What a great start we’ve had to 2020, with our meeting at Lisa Beyer’s
house in January and our joint meeting with SAI in February! The
momentum is building as we move toward convention. It’s so exciting that
we’re picking up new members in the process! We’re thrilled to have
Leslie Spotz, Debbie Brooks, Jordan Doss, and Kathie Johnson as new
affiliates in our Dallas alumni chapter!!
Next month, we have two members of our chapter who are moving into the
“GEMS OF OUR TRIANGLE” category, a special designation for those who
have been in Mu Phi Epsilon for 50 or more years. Mary Ann Taylor and
Zelda Hantz were initiated into Mu Phi in April 1970, 50 years ago! Note
that there will be a special luncheon at convention this summer honoring
all GEM members (all those initiated 50 or more years ago). For the
Dallas chapter, that includes Pat Hill, Cynthia Wadley, Frances Estes,
Mary Williams, Susan Poelchau, Judy Dardaganian, Pat Suitt, Katherine
Freiberger, Tena Hehn, Julie Schmitt and Sandra McMillen, as well as
Mary Ann and Zelda!
In February, Kimla Beasley and I represented Mu Phi Epsilon at the New
Philharmonic Orchestra of Irving’s annual Grace Note Awards. (Mu Phi
Epsilon won a Grace Notes award in 2009, the very first year the awards
were given, in recognition of the Mu Phi Library Concert series. Many
thanks to Cleo Furr, Frances Stuart, Edie Pfautsch, Mary Williams, Susan
Poelchau, Claudia Jameson and generations of Mu Phi’s that have kept
this series running for 82 years!) This year’s awards recognized the
contributions of print media to the musical scene of North Texas,
including the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, music
critic Scott Cantrell, Patron Magazine and commentator Lee Cullum.
We need volunteers for the following three committees. Please let me
know if you’re willing to serve on any (or all!) of the following:
• Scholarship Committee: Need several people to volunteer for a very
short-term task.
• Nominating Committee: Will present a slate of officers to be voted on
at the April 11 meeting.
See more about these two committees in the Chapter News section
• Convention Committee: Planning our local involvement in the
international convention, which will be held
in Grapevine July 22-26.
See more in the Convention section.
Hope to see you next Tuesday, March 17, at 7:00 at Sylvia Taylor’s
house! UPDATE: This meeting has been cancelled.
January
13, 2020 - 2020 Hindsight
Hosted by Lisa Beyer
The meeting was opened with 15 members, 1 patron and 3 guests
introducing themselves to the group. We welcomed back former member
Priscilla Long after a long absence.
The program opened with 3 selections for viola da gamba trio: Une
jeune fillette and Two Fantasias by Gibbons, played by Susan
Poelchau and guests Rachel Phares (left) and Susan Scheib (right).
Soprano Julie Schmitt (right) , soprano Amy Canchola (center) and
pianist Susan Poelchau (left), performed selections from Julie's
song cycle composition “Songs of Remembrance”.
The theme for this year’s meetings is 2020 Vision to celebrate this
coming year’s convention in Dallas. We are trying to incorporate 2020 in
as many ways as possible into our meeting themes and selections. March – Looking Forward on a Clear Day UPDATE: CANCELLED
Tuesday, March 17 – 7 pm
Location: Home of Sylvia Taylor
Host: Sylvia Taylor
Co-hosts: Fran Pearson, Pat Hill
Program:
Katherine Freiberger speaking on "Music in the Mountains"
Claudia Jameson - piece by Katy Freiberger
A SURPRISE Beethoven work – Tena Hehn and Nancy Laine
Saturday, April 4 – 11 am UPDATE: CANCELLED DUE TO VIRUS OUTBREAK / CHURCH CLOSED
Location: Lovers Lane United Methodist Church,
9200 Inwood Road, Dallas 75220
Coordinator:
Phyllis Wilson (please let her know what you are bringing
and/or if you can help set up)
Co-hosts: All members
Lunch potluck – food brought to celebrate our collegiates - by all
members
Program: Award Scholarship
Scholarship winner and collegiate performers
REVISED MEETING PLAN: We will have a virtual chapter meeting at
our regularly scheduled time on Saturday, April 4 at our regular meeting
time - 11 am, using ZOOM software. Ashley Bouras will set up the
meeting with her teacher copy of Zoom, so we won’t be restricted by the
40 minute limit.
