Encore Announces Fall 2008 Schedule Introducing Two New Locations and New Band and Dance Programs
In September 2008, Encore will be adding two new programs, Band and Dance, to our existing Chorale program. We will also be adding two new locations, joining forces with the Potomac Academy of George Mason Unversity in Fairfax, to offer a new Chorale. We will also be launching a new Dance program at the Arlington Center for Dance. The Workhouse Center for the Arts in Lorton will be adding Band and Dance to their already existing Chorale program, while all move into the new Workhouse facility. Encore is in discussion with other locations - further announcements may come later in the summer. Current details and registration information are below:
With the addition of
Potomac Academy of George Mason University, the combined Encore Chorales will
be over 250 singers strong, singing at seven locations in the DC/VA/MD
area.
If you have sung sometime
in your life, want to return to singing, or have never sung outside the shower,
join our other music enthusiasts for a weekly rehearsal of seasonal and holiday
music with professional conductor Jeanne Kelly.
The Chorale
classes, designed for adults 55 years and above, are instructive as well as
enjoyable. Participants learn proper breathing techniques and how to improve their
voice through correct tone production as Kelly guides them through weekly
rehearsals in three- and four-part singing. The season will
conclude with a combined performance of all the Encore Chorales at the Kennedy
Center, Washington, DC, as well as local concerts at most Chorale locations.
Be a part
of a true harmonic convergence—if you can talk, you can sing!
Jeanne
Kelly’s career of over thirty-five years has produced a unique blend of
experience as a vocal performer, teacher, conductor and music administrator.
Ms. Kelly had a successful operatic career; taught voice privately and at HoodCollege
and the U.S. Naval Academy; conducted choral groups at the U.S. Naval Academy
and GeorgetownUniversity, and was Executive Director
of the Houston Conservatory of Music and the Levine School of Music, Northern
Virginia Campus. She founded Encore Creativity for Older Adults in June 2007.
Jeanne earned an undergraduate degree in voice performance and piano from the University of Findlay and a master's degree in voice
performance from the Peabody Conservatory.
Retired? When’s
the last time you played that musical instrument stuffed in the back of your
closet? Well, dust it off and join in on the fun at the WorkhouseArtsCenter
at Lorton for Encore’s new
Band program.
Starting this fall,
the Workhouse is partnering
with Encore Creativity for Older Adults to form a band for adults over the age
of 55. Whether you are a beginner or gave up your instrument years ago, or
you’re still “tooting your horn,” this band offers something for you.
The band program,
under the direction of professional percussionist and conductor John Kilkenny,
will consist of a beginning or intermediate brass, wind, or percussion group
lesson, followed by a full band rehearsal. At the end of the fourteen weeks,
you’ll be prepared to entertain friends and family (won’t the children and
grandchildren be proud!).
John Kilkenny appears
regularly with such prestigious ensembles as the National Symphony, Washington
National Opera, Washington Ballet, Washington Concert Opera, and National
Philharmonic. He has worked with some of the most eminent conductors of
our time, including James Levine, Leonard Slatkin, Sir Colin Davis, David
Zinman, Robert Spano, David Robertson, Gerald Schwarz, Jai Jai Ling, Marin
Alsop, Alan Gilbert, and Lawrence Foster. He currently serves on the Music
Department faculty at GeorgeMasonUniversity.
John received his Bachelors degree from the JuilliardSchool and his Masters from TempleUniversity.
Don’t
be a couch potato! This fall, spend your Wednesday afternoons dancing! Encore
Creativity for Older Adults is bringing this new dance program to the WorkhouseArtsCenter at Lorton and the ArlingtonCenter for Dance.
In
fourteen weeks, instructor Tiffany Haughn will introduce you to Ballet, Modern,
Jazz, and Social Dance forms such as Swing and Mambo (just to name a few). You’ll
have the time of your life! The class, designed for adults (men and women) 55
years and above, is instructive as well as enjoyable. Class will include a
series of warm up exercises to develop proper alignment, build cardiovascular
stamina, improve coordination and balance, and increase range of motion,
flexibility, and strength. The class will also include experiences in guided
meditation, Yoga, and Pilates.
