crescendo

Tickets on Sale Now!

2010-04-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Tickets for the 2010 NEACCA Community Chorus Festival are now on sale! We have launched a special early-bird price for tickets. This year, the concert will be held at the Performing Arts Center at Holy Name High School in Worcester, MA.

Over 1000 people attended the festival in 2009. We gained some great ideas and feedback from last year and put that into making the 2010 Festival a great one. We have changed the venue, the format and the length

Tickets purchased online will be mailed directly to the address you enter during the checkout process.

So get your tickets now, order information is at the top of the page.

If you have questions that are not answered in the instructions, send an email to tickets@neacca.org

2010 NEACCA Festival Choruses Announced

2010-03-19T09:00:00.002-04:00

The groups performing in this year’s festival are Blackstone Valley Community Chorus under the direction of Diane Pollard, Appletree Arts Community Chorus under the direction of Donna Blanchard, and the Greater Milford Community Chorus under the direction of Don Thatcher.

The directors have picked out their combined NEACCA chorus music and your chorus will be holding your own rehearsals to learn this music prior to 6/19. Last year there was a little apprehension about learning the music on our own and putting it together on festival day, but what a thrill it was to hear the combined chorus, sing that first song… “River Song”!

2010 NEACCA Festival Date & Location Announced

2010-03-12T09:00:00.002-05:00

We are excited to have the opportunity to perform on the stage at the Holy Name Performing Arts Center located at 144 Granite Street in Worcester.

We have planned a Festival date of Saturday June 19th.

Our day will begin at 11:00 with registration. The afternoon rehearsal schedule, which will be similar to last year’s festival, alotting time for each of the choruses to rehearse their own selections, as well as rehearsal time for the pieces with the full festival chorus.

Next Week: We will announce the participating choruses and directors.

2010 NEACCA Community Chorus Festival

2010-01-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

Announcing the 2nd Annual 2010 NEACCA Community Chorus Festival

2010 brings new excitement and many changes to the format and structures of last years festival. With the feedback of those who participated in the first festival, we were able to build on the success of the first year.

We have come a long way from our 2009 festival. We have added a leadership team to help execute the festival planning & production, refine some of the processes and reduce the workload of volunteers. (More information to follow)

For those that participated last year, Registration information will be sent out to your chorus soon.

If you are a director or member of a Community Chorus and would like to find out about how your chorus could be a part of the 2010 NEACCA Community Chorus Festival, please send an email to info@neacca.org

Welcome to Crescendo

2010-01-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

This is the new blog for the New England Area Community Chorus Association (neacca).Here you will find information about activites and ideas to build, develop and grow your community chorus. We have decided to name the blog "Crescendo" definition: become louder or stronger: to increase in volume or intensity. We thought it was a perfect name that highlights the purpose and focus of NEACCA.This is our mission: To develop, support, grow and strengthen community choirs in New England by providing information, best practices, leadership development, advocacy, and fundraising, networking and performance opportunities.For more information about joining NEACCA, please email us: membership@neacca.org

2009 NEACCA Festival

2009-07-12T11:36:00.000-04:00

Want your chorus to be part of a future festival?
Contact Michael Scully at membership [at] neacca.org

NEACCA members singing at the Big Dipper Ice Cream Festival

2009-07-11T10:26:00.002-04:00

Photo Orders (Update)

2009-07-06T11:26:00.001-04:00

The photos are now in hand for review and editing.
The final shots are being selected and sent for printing.

If you ordered ship to house: You should have in a week.
If you ordered delivery: You should have by end of month.

If you have not ordered yet: See below

An amazing night...

2009-06-20T22:04:00.002-04:00

THANK YOU

If you did not order an 8x10 of the evening, you can mail your order form & check to:
NEACCA, Inc.
65 North Main Street
North Grafton, MA 01536

If you need a form, send an email to info@neacca.org

Tonight is the Night!

2009-06-20T00:01:00.001-04:00

The first annual NEACCA Community Chorus Festival Concert & Wine Social.

You can purchase your tickets from the Hanover Theatre Box Office

Show starts at 7:00

See you there!

10 Days Left

2009-06-10T19:17:00.004-04:00

Its almost here! 10 short days until the largest community chorus festival and concert in New England History.

Information forms to all members will go out shortly.

Couple important things:

- You must be registered (completely filled out form & submitted) and and have paid your festival fee of $20 to participate in the festival.

- Registered members will receive a credential for access to Hanover Theatre, a souvenir 2009 NEACCA festival tshirt and a boxed dinner on festival day.

