Membership Info

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Membership Handbook

GREETINGS

Welcome to the Forty Niners! You have just joined a group of people who are friendly, talented, capable and creative. We love to sing and perform together.

We are happy to have you with us. You must have many questions—here are some of the answers.

IMPORTANT OBLIGATIONS

1. Dues are $30 per semester. For this, you will receive:

a. Use of all music (which, however, remains the property of the Forty Niners). You are encouraged to mark your music, but always in pencil, please – don’t use red pencil or ink!

b. A loose-leaf notebook in which to keep music and all pertinent information.

c. Admission to all parties and banquets. There is a cast and crew party at a local restaurant following the final performance of the Christmas Show, and usually a banquet in the late Spring.

d. Fall “Music Camp” – a benefit AND a responsibility. (See “Fall Season and Christmas Show”).

e. A “big sister” or “big brother”. Someone in your voice section will act as your own personal advisor for answers to any questions you may have, and guide you through your first year with us. Please feel free to take full advantage of this resource.

2. It will be necessary to purchase your outfit for concerts. (See “Costumes and Apparel”)

3. You will be expected to serve on the Refreshment Committee twice a year with three other members, for one rehearsal in the Fall and one in the Spring. This means sharing both work and expense.

4. You will be expected to attend rehearsals regularly and to arrive on time.

5. You will be expected to help wherever possible in the production of shows; i.e., costumes, lighting, props, set construction and moving of equipment to set up performances.

GOVERNING BODIES

Board of Directors - Consists of current president and four most recent past presidents.

Executive Committee
President                                 Social Chairman
1^st Vice President                     Music Director
2^nd Vice-President                    Apparel Chairman
Secretary                                  Membership Committee Chairman
Treasurer                                  Publicity Chairman
Business Manager

An election is held each Spring to elect the 2^nd Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The 1^st Vice President from the previous year automatically becomes the new President. This enables the 1^st Vice President to work into the President’s office.

FALL SEASON AND CHRISTMAS SHOW

Fall rehearsals are held every Sunday night from September to Show Week in December. The Fall season usually begins the Sunday night after Labor Day. The following weekend is “Camp”.

Camp Weekend

Camp weekend is a lively mixture of fun and hard work, during which we see and hear for the first time the Christmas Show committee’s plan for the current year’s all-new production. The script is read, a model of the set is displayed on our miniature stage, and choristers have the opportunity to sign up for singing, dancing and speaking parts. Rehearsals begin on Friday night and continue through Saturday, with a reasonable cost lunch and snacks provided. Families often join us at meals. Stay tuned for information regarding location.

Please don’t forget that, although Camp is fun, it is also one of your obligations. We rehearse for approximately ten hours – the equivalent of five weeks’ practice – which you cannot afford to miss.

CHRISTMAS SHOW

This is always the first full week of December. A different committee writes it each year.

The Show consists of two parts. The first is a formal concert lasting about forty minutes. The songs range from religious to ridiculous. The second half is an original play created by the Forty Niners, with characters, costumes and sets. This is written starting in January, by a committee using published music, with occasional original arrangements or even specially written numbers created for the show.

The Christmas Show is presented in the Henderson High School Auditorium in West Chester, and runs from Wednesday evening through Saturday evening, with a matinee on Saturday afternoon. There is no admission charge, but free tickets must be ordered. A collection is taken.

The children of the Forty Niners are often in the show, and the older ones act as ushers and members of the stage crew. There are also sets to be built, painted, moved and stored; costumes to be made; sound effects to be created; lights to be managed; and much, much more. It’s work, but it’s fun!

Christmas Show Week

This begins Saturday with set-up on stage at Henderson, including moving scenery into place, last minute painting, decorating, and putting the finishing touches on our set.

Sunday is our first rehearsal on stage, starting at 2:00 PM. (Dress in layers in case the school is chilly.)

