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History, Policies and Procedures

History of Sons of Orpheus:

Grayson Hirst, professor of voice at the University of Arizona, founded Sons of Orpheus in the fall of 1991 and has since served as its Artistic Director.

In the first few years, Sons performances were generally limited to a few "mini-concerts" plus the Annual Spring Gala. From its earliest beginnings to the present, the group has worked with music written in German, Czech, Welsh, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Latin, and English. Programs have consisted of romantic songs from Mexico, Russian folk songs, songs by Stephen Foster, Gregorian chants, operatic choruses, Spanish-American pieces, Welsh chorales, sea shanties, Cole Porter songs, Robert Frost poems set to music by Randall Thompson, and a growing collection of classic "cowboy" selections.

In 1995-96 Sons expanded its offerings and presented twelve performances. Besides several "mini-concerts," Sons collaborated with the Catalina Chamber Orchestra and the Tucson Boy's Chorus in three performances of Gabriel Faure's Requiem. Sons also collaborated with the Arizona Balalaika. Orchestra in its annual concerts, and later in the season presented a concert to an overflow crowd at the Tubac Center for the Arts. Performances for the Eastside Concert Series, the Green Valley Concert Association, an "appreciation" concert at the Northside Presbyterian Church, and the annual Spring Gala rounded out the season.

In the last few years, Sons programs have continued to grow to more than twenty concerts per season. In addition to a "mini-concert" schedule, Sons has established annual performances with the Tucson Boy's Chorus at historic San Xavier del Bac for the benefit of Patronato (supporting the restoration and preservation of the mission) and the Arizona Balalaika Orchestra. Other performances of special note include a program shared with the Tucson Girl's Chorus, Sons participation in the Southwest Choral Festival at the Temple of Music and Art, an invited Christmas program at the White House, several "cowboy" concerts at Old Tucson Studios, a concert for the national meeting of the National Trails Association, performances with the Tucson Pops Orchestra. And of course each performance season is capped off by the annual Spring Gala.

The 1999-2000 season was a "banner" year for Sons of Orpheus as it grew the membership to more than 50 men. In addition to the "regular" busy concert schedule, Sons hosted a visiting choir from Sopron, Hungary, and executed a successful 2 week concert tour to Germany, Austria and Hungary in June/July. In anticipation of the tour, one of the choir members designed and supervised the creation of a beautiful Orpheus choir banner. It was proudly displayed alongside the banners of our host choirs at all concerts, and will continue to receive a place of honor at all future Sons performances.

The choir continued to develop its repertoire and performance skills in the 2000-2001 and, 2001-2002 seasons. In addition to the regular programs, a concert tour was held In Mexico which was well received by the audiences and favorably reviewed by the local arts critics, and a holiday CD in cooperation with the Tucson Boy's Chorus and Rodney Glassman was produced. The choir also conducted a successful concert tour during the summer of 2002 in the UK and performed at the prestigious Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Music Competition in Wales in July. prior to the tour, Sons produced Eclectic, a CD of the live performance of the 2002 Spring Gala. In 2002-2003, Sons gave more than 30 performances and took the initial steps of producing two new CDs - one featuring sacred Christmas music, the other featuring classic cowboy songs. Those CDs, Christmas at Mission San Xavier del Bac and Cowboy Classics of the Old West, were produced in 2006, and are available for sale on our CD page. In the summer of 2004 the choir toured in Italy, often singing in Italian to the Italians. The tour’s highlight was singing at the 7th Annual Alta Pusteria International Choir Festival in Dobbiaco.

Sons of Orpheus increased its international exposure during the summer of 2008 with a concert tour in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria, focusing on the Leipzig International Choral Festival. Read about our trip here.

A part of the Sons repertoire reflects standard "core" selections of secular Christmas and classic cowboy selections that are repeated in performances season to season.

In addition, as need dictates, rehearsals may be scheduled at other times to focus on nuts and bolts considerations In order to prepare the group for upcoming performances.

