Dear Choristers

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays with family and friends. I am looking forward to getting back to rehearsing some great music with you all. I really hope that you will join us either in person or via our new hybrid option. I would like to note that the more people present physically at rehearsals, the better experience those who need to do hybrid will have. Plus, we'll have lots of fun!

I think you'll love the music I have chosen for the Imagining Seasons concert. We have a couple of challenging pieces and a surprise or two! There should be something for all tastes.

This concert will also be a fundraiser with season-themed art and crafted items. Some of you may have newly acquired pandemic skills that you can put to use, or know someone that may be willing to donate an item. We will let you know when we are ready to begin collecting those.

See you soon, and bring friends!
 
- Ryan Lakanen, Artistic Director

Dear Choristers,

Welcome back! This has been a trying 17+ months as singers and musicians. I hope you found some way to stay connected to music during our time apart, whether it was through our virtual concerts last year or some other outlet.

Just as we find ourselves coming back together, the world seems to be falling apart again. Thank you so much for allowing us to implement our vaccination rule for this season in order to keep each other as safe as possible. We have said that masks are strongly encouraged but not required, but it looks as if our "strongly encouraged" is needing to turn to "strongly encouraged" based on current CDC and industry guidance. There are masks designed for singers. Consider bringing a mask with you to wear at least part of the time. Try to stay distanced from your neighbor during rehearsal.

Plans have been fluctuating a lot during all of this, and we have had to learn to be flexible. The Music at Twilight fundraiser has been pushed to the spring this season. That left us with no plans for the fall. This past Monday, at our first rehearsal, I offered you several suggestions. You chose to learn and record four songs about the joy of singing, how music brings us together, and keeping your imagination alive to release online for our friends and families. We will record one song each week as we gradually transition into our holiday repertoire.

If you know anyone who has missed singing as much as you have, please invite them to join us. We could especially use more tenors and basses. (*fingers crossed!*)


- Ryan Lakanen, Artistic Director

​Dear Choristers,

The year 2020 has not gone according to anyone's plans. But we need to remember that, while trying to make it through the year, we can't forget to LIVE. During this pandemic, I hope that you have not only stayed physically safe, but also mentally. It is easy to forget to nurture your soul in addition to your body, especially with all of the distractions in the world today.

Congratulations to you on choosing to face the challenges and joys that will come from our virtual rehearsals in these next few months. Give yourself a pat on the back or a hug, because you are choosing life, music, and community.

To the members of the Chorus who have not signed up for virtual rehearsals, I have included you in this message in case you want to drop by to listen or to socialize every once in a while. You are part of the family, and you are missed! Plus, there may be a way for you to be involved without singing for this concert cycle.

And it's not too late to join in! If you know someone who will enjoy this journey, please invite them along. They don't have to be local - we have multiple people who will be signing in from across the country.

I'll see you soon!

- Ryan Lakanen, Artistic Director

Hello choristers!

Welcome to the final stretch of our season! If you know of anyone who would like to sing on our final concert on May 9th, bring them on in. The more the merrier!

Our final concert will be performed at GPAC with Memphis ChoralArts and the Germantown Symphony Orchestra. We may have an additional guest as well.

This Spring also features the Carnegie Hall residency as some of our members join Dr. Fisher and ChoralArts in NYC. We may also sing at Collierville’s Fair on the Square on May 3rd.

For fundraisers this Spring, we still have discount cards available for purchase. There will be a restaurant fundraiser at Jason’s Deli on Ridgeway Rd. on March 24th from 4:00 ‘til 9:00 – enjoy some yummy food and they’ll donate back 20%. And on May 2nd is our second annual Rummage and Bake Sale!

Here’s to finishing our season with a bang!

​Sincerely,
     Ryan Lakanen
     President/Interim Artistic Director

Hello choristers!

We made it through our Music at Twilight fundraiser, and now we get to work on our traditional Holiday Concert with the Germantown Symphony Orchestra. This concert is always a sellout, and this year we once again welcome Memphis ChoralArts and Houston High School to sing alongside us on the GPAC stage.

In addition to the Holiday Concert, we have two community outreach performances scheduled this season. The first is the annual Germantown Tree Lighting ceremony. We sing both before and after the tree is lit, and you can see all the children singing along and dancing by candlelight. Then, on December 3rd, we will
sing for Methodist Germantown Hospital. These performances are free to all in attendance.

​Lastly, we have a couple of final fundraisers scheduled for 2019. If you would like a poinsettia from Bayless Greenhouse for the Holidays, we will be taking orders for a couple of weeks. They will be used as decoration at the Holiday Concert, and you may take them home afterward. Also, 3 Guys Pizza in Collierville will donate a portion of sales on Tuesday, November 12th – yummy!
​
Sincerely,
Ryan Lakanen
President/Interim Artistic Director

​Hello singers!

Welcome to the 2019-2020 season. Our Fall is always busy, and this season is no exception. We start off with just 4 rehearsals until our annual performance at the Germantown Festival, and then our fundraiser, Music at Twilight, is 6 weeks after that.

Speaking of MAT, be thinking about if you would like to dress appropriately for our theme: The Golden Age of Hollywood. We will be performing music from classic movies through 1964. MAT will also feature something new this year – a raffle! All the details on that are in your tickets FAQ on the website.

Have you ever wanted to sing in Carnegie Hall? April 25th is your chance! Dr. Fisher, director of Memphis ChoralArts, has been invited to direct Ola Gjielo’s Sunrise Mass. We are invited to join! The piece will also be performed here at GPAC on May 9th. You’ll need to decide by September 23rd if you can go. Info packets will be emailed out.

I am so looking forward to this season, and I hope that you are, too!

​Sincerely,
Ryan Lakanen
President/Interim Artistic Director