At the organizational meeting on Sunday, October 1, 2006, a Steering Committee was formed to address issues of structure, mission, and programming. They plan to meet shortly via conference call and, among other things, issue a survey open to all alumnae about what direction the group should take. To send feedback or suggestions to the Steering Committee, please email alum.chorus [at] gmail.com.





History

November 2001
A Choral Alumnae Homecoming Weekend was held for the first time, and it garnered so much excitement that it seemed only appropriate to do it again. Alumnae who came to sing that weekend left with a feeling of wanting to sing more, sing better, and sing together. With so many distinguished alumnae in the choral and performance music community, who could blame them?


November 12, 2005
Just before Autumn Seranade, a small group of Smith College Glee Club alumnae (Anna Monas '05, Kathy Carlson '82, Jessica Doughty '02, and Sarah Winawer-Wetzel '05-- later referred to as the "Organizing Committee") came together to discuss the possibility of creating an Alumnae Chorus.

With help from Betsy Baird in the Alumnae House, plans slowly started to form. Jess spearheaded the effort by contacting recent alums and opening up discussion for what such a group would look like. Input from Jonathan Hirsh pointed us towards the format that the Yale Alumni Chorus has taken; an organization that has regional subgroups that facilitate the learning of music, leading up to a choral weekend full of music, and perhaps even possible tours.

Most importantly, though, the Smith Alumnae Chorus should be an opportunity for all Smith alums (whether or not they sang while students) to come together around the shared love for music and Smith College.


Reunion & Commencement 2006
The nascent Smith Alumnae Chorus invited interested alums to an informal singalong. There was great interest and excitement around the concept of an Alumnae Chorus, from the newest alums to those celebrating their 75th reunion.


Alumnae Choral Homecoming Weekend, Sept 29-Oct 1 2006
Thank you to all who came and made the weekend a huge success! From Alice Pyle Parker (Class of '47)'s keynote speech on Friday evening to the concert Saturday evening to the organizational meeting on Sunday over brunch, the weekend was wonderful. With Jonathan Hirsh's guidance, we tackled a variety of challenging repertoire, along with the requisite Smith songs! Our concert on Saturday evening included performances by the Smith Chorus, Chamber Singers, Glee Club, and Smith's newest a capella group, Groove. (For more information about the choral groups at Smith, click here.)

The concert ended with all the groups on stage singing four Smith songs, all written by alums. On Sunday morning over brunch, the Steering Committee was formed to tackle a variety of topics, including our mission, ideas for programming, structure, etc. If you weren't there, but would like to share your thoughts about the Alumnae Chorus' direction, please email alum.chorus [at] gmail.com.



Contact

For more information about the Smith Alumnae Chorus, please contact us at alum.chorus (at) gmail.com.