Fall Cadenza 2023
Jean Weamer, Presidents
Vol. 50, No. 4
Larry MacDonald, Editor
October 2023 – December 2023
FROM THE EDITOR
Welcome to a new and exciting season of St. Cecilia. Having survived a really hot and muggy summer, we can all look forward to some outstanding performances in our upcoming schedule (a complete listing appears in this newsletter). We have an outstanding jazz musician in Southern Michigan – Cliff Monear, who has agreed to be the focus of our first program of the season, which will take place on Sunday, October 15th. Hopefully, our entire membership will come to the FIM to share in the pianistic skills of this gifted musician. Tell your friends and invite them to join us for this unusually promising event. There will be a free reception with our customary tea following the performance. Spread the word about this exciting concert and please find a short profile of Cliff later in this newsletter.
A complete list of dates for 2023-24 appears below in this issue of Cadenza. Flyers and posters of the schedule will also be printed and mailed in the coming weeks to remind our members of our upcoming events. Make sure to remember our programs scheduled for November 12th and December 10th. You can also learn about our coming events through our redesigned website, thanks to the capable efforts of our business manager, Teresa Lindhurst. Spread the word that St. Cecilia is alive and well! See you at the FIM!
– Larry MacDonald
SCS OFFICERS FOR 2023-2024
The New Board consists of the following, with some members newly elected in March:
- President: Jean Weamer
- 1st Vice-President: Tom Travis
- 2nd Vice President for Membership: Open
- Treasurer of Operating Funds: Nancy Dahle
- Treasurer of Awards Funds: Elizabeth Cummings
- Recording Secretary: Jeanette Mansour
- Corresponding Secretary: Alesia Byrd Johnson
- Directors (Newly Elected): Ann Eastman, Elaine Noake
- Directors (Continuing): Bernadette Atanga; Doris Knoblock; Larry Mac Donald; and Kim Heath Streby, Ex-Officio
A NOTE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Dear St. Cecilia friends,
As we watch the summer gradually fade into fall, we look forward to the start of a lively lineup of St. Cecilia programming. I’m excited to announce the President’s Choice for October 15: a concert featuring world-class jazz pianist Cliff Monear. Cliff’s performances feature audience participation, so don’t be surprised if you are asked to suggest a melodic theme, or to clap on beats 2 or 4! Two of our members have graciously offered to donate toward the cost of this special event. If you would like to help, please make a check out to the St. Cecilia Society and mail it to:
St. Cecilia Society/FIM, 1025 E. Kearsley St., Flint MI 48503
Fall also means SCS bills come due for the printing of programs, newsletters, the new Yearbook, the payment of the requisite national dues to our umbrella organization (NFMC), insurance premiums, and ongoing administrative costs. If you have already paid your dues, thank you ever so kindly for supporting us. If, however, you have not already paid your dues, please do so now. The bills keep rolling in! Thank you for being part of our unique organization, and also thank you for supporting music into the future.
– Jean Weamer
SCHEDULE FOR 2023-2024
- Sunday, October 15, 2023: President’s Choice Program featuring Jazz with Cliff Monear
- Sunday, November 12, 2023
- Sunday, December 10, 2023
- Sunday, February 11, 2024
- Sunday, February 25, 2024: Student Award Winners
- Sat, March 2, 2024: Byrd Competition Finals, 7 PM
- Sunday, March 10, 2024, at Court St. Methodist Church
- Sunday, April 14, 2024
- Sunday, May 5, 2024, with Annual Meeting and Program
For more information, click here: www.stceciliaflint.org/about/concert-series
ABOUT GUEST ARTIST CLIFF MONEAR
Cliff is a professional jazz pianist who has performed all over the world with some of the biggest stars in show business. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston and is on the applied music faculty at Wayne State University. His You Tube channel “C Monear1” features solo and group performances that spotlight many of the finest jazz artists in the Midwest. Cliff is a Steinway rep for the Michigan and Ohio region and recently performed with his combo at the Steinway Jazz Club in Detroit.
ST. CECILIA STUDENT MUSICALE REPORT
The upcoming season for the St. Cecilia Student Musicale will begin in October. The meeting dates are usually the first Sunday of the month and take place in the MacArthur Recital Hall at 2 PM The dates are
- October 1, 2023
- November 5, 2023
- December 3, 2023
- January 7, 2024
- February 4, 2024
- March 3, 2024
- April 14, 2024 (with the adult group for their last meeting).
Adult SCS members are always welcome to attend these events. It is important for us to support the efforts of our students, who represent the future of our Society.
– Alesia Byrd Johnson
BYRD COMPETITION REPORT
Currently, Byrd Competition chairman, Carol Hinterman, and her committee members are hard at work preparing for the upcoming William C. Byrd Young Artist Competition, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the FIM. This year’s contest will feature pianists who range in age up through 32 (as of March 2). Volunteers are needed for various tasks, including music runners who bring musical scores to the judges throughout the day, and kitchen workers who help with the lunch and also the pre-dinner reception. If you can offer a few hours of your time on March 2, contact competition chair Carol Hinterman, (810) 964-9399, cahinte@yahoo.com, or chairman@ByrdArtists.com.
CONCERNING 2023-2024 DUES
To be a member in good standing, SCS members must pay dues on an annual basis. To pay on time means to pay between April 1 and June 30 for the upcoming year. If you haven’t paid for this coming 2023-24 season, here’s the information you will need:
- Associate, Performing, and Privileged Members: $45
- Sustaining Members: $60
- Benefactor Members: $100+
Payments can be sent via PayPal (link on website. Make sure your transaction goes through.) or via check. Please address and send all checks to:
St. Cecilia Society
c/o FIM
1025 E. Kearsley St.
Flint, MI 48503
Contributions are always welcome, especially to help with our student awards and the Byrd Competition. Last year our awards to local students and Byrd winners totaled almost $30,000.
If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Dahle, Treasurer.
St. Cecilia Society is a member of the National and Michigan Federation of Music Clubs. For information, contact stceciliaflint@gmail.com
