Hello all,

Many thanks to those that responded to my email of a month ago, it was great to hear from you. Also, I emailed with Chris Feltham (Director of Annual Giving) this morning and was glad to hear that many of you had made gifts to the annual fund. Thank you.

It is my intention to keep these emails as succinct as possible, so (with no further ceremony) here are:

_[1]_ personal news and info

_[2]_ a partial schedule of summer concerts/events at Westminster



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_[1]_

_Heather_Bay_ has a daughter who will be turning 2 in September! Her name is Caitlin. Heather says "That is my biggest piece of news. Still taking voice lessons and all that stuff. But no exciting news or upcoming events to share on that front..."

_Tom_Cunningham_ writes: "Our biggest news is that Evelyn and I had a baby boy named Aidan Patrick Cunningham on March 27th. We are currently planning to move back to the New York City area for the Manhattan Choral Ensemble's fifth season (a choir I founded while at Westminster). The most recent exciting MCE news is that the choir will be featured on the soundtrack of the Paramount Pictures release "The Manchurian Candidate", which opens on July 30th. Auditions for the fifth season (featuring Handel's "Dixit Dominus" in March) will be in late-August. All voice parts are welcome. See www.manhattanchoralensemble.org for more information."

_Kiera_Duffy_ is a resident of Brooklyn, NY; however, currently she is in St. Louis at a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Kiera writes: "This is an amazing program and I'm having a stellar time!"

Co-Class Agent _Aaron_Kaplan_ was recently accepted into the Hebrew Union College School of Sacred Music for the Master of Sacred Music degree and Investiture as a Cantor. As part of the requirements of the program, Aaron is off to spend the first year of his studies at their Jerusalem campus.

_Melanie_Malinka_ writes: "I live in Salt Lake City, Utah with my husband Martin and almost 2 year old son Jonas. I am the Director of Music of the Madeleine Choir School here in town. This Catholic school, K-8, is modeled after the European choir schools. The 5th through 8th graders provide the choristers for the Cathedral Choir of the Cathedral of the Madeleine. It is an extremely challenging program for the students with at least 3 Masses a week, 6 concerts a year, one concert tour a year, and any other outside performances e.g. with Utah Opera. I teach Music/ Music Theory/ Singing to K - 5, lead daily rehearsals with the choirs, conduct weekday Masses, sing in the Adult Choir of the Cathedral, and prepare soloists. It is a very rewarding job and I consider myself extremely lucky to have ended up here. Please come visit if any of you are ever in the area by yourself or with a choir."

_Myra_Ortega_ is currently teaching general/vocal music in Lawrence Township district for three years. Her school is Eldridge Park School, Lawrenceville, NJ.

[Myra also adds:]

Raymond Uy and Marie Wallace got married in August 2003.

...and I (_Greg_Brown_) am making my way through summer courses at UGA while tolerating the non-stop humidity of the Georgia summer (no fun!). My son, Griffin, turns two on July 8th. I'm looking forward to the party -- we'll have a house full of toddlers in a sugar-induced state of insanity. It should be great.

PLEASE NOTE:

If you have any news/notes for the next edition (to be sent out Sept. 1), please send them to me when you get a chance. Feel free to send concert dates, audition notices, URL's to your websites... whatever. I am starting to put together a page of links for our class. If you have a website (even if you have no news), please send it to me and I will be happy to add it to the page.

Also, if you want to communicate directly with classmates you may have lost touch with, send me an email and I will forward it to them and then they can get in touch with you.



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_[2]_

Here is a partial listing of what is going on at Westminster this summer. For more info, you can always check the website at http://www.rider.edu/westminster/performs/
[ or, for just this summer: ]
http://www.rider.edu/westminster/performs/summercon.html

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WESTMINSTER BACH FESTIVAL 2004
Saturday, July 3 - 8:00 p.m.
Fuma Sacra, Westminster Bach Festival Orchestra, Andrew Megill, conductor
Performing Bach's Ascension Oratorio, BWV 111 and Sanctus and Agnus Dei from Mass in b minor
Miller Chapel
Princeton Theological Seminary
Admission: $10 suggested donation at the door


WESTMINSTER CHORAL FESTIVAL
Saturday, July 10 - 8:00 p.m.
Joseph Flummerfelt, conductor, Nancianne Parrella, festival accompanist
Mozart: Requiem
Britten: Cantata Misericordium
Bristol Chapel
Westminster Choir College
Admission: $10


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CHORAL SING-INS

Tuesday, July 20 - 7:30 p.m.
Sun Min Lee, conductor

Tuesday, July 27 - 7:30 p.m.
Allen Crowell, conductor
Faure: Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine


Tuesday, August 2 - 7:30 p.m.
Roger Briscoe, conductor
Haydn: Paukenmesse


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GERMAN LIEDER: FIN DE SIECLE
Monday, July 12 - 7:30 p.m.
ITALIENISCHES LIEDERBUCH OF HUGO WOLF
Courtenay Budd, soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone; J.J. Penna, pianist
Pre-performance lecture at 6:45 p.m.


Tuesday, July 13 - 7:30 p.m.
SONGS OF STRAUSS, MAHLER, ZEMLINSKY, SCHOENBERG, BERG
Sarah Pelletier, soprano; Abigail Nims, mezzo-soprano; Aurora Micu, soprano; Margaret Cusack, soprano
Pre-performance lecture at 6:45 p.m.


Wednesday, July 14 - 6:45 p.m.
Lecture: "DIVINE MOERIKE: A Poet and His Composer"
Susan Youens, lecturer
Free admission


Thursday, July 15 - 7:30 p.m.
Arnold Schoenberg's Brettl Lieder, Alban Berg's Lieder Opus 2, and Arnold Schoenberg's Buch der haengenden Gaerten
Tory Browers, soprano; Anthony Beck, baritone
Pre-performance lecture at 6:45 p.m.


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Again, this is only some of what is going on at Westminster this July and August. Please see the website at http://www.rider.edu/westminster/performs/summercon.html for a more complete and up-to-date listing.

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That's all! Hope you're having a great summer,


Greg