CCO ANNOUNCEMENTS MAY 14, 2025

MAY 14, 2025

Trust everyone will enjoy the long weekend. See you again May 26. 

I. REHEARSAL MAY 26 

Conductor Andrew Chung will be concentrating this rehearsal on the clarinet concerto until the break, and the Amy Beach symphony after the break. 

Only 3 rehearsals to go before the concert: May 26, June 2 and the Dress Rehearsal - the preparation pressure is on! 

May 26 snacks: viola, cello, double bass. Snacks June 2 winds, brass and piano. Dress Rehearsal snacks: Leftovers. 

An Audio File of the Clarinet Concerto is available in the Musicians’ Only portal on ccorchestra.org, Sheet Music. Performances of the Gaelic Symphony are available on YouTube. If you would like to know more about Amy Beach and the Gaelic Symphony, see the podcast Sticky Notes https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/sticky-notes-the-classical-music-podcast/id1215386938?i=1000698034165. 

II.  UPCOMING CONCERT: KILTS & CLARINETS

June 6 Dress Rehearsal: starts at 7:00, runs until 10:00pm. There is no access to the Green Room. Church doors open for the CCO at 6:00pm. If you arrive early, please get involved with the set-up. And at the end, the Sanctuary must be left free of CCO stuff, so please help with that too if you can. 

Concert Poster: The poster for Kilts & Clarinets is attached. Please circulate to your friends and family. Printed posters will also be available for pick up at the May 26 and June 2 rehearsals. Never too late to post them in your neighbourhood. 

Tickets: $20 for adults, $12 for youth (18 and under). Each musician and CCO member is expected to sell at least two tickets. These are available from Helen Li (clarinet) at the rehearsals, particularly during the break. If your friends buy on line, ask them to include a note with their purchase that you are the vendor. 

June 7 Concert:  7:30pm concert starts. We have use of the Green Room that night - on the lower level. Door and stairs are located at the side aisle of the Sanctuary. Set-up for the concert starts at 5:00pm. Our set-up crew, Ron Mitchell, Chris Yoshida and Rick Fraser (all second violins by the way) found the extra hands provided at the end of the March concert really helped the packing up go quickly and would appreciate help again this time.

June 7 Host: Sorry to report that Enza Anderson cannot host for personal reasons (she sends us best wishes for a great performance), but delighted to report that Trish Tervit will host. Trish did a terrific job for us at the anniversary concert last June, and is a long-standing CCO member and sometimes violinist. 

Fundraising at the Concert: cookie donations from musician and the 50/50 raffle. These are both popular with our audience. The cookies attracted about $270 in donations at the March concert (the home-made cupcakes were particularly well received! - thank you Chef!) and the 50/50 draw contributed $500 to the CCO’s bottom line, plus sent a happy audience member home with the same amount. Unlikely we will have a cookie donation from Whiskful Bakery for this concert, as that local business will be making a cash donation to the CCO soon. 

50/50 tickets: 1 for $5.00, 3 for $10.00, and an “arm’s length” for $20. Please come prepared to purchase tickets yourself, and talk up this great investment opportunity to your guests. Musicians are eligible to participate in and win the raffle. 

Cookies: thank you to all the musicians who have donated either home-made or purchased cookies to past concerts, and will do so again. Your donations can be brought to the Dress Rehearsal or handed to a volunteer when you arrive on concert night. 

Volunteers:  CCO concerts require a lot of volunteers. If you have friends or family who would like to participate (none of the jobs are difficult, particularly when we have lots of volunteers) please have them email emitchell1727@gmail.com. 

III. PLAYING OUTSIDE WHISKFUL THINKING BAKERY 

Whiskful Thinking Bakery (on Wellesley, north side, just east of Church) has once again named the CCO as its local charity for the month of May. Last year the bakery donated $1,000 from this fundraising effort! Please stop into the bakery to thank them for their support and return the favour by making a purchase.  You’d be very welcome to linger there for a while to answer questions from customers about the CCO and our concert, and distribute the CCO postcards you’ll find there. 

The Bakery’s owner, Sydney, was delighted when two CCO members showed up last Saturday and played for an hour sitting out front on the street - photo below. Sydney felt the music attracted extra customers and the musicians had the opportunity to pass out the CCO postcards and tell some passersby about the CCO.  Apparently, the “performance” made it onto Facebook, and an editor of The Bridge Community News stopped by with questions, so the CCO may get some free press. This was a very casual thing to do and quite fun. If you would like to play on the street, let Daniel Payne know and he’ll tell the Bakery  payne.danny@gmail.com.

IV. MEMBERS ZOOM MEETING JUNE 16, 7:30PM 

The CCO takes an official break from rehearsals after our June concert until the 2025-’26 seasons starts, this year on September 15, 2025. The Board is inviting CCO members to a Members’ Meeting by Zoom on Monday June16 at 7:30pm. The Agenda is to discuss the upcoming season, the summer schedule for small ensemble performances and a picnic in Allan Gardens, and review of a report on the results of the Members Survey. A Zoom invitation will be circulated soon. 

V.  IMPORTANT CCO DATES 

Rehearsals are normally Monday nights, 7:30 to 9:30 at The 519 Community Centre unless otherwise indicated here. Musicians are expected to bring their own music and stand. Snacks are provided in rotation by section: first violins, then seconds, then viola, cello and double bass, then winds, brass and piano. 

Monday May 19 - no rehearsal (Victoria Day - the 519 is closed.) 

Thursday May 21 - Meeting of the CCO Board of Directors. 7:30pm, by Zoom. Members may attend. Ask for a Zoom invitation emitchell1727@gmail.com. 

Monday May 26 - rehearsals resume at The 519, 7:30. Snacks voila, cello and double bass (June 2 snacks: winds, brass and piano) 

Friday June 6 - Dress Rehearsal, 7:00 to 10:00pm - Eastminster United Church. Doors open 6:00pm (Snacks: leftovers) 

Saturday June 7 - Concert, Kilts & Clairnets, 7:30pm - Eastminster United Church.Doors open 5:00pm. (Cookies - all musicians)  

Monday June 16 - 7:30 Members Meeting by Zoom. Zoom invitation from the Board to be sent to Members in advance. 

Counterpoint and Friends Concerts in Allan Gardens - Two Sunday afternoons: likely July 27, and August 17.  Details to follow. CCO picnic follows the August performance. The central conservatory at Allan Gardens officially opened just today - after 3 years of being shrouded for refurbishment. 

VI. OTHER MUSIC AND CCO MEMBERS 

• If you personally are performing somewhere and you would like others to know, you can:

(i) post it in the Musicians Only portal of CCOrchestra.org;

(ii) leave your promotional materials at the entranceway to the rehearsal hall (also OK to leave information there about performing opportunities);

(iii) send details to emitchell1727@gmail.com for including in the CCO Announcements.