- Have you sold your minimum 4 tickets? While its too late for performing members to order general admission seats at a discount, you can still get Premium Wine Tickets until they sell out. Call Mike for details 508.922.9306

- See your director for schedule, requirements, attire and other questions. If your director does not have the answer, send an email to info [at] neacca.org.

Are you as excited as I am?

Thanks to everyone for your hard work.

Michael Scully
Executive Director
NEACCA

Tickets Tickets Tickets

2009-05-27T09:42:00.002-04:00

Time is running out to get your discounted tickets to
the 2009 NEACCA Community Chorus Festival Concert.

- If you have sold your required 4, great job. Do you know anyone else that might buy tickets?

- If you have not sold your required 4, what is stopping you? (This is not that hard, some people have sold over 10 already)

Think neighbors, friends, relatives, coworkers, fellow church members, others you are in clubs or groups with. This is possible and it is as easy as just asking.

We NEED to sell 4 tickets per performing member in order for this event to be possible.
It is not cheap to be able to sing at the Hanover Theatre. Remember we are not in some
auditorium or high school gym, we are performing on the stage of the Hanover Theatre!
I know that it is challenging for some of you to sell these tickets, but we need to try.

If you have sold 1 ticket, can you sell a second?
If you have sold 2 tickets, can you sell a third or 4th?
If you have sold your 4 tickets already, can you sell more?

This will take all of us working together to make happen.

Please get your orders in to your coordinators quickly.

Discounts ending real soon!
Group ticket discounts still available for groups of 15 or more.

KJ Baarons to Sponsor 1st Annual Wine Social

2009-05-20T08:56:00.005-04:00

KJ Baaron's Fine Wine and Spirits has signed on to sponsor the first annual Wine Social at the 2009 NEACCA Community Chorus Festival.

The Pre-Concert Wine & Cheese Social will be held in the newly renovated Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester, MA at 6:00 on June 20.
Tickets for this one of a kind event are $35 and include a premium seat to the Community Chorus Concert that same evening. This event is limited to the first 75 people who purchase the VIP ticket. Tickets are selling fast and only a couple dozen are left.

For VIP packages, please contact mscully@neacca.org

Tickets, Tickets, Tickets

2009-05-08T13:08:00.002-04:00

Selling Tickets is the number 1 Priority.

We NEED to have 4 tickets sold by every participating
performer in order to be a success and of course to
pay the bills.

If you have already sold your 4, great, thank you.
Is there anyone else you know that would purchase tickets?

If you have not sold your tickets yet, please, please get
those orders in as soon as possible, time is running out.

Update:
Premium Tickets are selling extremely fast and are almost 70%
sold out. Wine Social Tickets are also selling fast and are about
30% sold out.

If you have questions, please see your choruses ticketing coordinator.
or send me an email. mscully@neacca.org

Next Meeting = Thursday 4/30

2009-04-26T19:00:00.000-04:00

General Meeting will be from 7:30 - 8:30
Main discussion is about Ticket Sales, Advertising Sales, Volunteers

Committee Breakout meeting with Mike Scully
(If your committee members want to come, great!)
6:30 - Festival Operations -
Discuss Volunteers, Final suggestions for vendors
6:45 - Marketing -
Discuss publicity plan, contacts, story opportunities, potential paid ads
7:00 - Concert Operations -
Event logistics (video, audio, photo, flowers)
7:15 - Ticketing - Status, Q&A, ideas, etc

7:30 - General Meeting

Ticketing Update - Sell, Sell, Sell

2009-04-21T12:51:00.002-04:00

Westborough Community Chorus takes the early lead in reported ticket sales with Apple Tree Arts close behind. Who will take the next round?

Remember Premium seats and Wine Social Tickets will most likely sell out. Orders done by the deadline will also save you money, so get your orders in as soon as possible.

Purchase tickets and get your orders in to your Chorus' ticketing coordinator!

Remember, in order to help ensure we have a great event and sizable audience, please sell a minimum of 4 tickets per performing member.

Questions about tickets can be directed to: tickets@neacca.org

Happy Selling!

Sponsors, Tickets, & Concerts, Oh My! (72days)

2009-04-09T11:42:00.007-04:00

Sponsors
- GACC is officially the first to secure a sponsor for their portion
of the festival! Great job, GACC just earned a $200 grant and
extra points towards the overall competition. Who will be next?

Tickets
- All performing members are encouraged to sell their 4 tickets each as soon as possible. Please complete the order forms and return with payment to your ticketing coordinator in your chorus.
- Wine Social Tickets will sell fast, only 110 total available and 15 have already been sold!
- The best handicapped seats will sell fast = Premium is $22, Limited number of $15 seats left.

