Happy Holidays!

OE Choir Students & Parents:

I hope you all are enjoying your Winter Break!  From Masterworks, to Carnegie Hall to our Holiday Concert we have had a very busy and very rewarding Fall Semester.  I have enjoyed reading your Semester Final Evaluations and am looking forward to working with each of you to make next semester even awesome!

Thank you for all of your hard work and musicianship this semester!  Tell your parents, siblings, family and other important people in your life that you love them!  Expressing how much you value someone can often be more important than any gift under the tree (especially Mom and Dad--they're the only ones you've got).

From Mrs. Holthus, Ms. Willbanks and myself--we are so thankful to be your teachers and hope you have a safe and meaningful holiday!

Peace.
Cates

PS:  Don't forget to check out the Olathe East Madrigal Singers on KSHB 41's Sounds of the Holidays, a special that airs at 10am on Christmas morning featurning local high school music programs.  You can also watch all of the performances individually by CLICKING HERE.

Holiday Concert Info

CONCERT RECEPTION HELP NEEDED

Parents we need your help with cookies and punch for our post concert reception.  Use the following like to sign-up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054FAEAB229-oechoir/5712069

DECORATING/SET-UP 

We will set-up and finish decorating the auditorium for our concert tomorrow (Sunday, 12.8.13) from 2-4p.  Enter thru the back door to the choir room (door Y).  Helping with this event is worth points toward lettering in choir.

DRESS REHEARSAL

Monday, 12.9.13, 3:10-5p in the auditorium.  Required for ALL CHOIR STUDENTS. 150 points.  Students DO NOT need to wear concert attire.

CONCERT

Student call time: 6:15p | Concert 7p

CONCERT ATTIRE

Concert is in two acts-

First act, students will wear normal concert attire specific to their ensemble.  

Second act students will change into "festive holiday attire"--think a holiday Old Navy commercial.  No jeans, tennis shoes or shirts with large logos.  Bright sweaters, hats and scarves are highly recommended.

HELPING HAWKS IN NEED
Before the concert, during intermission and during the post-concert reception we will be accepting donations to help support Olathe East students and their families in need this holiday season.  Please encourage those who attend the concert to consider helping.

CONFLICTS
Remember that all events listed on your performance calendar are required and graded unless otherwise indicated.  Students with conflicts must communicate those conflicts verbally to their director as well as log their conflict on Conflict eForm located on the home page of www.oechoirs.org.

Update: 11.5.13

OE Choir Students & Parents:
A big thank you to those who have taken care of any outstanding balances on your choir account.  Managing the individual accounts of all the choir students at Olathe East is a HUGE task.  The more diligent you are about ensuring that your account is current and accurate the easier it is on the Choir Boosters who have volunteered to help with this task.  Speaking of...we all owe a gigantic THANK YOU to our Choir Boosters Treasurer, John and Kristin Howell and President, Johnna Meyer for tackling our choir accounts--the amount of time and effort that goes into this duty is equivalent to a part-time job!  YOU ARE AWESOME and we are lucky to have you!

Can you believe its already November?!

Peace.
Cates

FALL MUSICAL: "SPAMALOT" OPENS THIS THURSDAY
Come see our Musical Theatre Rep Class' production of the hilarious, "Monty Python's Spamalot"!  The show runs November 7-9 at 7:30p with a 2p Matinee on November 9.  Tickets are available at www.oetheatre.com.

CANNED FOOD DRIVE
Choir has more participating students than any other club, activity or sport at Olathe East.  With that we also have the opportunity to make the biggest impact on this year's Canned Food Drive.  Please don't forget to bring a canned food item(s) to your third period class now thru Nov. 20!  YOU CAN DO IT!

NEW YORK CITY TRIP IN 22 DAYS!
Our New York City/Carnegie Hall Trip is just 22 days away!
Reminders:

• Final trip payment: November 8
• Final Required Trip Meeting: November 18 OR November 20 @ 6:30p in the Drama Theater

STUDENT/PARENT HELP NEEDED--NOV. 16
Olathe East will be hosting All-District/All-State Band, Choir and Orchestra Auditions on November 16.  This event will bring over 2,000 student musicians, parents and music teachers to our building.  We need your help!  Students may sign-up in the choir room.  Parents use the link below:
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/409054FAEAB229-nekmea/5712069
Questions--contact Karen Eisele, OE Choir Boosters VP-Hospitality: kareneisele@gmail.com.

