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WMAS NEWS UPDATE
November 10, 2004
Meeting Notes from the President
What an extraordinary evening! At the November 9 meeting, Stella Allison and guitarist Pat Quinn just blew our socks off with their wonderful music. The two, who have been working together for about 10 years, played "Blue Moon," "Autumn Leaves," "Charade," "Summertime," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Satin Doll," "Ain't Misbehavin'," "The Glory of Love," "All the Things You Are," "It's Been a Long Time" and "Sweet Georgia Brown." Arrangers included Art Van Damme, Frank Marocco, Joe Morelli, and Stella herself, working under Carmelo Pino. In addition, Joan Grauman joined Stella in two beautiful duets: Stas Venglevski's "Let's Play Together" and "Achtung Los" by Walter Wild. Thank you so much, Stella, Pat and Joan!
Following the program, Joan's small group played three pieces -- "Zum Abschied," "Gay Time" and "Star of the County Down" -- which also were well received. As a member of that group, I know I've enjoyed getting together at Joan's house to practice, and I'm sure we all appreciate Joan's giving us an opportunity to learn different types of music.
Joan and Stella, by the way, have been invited to play at the luncheon at the American Accordionists' Association festival in Dearborn, Michigan, next July. This is a big honor!
Several WMAS members participated in the Vienna Halloween parade Oct. 27, and we won second place for adult bands. At the awards ceremony at the Vienna City Council, they made quite a fuss about our group and really talked up how wonderful it was to have an accordion group. We felt proud and, more important, glad that we helped spread the word about our instrument. Photos of the parade are in the photo album and photos of the awards ceremony will be up soon.
We are still missing an important piece to our WMAS puzzle: press coverage. Mara sends notices about each of our events to various calendars (Washington Post, City Paper and WETA), but we need someone who can put a little time into contacting the media (print, TV, radio) about coming out to see what we're about. (WAMU's Metro Connection might be a good place to start.) Meanwhile, please try to spread the word about our meetings and the December 12 concert by contacting your local free newspapers and newsletters (but, to avoid duplication, please let us know the outlets you contact). If everyone works together in this effort, we will have even more members, and will reach a greater age range.
Rita Davidson Concert
We are hoping to have a good turnout for Rita's concert at 2 pm on Saturday at the Fourth Presbyterian School, 10701 S. Glen Road, Potomac, Md. If you can manage it, please bring a plate of cookies or other treats for the reception following the concert. Hope to see you there! For more information, see the calendar or call Joan and Dan Grauman at (301) 279-8716.
Holiday Concert
If you would like to play in the December 12 concert, please let us know as soon as possible (if you haven't already done so). If you cannot commit in advance to the concert, don't worry; you can still bring your accordion on the 12th and play after the concert, during the dinner.
We'll need help with setup starting at 1:30 pm on the 12th, and with cleanup after the potluck. Any family members and friends who can help out are more than welcome.
If you're playing in the WMAS Orchestra, please arrive at least by 2 pm to rehearse. And don't forget we're rehearsing three more Tuesdays before the 12th: November 16 and 30 and December 7, at 7:30 at Sleepy Hollow Church.
Two more concert-related items: Rather than having everyone dress uniformly, let's just say everyone in the orchestra should dress up. Also, please let us know what dish you will be bringing, so we can make sure any gaps get filled.
Following is a preliminary concert play list; remember, everything is subject to change.
WMAS Orchestra-
Rudolph
Paul P. and Barbara duet
Feliz Navidad
Joan's Group (Potomac Ensemble)
Mattinata
Peter DiG on accordion and Jim Vandelly on bayan and balalaika
Ach Vi Sienni (Oh, My Porch)
Phil Fox
The Magic of Christmas (Is Love) - by Merv Conn
WMAS Orchestra-
We Three Kings/Greensleeves Medley
arr. by Mike Surratt for WMAS
Paul P.
Winter Wonderland
WMAS Orchestra
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
Peter DiG., Joan G. and Mara C.
Hanerot Hallalu - arr. by Wendy Morrison
Mike Rubin solo TBD
Karen and Paul
The Christmas Waltz
Potomac Ensemble
Sto Mi E Milo - Bulgarian folk song arr. by Joan Grauman
Ronald C.
Silent Night
WMAS Orchestra
Do You Hear What I Hear - arr. by Mike Surrett for WMAS
Peter DiG.
The Skaters Waltz - by Emil Waldteufel, Op 183
Elise M.
Silent Night and Jingle Bells
Potomac Ensemble
Ashokan Farewell - arr. by Joan Grauman
Stella solo TBD
Stella and Joan
Siciliano - by J.S. Bach
Vic Aijala
Life's Heartaches (Finnish song)
Elizabeth Nelson with Fred Nelson on mandolin
Christmastime's A-Comin'
Jim V.
Russkiye Napyevi
Merv Conn
Christmas Song by Mel Torme & Robert Wells
Steve T.
Espana Cani
Potomac Ensemble
Zum Abschied
WMAS Orchestra
Up On the Housetop