Date: March 19, 2001 Get ready for Erin. Learn your music and words!

Are you ready? Erin Howden is here! The time is now to be off the paper for Steppin' Out, since Erin Howden is here to teach us the choeography. We were sounding pretty good last week with both Steve Wheaton and Rob Mance. This week will be a long rehearsal., but there will be fun, fun, fun.

50^th anniversary celebration. Following rehearsal this evening, we will be having some wine, beer soft drinks, food and entertainment to celebrate 50 years of barbershopping in Montreal. The charter of the Montreal Chapter was issued on March 18, 1951 and we are here thanks to the efforts made by our predecessors. The celebrations will continue throughout the year. Let's make it a very special one.

Harmony, Inc. 40^th Anniversary. We are invited to sing at this celebration which is on April 4 at 8:00 PM. The location is 52 Joseph-Paiment, Dollard des Ormeaux. (South of Pierrefonds Blvd, West of Sources) Everyone should be there to help our sister organization celebrate.

Music Team NEWS Here's the latest from Alan Kenley and the Music Team

Happy 50th everyone

The chorus is looking good for 50 and is in great health. We're not showing our age at all and by all indications we are getting better with time like a good bottle of wine.

Hope everyone has listened to their tapes/cd's that Rob produced. They are just great to listen to and it makes learning a lot easier and faster. How about that arrangement of "Words" . Isn't it Fantastic? Good luck to the tenors though, (I wish I was back in Bari.)

The lead part in the full 4 part version of each of the songs is a little too soft to hear the songs properly balanced as they are set up on the tapes. To enjoy the best voice mix play the lead predominant part reduced by 20% and increase the harmony parts by the same amount.You will really hear the music as we will be singing it.

Most good choruses like ourselves make use of hand held tape recorders. How about getting into the habit of binging yours each week? If you don't have one there are a couple in the storage room.

Don't forget Erin is here on Monday night.Bring your dancing shoes.

Plan to stay after the practice on Monday. There may even be some quartetting planned.

That's it for this week

Dues are due! March 31 Renewals. The total dues for a regular member of the Greater Montreal Chapter are $180.00 per year. If your renewal date is March 31, then you must provide a cheque to Ray Watkins this week! Senior members and Students pay $90.00.

Pay-as-you-go Joe - We pay our dues either once a year for the coming year on our renewal date, or we can use the Pay-as-you-go-Joe system. The $15 Monthly or $45.00 quarterly payment hardly hurts. This is encouraged for all members of the Chapter. Post-dated cheques payable to Island City Chorus can be given to Ray Watkins, Chapter Treasurer.

Christmas CD Co-ordinator. Richard Frenette has accepted the job of co-ordinating the Christmas CD. We will need to have people to help him. We need photos of the choruses and quartets, a CD cover designed, a write-up, someone to co-ordinate the recording sessions, a PR person, contact people at each chorus and many other little details that have to be looked after. Please offer your assistance any way you can. This is a big project and Richard will need all the help he can get.

Quartet Development., Murray Phillips has agreed to assume the role of Quartet Development Co-ordinator. He is asking you to try singing in a quartet, perhaps for the first time. Try it. You will find it a wonderful experience. We are aiming at having at least four quartets singing at Division 2002. Tonight we will have some first time quartetters. Show your support, and cheer them on.

Get your 50^th Anniversary Show tickets, now. Tickets are available from John Clendinneng for our June 9, 2001 show, Steppin' Out. This will be at the same great hall we used last year. As we did last year, tickets are given when a cheque is received. A post-dated cheque works, and you can trade cash and cheques before the show in exchange. EVERYONE MUST SELL TICKETS, OR DUES WILL DOUBLE!

Joker's Wild Retiring on our show. We have learned with sadness, that 1994 International Champions, Joker's Wild will be retiring. The good news is they will be appearing on our show, and that this will be their final performance.

Mini-Pitch Editor needed.. Murray wants to give someone else a chance to edit the Mini-Pitch. He will be asking people for their recommendations. If you think you would like to try it out, let Murray know. He will help get you started.

Practice is something we do at home, every day, between rehearsals!

Rehearsal is where we reinforce what we have been practising every day!