LOOK FOR A LINK IN YOUR EMAIL ON SATURDAY MORNING TO JOIN THE MEETING AT
11 AM OR A MINUTE OR 2 EARLIER. Click the link and you
are joined to the others..
IF YOU HAVE NEVER USED ZOOM, DOWNLOAD IT FIRST. GO TO
WWW.ZOOM/US/ TO DOWNLOAD THE SOFTWARE.
You can participate with a video of yourself, if your computer has a
built-in or add-on camera, and/or audio. You need to select one or both
to have others see/hear you.
Since our collegiates are out of school and will not be attending, we
would like to have several performances from members. It would be
fun to hear some of our newer members, or maybe some who don’t get to
attend regularly. Contact
Kimla, Susan or
Claudia to volunteer for
the April or May meetings.
The Board will meet at 10:30 on Zoom for our chapter review with Ashley.
The rest of the chapter is invited to join at 11:00 (BYOL - bring your
own lunch!).
We need volunteers for the following three committees. Let
Nancy
Laine know if you’re willing to serve on any (or all!) of the
following:
Scholarship Committee: Need several people to volunteer for a very
short-term task. Job entails reviewing the scholarship applications
(which will be emailed to you next week), then meeting via
conference call on Monday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. to recommend a
winner. The scholarship committee will present its recommendation to
the chapter at the next meeting the next day (March 17).
Nominating Committee: We will present a slate of officers to be
voted on at the April 11 meeting.
And – see CONVENTION for more volunteering opportunities.
In February, Kimla Beasley and Nancy Laine represented Mu Phi
Epsilon at the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Irving’s annual Grace
Note Awards. (Mu Phi Epsilon won a Grace Notes award in 2009, the
very first year the awards were given, in recognition of the Mu Phi
Library Concert series) This year’s awards recognized the
contributions of print media to the musical scene of North Texas,
including the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, music
critic Scott Cantrell, Patron Magazine and commentator Lee Cullum
Your Newsletter Editor Mary
Williams appreciates knowing what you are doing or if you have
changes to your information. Your news is our news. Next Newsletter
deadline is April 27.
Spread the word! Sign up for our Facebook page and share our concert
series postings. You can post your own performances there as well.
We just cannot use that space to advertise or sell products.
Debbie Brooks
debcello@icloud.com
https://www.dfwmusiciansservices.com
Cellist / Contractor / Phi Tau
Debbie pledged Phi Tau Chapter (now UNT) in 1974 and was chapter president
in her senior year 1976-77. She served as District Director for 6 years
after graduation, following in Tena Hehn’s footsteps! She was National
Sterling Award Winner in 1977 as Deborah Petty. She is looking forward to
being an active member.
Leslie Spotz
spotz@tarleton.edu
Piano / Curtis Institute of Music
Dr. Leslie Spotz is Professor of Piano at Texas A & M Tarleton in
Stephenville and is faculty advisor for the MPE chapter there. She has been
a regular performer on our concert series for many years, both as soloist
and in collaborative groups and has performed all over the world. We are
delighted to have her this year. See her extensive resume on our Performers
section of Concert Series on our website.
Jordan Doss
jaydawson0212@gmail.com Music Education / French Horn / Phi Tau
Jordan graduated from UNT in May 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Music Education.
While there, he served as president of the Phi Tau chapter for two
consecutive years, where they earned the title of International Collegiate
Chapter of the Year. From Phi Tau, he learned many valuable things about how
to function as a professional, a leader, and above all else, a good person.
It was important to him to instill the legacy of Phi Tau’s success and warm
atmosphere and leave it sustainable for the future leadership. Now he is the
Assistant Band Director at Frank Seale Middle School in Midlothian, Texas.
