Here we are once again nearing the end of summer. Hopefully, you’ve had some well deserved vacation time whether away or at home and are ready to embrace yet again another new year. As newly elected president, I welcome you all back and, together with the other officers and board members, look forward to working with all of you to make the Woodbridge Music Club the best it can be. Thanks to the help of several very dedicated members, our 2008-09 season is ready to go.

We will begin the year on Saturday evening, September 20 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church (1400 G Street, Woodbridge, VA 22191). The program will begin with a warm welcome for our many new members followed by a delightful hour of music performed by “duos” from our very own membership. The program will include a variety of selections featuring trumpet, marimba, voice and piano. Afterwards, we will have a social hour so that we can get to know those who have recently joined us. Members are asked to bring some kind of goodies for the tables - Jean Sevon and Linda Girten will be our hostesses that evening. Please come support your club in this season opener. Yearbooks will be available for you before and after the program. Please peruse them at your leisure so that you don’t miss anything the club has to offer as the year goes by.

On Friday morning, October 17, we will be hosting the District II board meeting, and all members are invited to attend. The meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church. Betty McCary will present a short program entitled “The World of Wanda Landowska”. A meeting and pot luck luncheon will follow. (Please bring a dish to pass. No kitchen facilities will be available that day, so be sure the food is ready to serve.) Please put this on your calendars and plan to attend if your can. We are looking for volunteers to help decorate, set up, and tear down that day. Please let June Shuffett or me know if you would be willing to help out.

We have some terrific Saturday evening concerts on the agenda for this season:

November 15 – Amit Peled, cello and David del Pino, piano
7:00 p.m. St.Paul United Methodist Church

March 21 – Donna Baldwin, piano
7:00 p.m. St. Paul United Methodist Church

May 20 - Makoto Nakura, marimba
7:30 p.m. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church

We have scheduled several house concerts (Saturdays at Five) in which members perform for each other in a relaxed atmosphere. Please come play or just listen. Numerous Saturday afternoon performances for our “Christmas in Occoquan” series are listed in your yearbook. As the year progresses, information will be coming out about National Music Week concerts which takes place the first week in May.

For your students we have three student recitals and a winner’s recital planned. Please note that the February student recital time should be changed to 2:30. We will have the usual NFMC festival, the Kiki Thomaidis Competition and the Senior Scholarship Competition. The Mary Smart Preliminaries are scheduled for April 25. Please add this to your book.

We are always looking for new ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to pass on your ideas, and they will be warehoused for future consideration. As the new president, I am just learning the ropes. I promise to do the best job I can for you and am asking your help in return. I am proud to be a member of this service oriented organization, and I take our mission seriously – to promote the performance and education of music in our community. I urge all of you to join me in celebrating music in our community this year. I hope to see you on the evening of September 20.


Sincerely,
Elaine Brady, D.M.A.
President
Woodbridge Music Club

(PDF of newsletter) WMC Newsletter 2008 Aug