Concerts
Lets all support our fellow Community Chorus performers!
GACC > Congratulations on a great show!
GMCC > Performing May 1-2-3
BVCC > May 17th
WCC > (send me your performance dates)
ATACC > (send me your performance dates)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lots of work still to be done. Everyone please check in with your sub-committee leaders and make sure we are all on track.

A New Record!

2009-04-04T18:58:00.002-04:00

It's Official - NEACCA has set a new record!
217 performers on one stage, representing over 40 towns
and five choruses to create the largest recorded community
chorus concert in New England history!

Get your tickets early, this is going to be big!

Wine Social seats, will sell out, hurry, talk
to your ticket coordinator or go to the
Hanover Theatre box office today!

Tickets on Sale Now!

2009-03-30T09:00:00.003-04:00

Each chorus has a ticketing coordinator.
Ticket order forms will be available from them
to sell the minimum 4 tickets (no maximum,
but deadline will be May 1).

All tickets ordered through a member chorus save $2 per ticket.
(Savings already reflected in prices below)

General Admission: $15 (Doors open 6:15)
Premium Seating: $22 (First 7 rows of the Theatre)
Wine Social including Premium Seat: $35 (Doors open at 5:45)
(Max 110 tickets to be sold, for attendees, not performers)

NEACCA is LIVE on the Hanover Theatre website

2009-03-23T21:30:00.002-04:00

It's official!

The 2009 NEACCA

Community Chorus

Festival & Concert is LIVE and

officially announced on the

Hanover Theatre website

on today, March 23rd.

Tickets to Members and Hanover Theater Members will begin on March 30th.

I will be making the rounds and visiting each of the choruses during the first week of April to announce the process, open up ticketing sales and answer any questions that your members might have. Each chorus will have a designated Ticketing Coordinator.

NEACCA 2009 - Its going to be big!

2009-03-21T14:04:00.005-04:00

The New England Area Community Chorus Association is presenting their first annual community chorus festival on June 20th at the Hanover Theater for the Performing Arts.

NEACCA was inspired by a local chorus director who had a vision. This vision has led to the formation of NEACCA. We have brought together members of five New England community choruses, over 200 voices, and five directors, representing 38 cities and towns in central Massachusetts to present the largest recorded Community Chorus Concert & Festival in New England!

Our mission – “To support and strengthen community choruses in New England by providing information, best practices, leadership development, advocacy, fundraising and networking & performance opportunities.”

Please join us at the concert on June 20!
On behalf of the NEACCA, thank you!

2009 Festival Performance Order

2009-03-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

The artistic directors for the five participating choirs, recently met and have decided on the performance order.

ACT I
1. Greater Milford Community Chorus
2. Apple Tree Arts Community Chorus
3. Westborough Community Chorus
4. Greater Auburn Community Chorus
5. Blackstone Valley Community Chorus

Intermission

ACT II
The festival choir will perform the selection from each participating choir in the same order as in Act I.

1) "River Song"
2) "Hope for Resolution"
3) "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing)"
4) "Choose Something Like a Star"
5) "He's Got the Whole World"

2009 Festival Concert Attire

2009-03-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

The artistic directors for the five participating choirs, recently met and have decided on the concert attire.

Festival attire, will be casual but focussed on comfort.

Concert attire will be as follows: (For more detail, see your director)

Apple Tree Arts Community Chorus = black white green
Blackstone Valley Community Chorus = black white red
Greater Auburn Community Chorus = black white glitz
Greater Milford Community Chorus = black & TBD color
Westborough Community Chorus = black white blue

For full details and clarification, see your choir director.

2009 Festival Subcommittee: Ticketing

2009-02-28T05:00:00.001-05:00

Subcommittee Chair: Linnea Silvia (GMCC)

Members:
Anne-Marie McCarthy (GMCC)
Nancy Moore (BVCC)
Cathy Gosselin (BVCC)
Wanda Hendrix (ATACC)
Geraldine Brophy (GACC)
Kathy Olson (WCC)

Status: FULL
Report: Submitted
Progress: Good

2009 Festival Subcommittee: Sponsorship

2009-02-28T04:00:00.001-05:00

Subcommittee CoChair: Sonya Leibrandt (GMCC)
Subcommittee CoChair: Michael Scully (BVCC)

Members:
Deb DeFelippo (GMCC)
Cam Sowa (ATACC)
Jessica Valis (GMCC)
Susan Pixley (GMCC)
Beth Stochaj (GMCC)

