Mary Ann's Notes
Mu Phi friends!
On the Sunday nearest January 1, we sing two hymns at church: “Ring Out Wild Bells” (so we can let the old year go, gladly) and “Come, Let Us Renew.”
I particularly love these lines from the latter, the text by Charles Wesley:
Come, let us anew our journey pursue, ...
And our talents improve
By the patience of hope and the labor of love...
What a year we had in 2023! In the last newsletter, we shared in some detail all the great things (the Word editor suggests many more positive adjectives!) about Mu Phi Epsilon’s first in-person Convention in six years. It was truly a highlight reflecting work and talent and love for the fraternity.
We still have much to do. “Patience” and “hope” don’t usually pair, in my thinking. The idea that our talents require hope that is active and requires patience, and that our labors require love resonates with me.
Among those labors of love is our decades-old concert series at the Dallas J. Erik Jonsson Central Library. Special kudos and bravas to Kimla Beasley who led us through COVID’s difficulties. We could have canceled entirely and gone on, but that’s not our way. I hope you had the opportunity to watch these concerts and enjoy not only the music but also her gracious introductions.
Speaking of hope, we are looking at the possibility of returning to the first-floor auditorium at the library downtown! The performers are available, the dates are set, and when we have the green light, we’ll share the good news.
More labors to come. Yes, we will need a bit of help with the series. But there’s more. We also need chapter officers starting next fall and will be appointing a Nominating Committee in March. If anyone would like to volunteer to serve on this committee or as an officer, let me know.
Collegiate applicants for the scholarship are also needed. One was not awarded last year. If you have any contacts from our area, please share. We feel that this is a priority.
I once heard a speaker who was leaving his position after many years. His explanation: he was in debt. I could not have been more startled. His real explanation: he was indebted to so many people whom he could never repay. I was too young at the time to understand. So many of you have done such service to the organization, quietly as well as otherwise, and Mu Phi is in your debt. My sense, though, is that you have served with love and joy.
Have a wonderful 2024!
Loyally,
Mary Ann Taylor
UPCOMING MEETINGS
JANUARY: BRANCHING TO THE NEW YEAR
Monday, January 8, 7 pm
Location: Home of Susan Poelchau
Host: Susan Poelchau
Program: Cherie Bell, voice Julie Schmitt, piano
FEBRUARY: A BRIDGE TO SAIs
Tuesday, February 13, 7 pm
Location: Lakewood United Methodist Church – sanctuary
Host: Mary Alice Rich (Mu Phis host this year)
2443 Abrams Rd Dallas TX 75214
Program:
Mu Phis: Dallas Consort of Viols
Duo Atesorado: Amy Canchola, soprano and
Noe Garcia, guitar
SAIs: TBA
Our chapter will be hosting the joint meeting with SAI in February. Mary Alice Rich has invited us to Lakewood United Methodist Church for our Joint meeting. All of us will be hosts, bringing refreshments for our after-concert snack. If any additional Mu Phis would like to perform on this concert (or other meeting), please contact Amy Canchola, chair – at [email protected] ASAP. Note that our March meeting will be on the FIRST Monday in March, March 4, due to Pat Suitt's piano tuning schedule and another performance that Pat and Margaret will be giving.
Last Meeting
In November, Mary Ann Taylor, flute, and Fran Pearson, viola performed charming Mozart horn duos for our program at Mary Williams’ home.
Since the Chapter agreed that Nancy Laine should receive the chapter’s Violet Award as recognition for her outstanding job at the Convention, she was awarded the violet pin at this meeting. We also received the award for the Anám opera.
We celebrated our 120th anniversary as a Music Fraternity with the Founder’s Day ceremony.
We discussed the future of our Concert Series with and without the Library as a venue. This discussion will continue with new information in January.
Mary Ann Taylor read this letter from our President, Kurt-Alexander Zeller on our anniversary:
Founders Day Message
Mary Ann,
On 13 November this year Mu Phi Epsilon celebrates its 120th birthday—Happy “Double Diamond” to us! Since sixty years is a “diamond anniversary” (which our MφE Foundation is celebrating in 2023), and 120 is twice 60, we are calling this our Double Diamond Jubilee—one diamond for each of our two founders. I wonder if Winthrop Sterling and Elizabeth Mathias Fuqua had any idea that the fraternity they founded in Cincinnati with 13 women on 13 November 1903 would be a vital organization of musicians of all sexes and all adult ages all across the nation (and even the world) 120 years later. We don’t know exactly what their dreams for the future of Mu Phi Epsilon were, but we all are here today because they had a dream and did the work to make it a reality. Similarly, in Mu Phi Epsilon’s 60th anniversary year, leaders in the fraternity had a dream that became the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation, which has helped to make so many dreams come true in the last 60 years.
