2015/2016
Season Sponsor
Progress in Lending
 Fairfield County Children's Choir POB 110588 Trumbull, CT 06611 203.414.4292 SingFCCC.org |
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From the Music Director
As we head into the final two months of the 2015 - 2016 season we are preparing for some truly incredible performances! Our annual Spring Concert, which will feature Dr. Rollo Dilworth, Director of Choral Studies at Temple University, has the potential to be one of the best FCCC concerts ever! (Check out Rollo Dilworth's amazing bio below.) We will be performing nine of his pieces, accompanied by piano, bass and drums. We will have two world premieres, one commissioned from Rollo Dilworth and one from senior chorister Katherine Waugh for this concert. We will have folk song arrangements, classical pieces (one with a small orchestra) and one jazz classic (Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?). We have an outstanding cast of performers, including many guest musicians and three hundred of the most talented and dedicated young singers in Connecticut! The Spring Concert will take place on May 7 at 7:00 PM at the Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University. This outstanding venue has limited seating so we expect to sell out as we did there three years ago.
Exactly two weeks later the Fairfield County Youth Choir (the combined Chamber Singers and Concert Choir) will perform with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra in a semi-staged concert version of Puccini's very popular opera La Bohème. Our choristers will have great fun singing the parts of the Ragazzi and Monelli (street urchins and rascals). I believe that collaborating with professional orchestras, in this case under the inspired direction of Jonathan Yates, is one of the best experiences that we can offer to our choristers. This production will take place on May 21 at 8:00 PM at the Norwalk Concert Hall. Read More
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Dr. Rollo Dilworth
Rollo Dilworth is Professor of Choral Music Education and Chair of the Department of Music Education and Therapy at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia, PA where he has served on the faculty since 2009. Prior to his position with Boyer College, he taught music education and was the director of choral activities for 13 years at North Park University in Chicago, where he prepared and conducted numerous extended and choral-orchestral works. Before teaching at the college level, Dilworth also taught choral and general music at the middle school level in his hometown of St. Louis, MO. Dilworth holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Case Western Reserve University, a Master of Education degree in Secondary Education and Music from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a Doctor of Music degree in Conducting Performance from Northwestern University.
Throughout his career, Dilworth has written or arranged African American spirituals, Gospel songs, Broadway selections, art songs, vocal exercises, and a musical - all of which are frequently performed by school, church, community, university and professional choirs in the United States and abroad. The majority of Dilworth's choral scores are works commissioned by community and professional ensembles. Over 150 of his choral compositions and arrangements have been published-many of which are a part of the Henry Leck Creating Artistry Choral Series. He has authored 3 books of choral warm up exercises intended for elementary and secondary choral ensembles.
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We would like to honor a number of very special individuals as we close out the season. First, the Board of Directors of the FCCC is proud to present the FCCC High Notes Award, given to a musician, music educator or music leader who has had a significant impact in Connecticut as an advocate of the arts, to Carol Kolonay-Spangler.
Carol Kolonay-Spangler began her career in 1965, teaching fourth grade, then music and movement in grades PreK - 12. Well known as a master music educator, she presented workshops and courses dealing with the use of music and movement activities in the district and throughout the country at local, state and national levels. She then became a Principal in the Fairfield Public Schools, serving in that role from 1993 - 2008. Throughout her career she has been a strong advocate of the arts in education. Carol joined the FCCC Board of Directors in 1996 where she has served numerous terms as President and Vice-President and has been a guiding light in the successful operation of the choir. To thank her and to celebrate her twenty years of service we are honored to present her with the FCCC High Notes Award. Bravissima Carol!!
We honor our graduating seniors,
Choral Scholars Jared Bovine, Chris Fusco, Tara Kotulsky, Sarah Kryspin, Vandy Sampson, and Katherine Waugh, along with Patrick Agonito, Eliza Elliott, Rose Giannicchi, Lauren Smith, Emmanuel Chinyumba and Nicole Violone. We wish them the best of luck as they move on to the next exciting chapter in their lives.
We sincerely thank our retiring Parent Coordinator, Ellen Waugh, for her many years of service and dedication to the choir. Ellen, along with her daughter Katherine, has given so much to the FCCC for the past nine years.
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We have an outstanding group of seniors in the FCCC this year! It is always interesting to learn about them, their favorite songs and to hear their thoughts about the choir. Here are the final two profiles. Congratulations to these talented singers!
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Name: Patrick Agonito
Age: 18
School: St. Joseph High School
Town: Fairfield
Favorite FCCC Song: Total Praise, Sing Me to Heaven & This is the Day. It's like choosing children, you can't pick a favorite!
