We did it again! Bay Section once again put together a wonderful conference. I hope you had as much fun as I did!

Conference Choir
Brava, Sharon Vela — you did a great job! From the first rehearsal to the final bow, it is apparent how much fun everyone had! Thank you for the love you put into the performance, I am sure the students will remember the experience for a long time to come.

A successful performance like this would not have been possible without the work of people who worked from behind the scenes. Thank you to all the directors for preparing the students and making all the arrangements to get them to the rehearsals and the performance. Special recognition goes to our accompanist, Betsy Wagner from Morrill Middle School. Betsy, you are awesome! Thank you to the directors who came to the December rehearsal, and especially to the following for directing the sectionals: Patti Wilmore, Kathy Boster, Linda Lovaas, Betsy Wagner, Paul Rataczak, and Lance Underwood. I could not have done everything without you!

A special thank you to Dr. Ed Harris, Diana Hollinger and their staff at San Jose State, who worked tirelessly, providing equipment for the sessions, setting up chairs and risers for the rehearsals and performances, and putting them away after the concert.
And last but not the least, thank you, thank you, and thank you to my Choral manager — Lucerne Mottaz. You are the best!

Conference Sessions

All of the choral sessions were very well attended. I have never seen the chapel with so many people. It was great! Victor Johnson’s reading sessions were a lot of fun. I’m sure that by now you have selected most of your music for the rest of the year, but it is always good to have music to select from for future performances. Victor’s session on Saturday gave us an insight as to how he composes and arranges music.

Thank you, Scott Grady and JWPepper staff, for providing the music for our reading sessions and putting together the Conference Choir folders. You do so much for Bay Section, I can never thank you enough.

Anthony Arnold’s session and demonstration with his Advanced Choir students was inspirational! It is evident that he has put in the time and dedication to build his program to where it is now, and even more evident is the joy and love his students have for what they are doing. Congratulations also for receiving the Choral Award, Anthony!

Lou DeLa Rosa’s session gave veteran and beginning choral directors and instrumental directors a lot of useful suggestions in dealing with different levels of choirs. His hand outs had so many useful items that I put it directly into my choir binder when I returned to school. I think a repeat of this session in the future is in order. Thank you, Lou!

Choral Festivals

With the conference out of the way, it is time to concentrate on festivals. My students and I look forward to these festivals, and we devote precious learning time preparing for them.

A few simple reminders for your festivals: Please remember to bring 3 original copies of your music, with all measures numbered. Plan ahead! You should already be arranging (or have arranged) for transportation. Provide adequate time for travel, parking, check-in, finding the rehearsal and performance areas, pictures, purchasing of medals, etc. etc. The last thing you need are frazzled nerves and a headache! So save yourself the trouble and avoid them by planning ahead. We want you and your students to have a wonderful festival experience!
A final thought as you prepare for your festivals, have fun!