He is glad to be joining Dallas Alumni and is excited to be a part of the
phamily
Kathryn (Kathie) Johnson
kkjohnsons@yahoo.com
Organ / Mu Chi
A graduate of SMU when it still had a Mu Chi chapter, Kathie Ellsworth
Johnson is currently Minister of Worship/Associate Organist at St. Stephen
UMC in Mesquite and has served as President of the Dallas chapter of
American Guild of Organists. This is her first time to affiliate with an
alumni chapter. She has a friend from out-of-state coming to the Mu Phi
convention this summer, and Kathie wants to come too. Her father is Eugene
Ellsworth, who was Nancy Laine’s theory professor at SMU.
NOTE: Contact Webmaster or
President for other contact
information. We publish only email addresses of members on our website.
Changes:
Tena Hehn's new email address is: tenahehn47@gmail.com
Phyllis Wilson has a new address. Contact
Webmaster or
President for this information.
Frances Estes asked that we list her landline. Contact
Webmaster or
President for this information.
Ashley Bouras has been busy directing musicals:
MYO Urinetown Jan 22-25 (live band!)
JHE Annie Jr Feb 28
MYO Frozen March 5-7
... and coming up:
MYO Spelling Bee April 9-11
MYO Big Fish May 21-23 (live band!)
Lisa Beyer and Ashley Bouras were presenters at TMEA in January giving a
presentation on Mindful Movement.
Ashley: Words cannot adequately express what I’m feeling
leaving TMEA. I
am beyond blessed to have such a wonderful friend to take these wild
adventures with. Sharing our ideas with so many friends and colleagues
brought me unimaginable joy. Thank you for joining us, it means so much to
Lisa and I.
We are so proud of our members who are showing up in our community as
leaders, performers, presenters, directors, and enhancing our musical
presence in our community!
Katie Freiberger would like rides to the meetings. Contact Katie for exact address.
Phyllis Wilson has moved to her son's farm in Pilot Point and is not able to take Katie any longer. Her new address is listed above.
Pat Hill has recovered from a round of aspiration pneumonia.
Judy Dardaganian has moved to Highland Springs retirement home on Frankford Rd. Her new address is in the yearbook.
Mary Williams is just back from a cruise to the west coast of Mexico with her two sisters, one of whom is ill and needed an easy trip. All went well.
Claudia Jameson reported a full house over Christmas with 10 adults, 2 kids and her newly married son and bride.
Sam Melnick is the new librarian of Dallas Chamber Symphony.
Francis Vu will be directing the Convention Chorus.
Pat Suitt is a long-time Dallas Mu Phi and I have known her a long time.
But, as I might say with many of our members, I never knew her very well;
ships passing by the goody table you might say if don’t mind mixing
metaphors, and hearing her at the piano at some of our meetings. So I asked
her for an interview for this newsletter.
Interviews with members are not new. I was doing at least one at year for a
while, sometimes two. But I haven’t done any in long time and hope to get
back to doing some more as I think it helps us to get to know each other
better. See some more member interviews on our website.
Pat grew up in Dallas and attended SMU while living at home. She married at
20 and then was off the family payroll to finish – and pay for - her music
degree. She has some fond memories of SMU – especially ones involving Dr.
Lloyd Pfautsch, who was choral director there for many years, and his wife
Edie, who was a Mu Phi alumni member and liaison to the SMU Mu Chi chapter.
Edie sometimes invited the Mu Chi collegiates to her home for tea or other
chapter events, like initiations. Pat played violin as well as piano and
played violin in the SMU orchestra. Favorite performances were the great
choral works conducted by Dr. Pfautsch.
She has one son, Jay, from her first marriage. She became a teacher as Jay
entered school – first in pre-school, where he was, then moving up grade by
grade. She taught classroom music at Burnett and class piano at Dunbar
elementary schools. She also taught private piano at home and at Greenhill
and in South Dallas. Along the way she returned to North Texas and got her
Master’s degree in Piano Performance. She still has a few students and
enjoys private teaching as a part of her life.
