The Men of Note produced three shows in April with the theme of Hurray for Hollywood, Give My Regards to Broadway. The shows included hits from musicals and movies including Singing in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, Les Miserables, An American Tail, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and many others.
As part of our outreach program to music educators, we have complimentary, no obligation tickets for you and a guest as well as a reception with refreshments before the show, during intermission, and after the show to meet you and share information.
The Men of Note opened the Plano City Council meeting on December 14 with the Pledge of Allegiance and a couple of songs to spread the holiday spirit, as we have for several years.
The Deputy Mayor Pro Tem, Ben Harris, sent us this "Thank-you" letter:
"Dear Men of Note Chorus: On behalf of the Mayor and Council, thank you for attendig the December 14th Plano City Council meeting and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, Texas Pledge, and singing a couple of seasonal songs. Your participation is greatly appreciated and we always enjoy having you there.
You performed a wonderful civic duty and you represented your group proudly. We look forward to seeing you again in the future."
The Men of Note were again featured guests on the Plano Sympony's annual July 4th Patriotic Pops concert. Under the direction of Tim Bird, we performed to an exuberant sold-out crowd at St Andrew UMC.
Our chorus competed at the Southwestern District annual convention on October 11th. Of 15 choruses competing from the four-state area, we finished a solid 5th place.
We successfully completed three very good performances of our "Down Home" show on Friday and Saturday, the 25th and 26th of April. The show included a variety of music, from Harry Connick, Jr. and Josh Groban hits, to old Texas and Americana standards. We had duets and quartets, as well as the whole chorus, entertaining while singing. A few bits of comedy skits (like "Who's on First?") and some "Hey Grandpa, what's for supper?" country menus kept the whole show fun. Our featured guest quartet, Rendition, put on an outstanding show package, and we were honored that we were able to host their first big show.
On March 8, 2014, three members, Charlie Moore, Bill Ragan, and Tim Shirey, attended a Training Session entitled "Supercharging your Chapter". This session was hosted by the Houston Tidelanders and conducted by an approved BHS representative. The gist of the session was the importance of having an "altruistic purpose" for singing and having fun. The three reasons society members say they join a chapter is (1) to have fun, (2) for the camaraderie, and (3) for singing, in that order. The only way a chapter can continue to grow, over time, said the trainer, is to be undergirded with an unselfish and altruistic purpose, like helping the kids, or others, who need help. We'll be promoting this idea at our next Board meeting.