Tour of Utah National Anthem - August 8, 2014

photo by Susan Dasher

The Evanston Civic Chorus was honored this summer with an invitation to sing the National Anthem for the opening ceremony of the Tour of Utah bike race on August 8th.   We didn't have many males available to sing with us, so we went with this women's group.

The ceremony was held in the plaza between the Machine Shop and the Roundhouse.Thanks to Drew for taking the video and Jessica for sharing it with us! 
 
by Sara

A Season of Concerts - Gala Up Next

This truly is a season of concerts, and the Evanston Civic Chorus is gearing up for its final performance of the year this Sunday when it hosts the Evanston Community Christmas Gala.  We're pretty excited about the concert.  We've got several church music groups in the lineup along with several vocal ensembles, brass and flute choirs, and the Civic Orchestra.  Here are the details:

Evanston Community Christmas Gala

Sunday, December 18, 2011

7:00 p.m.

Davis Middle School

Free Admission

Kirk has designed the stage setup to eliminate set changes between songs.  We anticipate the concert will flow very smoothly.  It'll be a great event for families.

Chorus members performed recently in a couple of Christmas events.  On December 1st we were in the Parade of Lights.  It was absolutely frigid and windy that evening, but we still had a great time singing as loud as we could from our trailer "float."  Kirk dressed as Santa.  I thought that was a pretty clever way to get another warm layer on.  Thanks to Deb for arranging for our parade transportation.

Last Sunday, Chorus members joined with the LDS Evanston South Stake Choir to sing "O Holy Night" during their Christmas musical program.  It turned out to be a great experience from both perspectives.  Chorus members enjoyed participating and appreciated the invitation.  Since I was involved in the Stake Choir I can say that we truly enjoyed performing this song together and are glad for ECC members that could come to our program.  We'll be joining together again with some other church choral groups and the orchestra to perform "O Holy Night" at the Gala.  We hope to see you there!

by Sara

Fresh Air, Freedom and Fun - July 2, 2011

For the fifth year in a row the Evanston Civic Chorus performed at the Fresh Air, Freedom and Fun Festival at Hamblin Park.  As is our custom, we sang songs from our summer lineup as well as some patriotic tunes.  This was the program:

• In the Good Old Summertime
• You Are the New Day
• Let Me Fly
• O Eyes of My Beloved
• America the Beautiful
• God Bless America
• Wyoming
• The Star-Spangled Banner

Comments from the audience indicate that this was our most successful concert yet in this venue, since Kirk rigged up the mics for us.  Singing outdoors is always a challenge, especially when it's windy and you're competing with other noises.

Enjoy the pictures Christine took for us!

by Sara

Memorial Day Observance - May 30, 2011

Again this year the Civic Chorus was invited to participate in the Memorial Day Community Observance.  And just like last year it was held in the Roundhouse.  However, this year the organizers set everything up facing a different direction.  So we weren't on the stairs again, or even in the balcony.  They situated the Chorus to the right of the stage, and I think it worked really well.  We were actually standing in several rows instead of strung out in a long line, and I think it helped the ensemble feel.

We had a great turnout from the Chorus, and we sang well.  They even asked us to sing our prelude songs again after the ceremony was over.  Kirk commented, "It was our best performance to date at the Memorial Day service."  I guess we're getting pretty good at this set of songs.


Prelude

• My Country 'Tis of Thee
• America the Beautiful
  

Program

• The Star-Spangled Banner
• Armed Forces medley
• God Bless America

Becca took some great pictures for us!

by Sara

Looking Forward to Next Year

The Evanston Civic Chorus completed the fall session a couple of weeks ago with a Christmas party gig.  On Monday, December 13, 2010 we provided some entertainment for the Senior Circle party at the Legal Tender restaurant.  We figured we'd be limited to just the a cappella tunes from our Christmas program.  But with a little bit of detective work, Kirk discovered an old piano buried in a corner behind a pile of chairs.  It was just the perfect instrument for the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick."

This was the lineup:

• God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
• Bradshaw's Carol, Round, and Alleluia
• Born on a New Day
• Little Saint Nick
• Hark the Herald Angels Sing
• Joy to the World

The audience was very appreciative, and I believe our tribute to the Beach Boys might have been the favorite. 