She met her second husband, Charles, at a class at Highland Park
Presbyterian Church. Charles was a singer in several choruses over the years
– the Dallas Symphony Chorus, Plano Civic Chorus and at several other
churches where they both sang – Highland Park Methodist and Preston Hollow
Presbyterian.
Some of their favorite memories are the performances of these wonderful
choral groups, especially those conducted by David R. Davidson when they
were members of the Highland Park Presbyterian Chancel Choir and the Plano
Civic Chorus. Choral music has always played a prominent part in Pat’s life.
A choral highlight was singing as a guest singer with the Dallas Symphony
Chorus in Israel as part of the 3000th year celebration. There were six
concerts with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic of the Mahler 8th
Symphony. She has also sung in concerts in Edinburgh, London, Coventry,
Berlin, Prague, Berne, Barcelona, and more recently in France with a
highlight in Notre Dame.
This past few years Pat was at the side of Charles as he became ill and
died. Losing a loved one is always a time of upheaval and change. She has
been grateful for the help of Jay, who is presently living with her, and
Charles’ daughters who have been very kind. One of the daughters has a 5
year old child – so Pat is a step-grandmother. Our recent tornado ripped
through her neighborhood but missed her by just a little bit. Life in
continuing and Pat is getting out again.
She enjoys gardening indoors and out, and reading – periodicals, mysteries
and books of all kind. She likes fabrics and used to sew. Maybe she will
take that up again. Who knows? I asked what she is most proud of – and she
answered – finishing graduate school. Anyone who has gone back to school
while maintaining another full life knows what she means. A Hurrah! for
that, Pat.
NOTE: This article will have a permanent place on our website under
Interviews.
There have been several changes to our original schedule for spring.
• February 9: Landon Chang, saxophone and Xioa Wang, piano
• February 16: Dameron Growe, tenor and Anu Uranchimeg, piano
• March 1: Szu-Ying Huang and Gustavo Romero - duo-piano
• March 8: Eldred Marshall and Friends - Eldred Marshall, piano; Diego
Villamil
Gómez, violin; Diana Rosales, violin; Edwardo Ríos, viola; and Zoltán Csikós, cello
• March 15: Catalin Dima, piano
• March 22: Austin Simonds, piano and Friends - Austin Simonds, piano;
Victor Musasia, baritone; and
Briana Villalba, clarinet
And these unchanged concerts:
• March 29: Boulanger Quintet: Lakshmi Ananthakrishnan, violin; Sing-Yi
Feng, violin; Shan Su, viola;
Matthew Lewis, cello; Noah DeGarmo, piano
• April 5: Luis Sanchez piano studio (winners of a competition at Texas A&M
Commerce – contest to
be held soon)
Keep up to date by looking at the website: www.muphiepsilondallas.org. Click
on Concert Series.
There are links there to Performers bios and to their Programs, as received.
Pick up a few "business cards" at the next meeting that you can give friends
with our website and Facebook contact info on it; YOU can help promote our
series.
Our goal is to have every member help at a Sunday concert at least one time
a year. So, if you have not done that this year, tell
Kimla what Sunday
works for you. Many thanks to Pat Suitt, Tena Hehn and Nancy Laine who have
helped.
Nominations for national officers to serve on the 2020-2023
International Executive Board have been sent – with a deadline of March
1. The final slate of officers will be presented at the convention by
the convention appointed nominating committee.
Our
big news of course is that our CONVENTION is just around the corner -
timewise and locationwise. If you have put aside your Triangle, get it
out and start at page 16 to see a big spread on the DFW area and lots of
information about what is planned, how to register for the convention
itself and for the hotel if you wish to stay at the convention hotel.
Convention Dates: July 22–26, 2020
Put these dates on your calendar! You will want to be there!
Plan to attend the convention - even if all you can do is just one day.
Having a convention in our own back yard last happened in 1968 - so
hopefully everyone will be able to attend at least a part of this one -
no air fare necessary!