Tiffany
Haughn is a teacher, choreographer, and performer in the Washington, D.C.
dance community. She currently teaches dance at GeorgeMasonUniversity,
The University of Mary Washington and ArlingtonCenter
for Dance. Ms. Haughn has also been on the faculty of GeorgeWashingtonUniversity,
NorthernVirginiaCommunity College, The Dance Institute
of Washington, FlintHillSchool,
and The Virginia Ballet Company. Her choreography has been presented in
the DC area at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Atlas Performing
Arts Center, Dance Place
and The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, among others. She has
performed with The Lindt International Ballet, Saltare Dance Company, Jennifer
Walker & Company, Threshold Dance Company, and as a guest performer with
CrossCurrents Dance Company. Ms. Haughn graduated magna cum laude from JacksonvilleUniversity,
Jacksonville, Florida, with a B.F.A. in dance and a
B.A. in psychology. She earned her Masters of Fine Arts degree in dance
at GeorgeMasonUniversity.
The
Encore Chorale Camp at Chautauqua Institution, August 26-30, was a huge
success. Thirty-nine campers from ten states and Canada gathered at
Chautauqua to rehearse challenging choral music, enjoy the beautiful grounds,
spend five wonderful days at the lovely historic Athenaeum Hotel, listen to
marvelous recitals and perform a grand final choral concert. Long lasting
friendships were made as the group rehearsed together, took relaxing walks and
enjoyed sumptuous meals at the hotel. It was a truly marvelous
experience.
Camp
began on Tuesday when campers arrived to receive their folders with music, camp
schedule, Chautauqua information and of course, their Official Camp Tee Shirt.
By 3:00, they were already rehearsing in Lenna Hall with Encore Chorale Camp
conductors, Jeanne Kelly, Founder and Director of Encore, and Dr. John Barry
Talley, retired Director of Musical Activities at the United States Naval
Academy. The conductors each chose challenging music, including Italian
Opera choruses. The singers were still working to perfect their Italian up
to the minute the final concert started.
After
rehearsal, the lovely Athenaeum Hotel Victorian Dining Room offered a wine and cheese welcoming party and
dinner. It was a perfect opportunity for people to mingle and get to know
one another.
The
first full day began with a great breakfast (some more ambitious campers took
walks) before buses transported the group to the Turner Gym fora movement / dance class, conducted by two
excellent local instructors. Dr. Don Rapp discussed the importance of
mind focus which is the key to balance and coordination. He had the
group juggling tiny balls and balancing paper cones. Everyone enjoyed Dr.
Rapp’s juggling! Peg Barrett-Walos worked on posture, led the singers
thru some very helpful stretches for singing and for life and also worked on
some dance steps.
After
a wonderful stretch and dance workout, a two hour rehearsal began. The
singers would break for lunch, have a little free time and then back for
another rehearsal. The singers had about forty minutes of music to
master, so rehearsal time was very important.
After
the Wednesday afternoon rehearsal the group met for another wonderful evening
dinner, followed by an excellent recital performed by the West Shore Piano
Trio. The trio performed the Piano Trio in C Major, Opus 87 by Johannes
Brahms and the Piano Trio in A minor (1914) by Maurice Ravel. The
trio had a large and appreciative audience and it was a fabulous way to end the
day.
Thursday’s
schedule was the same except for the addition of a vocal technique class.
That evening the West Shore Piano Trio again performed, but this evening was a
lighter repertoire. The Astor Piazzolla Tangos were fabulous. Also
featured were the Jascha Heifetz violin transcriptions for violin and piano of
Porgy and Bess. The trio closed the performance with a sing-along of favorite
Rogers and Hammerstein songs. Again, their large audience loved their
performance.
Friday
was another day of hard work perfecting the concert repertoire. In the evening,
the Athenaeum Hotel offered a tasting of local New York wines followed by yet
another great dinner.The rest of the
evening was free so campers could relax and rest up for the Saturday’s concert
performance.
There
was excitement in the air on Saturday morning! One more two hour rehearsal before
the concert! The singers had rehearsed long and hard and the repertoire was
ready to go. The singers opened the concert with a rousing
performance of the Anvil Chorus from
Verdi’s Il Trovatore, followed by the
beautiful Va Pensiero from Verdi”s Nabucco. They were off to a great
start. They then performed the Chautauqua premiere of Elam Sprenkle’s Psalm 23 and Ho, Ye That Thirst, absolutely beautiful pieces. Dr.
Sprenkle is a professor at Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Next was Hush! Somebody’s Callin’ My Name, a
traditional spiritual followed by Aaron Copland’s Ching-A-Ring-Chaw.
Then
the concert took a very funny turn with the singers performing On the Campaign Trail by Barry Talley.
The set is a light-hearted look at America’s political music and they
are indeed quite entertaining. This was also a Chautauqua premiere. The
concert closed with a rousing and spirited performance of Frank Loesser’s Guys and Dolls. They really rocked
the hall with Sit Down, You’re Rockin’
the Boat.
