Ames Chamber Artists

Today is the day! Join us for our Open House at UUFA (1015 Hyland Ave) at 5:30pm. Invite your friends, all are welcome!

Larry, Cynthia, Karla, and Tim resting for a minute on Devon’s new sofa she purchased at Rummage RAMPage. Lots of people donating and shopping this morning. An amazing amount of sales! This is a great place to donate and buy items which will benefit 47 nonprofit groups in Ames.

Come find us tomorrow!

Ames Chamber Artists members are looking forward to volunteering for this event! Please look for us in the ramp when you come to shop!

We are one of 47 organizations involved in Rummage RAMPage this year. Consider donating and even shopping to support these nonprofits. You can find more information about donating at https://www.cityofames.org/living/rummage-rampage/items-to-donate

Calling all singers! Auditions are coming up very soon and we’d love for you to join us for our 35th season! Invite your friends and sign up for an audition. Please reach out if you are interested. Here are the dates to put on your calendar!
Saturday, August 12– 1:00pm-4:00pm
Thursday, August 24– 4:00pm-5:30pm and 7:00pm-9:00pm

ACA is happy to be a participant in Rummage Rampage this summer. Help support us and other nonprofits by donating your used items that need a new home!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/06/25/singing-with-others-mental-physical-health/?fbclid=IwAR3XdV50ghIVfxH9GNMLqWPCCiRVOqF1sg9M4puhVT6nzN9d9yxygF4wY9w

Singing is good for you. Singing with others may be even better. Studies have linked singing in a choir to reducing stress hormones, increasing immune-boosting cytokines and stimulating memory for people with dementia.

Our very own Jennifer Rodgers is the vocalist this Thursday with the Ames Municipal Band. The concert starts at 8:00 p.m. in Bandshell Park
It will also be Ames City Council night, with council members providing free cookies and water.
You are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket to this free concert.

The group!

On stage!

More Carnegie. Think of all the artists who have used these stairs to get to the stage.

We are winding down and returning home after an exciting weekend of making music with Jennifer Rodgers at Carnegie Hall. It was a very special experience to have Clif Hardin at our rehearsals and at the performance of his Requiem. We also had the opportunity to sing under John Rutter. Rehearsal photos!

Thanks to all who shared their time with us this weekend for our spring concert. We are pleased to have been able to perform for you "The Song Continues" by Jodi Goble and the Clif Hardin Requiem with talented instrumentalists. Special thanks to those who worked behind the scenes with tickets, risers, programs, chair and stand movers.
We had a wonderful time performing for you.

Thank you Ronna for this lovely story!
(Some of us are actually going to be singing at Carnegie Hall this May 29)

Ames Chamber Artists reach crescendo in past year, hold concerts this weekend Ames Chamber Artists has had quite a year, soaring in membership and singing at venues like Carnegie Hall. It will hold two concerts this weekend.

One week from today we will honor our Chris Johnson at the annual ACAC awards. Chris Johnson is the recipient of the Distinguished Board Member Award. Chris has served as the organization's treasurer for many years, helping the organization to navigate Covid with a sense of calm and good humor.
This photo is of Chris singing his solo at our Reiman Gardens program last December.

The awards program starts at 1:30 p.m. at Actors.

2023 Arts Awards Celebration | Sunday, May 21, 1:30 p.m. | ACTORS - https://mailchi.mp/877aad6a5994/2023-arts-awards-celebration

Look what is up in New York City! Carnegie Hall here we come!

ACA has nearly tripled in size since spring of 2022. There are two opportunities to hear those 60 singers this May. Friday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. or Saturday, May 20 at 3:00 p.m. Collegiate Presbyterian Church in Ames. $12.00 Seniors and $15.00 all others.
In advance: showtix4u.com and at the door.

A little background on one of the pieces we will be performing on May 19 and May 20.

The day after a vigil for a Long Beach student who was killed in Paris, the Choral Arts Northwest was supposed to begin rehearsing holiday music. Instead, the director passed out a brand new piece of music (Let My Love Be Heard), rehearsed it, and then recorded it. It was posted on SoundCloud and shared in memory of Nohemi and as a plea for peace. Said composer, Jake Runestad, "I am honored that this piece, Let My Love Be Heard, has helped to provide hope in the darkness of our world."

This program will take the listener through the joys and challenges of living. The simple joys of nature, the comfort of daily tasks, the rewards of creating community, the love that sustains us, and loss we experience that causes unutterable grief. Join us for The Song Continues on Friday May 19 7:30 p.m. or Saturday May 20 3:00 p.m. Collegiate Presbyterian Church, 159 Sheldon Ave. Ames $12.00 Seniors, $15.00 all others. Tickets in advance (showtix4u.com) and also at the door.