CHECK YOUR JUNK MAIL
It has been brought to our attention that some choir emails, due to the large number of recipients, are going to "junk mail".  Please check your junk mail for choir emails and make sure we are on your "safe senders" list.

Update: 10.30.13

PATRON DRIVE
The OE Choir Patron Drive will be wrapping up November 15.  While we will continue to accept patron contributions throughout the year the prize and profit portion of the patron program will end on November 15.  For more information CLICK HERE.

CHOIR T-SHIRTS
The choir tshirts will arrive sometime on Monday.  Those students who have paid for their shirt ($6) may take them home.

CHOIR ACCOUNTS
Last night all choir students received a statement of their individual choir account.  Please work to pay any outstanding balances as soon as possible.

FALL MUSICAL: SPAMALOT NEXT WEEK
Please make plans to come see the Fall Musical: Monty Python's SPAMALOT next week: November 7-9.  For information or to purchase tickets visit www.oetheatre.com.

Concert TONIGHT

Chorale, Madrigals and Armonizzare will perform tonight with the K-State Concert Choir at Redemptorist Catholic Church (3333 Broadway KCMO).  The concert begins at 8p and admission is FREE!

Come enjoy a great concert in one of Kansas City's most historic and beautiful churches!

Students riding the bus should arrive at OE by 6:30 for a 6:45 departure in concert attire. Enter thru the back door of  the choir room (door Y). We should return by aprox. 9:30.

Fall Choir Concert TONIGHT

Our Fall Choir Concert is TONIGHT!

REMINDERS:

• We will be taking our group yearbook photos tonight before the concert-it is extremely important that all students arrive on time and in their concert attire or they will be excluded from the photo.
• Student Call Time-6:15p  (Madrigals and Armonizzare @ 6p for their photo)
• The concert will start at 7p and should last a little over an hour.
• Our concerts are the equivalent to unit tests in non-performing classes--this means they are an important part of your grade.  Students who arrive on-time, sign-in, participate fully, remain for the entire concert and demonstrate appropriate concert etiquette and behavior will receive full credit.
• Students may not use their cell phones during the performance
• Students must remain seated during the concert.  Use the restroom before warm-up and the start of the concert.  If for some reason you must leave the auditorium see Cates or Mrs. Holthus.
• Please invite parents friends and family!  
• Remind them of our Concert Etiquette Policy--
• No Food or Beverage in the Auditorium
• No cell phone use while the performance is in progress
• If you must enter or exit the auditorium while the concert is taking place please do so during the applause between performances
• Use the auditorium lobby to soothe crying children

I know this seems like a lot of "rules" however all of these guidelines are an effort to support the three months of hard work you have put in to prepare this music, for our audience members to enjoy it and to "keep it classy"!  

Mrs. Holthus, Ms. Willbanks and I are super excited for everyone to hear you tonight!  Let's have an awesome fall concert!

Peace.

Cates 

Fall Concert TOMORROW

FALL CONCERT DETAILS

TOMORROW - October 10 - OE Auditorium
Student Call - 6:15p
Concert Begins - 7:00p
Approx. End Time - 8:15p
Students must arrive on time and stay for the duration of the concert to receive full credit.

Conflicts - students with conflicts should have communicated these to their director (Holthus or Cates) and submitted them on the CONFLICT LOG on the choir website.

Concert Attire
All concert attire items are required to perform.

• Belle Chanson - Choir robes (picked up before the concert) and character shoes
• Bel Canto, Armonizzare, Chorale & Mad Women - Black formal dress and character shoes
• Eastmen - Navy Eastmen Blazer, Orange & Blue Stripe Tie, White Dress Shirt, Black or Brown Dress Shoes and Belt
• Chorale & Mad Men - Full tux (Tux Pants, Tux Coat, Tux Shoes, White Tux Shirt).  Chorale men--black vest and tie; Mad men--silver vest and tie

Sign-in - all students are responsible for signing in on the roster posted in their warm-up area.

Finale number rehearsal - we will run thru the finale number of the concert after-school today (10.9.13)--this rehearsal will last 15-20 min.

Seminar Dress Rehearsal - tomorrow during seminar we will walk through the concert for logistics (where we will sit, getting on and off the risers etc.).  Students should report directly to the choir room--they will be excused through attendance.

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!  We are going to have an outstanding concert!