It
was a truly wonderful concert and the singers and audience had a great time.
A grand finale for a grand Encore Chorale Camp at Chautauqua!
The
Chautauqua Institution has invited Encore Chorale Camp to return next summer.
The dates of the camp will be Monday, August 31 to September 4.
Mark your calendar!
Encore conducted our First Annual (by acclamation) Choral Camp at St. Mary's College of Maryland
, June 17-21, 2008. It was a busy five days for the
campers! They were barely checked in to their rooms before it was
time for the first of eight scheduled choral rehearsals.
Campers were treated to a Southern Barbecue reception and dinner on
Tuesday evening, followed by an excellent concert by the West Shore
Piano Trio.
After breakfast Wednesday morning, the campers
got the "juices flowing" with a lively movement class, conducted by
Tiffany Haughn. Campers called the movement class, held each morning at
9:00, one of the highlights of the week. In four sessions, they
were introduced to a variety of dance forms, including ballet, modern,
jazz, mambo and rumba (with a special demonstration by rumba-dancer
extraordinaire, camper Pat Baker).
Despite the intense daytime schedule, campers
still had energy for evening events that included Movie Night, a
two-piano recital by Hyeweon Lee and Lina Morita, and a Polynesian
Buffet followed by a River Concert Series performance by the Chesapeake Orchestra, featuring Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #3, performed by Jon Nakamatsu.
All the week's hard work paid off with a rousing concert before on
appreciative audience on Saturday afternoon. At the end of the
camp, there were lots of smiles and eager anticipation of next year!
The evening began with an uplifting Sing and Rejoice by
Russell Robinson . It was obvious the singers were enjoying themselves
from the first note. And the Night Shall Be Filled With Music, a
hushed, stunning piece, was sung so sensitively and with professional
nuance. It was one of the highlights.
The Encore Brass added to the concert with a lovely Simple
Gifts , a traditional Shaker hymn. Following, the choir gave
spectacular performances of Leonard Bernstein’sSomewhere and Tonight from
West Side Story . They sang with passion and focus and it brought the
house down, only to be followed by Impossible Dream . The chorale was truly in top form.
Encore Brass delighted the audience with the Theme from
Masterpiece Theater, Rondeau from Sinfonies de Fanfares by Jean-Joseph
Mouret . Then it was time for the chorale to strut their stuff with
fabulous renditions of Irving Berlin’sAlexander’s Ragtime Band and a great
performance of Let’s Dance! including the jazzy tune Puttin’ on the Ritz ,
the very sultry and romantic singing of Let’s Dance and the rhythmically
precise Steppin’ Out with My Baby . The audience loved the repertoire and
applause showed it. The chorale members were having the time of their
lives up on stage. The audience felt uplifted and they were certainly
enjoying the evening.
The performance came to a close with three patriotic
pieces performed with humble sincerity. The Encore Brass joined the
chorale for the beautiful America followed by a heartfelt performance of American Hymn which the chorale performed for the 9/11 "Arlington Remembers"
Service. The chorus ended the program with a rousing and stirring
rendition of the Armed Forces Salute and the audience members clapped to the
beat and stood when their military service branch's tune was being sung. It was a
terrific way to end a wonderful and memorable evening.
The Goodwin House Encore Chorales are featured in a video report accompanying an article entitled Keeping Your Brain Fit posted January 31st at U.S. News & World Report's web site. The article discusses the Aging and Creativity Study conducted by Dr. Gene Cohen of George Washington University, in which the Goodwin House Chorales were participants. The video report includes discussion with Encore Creativity Founder and Executive Director, Jeanne Kelly, and Goodwin House Encore Chorale members Bill Harves and Venette Planting. A similar article appeared in the U.S. News & World Report print edition, dated February 11th as part of the cover story. The article included a photo of Bill Harves.
Monday, 26 November 2007
About Encore...
Encore is dedicated to providing an excellent and accessible artistic environment for older adults, 55 and over, regardless of experience or ability, who seek arts education and performance opportunities under a professional artist. Encore is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax exempt organization
The focus of Encore’s debut season has been growing and developing chorales. Next year will bring instrumental and dance programs. But the most important concept is that all Encore programs will be conducted by professional artists who will know how to get the most from their members. So come join the excitement, either as a beginner or at an advanced level.
This is an
excellent way to learn how to develop or improve your musical abilities,, meet new friends, and look forward to an exciting
performance schedule.
You’re never too old to try something new—and have the time of your life!