Fall rehearsals begin with an introduction to the opera choruses for the season. Other numbers to be integrated into the seasons' programming are also introduced including Russian songs and selections to be included into the San Xavier concerts in December. As the San Xavier concerts near, rehearsal time is devoted to the preparation of the sacred Christmas repertoire. Following these Christmas concerts, rehearsals emphasize the Russian music in preparation for performances in February with the Arizona Balalaika Orchestra. When the Russian concerts are completed, the focus of the rehearsals returns to the preparation of the opera choruses and other music to be featured in the Sons Spring Gala in May.

Members are expected to take their participation in the chorus seriously and are asked to make their commitment to rehearsal with a high priority. Members who expect to miss a rehearsal are asked to contact their respective section leaders. Absent members are responsible for "catching-themselves-up" by contacting their section leaders to find out what was missed.

During rehearsal time, members are expected to concentrate on the task at hand, learning to perform the music with excellence. Discussions with neighbors are to be avoided. The limited time for rehearsing is used to maximum efficiency when all men exercise self- discipline by staying focused on the music. Instruction in foreign language is the responsibility of the Artistic Director and other language experts designated to assist in the training. Members should be attentive listeners to the pronunciations provided, and should avoid repeating words and phrases aloud since such repetition makes it difficult for others to hear and grasp the nuances of pronunciation being taught. Section leaders are responsible for helping to create a positive, constructive learning atmosphere during rehearsals.

The performance schedule features three major concert repertoires per season: the Christmas concerts at San Xavier and other venues, the Russian concerts, and our own Spring Gala concerts. All other concerts during the season draw on music from our "core" repertoire and from other music that has been selected for performance during the season.

Performances are typically scheduled on weekends - Friday evening, Saturday afternoon or evening, and Sunday afternoon. Although some performances may be scheduled in October and November, our major "fall" performances are comprised of Holiday music and scheduled in December. Since 1997 they have culminated in beautiful sacred Christmas performances with the Tucson Boy's Chorus at San Xavier Mission.

Our second major choral emphasis features Russian music performed in February in conjunction with the Arizona Balalaika Orchestra and the Kalinka Dancers. During late February, March, and April we turn our attention to preparing for the Spring Gala, and typically have 6-8 performances scheduled to help us fine tune our performances in anticipation of the Spring Gala. Following the Spring Gala in May we may have a few additional performances before ending our season. On alternate years we have performed with the Tucson Pops in June.

Major concerts are typically scheduled to be about 1 1/2 hours in length with an additional 15 minutes allotted for an intermission. So that the majority of the concert time is committed to the performance of music, commentary about the selections is condensed and minimized. Background information about the selections performed is published in the concert program for audiences to read at their leisure. All Sons are expected to make a commitment to the major performances.

Recognizing that all members are not able to participate in all scheduled performances, Sons has established the following plan. A volunteer sub-group of the men ("Flying Squad"), a minimum of 16 men (4 1T, 4 2T, 4 1B, 4 2B), has been established to perform short programs for service club luncheons, charitable organization benefits, retirement communities, etc.

Soloist openings are announced by the Artistic Director. Members who wish to be considered for such roles should contact the Artistic Director for an audition. All solo parts are to be memorized for performance. All soloists will be backed up by an understudy in case the primary soloist is unable to perform.

A "Season Calendar" is established at the beginning of the season identifying rehearsal times and performance dates as they become established and committed.

To help assure quality performances and audience satisfaction, only concert venues which provide adequate performance facilities (warm-up space, good light and sound systems in the performance area, adequate space for the choir, piano or organ in good repair, etc.) are scheduled.

1. know the appropriate notes for their respective parts, and be able to sustain the appropriate pitch.
2. know the lyrics and their proper pronunciation.
3. know the appropriate rhythm and phrasing of the music.
4. know and be responsive to the dynamics of the music.
5. have sufficient competence with the music so that they can attend to the leadership from the Artistic Director rather than being slavishly preoccupied with musical scores during performances.
6. know for memory those pieces that have been designated to be memorized.