Status: More Volunteers Needed! (GACC & WCC)
Report: Submitted
Progress: Need to have a meeting

2009 Festival Subcommittee: Festival Ops

2009-02-28T03:00:00.003-05:00

Subcommittee Chair: Diane Domeij (WCC)

Members:
Alvin Youngsma (BVCC)
Mary Youngsma (BVCC)
Sarah Freeman (GMCC)
Bekkie Ostroskey (BVCC)
Nora McRae (GMCC)
Wanda Hendrix (ATACC)
Hilary Keller (GACC)
Jean Keller (GACC)
Dottie Montville (GACC)
Gloria Wharton (GACC)
Nancy Bielecki (WCC)

Status: Need more volunteers (ATA?)
Report: NOT-FILED
Progress: unknown

2009 Festival Subcommittee: Concert Operations

2009-02-28T02:00:00.002-05:00

Subcommittee Chair: Charlie Pietrello (GACC)

Members:
Barbara Allaire (GACC)
Jim Archambault (BVCC)
Tyrene Burderett (GMCC)
Kathy Vandenengel (ATACC)
Judy Valentine (ATACC)
Judy Freelander (GACC)
Sean Maher (GACC)

Status: NEED more volunteers (WCC?)
Report: Submitted
Progress: Good

2009 Festival Subcommittee: Marketing & Publicity

2009-02-28T01:00:00.000-05:00

Subcommittee CoChair: Janice McGlynn (ATA)
Subcommittee CoChair: Steve Lotterman (ATA)

Members:
Mary Beth Benson (GACC)
Joshua Freehan (GMCC)
Gail Brown (GMCC)

Status: NEED more volunteers (WCC, BVCC?)
Report: Submitted
Progress: Good

Help Wanted > More Volunteers Needed ! ! !

2009-01-25T13:50:00.003-05:00

committeeLINK was a great success ~
Thanks to all those who attended!

We are still in need of more volunteers from each of the 5 choirs. We would like to have at least one person from each choir on each committee.

Thank you to GMCC for sending the most volunteers so far at 9 with 4 more coming!
Second place goes to BVCC with 7!

We would like to have one member from each chorus on each of the five sub-committees but we need A MINIMUM of 5 volunteers from each chorus. Please make sure your Chorus is represented.

Biggest Need: Sponsorship Sub-committee
This is an extremely vital committee as it helps raise funds and find sponsors so that we can pay for advertising, food, renting the Hanover Theatre, etc. Please consider helping with this. It is real easy and is as simple as making some phone calls to businesses and identifying decision makers. Finding businesses to advertise in the program and mailing out advertising and information packets to those that request them.

To Volunteer: Please send your name, chorus, phone and email to Mike Scully, Festival Chair at mscully@neacca.org

Calling All Willing Festival Volunteers!

2009-01-04T00:07:00.026-05:00

committeeLINK - sub-committee

We have five sub-committees that

you can sign up for:

Ticketing & Group Sales

Sponsorship & Partnership

Festival Operations

Concert Operations

Marketing & Publicity

If you have not already received an invitation with full descriptions of these committees, please send an email to mscully@neacca.org with committeeLINK in the subjectline.

Helping with a committee is extremely vital. Please make every effort to have every possible person sign up for .

DIRECTORS: Please bring any member forms and checks that you have not turned in yet!

Festival Music Selections

2009-01-02T23:34:00.017-05:00

Here is what I have:

By clicking on the links below

and ordering from that link,

you help support NEACCA.

Apple Tree Arts Community Chorus =
"Hope for Resolution", Paul Caldwell
Earthsongs, 541/758-5760

Blackstone Valley Community Chorus =
"He's Got the Whole World", Ray Liebau
Walton Music, SATB, WOM103

Greater Auburn Community Chorus =
"Choose Something Like a Star", Randall Thompson
E.C. Schirmer Music Co, SATB, Catalogue number 2487.

Greater Milford Community Chorus =
"River Song", Cynthia Gray
Heritage Music Press, SATB, (H480)

Westborough Community Chorus =
"It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing)"
Irving Mills, Ellington, Huff, Alfred Publishing, SAB

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T00:01:00.004-05:00

It's a new year.

Time for new members, new songs, new opportunities.

The 2009 NEACCA chorus festival is only months away. Five community choirs have taken the initiative and are coming together on the stage at the Hanover Theatre. Over 200 voices on New Englands newest Theatre!