After a successful year, which included several concerts and participation in many community events, the Chorus looks forward to the new year.  The spring session will start on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the EHS choir room.

How about a New Year's resolution that's easy to keep - singing with the Evanston Civic Chorus!

by Sara

Fresh Air, Freedom and Fun - July 3, 2010

Recently the Civic Chorus sang at the annual Fresh Air, Freedom and Fun Festival at Hamblin Park. These are the songs we sang:

• The Star-Spangled Banner
• In Pride of May
• Let Me Call You Sweetheart
• You Are the New Day
• Wyoming
• God Bless America

It was a little breezy and we were worried about being heard. Kirk gathered us on the lawn right in front of the audience. Apparently they could hear, and liked what they heard, since there were more of them when we ended than when we started. More Photos

In preparation for this event, after not singing together for over a month, we had a rehearsal and ice cream social on Sara's front lawn the evening before. Thanks go to her husband Glen, who made the homemade ice cream waffle cones. Yum Yum!

ECC Booth at Celtic Festival - June 18-19, 2010

Last week the Evanston Civic Chorus shared a booth with the Evanston Civic Orchestra at the Celtic Festival.  For the occasion we had a brochure made with pictures and information about the Chorus.  Thanks to Jay at the Education Center for his help with that.  Visitors could browse through the ECC scrapbook and sign up for our e-mail list.  We had a digital photo display of highlights from our 3 1/2 year history.  Several people made donations for the expansion of our music library.  And of course we had candy!  It was fun chatting with visitors to the festival and letting them know what a great thing the Evanston Civic Chorus is in our community.

Thanks to the Evanston Civic Orchestra for our banner and for letting us share a booth with them.  Thanks to Clarissa C., who gave several hours of time to Young Musicians so we didn't have to pay for the booth.  Thanks to Sharyl K., John H., Sara M., and Becca M. for donating time to the booth.

MORE PHOTOS                                       by Sara

Memorial Day - May 31, 2010

As it has for the past 2 years, the Evanston Civic Chorus sang at the Memorial Day Community Observance. However, instead of taking place at the County Complex, it was held in the Roundhouse so a larger audience could participate. And it was a pretty good crowd.

In addition to some a cappella prelude music which we pulled from our recent May Concert, we sang our traditional Memorial Day set:

• The Star-Spangled Banner
• Salute to the Armed Forces
• God Bless America

More Pictures

Two years ago the ceremony was planned for outside the County Complex, but at the last minute it was moved inside because of rain. There wasn't a convenient place for the Chorus to stand by the makeshift stage, so we sang up in the balcony. Apparently there were good reviews, so the next year they scheduled us for the balcony again. This year there wasn't a very convenient balcony in the Roundhouse, so they put us on the staircase. Let's just say it was an interesting experience. It was difficult for one end of the Chorus to hear the other end. And visually, it looked a little odd. But we had a good showing, and we sounded great. We'll see where they put us next year.

by Sara

ECC Sings at Dedication of Uinta County Museum - July 5, 2008

On July 5th the Civic Chorus participated in the Dedication and Grand Opening of the Uinta County Museum. It seemed appropriate that we sing songs with historical significance. They just happen to be some of our favorites, too:

• Hard Times
• Cool Water
• God Bless America

The ceremony started at 11:30 a.m., which was a little early for some of us who were up late with fireworks. But it felt good to be a part of this civic event. And the refreshments were tasty.

Fresh Air, Freedom and Fun - July 4, 2007

On July 4th, the Evanston Civic Chorus sang at the city's Fresh Air, Freedom and Fun Festival in Hamblin Park. We were excited for our first invitation to sing at a community event. They had a covered stage set up for a live band, and that is where I played the electric piano. The rest of the choir had to stand out front on a platform under the clear, blue, and very sunny sky. They tell me it was very hot. I'll take their word for it. However, if you look at the pictures, you can see that they were having a very good time, despite the pouring sweat. View More Photos

This was our program:

• Star-Spangled Banner (with audience)
• Kyrie
• Memories
• Shoshone Love Song
• Wyoming
• God Bless America