For prospective members, a simple, informal "audition" is used to assess voice quality and section placement. In instances where there is some question about the "fit" of a prospective member in the choir, such individuals will be referred to the Artistic Director for consultation regarding their musical futures with Sons of Orpheus.

Joining Sons of Orpheus can be a somewhat daunting experience. There is a complex organization to understand, new people to get to know, and new music to master. To help candidates make an informed choice about joining the chorus, Sons has instituted a mentoring program. At the start of the new season, each prospective member is paired with a veteran member as his mentor. The major responsibilities of the mentor are: 1) to help the prospective member learn about Sons and develop reasonable expectations for his experience with the choir, and 2) to enable the fully informed new member to integrate into the culture of the choir as quickly as possible. "Learning the ropes" from a seasoned member can make the task of deciding about membership, and then finding one's place in the organization much easier.

1. The regular rehearsal/performance season typically extends from late August into May.
2. On the average there are 25-30 performances per season.
3. Rehearsals are held on a weekly basis: Wednesday evening from 6:15 to 9, and on and Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 10. Members should expect to attend at least 75% all regular rehearsals
4. Extra rehearsals may be scheduled as needed prior to performances that need extra rehearsal time.
5. The repertoire is broad including music to be sung in foreign languages.
6. Members are expected to participate in the organization as members of "action teams" and other ad hoc committees as needed.
7. Members are expected to provide their own black tuxedos and accessories - one of the performance "uniforms" of Sons. Suggestions for the purchase of tuxedos and accessories can be obtained from section leaders and mentors.
8. Members are expected to provide their own black cowboy hats and black shoes.
9. Members are expected to provide themselves with two 3-ring binders in which to house their music - one red and one black.
10. Members are asked to sell tickets for the Spring Gala concert.
11. Members are expected to pay the annual dues by October 1. If a lump sum payment creates a hardship, members should talk with the Sons Treasurer about alternative arrangements for payment. No refunds of membership dues will be made after November 15 (fall season) or March 15 (spring season).
12. The alternative Sons uniforms are comprised of
    • a blue "Vamos a Tucson" polo shirt (supplied by Sons) and beige slacks (supplied by member).
    • a Russian rubashka (peasant shirt supplied by Sons) and black slacks (supplied by member).
    • a white dinner jacket (supplied by Sons) The two shirts and the dinner jacket supplied by Sons are on loan to members for a $50 refundable deposit. Returned garments should be laundered or dry-cleaned.
13. Members can expect to receive one copy of the music to be performed for the season This music is on loan and to be returned to Sons. In some cases individual men highlight and personalize their copies of music to the extent that they cannot be readily used by others. In such instances, Sons members will be asked to repay the organization for the cost of the "personalized" music.

Finances:

The projected annual budget for the 2006–07 Sons of Orpheus season is approximately $45,000. The main sources of income are: performance fees and ticket sales, grants (Arizona Commission for the Arts and Tucson Pima Arts Council), special projects (e.g., rummage sale), and member dues. Other sources include donations, CD sales, and gifts from members and supporters.

The main expenses of the organization are paying our Director, accompanists and guest soloists; marketing and production costs for the choir and its concerts; buying and reproducing music; the rental of rehearsal and performance space; insurance; and bookkeeping and tax services.

Membership in Sons of Orpheus may be tax deductible. Consult your accountant.

The approved budget is provided to members near the beginning of the new season. Then financial statements are provided two times per year: at the end of December and at the end of the season. These statements detail the specific sources of income and categories of expense that reflect the financial status of the organization.

Decisions about the expenditure of organizational funds are made by the Executive Committee under the supervision of our Board of Directors. No member should purchase or contract to purchase items for Sons of Orpheus without prior approval by the Executive Committee.

