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VLO News


Annual Meeting Edition

January, 2005

CALL TO ANNUAL MEETING

The Thirtieth Annual Meeting of the Valley Light Opera, Inc., will be held on Thursday, February 24, in the auditorium of the Amherst Regional Middle School, Chestnut Street, Amherst, Massachusetts at 7:45 p.m.

The agenda for the meeting will include announcements and action on reports from officers of the corporation and from committees, as well as election of the Board of Directors for 2005-2006. The Board does not anticipate any other business, but questions and suggestions from members of the VLO are always in order.

The Board of Directors
Glen Gordon, President

But read on . . .

One of the things that make our Annual Meetings different is that they are usually very short. This leaves time for entertainment. The program at this year's meeting will be special, because VLO is celebrating our 30th Anniversary. Over the years we have occasionally presented programs designed to introduce new people to Gilbert and Sullivan. We're going to do it again this year, presenting All at Sea (A Gilbert and Sullivan Dream) by David Stevens, which artfully weaves together songs, choruses, and characters from five of the best-known G&S operas. Directed by Bill Venman, principal roles will be sung by many of VLO's past, present, and most talented performers. The full concert production will be sung at the anniversary banquet, and a preview performance of selected choruses at the Annual Meeting.

Would you like to be part of it?

If you would like to sing along with choruses from G&S, or join in our production of All at Sea at the annual meeting and the banquet, come to the rehearsals and join the chorus. Rehearsals are on Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at the Amherst Regional Middle School, and the first rehearsal is/was on January 3. No auditions needed! Bill Venman (413-549-1098) is the music director. Get to know the VLO better and, perhaps, you may decide you want to be part of the fall production, too.

The Merry Widow next fall

Next, look for the Audition Edition of the VLO News in March, which will contain much more information about The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar, as well as information about auditions for next fall's production. It will be our thirty-first fall show. We've chosen to make one of our rare forays outside of the G&S canon, because this fall marks the 100th anniversary of the premiere of Lehar's opera. In addition to singing, though, there are lots of jobs in the VLO, and we're looking for volunteers--folks who have interest, time and energy and want to learn more about how a community theater really works. Can you work with sets, sew costumes, do make-up or publicity? Organize the ushers or sell souvenirs? Just let us know what you'd like to do. For most jobs experience is not required and you decide how much time you are able to give!

The Thirtieth Anniversary celebration

Since our first production of H.M.S. Pinafore in 1975, Valley Light Opera has continually presented high quality productions of light opera, including all of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, as well as Friml's The Vagabond King and Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld.

On Friday, March 11, 2005, VLO will celebrate its 30th anniversary at the University of Massachusetts Campus Center. A buffet dinner will be followed by a concert performance of All at Sea. In addition to a fine dinner and entertainment, there will be an opportunity to buy a chance on a 30th Anniversary Tee-Shirt Quilt. Using shirts from the various productions, the quilt celebrates the gamut of VLO's fall productions. Chances will be available at both the Annual Meeting and the banquet, and the winning chance will be drawn at the banquet.

More information about the anniversary celebration will be available soon.

The Valley Light Opera is on the World Wide Web!

The VLO now has a Web site! Michael D. Bathrick, President of BerkshireNet, donates space on internet service provider BerkshireNet. Kurt Gordon is our WebMaster. Check us out at www.vlo.org! You will find information about the VLO and, in addition, links to other G&S Web sites throughout the nation.

SavoyNet

-- Another note about the Internet and Gilbert and Sullivan --

Here's another G&S resource. SavoyNet is the international Gilbert and Sullivan Bulletin Board. It offers a chance to communicate with G&S lovers all over the world. To subscribe, without obligation, send an e-mail message to list-serv@bridgewater.edu (leaving the "Subject" line blank) that says only subscribe savoynet [your full name] and instructions will follow.

Membership Renewal Time!

Finally--it's Membership Time. If you haven't become a member of the VLO before, why not consider it now? Membership provides valuable support for the Valley Light Opera, which gets all of its income from members, friends and patrons. None comes from advertising! Almost everyone in the VLO is a volunteer. At $10 for individuals and $15 for families, annual dues for the Valley Light Opera are among the best deals in town. Membership puts you in a special category of VLO supporters. We send you advance notification by first class mail of ticket sales for the annual fall production and you get a vote at the Annual Meeting. Just fill in the form below and mail it with your check (or bring them to the Annual Meeting). That's all there is to it! (And, if you wish, you can make an additional, tax-deductible donation.)


Cut off and mail to:
 
 
Valley Light Opera, Inc.
P. O. Box 2143
Amherst, MA 01004-2143

Individual membership:$10 _____
Family membership:$15 _____
Additional donation (optional)$ _______

Name:______________________________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________ZIP__________________
 
Phone:________________ Email: ________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

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Send Questions/Comments to: info@vlo.org
Jan. 5, 2005.