Message from the President and General Manager

Dear Alumnae and Friends,       

Happy 2017! It’s a new year, with emphasis on the new. With a new year brings new Chorus women, repertoire, and projects.

We started off the semester by welcoming six wonderful singers to the Chorus family. They are in for a whirlwind semester of performance, collaboration, and touring.

The Chorus’ first major project of 2017 involves uncharted territory; we are hosting our first ever collegiate treble choir conference, entitled ‘Empowerment through Music.’ From March 3rd through 5th, delegates from six collegiate treble choirs will come together for a weekend of concerts, workshops, lectures, and collaborative performance. Together we will explore how music can be a tool of empowerment for ourselves and our communities. One highlight of the weekend will be the keynote address by LA-based actress and choir director Maggie Wheeler, as part of our Leading Ladies Speaker Series (see article ‘Treble Choir Conference’ for more information). We look forward to sharing the all of the wonderful things about the Chorus and learning from peer ensembles.

Later in March the Chorus will embark on our Atlantic Coast Tour, stopping in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. (see article ‘Atlantic Coast Tour’ for more information). For some Chorus women, this will be their first tour; for others, their first Chorus-only tour;  for some, their first time visiting these cities/states. We can’t wait to make discoveries about about music, each other, and the places we visit!

Thanks to the work of Rose Hanson ‘15 and Vice President Adja Toure ‘18, Chorus women can stay in touch and develop connections long after their last tour. We invite alumnae of the Chorus to join our new LinkedIn group. According to Rose, “The group is a professional space for past and present members of the Chorus to share leadership insights, job opportunities, and connect with others in our respective industries” (see ‘Message for Chorus Alumnae’ for more information).

Sometimes bringing in the new means replacing the old. We are happy to announce that, thanks to the work of our Webmaster Anita Jegarl ‘18 and many others, the Chorus has a new website. Explore the website to learn more about the Chorus, purchase merchandise, and stay up-to-date on our projects, concerts, and other endeavors. One aspect of the website that we are particularly excited about is our new Chorus Blog. On the Blog we will highlight all of the latest Chorus happenings. Click on the ‘latest news’ tab to read our first blog post from our Secretary, Johnna Margalotti ‘19, offering some advice to our newest members.

Just as the website was replaced with a newer, fresher version, so will we be soon. Elections and officer appointments are coming up in just a few weeks, which means the terms of current officers are ending and members of the Chorus who will return in the fall are preparing to assume new positions. Although this turnover brings a few weeks of training and adjustment, it is worth it for the fresh energy and passion that incoming officers bring to their roles. We are confident that future newsletters will be full of fresh takes on old ideas and groundbreaking new ideas, each of which will be developed and executed by proud and confident Chorus women developing their leadership skills and working to ‘lift the Chorus.’

We are honored to have served the Chorus for the past year. As always, please feel free to reach out to us at president@chorus.cornell.edu or gm@chorus.cornell.edu any time. Thank you for your continued support of the Chorus.

With Chorus Love,

Marissa Grill ‘17, President
Samantha Reig ‘17, General Manager