• conducting rehearsals and performances
• selecting repertoire and designing programs for specific venues
• overseeing the production of individual concerts
• creating arrangements for music
• reviewing written materials representing Sons
• delivering music background comments at concerts
• overseeing the production of flyers and announcements
• serving as a Sons "contact person" for prospective members
• monitoring the "calendar" to prevent over-booking and to assure the proper pacing of concerts
• reviewing Sons performances for quality -serving as liaison to the larger community
• selecting solo performers
• auditioning prospective choir members

The Executive Committee holds monthly meetings that are open to all members who are interested in the organization's planning and committee activities.

• keeping records of the income and expenses of the organization
• making periodic financial reports to the membership
• creating and maintaining appropriate bank accounts for the organization
• managing our outside bookkeeping and tax preparation services
• acting as contracts representative - rent, insurance, etc.
• paying guest soloists, accompanists, etc.
• paying bills for ongoing expenses - rent, music reproduction, equipment, etc.
• managing receipt and expenditure of grants
• preparing and submitting the proposed annual budget to the Board
• sending acknowledgment letters to donors

• collecting dues
• collecting refundable deposits for shirts and jackets
• depositing all revenue checks and cash
• maintaining necessary deposit records

• generating all out-going correspondence for the Executive Committee
• preparing and keeping file of all official correspondence from sponsoring groups, funding organizations, ASCAP, etc.
• assisting in preparation and archiving of concert programs, reviews, program announcements, and attendance information.
• preparing and maintaining lists of prospective members, supporters, etc.
• collecting, collating and maintaining file of all member applications and bio statements.
• preparing, maintaining and distributing a current membership list.
• maintaining file of grant applications, grant approvals, and grant reports.
• maintaining file of publicity materials issued In the name of Sons of Orpheus.
• maintaining file on concert evaluations received from audiences.
• updating the Policies and Procedures manual on an annual basis.

• collecting suggestions/recommendations for musical themes and individual songs for future seasons from the membership. Copies of music arranged for 4-part male choirs should be provided to the committee when possible.
• reviewing suggestions/recommendations during the spring/summer planning for the new season.
• assisting in the creation and production of concert programs, including program notes and translations.
• generating computerized reproductions of musical scores as needed.
• assisting in the production and distribution of "practice" tapes to section leaders.
• overseeing the recording of Sons performances.
• overseeing the production of audio and video tapes and CDs.
• overseeing the marketing of audio and video tapes and CDs.

• organizing and cataloging music
• copying and distributing music
• keeping records of the distribution and return of music materials
• maintaining a file of concert programs
• maintaining a file of newsletters - Voice of Orpheus

1. Regarding weekly rehearsals
   • taking attendance of members in section.
   • calling AWOL members after two (2) weekly absences.
   • calling AWOL members before each concert to provide them with info about concert repertoire, dress, call time, etc.
   • collecting info about members who are going to be absent from concerts and relaying such information to the Director.
2. Calling sectional rehearsals when performance weaknesses are noted.
3. Arranging for copying and distributing audio practice tapes.
4. Establishing a sectional seating/standing arrangement to maximize ensemble and member reliance on each other.
5. Conveying special messages/instructions from Director to members.
6. Tracking the progress of new members in section.
7. Emphasizing the need for "Flying Squad" members to attend all rehearsals..
8. Appointing an Associate Section Leader as a backup to Section Leader.
9. Surveying members periodically to identify issues and suggestions to be discussed with the Executive Committee by the Section Leaders.
10. Emphasizing the importance of members being on time for rehearsals so that maximum advantage can be made of the time.
11. Stressing the importance of members being attentive and respectful of the Director during rehearsal. Section Leaders should speak privately to members who are chronically disruptive.