Three more rehearsals!

Our featured work on our concert. Click on the photo and listen to composer, Clif Hardin describe his Requiem.

✂️ Composer, Clif Hardin discusses his Requiem 29 seconds · Clipped by Cynthia Marten · Original video "October 25: Our Requiem: Listening Deeply to Grief" by River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation

On the Carnegie Website, it's real!

Just 4 weeks from today 22 members of ACA will be performing in Carnegie Hall. You can hear the Clif Hardin Requiem that Jennifer will conduct In NYC at our May concerts. Friday May 19 7:30 p.m. or Saturday May 20 at 3:00 p.m. Collegiate Presbyterian Church $12.00 seniors, $15.00 all others showtix4u or at the door.

With many new additions to our choir we wanted to feature a duo who share an interesting back story. Cynthia Marten taught elementary music in a very supportive environment at Fellows Elementary and in Ames for 35 years. It was here that she started to expand her interest in musical theater and provide that opportunity to her students. One of those students was Elena Andrews.

Elena Andrews attended Fellows Elementary from 2006 to 2011 where Cynthia had not only become her first music teacher but also her first choir director and drama coach. Elena participated in 4th and 5th grade choir as well as a police officer in the school's production of Pirates of Penzance and as Lily in Annie Jr. Elena is truly grateful for Cynthia, and for instilling a love for both music and singing at such a young age. When Elena returned to Ames after graduating from Northwestern University in June 2022, Cynthia encouraged her to audition for Ames Chamber Artists. Elena admitted that she's happy she did and has enjoyed every minute of singing with ACA (and having fun with Cynthia in the alto section.)

Cynthia had sent in a quote from Ella Fitzgerald that I'm pretty sure sums up how these two feel about being in the choir: "The only thing better than singing is more singing."

Come and see these two, as well as the rest of the ACA choir, in our concert coming up on May 19th and 20th. See our events page for more information.

In common with all his other choral works, Pablo Casals’ O vos omnes (Jeremiah’s words from Lamentations 1:12) was dedicated to Montserrat Abbey in Catalonia and first performed there. The Benedictine Monastery at Montserrat proved to be one of the great spiritual influences of Casals’ life. Before his reinterment in 1979 at El Vendrell in Catalonia, his remains were laid in the Montserrat sacristy.

We are performing this lovely piece on our May Concerts. I have included photos of Montserrat. It is a short train trip out of Barcelona and the fastest way up to Montserrat is a cable car.

This is a rewarding position that allows one to work with young singers, directors, community musicians, businesses, and parents. This is an established Children’s Choir that will soon be celebrating 30 years in the community.

Get to know your 2023 Music Walk musicians!

Jenn Pedersen at The Knittery Nook & Fibre Co.
219 Main Street

Jenn is new to the Ames community in the past couple years and is excited to get more involved in the music scene. She regularly leads the worship band at Collegiate Presbyterian Church and teaches private voice and piano lessons along with singing in Good Company: A Women's Choral Ensemble and Ames Chamber Artists. She is excited to explore her love of jazz and share her talents with the community.



Music Walk 2023 is sponsored by The Loft Resale

As our Ames Chamber Artist family has grown this past year we found that 3 of our new members are Dan, Jeni, and their daughter, Rachel Sloan! Dan had grown up in a musical family and when he met Jeni while singing in the NIACC choir they began to share their love of music together. While at NIACC, Dan had also joined an a capella group that even had the chance to sing at the Bill Riley Talent Show at the Iowa State Fair. When it came time to transfer to finish their degrees, Dan and Jeni both transferred to Iowa State, and continued to sing with the choir there. As their family grew with the birth of their 4 children it became evident that music still played a huge part of their family life. While Jeni was pregnant with Rachel the family had attended a performance of the Nutcracker where Rachel became very active in the womb during the performance. After being born, Rachel had commented that she could hardly remember a moment growing up when music wasn’t being played, sung, or even hummed (possibly by her) in their home. As it was such an integral part, Jeni and Dan had become interested in the choir because of the quality of our music. Rachel then became interested and joined our ACA family shortly after.

During their interview the question was asked: what does music mean to you? Two main responses were given. The first is that music helps make heavy words easier to process and relate to. The second was that music makes them think of community and family.

Today, Dan is the CIO for Simpson College where Rachel is also studying to complete her undergrad degree. Jeni works for Ames Community School District as a 3rd Grade Teacher at Meeker Elementary School.

Come and see the Sloan family, as well as our entire ACA family, at our spring concert on May 19th & 20th. Check out our events page for more information.