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In Your Own Words:
I first joined FCCC in seventh grade, never understanding how truly important choir would become to me. I continually look forward to Monday and Wednesday evenings, knowing that I will be with kids who have the same passion and joy of music that I do. Not only has Fairfield County Children's Choir taught me to be a strong musician, but it has also instilled the values of teamwork, diligence and perseverance. Without FCCC, I would not have had the opportunity to perform all over the country, oftentimes in some of the most prestigious and well known entertainment venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, and Tanglewood. Ultimately, choir is my second family where I have been so lucky and blessed to make some of my closest friends. I would like to thank Mr. Noyes for his mentorship and undying dedication, pushing us to do our best every rehearsal and performance, and also the other conductors for their time, love, and leadership. It is very sad to know that my time in choir is coming to an end, but I am hoping to "have fun being awesome" my senior year, in college and in years to come.
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Name: Chris Fusco
Age: 17
School: Fairfield Prep
Town: Fairfield
Favorite FCCC Song: Bridge Over Troubled Water
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In Your Own Words:
My family's experience with FCCC started in 2004 when my sister Rose joined. Three years later, I auditioned when I entered the 4th grade. Being involved with FCCC for the past 9 years has been one of the most influential and life changing experiences. From singing with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland to performing at Carnegie Hall, choir has given me the opportunity to do so many things that I would've never have been able to do. Ever since I joined FCCC, singing has always been a large part of my life. FCCC has greatly enhanced my life and made me branch out in ways I would never have thought possible, such as joining my school's a Capella group. I would not be the person or singer I am today if it wasn't for joining FCCC. My family's tradition continues with my younger sister, Clare, who just started her third year of FCCC. My family has enjoyed the wonderful music of FCCC for the last 11 years.
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Ashley Zadravecz, the FCCC Chorus Conductor, has been accepted into the Hartt School at the University of Hartford for her Master's degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Choral Conducting. Congratulations, Miss Z!!!
Jon Noyes presented four workshop sessions at the Maryland Music Educators Annual Conference in Baltimore in February. He also served as the Guest Conductor for the Connecticut Music Educators Association Southern Region Middle School Choir in March.
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Letters
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Michael Frost was the guitarist at the FCCC Broadway Concert in February. This was the first time he had played for or even heard the choir. Following the concert he sent a couple of e-mails. This message he wrote for the newsletter:
I recently worked with this group at the Klein Auditorium in Bridgeport. Seated closest to the singers as I played along with the other accompanists, I felt in minutes that I was experiencing a standout moment in my musical life. There is an admixture of discipline and joy at work in Mr. Noyes' ensemble, and this is obvious to anyone who is fortunate enough to hear these children sing. Go hear them!
Michael also sent a very complimentary message to one of our soloists:
I was in a good place to "receive" the luminous performance of "Quiet." Please pass a message to the singer by whom it was sung: being along for the ride at stage-center was one of the greatest experiences of my musical life. It was like a fantastic Christmas present. Thank you, Michael - it was our pleasure to work with you!!
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20th Anniversary CD
For our 20
th
Anniversary we produced a high quality double CD. The first disc includes the entire FCCC 2015 Spring Concert, including our alumni! The second disc features the Chamber Singers in closed recording sessions at St. Theresa Parish in Trumbull (which has superb acoustics!)
Please contact Barbara Peck at [email protected] to order yours now.
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Support the Choir
 
Our Annual Appeal is underway. A contribution to the Fairfield County Children's Choir is an investment in the future! We train outstanding young performers and help them to grow -
both as musicians and as responsible, caring young adults. Your support makes it possible for us to bring our world-class choir experience to musically talented children, many of whom receive tuition assistance. Your gift is tax deductible and we gratefully thank you for your generosity.
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FCCC Concert Calendar 2016-2017
(CS-Chamber Singers; CC-Concert Choir; CH-Chorale; Ch-Chorus)
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2016
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May 5
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Fairfield Holocaust Commemoration - 7:30 PM - Fairfield (CS)
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May 7
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Spring Concert - The Spirit of Spring - Quick Center for the Arts - 7:00 PM
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May 21
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La Bohème with Norwalk Symphony & Jonathan Yates (FCYC) - 8:00 PM
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May 25
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Marie Sacco Retirement Party (CS)
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June 12
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First Church Congregational Music Series - 4:00 PM (CS)
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June 24 -28
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Summer Tour - New Orleans (CS)
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Sept 7
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First rehearsal
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Oct 15
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FCCC @ Sound Tigers Opening Night - on the ice!
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Dec 4
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Winter Concert - Klein Auditorium, Bridgeport - 3:00 PM
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Dec 10
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Chamber Singers / St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Fairfield - 2:00 PM
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Dec TBD
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Caroling Project
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Feb 4
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Br
oadway Concert & Auction - Klein Memorial
- 7:00 PM
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March 18
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Chamber Singers with Greater Bridgeport Symphony
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April TBD
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Fairfield Holocaust Commemoration - Chamber Singers - 7:30 PM
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May 6
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Spring Concert - Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University - 7:00 PM
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