• create newsletter for "Friends of Orpheus" and other potential supporters, benefactors, and patrons
• oversee printing and reproduction of newsletter
• oversee addressing of newsletters
• distribute newsletter through regular mail service and e-mail

• promote Big Planet affiliation
• seek grants and other sources of public and private funding
• sell tapes and CDs
• develop and promote fund raising events (raffles, singalongs, rummage sales, etc.)
• generate sale of advertising space in concert programs

• assist in producing and distributing recruitment flyers
• identify Orpheus "contact people" for prospective members
• welcome new members
• create "new member" packets
• keep membership roster current
• conduct "exit interviews" of members who drop out
• monitor and report news of ailing Sons to members
• arrange visitation to ailing Sons as appropriate
• promote activities for Sons that enhance health and wellness

• review concert performance venues for appropriateness
• create printed concert programs
• create musical background statements and translations for inclusion in concert programs
• arrange for creation of tickets for concerts as needed
• create and periodically update "season calendar"
• create mechanism for evaluating concerts by audiences and gather evaluation data at concerts
• assist in monitoring calendar to prevent over-booking and to assure appropriate spacing of concerts
• gather and analyze feedback from concert sponsors/audiences
• identify potential locations for performance tours
• gather and present info regarding tour specifics
• coordinate arrangements for tour
• oversee preparations and logistics of tour

• set up sound/lighting for performances
• make recommendations on purchases of equipment
• assign "Front of House Manager" for each concert
• assign "Stage Manager" for each concert
• develop teams to be responsible for transporting and setting up/taking down risers
• recommend sources for purchase of tuxedos, hats, etc,
• coordinate creation and distribution of rubashkas
• gather data regarding the purchase of other "uniform" items
• arrange for acquisition and distribution of "uniform" items

• maintain roster of past choir members
• maintain a chronology of the choir's history
• collect and organize written materials regarding the choir
• collect and organize photos pertaining to the choir
• collect and record anecdotes from choir members

• organize Welcome party for new members
• organize Christmas Party
• organize end of season party
• organize Potlucks and Sing-a-longs for members
• organize other Sons social gatherings
• assist in ticket sales for concerts
• assist in marketing Sons CDs at concerts
• organize and handle concessions at concerts
• usher at concerts (distribute programs, gather evaluation sheets)
• staff information and recruitment table at concerts
• prepare boutonnieres for concerts
• assist in pricing items for rummage sale

The continued cultivation of an "our choir" orientation is essential to the future evolution and maturation of Sons of Orpheus. Fostering a spirit of ownership and involvement in the organization by members leads to cooperative, collaborative efforts which in turn contribute to making Sons of Orpheus the best it can be both artistically and organizationally.

With Sons of Orpheus recent growth in membership, it has become increasingly difficult for choir members to get to know each other well. In addition, members' spouses, partners, and family members who lend support to the efforts of Sons in a variety of indirect ways, need to have ways and means of getting to know other members of the Orpheus family. To respond to these needs, Sons organizes four social gatherings per season: one in the early fall welcoming new members, a Christmas party, a party following the Balalaika concerts, and a season end party following the Spring Gala concert. In addition, other gatherings of a less formal nature are created in response to the wishes of the membership.

As a means of more directly involving members' spouses and significant others in Sons related activities, an auxiliary has been developed. Members of the auxiliary have responsibility for helping with advertising, ticket sales, concession sales, cassette and CD sales, organizing of social events, and other tasks supporting the organization and its programs.

The Future of Sons of Orpheus:

Sons of Orpheus has been growing. The goal is to have a core group of men large enough to perform major symphonic works and to have Sons of Orpheus take its place among the best male choirs in the country. Increasing the ethnic diversity of the group is important and Sons is pursuing recruitment strategies to that end. Our organization is also searching for a permanent rehearsal site and home. Sons will continue to broaden its musical repertoire while also developing a collection of "the best from the past" to be reintroduced into future programs.

1. Write to Sons of Orpheus, P.O. Box 31552, Tucson 85751.
2. Visit our World Wide Web Homepage
   http://www.sonsoforpheus.org
3. Call Grayson Hirst - Artistic Director - (520) 621-1649 (daytime).
4. Send an E-mail to our contact e-mail address listed at the bottom of this page.
5. Contact any current member of Sons.

To send us comments or questions about Sons of Orpheus,
please use your email program to contact us using this address.