to keep her out of circulation for at
least six weeks.
June
Tighe is still living with her son and his family. She enjoys doing some teaching.
She says she misses us all and would like to come to the May
meeting.
Judy
Dardaganian had surgery on her rotator cuff that was injured in a fall.
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INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Mu
Phi Week
As
those of you who were at our March meeting already know, April 3rd to
the 10th is Mu Phi Week. To
quote the promotional material, "The goal is to raise as much money
for Mu Phi as possible by working together as sisters and brothers
across the country to ensure the continued success and good works of our
Fraternity." Chapters have been asked to support additional
fundraising to pay down the deficit incurred for the last convention.
Incentives include an etched crest for the first eight chapters that
donate $500 or more; a banner for chapters donating over $250; 100
points on the chapter rating for chapters donating over $100. Our
chapter voted to ask for donations for a "non-event" rather
than spending time and money on another type of fundraiser. Please
support this effort by bringing your donation to the next meeting or
mailing it to Sharon Kraus.
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Former
Dallasites in the News
Former
Dallas member Barbara Harris Polomé, now a member of the Austin
Alumni chapter, was the recipient of the 2004 Orah Ashley Lamke Award,
an annual award to a member who has served Mu Phi Epsilon for many
years.
Nancy
Laine, now a member of the San Antonio Alumni chapter and the
Triangle magazine editor, is resigning that position after several years
of doing a great job. That position is open, as well as positions for a
Finance Committee member and a Parliamentarian for International.
Interested persons should contact Fran Irwin - muphiip@aol.com.
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SUNDAY
CONCERT SERIES
We
have only a few more concerts left for this season. If you can, attend
some of these wonderful events. To volunteer to help with concerts for
next season, contact Claudia Jameson (claudia.jameson@gpisd.org)
or Susan Poelchau (sdpoelchau@yahoo.com). Please give
these people your suggestions for outstanding musicians who may be able
to perform on our series, along with a way to contact them. We are
starting now to line up the fall program.
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April
10 - Piano Students of Richard Shuster. Pianist Richard Shuster is
active as a solo pianist, collaborative artist, lecturer and teacher at
TWU. The following students will perform: Inja Kim, Mina Ishino, Michiko Nakata, Tabitha Boxerman, Daniel Starks, Se Won Kim, and Anne Woodard.
April
17 - Marilyn Irons, Soprano and Clarece Candamio, Piano. Marilyn
Irons is an accomplished soloist, pianist, director, author, composer,
and clinician, recording artist and TV personality but above all,
musician. She has been the featured soprano soloist for Mendelssohn's
"Elijah" with the Irving Chorale and Orchestra and for the
Dallas Brass, Boston Chorus Pro Musica, as well as various university,
college and church choirs. Clarece Candamio has been the organist for Lovers Lane United Methodist Church
in Dallas for thirty-six years.
April
24 - Justin Gray, Piano. Justin Gray is a graduate of The Juilliard
School, a participant/winner in many competitions, festivals, institutes
and master classes. He currently teaches at the Gray Piano Studios and
is a Doctoral candidate at UNT where he is employed as a Teaching Fellow
and is a student of Joseph Banowetz. He will play:
Sonata
Op. 2 No. 3, in C by Beethoven, Sonatine by Ravel and Sonata No. 2 in b-flat minor, Op. 36 by Rachmaninoff.
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