NOVEMBER 25, 2023 Only 2 weeks until our holiday concert! More about the concert, and notification of the CCO’s officers, in these Announcements. By the way, as a way of promoting the CCO and our holiday concert, three members (Daniel, Chris Yoshida and Chris Richards-Bentley) are playing at Kendall’s Design store, 514 Parliament, 2:00pm on Saturday Dec. 2. The playing space is tiny so no one can join them, but if you would like to play a bit for the shoppers, contact emitchell1727@gmail.com. This store carries lots of interesting housewares and decorative items, as well as offering design services, and has an absolutely terrific collection of ornaments available if you want to stop in. 1. NOVEMBER 27 REHEARSAL We’re back home at the 519 this Monday, 7:30 start. We’ll be rehearsing everything on the programme. Please do not attend the rehearsal if you are unwell, and wear a mask if you so chose. To protect others, if you have recently had cold, flu, or COVID, please wear a mask. The Door Volunteers have masks available. 2. DECEMBER 9 HOLIDAY CONCERT E-Tickets: Tickets for the December 9 holiday concert can be purchased on-line at https://www.ccorchestra.org/tickets. Posters: Not too late to post posters, and check up on whether the ones you posted previously are still up. Please colour print the one attached, if you can, or pick some up at rehearsal. The posters do not have ticket prices on them - just add “$20 for adults, $12 for students” in magic marker to each poster. Member Ticket Sales: Helen Li is distributing tickets, keeping track of ticket sales, and has more tickets available at the rehearsals. East End United is a larger concert venue than we have committed to in the past - it holds 600 people! Lots of room for new audience members. Members are expected to sell at least two tickets. Possible Complementary Tickets: For the last year, we have taken various initiatives to publicize the CCO more widely, in the expectation of growing our audiences, donors and supporters. Since we have lots of seats available for this particular concert, if you know a business owner or well connected person who you think could become a CCO supporter or donor in future, please email emtichell1727@gmail.com or speak to a Director at the rehearsal about the possibility of inviting that person to attend the concert for free.
Fundraising Activities at the Dec. 9 Concert: (i) 50/50 Raffle: Before the concert starts and at intermission there will be a 50/50 raffle, run by Trish Tervit. Tickets are $5 for one, $10 for 3, and $25 for an “arm’s length”. The prize is 50% of the total of all the tickets sold, with the other 50% going directly to the CCO’s operating expenses. The winning ticket will be drawn and announced by our MC, Enza Anderson, at the very end of the concert. (ii) Photos with Fay Slift: Fay is performing in the first part of our programme. She will then be available for photos, in front of a festive photo backdrop during the intermission and again for a few minutes at the very end of the concert. Selfies cost $10, and no printed copy is made. More formal photos will be taken by our volunteer photographers, Ben and Lilly (the volunteer photographers from last June’s concert), for $20.00, with a print made on the spot, or during the second half of the programme, for pickup at the concert. There is a possibility there will be a second Drag Queen also available for photos. (iii) Intermission Refreshments: Please bring holiday cookies, home-made or purchased. They will be offered, along with bottles of water, at intermission, and possibly at the end of the concert. The Church does not want either food or drink in the sanctuary though - the back room where we are serving this will be pretty crowded. There will be donation jars on the table by the cookies (although historically those have been rather ignored.) (iv) CD’s for Sale: Holly Price has generously agreed to make some CD’s of previous CCO concerts. These will be available at the Donation Desk at the concert for $10.00 each. Please suggest to your friends and family that they bring cash! And please take a photo with Fay - this is a new initiative and we are curious to see if it is a successful venture. The Fundraising Committee is working on making credit or other electronic payment possible, but no guarantees. Come prepared with extra cash in your pocket that night to lend to friends and family to encourage their participation in our fundraising activities. Most of the volunteers are now engaged. However, if you are not performing but would like to participate, or know someone who would like to volunteer, contact Volunteer Co-ordinator, Robert Mansell, at robert.mansell@sympatico.ca. With so much going on, we need more than our usual number of volunteers. Ron Mitchell is making a reservation at Blake House for a post-concert drink and/or snack. If you are interested in attending, please let Ron know at the upcoming rehearsal. Everyone is welcome. 3. BOARD OFFICERS The new Board held its first meeting last Thursday, and elected the CCO’s Officers as follows: Chair - Elizabeth Mitchell Vice Chair - Daniel Payne Treasurer - John Todd Secretary - Kevin Seymour Directors: David Brownstone, Tetsuya Kobayashi Andrew Lam Russell Westkirk. The next Board meeting is Monday December 18, 2023, by Zoom. If you would like to attend, please request a link from emitchell17278@gmail.com. 4. IMPORTANT CCO DATES Monday November 27 - rehearsals resume 7:30 Mondays at The 519. Friday December 8 - 7:00pm to 10:00pm Dress Rehearsal, East End United Church (formerly Eastminster United), 310 Danforth (Chester Station) Saturday December 9 - 7:30pm Concert, East End United Church. Please donate holiday cookies for the intermission. (No rehearsals Dec. 11, 18, 25, or Jan. 1) Monday December 18, 7:30pm - Board meeting by Zoom. Members can contact emitchell1727@gmail.com for a link. Monday January 8, 2024 - Rehearsals resume Mondays, 7:30pm to 9:30pm, at The 519 Friday March 22 - 7:00pm to 10:00pm Dress Rehearsal, East End United Church Saturday March 23 - 7:30pm Concert, East End United Church (No rehearsal Monday March 25) Monday April 1 - Easter Monday. Discussion required re rehearsal or not. Monday April 8, 7:30pm - rehearsals resume Mondays 7:30pm at The 519 (No rehearsal Monday May 20 - Victoria Day) Monday May 27 - rehearsals resume at The 519, 7:30 to 9:30pm Friday June 14 - 7:00pm to 10:00pm Dress Rehearsal, East End United Church Saturday, June 15 - 7:30pm 40th Anniversary Concert, a post concert reception, and other celebratory events, East End United Church.