Are you a director or member of a community chorus in New England? Do you want to help grow and develop your group? Do you want to work on things like identity development, fundraising, grants, concert production, attendance development, marketing, ticketing, strategy or any other topic?

Become a member of the New England Area Community Chorus Association (NEACCA). Join other choirs from around New England to develop ideas, work through challenges, network, learn and help your group grow. For more details, please send an email to: membership@neacca.org

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

I wanted to wish you and your families,
a very Merry Christmas.

Bravo to all who participated in Christmas Caroling '08

2008-12-20T10:55:00.006-05:00

Wow! I was able to see some of you this past weekend. I was honored to be asked by the executive director of the Hanover Theater to produce the Christmas Caroling ahead of the performances. I was thrilled to be able to invite you to sing there. But this was only a preiview of great things to come. Next June, we will all be able to move up from the lobby to the grand stage, move from separate choirs to one festival choir.

Wonderful job. The crowd was really happy to see and hear you.

Thank you to all the directors who helped prepare your groups for this exciting opportunity. Hopefully an annual tradition. Thanks to all the singers for helping make the season bright!

Merry Christmas

Save the date > Jan 22 - CommitteeLINK. Come get involved

and help make the 2009 festival possible. More to follow.

Festival Chorus Music Selections Deadline 12/13

2008-12-01T23:00:00.002-05:00

2009 NEACCA Choral Festival Deadline

Directors / Festival Committe Members:

Please submit details on the piece that you have selected for the festival choir to perform. This includes, the title, author, arranger, publisher, version information and all extra details on the piece.

We are fast approaching the end of 2008. Each chorus is expected to purchase all five (5) of the selected pieces provide them to their performing members.

I will post all of the selections and information here so that directors may purchase the correct pieces and correct number of copies for their group so that they can start to prepare these pieces.

Deadline: December 13, 2008 5:00pm

NEACCA - 2009 Festival hits 199 Participants!

2008-11-21T09:00:00.003-05:00

It's official, we have 199 committed participants from five different choirs. The festival committee met on Thursday this past week and we are proceeding as planned. Thank you to everyone that has signed up to participate in what will be an amazing event.

Did you miss the deadline for sign up? Please contact your director ASAP. In order to plan for major things like risers, music, food, souvenir shirts, etc. we need to know as soon possible

As always, if you have a question that has not been answered here on this blog, feel free to email me. mscully@neacca.org

Member Materials for your Programs & Signage

2008-11-08T11:54:00.007-05:00

We are well into our fall performance schedules and the Christmas season is right around the corner. Here are some images that you can use for your programs to highlight the upcoming performance at the Hanover theatre in 2009 and being a 2008 member of the New England Area Community Chorus Association (NEACCA). For information on how your chorus can become a member, send an email to membership@neacca.org

2008 neacca chorus member logo.

2009 neacca choral festival & concert June 20, 2009 - 7:00pm - The Hanover Theatre.

2009 Community Chorus Festival

2008-11-01T20:09:00.016-04:00

In keeping with our mission, we want to announce that the first annual NEACCA community chorus festival will be held June 20, 2009 at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA.

We have reached our goal of five choral groups interested in participating in our festival! The participating choirs for the 2009 festival are: Apple Tree Arts Community Chorus, The Blackstone Valley Community Chorus, The Greater Auburn Community Chorus, the Greater Milford Community Chorus, and the Westborough Community Chorus.

On June 20, 2009 musicians from all over central New England will come together to network, share ideas and best practices and put the finishing touches on the festival pieces. The day will culminate in what may be the largest gathering and concert of community choirs in New England history. Over 250 Voices, five directors and five community choirs on one stage.

Planning is underway for this huge project. The 2009 Festival Committy has split into two groups, the planning committee and the artistic committee. We began meeting in September to start laying the groundwork for this event. Each of the five participating choirs will be showcased individually in the first act and will join the festival choir for the second act. Each of the five directors will have the opportunity to select a musical work of choice and conduct the full festival choir.

For more information, send an email to: 2009festival@neacca.org

Welcome to Crescendo

2008-11-01T13:28:00.002-04:00

This is the new blog for the New England Area Community Chorus Association (neacca).
Here you will find information about activites and ideas to build, develop and grow your community chorus. We have decided to name the blog "Crescendo" definition: become louder or stronger: to increase in volume or intensity. We thought it was a perfect name that highlights the purpose and focus of NEACCA.

This is our mission: To develop, support, grow and strengthen community choirs in New England by providing information, best practices, leadership development, advocacy, and fundraising, networking and performance opportunities.

For more information about joining NEACCA, please email us: membership@neacca.org