Now it is our turn. We can’t know yet what Mu Phi Epsilon or the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation will be in another “diamond” of sixty years (and some of us, me included, probably won’t still be around to find out), but unless we dream big and work hard in our present, just as Winthrop Sterling and Elizabeth Mathias did in theirs, a diamond-glittering future is unlikely.
Therefore, for our 120th Founders Day, we are amplifying our historic tradition of Founders Day Pennies and asking each member to contribute this year to our 120/60 Campaign, shared between the Fraternity and the Foundation, with the equivalent of 120 of whatever denomination of coin or currency will be appropriate for them and their dreams for Mu Phi Epsilon. Whether 120 dollar bills or maybe only 120 quarters ($30), there’s a “double diamond” contribution that will be right for every member to take their place in the long line that began with Winthrop Sterling and Elizabeth Mathias—the line of those who have founded the future of Mu Phi Epsilon by dreaming big and doing what they could in their present.
Kurt-Alexander Zeller
International President
Contribute to the 120/60 Campaign
6510 Telecom Drive, Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46278
[email protected]
(888) 259-1471
See our Facebook page and post-Convention news and photos there yourself to keep us in the news. We are at: www.Facebook.com/MuPhiEpsilonDallas.
Chapter News
To prepare for our delegate responsibilities for Convention in 3 years, the Chapter passed a resolution that we raise our delegate commitment to $900 - $300 per year.
Phyllis Wilson presented details about her project to bring music enrichment to her community of Pilot Point, a cultural desert for children. At the moment Phyllis and her colleagues offer a hand chime choir and vocal choir for elementary children and music and art experiences for preschoolers. This might be considered as a chapter project in future. She will also apply for a grant from the Foundation this spring.
New Website
Work proceeds on the website at a snail’s pace. Mary Williams has been getting our Concert Series information up as fast as GoDaddy can work to get ready for spring concerts. Next she will be uploading the past and present Newsletters and learning WordPress so that she can finish the last bits – new Interviews, and moving information on the last Convention to the Conventions page. One glaring error is the Newsletter that appears now says it is for May 2023. It is not; it is for September 2023. Note: She does not include addresses / phone numbers of members on our website
Member News
Clarification about our new member, Melissa Young: she received her undergraduate degree from Baylor University in Vocal Music Education (Phi Xi chapter), and her Master's at University of North Texas. She is a National Certified Kodály Instructor on the Kodaly faculty at SMU.
Welcome to Dallas: Mu PHI Patrick Orr
Major: Piano
Patrick just started at SMU in his MM (Piano Performance) program last semester. He says: “As a Mu Phi member, I was a finalist in the Mu Phi competition in 2021, in which your chapter so graciously offered all of us a finalists prize during the pandemic!”
Concert Series
After several years of virtual concerts and the essential services of Kimla Beasley setting them up on YouTube and Facebook and introducing most of the concerts, we are welcoming the opening of the downtown Library on Sundays in spring to complete our 2023-2024 season.
At our Monday Jan 8th meeting we will decide whether to continue the series with partners who have offered their services in future, or to make this spring our last season.
If we do continue the series, we are still in need of someone to chair this position and for volunteers for other positions. Duties for these positions would likely change – depending on what decisions we make and the offers of our partners. Your input at our January meeting is of great importance to our future.
at present we have been requested to not publish a venue yet. It must appear as if we don’t have one. We do, but not to the public. Until we hear otherwise, this schedule is what we are publishing.
Where do we want to go with our 64 year-old series? Has it run its course after all these years? With some new options on the table, could we continue? Should we? Be prepared to give your opinion and ideas at our next meeting.
Next Meeting
Monday, January 8, 7pm
Home of Susan Poelchau
International
Be sure to look at the recent Triangle for lots of photos taken at Convention – our chapter members who attended and Welcome to Texas photo, our chapter awards, and featured photos of Ashley Bouras (Board member and presenter), Susan Poelchau (recipient of Orah Ashley Lambke Award), Barbara Hill Moore (Elizabeth Mathias Award) and Nancy Laine (accompanist, violet award).
Every member should have received a Convention Survey sent by the executive office on December 12th. The window to take the survey closes on Jan. 10th. We would like feedback from everyone about how we should proceed with conventions. You can also reach out to Brandon Barnett, the head of the committee, to leave him comments and ideas.