Crescent Holiday Tea

Crescent Music Club will have its Holiday Tea on December 3. Please go to the "events" section of the web site to see the details. All are invited.

Concert in memory of CMC member Hazle Madsen

Crescent Music Club will present "Opera Extravaganze" featuring arias and duets selected from operatic favorites performed by Myra Cordell, soprano, Jacob Will, bass baritone, Charles Fugo, piano. See "events" for further details.

Crescent Music Club presents pianist Michiko Otaki

Crescent Music Club will hold its March 5 program at the Greenville Woman's Club with Michiko Otaki at the piano, Tony Watson, flute and Kurt-Alexander Zeller tenor. Both Dr. Otaki and Dr. Zeller are professors at Clayton State University near Atlanta. Michiko is no stranger to many music lovers in Greenville for she has performed for us many times. She is from Hazu, Japan and received her early musical training there. After her arrival in 1977 in the United States she studied at the San Francisco Conservatory, the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Miami where she received her doctorate. She has performed with many groups including the Warsaw Wind Qunitet, and the Walllinger String Quartet. Dr. Kurt-Alexander Zeller is Director of Opera and Vocal Studies at the University and is active throughout the country as a vocal adjudicator and clinician. His book What Every Singer Needs to Know about the Body (written with Malde and Allen) has just been released by Plural Publishing Company. He has appeared in many operas himself and been stage director for others. He has also sung in numerous operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan. Mr. Watson is the founder and director of the Atlanta Suzuki Flute School and has studied advanced flute repertoire and pedagogy with Suzuki Flute School author Toshio Takahashi. He is also a certified Orff (music education) specialist. He is currently a candidate for the degree Doctor of Musical Arts at the Univ. of Georgia.

Crescent Music Club invites SCFMC members to be our guests at this meeting. Please contact us at this web site if you wish to attend since seating is limited.

Emil and Ruth Beyer Composition Award

NFMC has sent out notices of the Beyer Composition Award. Application www.nfmc-music.org - click on competitions and awards. Deadline March 1, 2010.

Piano Solo: $2,000; $500
Voice: $2,000; $500
Chamber Music: $4,000; $1,000

Junior Chapter Presidents and Student Members

Dr. Shetler has now the application forms for the Stillman-Kelly and Thelma Byrum Auditions. Students from South Carolina are eligible this year (2010). Deadline is March 1, 2010. Teachers who have outstanding students who wish to audition should contact Dr. Shetler as soon as possible.
Dr. Donald Shetler
309 Harbor Pointe Dr. Atp. #4
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
SHETLERCLL@aol.com

Salute to American Music

On November 6, Crescent Music club held its meeting at the Greenville Country Club ballroom where Dr. Darryl Jachens conducted the Greenville Concert Band in a rousing salute to American Music. The program began with "Americans We", a medley of tunes familiar to many, then switched to a suite of "Old American Dances" by Robert Russell Bennett that included the "Western One-Step". A highlight of their performance was "More Than You Know" by Vincent Youmans featuring John McClimon on the trombone. What a treat that was! Others followed and ended with the spectacular "Stars and Stripes Forever", for which the band received a standing ovation from an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

Other features of the meeting included our Honorary Member Gail Gingery leading us in singing of the "Let there Be Peace" with Janice Flinte at the piano. The assembly received applause from the band for that! The band accompanied our singing of the "Star Spangled Banner" let by Pat Howle, State President, who then gave a charming background for our collect and hymn which everyone sang. Margaret Ulmer led the pledge of allegiance. Much was made over our Holiday Tea to be given on December 3 (see the calendar for details) with the addition of a skit by Patricia Fisher and Sandra Beckham.

Crescent is to be commended for producing such a remarkable program and is grateful to Margaret Ulmer who made it possible with a gift to the club for its underwriting. Margaret also provided refreshments that included breakfast rolls and coffee putting the members and band in an up-beat mood before the program began.