Monday is Dress Rehearsal. This begins at 6:30PM. We rehearse the show, as it will be performed, until we are finished! We will also rehearse the first half during this time, in formal attire. This rehearsal often features a critique of our performance, given by a stage-wise friend of the chorus.

Opening night is Wednesday. Show time is 8:00PM each night through Saturday; the Saturday matinee is at 2:00PM.

Show week means parties, too – some planned, some impromptu. Most of all, it means carrying on a West Chester tradition, eagerly awaited by several thousand people, many of whom say that it marks the beginning of the Christmas season for them. We try always to give them our best in professionalism and enthusiasm and, each year, to make it a show to remember.

SPRING SEASON, SING AND SWING, AND SPRING TOUR

Rehearsals begin in late January. Camp weekend (all day Saturday rehearsal) will coincide with Super Bowl weekend in order to avoid conflict with the game. The site for this rehearsal varies from year to year. The Spring Show is presented by the committee. Rehearsals then continue as in the Fall until the Sing and Swing show. After that, rehearsals are called only before a performance, as needed.

The Spring Show is a popular, generally-secular show which includes dances, skits and specialty numbers arranged around a theme or a light story line. It is designed as a touring production for performance in a number of different places and settings, including banquets, festivals and concert appearances, many for a fee – although some appearances are given free of charge to charitable organizations.

We have performed in such locales as Longwood Gardens, New Holland Park, the Music Pier in Ocean City, NJ, Convention Hall in Cape May, NJ, Philadelphia Phillies baseball games, and retirement villages.

SING AND SWING

The Sing and Swing is usually held in late April. It begins with a performance of our Spring Show and continues as a dance party with a live dance band or a DJ. The party is a dress affair, BYOB, with setups and snacks available. The location may vary from year to year.

CAPE MAY

One of the highlights of the season has been a performance at the Convention Hall in Cape May, NJ, in July. Many Forty Niners go on Friday with their families for the entire weekend; others drive down on Saturday or Sunday. The members and families stay in the various hotels (the majority of the group stays at the Camelot Motel), rooming houses or Bed and Breakfast establishments, or camp at one of the area’s many campgrounds. Travel, meals, lodging, etc., are at your expense, but some items are tax deductible. Check with your accountant.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES/APPEARANCES

There may be special concerts of repertoire and/or recent show music at any time of the year. These appearances are brought to the chorus at large for a vote. We consider the majority vote official, subject to the director’s approval based on the balance of voices.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance at all rehearsals is expected. If you must be absent, it is always good to let the director or a member of the Membership Committee know beforehand, if possible. Attendance is taken, and each two-hour rehearsal is counted individually. Therefore, it you miss on a Sunday night that is an extended rehearsal, you have really missed a lot. If you miss too many rehearsals in a season, you may be subject to a review of your knowledge of the current show’s music and staging. This is up to the discretion of the Membership Committee.

Attendance at performances is equally important. Your absence at a performance can have a significant effect on the chorus’s overall choral balance and cause considerable disturbances to staging, dancing and speaking roles. In most cases, chorus members know the performance schedule well in advance, and should try to avoid conflicts. When conflicts do arise, however, you should immediately inform the Music Director and the Show Chairman. A considerable number of absences may affect your casting or solo opportunities for future shows.

APPAREL AND COSTUMES

Christmas Show

Women: Formal gowns will be provided. Yours may be new, used or altered. You will need to provide approved shoes and earrings.

Men: Complete tuxedos. You will need to provide black shoes.

Informal Performances

Everyone: Apparel will be determined by the Apparel Committee.

Spring Shows

These vary. Sometimes they are provided; sometimes you will provide your own.

General Apparel Information

Any apparel provided will remain the property of the Chorus. You are expected to take good care of it and return it promptly before the start of the following semester if, for any reason, you will not be singing with the chorus.

The cleaning is your responsibility. You are also responsible for the cost of these items if they are lost or badly damaged.