Dates you need to know:
• International Competition Finals: Wed July 22 from 2 - 5 pm
• Early Bird Convention Registration Deadline: April 15, 2020 - $300 for
the 3 days (includes 3 lunches, 3 dinners, all convention events), or
you can go one day for $150 which includes lunch and dinner for that
day. UPDATE 3/12: The convention early bird registration fee of $300 has been
extended through April 30. (Rate increases to $350 after April 30)
If a decision is made to cancel or postpone the convention, all who have
registered will receive a full refund of the registration fee paid.
Hotel reservations may be canceled at no cost to the attendee. Check
with your airline on their policy for canceling a reservation. Many
airlines are offering plans now that reservations made through March 31
may be changed for free over the next 12 months, so it might be a good
time to get your reservation. Prices are very good right now.
• After April 30 full registration increases to $350.
• Registration Deadline: Postmarked by June. Forms received after June
30 will have $50 late fee added.
• No refunds after June 30.
• Individual meals for individuals and/or guests not attending other
functions (lunch or dinner Thurs, Fri or Sat - no other events) - $75@
Location: Embassy Suites Hotel, 2401 Bass Pro Drive,
Grapevine, TX. Embassy Suites is off of Hwy 121 near Grapevine Mills
Mall - just north of DFW airport. Perhaps we can have a few daily
carpools for those not staying at the hotel.
• Hotel registration: at Embassy Suites website -
www.embassysuitesdfwnorth.com/bit.ly/2u5gBLI or call 972-724-2600 - ask
for inhouse reservations and reference Mu Phi Epsilon 2020 Convention
group for special rate of $159 valid from July 18-29 + tax for single or
double (allows you to come earlier and/or stay later). Rate is through
July 1. Registered guests receive included breakfast and evening
reception every day.
On page 15 in the Triangle is more information about getting
sponsors for our convention booklet. See the forms at the end of this
newsletter if you are able to find someone to sponsor an ad.
Volunteers Needed
• Convention Committee: Planning our local involvement in the
international convention, which will be held in Grapevine July 22-26.
Contact Nancy Laine to help.
• We are still looking for sponsors for program ads, sponsors for
various events, and items for goodie bags. Nancy will send more about
that in a future email.
In addition, many volunteers are needed to procure donated or loaned
items. Be thinking of how you can contribute to our International
Convention. Contact Nancy Laine
or Lisa Beyer if you can
address one of these needs:
• Steinway piano - Rental should be free since there will be at least
one Steinway artist, but we need to make arrangements for portage
(delivery 7/22 AM; pick up on Sunday, 7/26). Anyone have a Steinway
dealership contact?
• Small portable piano to use in the meeting space. Anyone know of one
that could be used?
• Music stands and risers (4 sections) – Anyone have a school or church
that would be willing to loan these out?
• Photographer – anyone interested in being the official convention
photographer?
• Ads in the program book – any thoughts on companies, groups, chapters,
schools, or individuals who might like to buy one? Rates range from $75
(business card size) - $250 (full page) for Mu Phi members, $100 - $350
for non-Mu Phi’s. Inside and back covers are also available ($500 -
$750). Details and forms available.
• Goodies for the tote bags – we’ll be stuffing 250 bags. IEO will
purchase something like pens or pencils. We need to check with places
like the Chamber of Commerce, the Bass Pro store that’s connected to the
hotel, other businesses, etc.
• Event Sponsorship opportunities – Sponsorships are available ranging
from $75 (for convention nametags) to $5,000 (various dinners) to
$10,000 (full day at convention). Details and forms available.
• Mu Phi Store – The St. Louis alumni will be in charge of a “store” at
the convention where chapters can sell things (like extra t-shirts or
whatever). Do we have things we’d like to sell? There will be specific
times in the convention schedule that the store is open.
• Photo booth – Possibility of setting up a photo booth (maybe a good
job for a collegiate chapter?)
• Transportation greeters – we may need a few greeters at DFW airport.
• Meal decorations – haven’t really gotten that far in planning yet, but
the time will come.
The last pages are forms that you can use when you solicit ads,
donations and sponsorships for our Convention.
If you think this is a lot of work – it’s not like it used to be. The
host chapters had much more work to do in planning. The last time the
Convention was in Dallas was in 1968.