Valley Chorus

Valley Chorus

CHORUS NOTES!!

Valley Chorus showing positive influence in area

By Chester F. Willey, Jr.
Valley Director of Music

Brethren and Choristers, our 2002-2003 performance year is FINALLY coming to a close, and oh, boy!! What a year we have had!!!

The year began with two notes of sadness, and two of Triumph. During the week of our Fall Reunion in November, the wife of Director Emeritus Ill... Marvin J. Price, our beloved Alice Price, the "den mother" of the Chorus, passed away after several years of failing health. Her gentle, upbeat, humorous, and ladylike presence is greatly missed. Also that week, the mother of our regular Organist, Rev. Gary Streiff, passed away after a valiant struggle with cancer. Once again, we had to scramble for an organist, and once again, the Brethren of the Valley came through. Sublime Prince Paul Shellhammer provided music for the Officers' perambulations from our magnificent theater organ in the loft, and Sublime Prince Richard Phillips gave the Chorus opening pitches and some accompaniment from the Chorus Loft, playing a small portable keyboard donated to the Chorus by past Most Wise Master of Ariel Chapter, Alan Jones (more on this portable keyboard later). The performance of the Chorus under these difficult conditions was, once again, triumphant. They came thorugh with their usual polished and expressive enhancements of the Ritualistic work, and made the presentation of the degrees something unique - and uniquely beautiful - amongst northern Ohio Valleys.

Our second note of triumph came a few weeks later, at the Annual Installation of Officers of University Heights Lodge #738, for which occasion Worshipful Master-Elect Jeffrey Kaplan asked the Chorus to sing. All present agreed (at least, all present who talked to me!!) that the Chorus provided a most elegant addition to the festivities - which thought I hope other Worshipful Masters-to-be in our District will keep in mind (you know who to call!!)
After a short break over the Holidays we resumed our labors by going to refreshment - a kick-off dinner at Hornblower's restaurant in February, for which our longtime Secretary/ Treasurer Robert Gilleland put in many hours arranging. We had a wonderful time, with both present/active and "alumni" choristers present. Everyone there agreed (and yes, I did talk to EVERYONE this time!) that we need to do this more often - and, we are, as you will see later.

For the annual Feast of the Paschal Lamb, we once again had the excellent services of our Organist Rev. Gary Streiff, and once again had to call upon a longtime servant of the Valley to fill in - this time, it was our Music Director Emeritus Ill... Marvin J. Price filling in for me, as I was off with the Cleveland Opera fulfilling a lifetime dream of performing in a fully-staged production of Bro. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Masonic opera, "The Magic Flute". I have wanted to do this for over 30 years, and finally getting the opportunity, I would not have been able to do so had not Ill... Brother Marvin been willing to once more "step up to the plate" and hit another home run. His sense of fraternal ties and obligations is exemplary, and I thank him for his help and support.

And then, our Spring Reunion - the Ritualistic work was some of the best I've ever seen, and it gave a truly sublime introduction to the Scottish Rite to at least one of our candidates, our rehearsal accompanist Donald Shelhorn. He was initiated in Euclid Lodge #599 in February 2003, and was Passed and Raised at the 2003 Grand Master's one-day class in March. He not only was a candidate at our reunion in April, but was pressed into service to assist our organist Rev. Gary Streiff, who had two important duties that day.

Rev. Gary played the morning portion of the Reunion, then left at lunchtime to perform his ministerial duties at a wedding that afternoon. Not-Quite-Yet Sublime Prince Shelhorn drew upon his many years of service as organist for several area churches, and for the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, and the Chagrin Valley Choral Union, and his experience as keyboardist for the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell, to cover for Rev. Gary for the first portion of the 32nd degree. Gary came racing back (no speeding tickets!!) to complete the 32nd degree, and once again, a good time was had by all. We'll be hearing more from both of these genuine artists, hopefully for many years to come. We will also be hearing more from other organists in the Valley, but more on that in future articles.

BUT - the Chorus was not done yet. After the Reunion in April, we had a very busy (and Merry!!) Month of May. Through the efforts of David Fink and George Dobie, both longtime members of the Chorus (Dave is a stalwart of the tenor section, George is the Chorus Historian) who are also the Secretary and Treasurer respectively of Edwin S. Griffiths Lodge #749, we were invited to sing at their 50th Anniversary Re-Consecration. Our work was coordinated by the Junior Deacon of the Lodge, Charles E "Chuck" Keyes (who is also an officer in the Cuyahoga County Blue Lodge Association - all this from someone who just came into Freemasonry at our first One-Day Grand Master's Class in 2002!!) and the Grand Marshal of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, R.W. Brother Ronald L Winnett of Reynoldsburg. This was a new experience for us as a Chorus, as we had not performed at this type of event in living memory, and we could not have done it without the guidance of these two brethren, and I thank them both for making the event the resounding success that "everyone" said that it was.

And then, on to Memorial Day weekend!! There had been an idea floating for several years to have the Chorus participate in some of the Memorial Day festivities, to honor our veterans, both those who gave their lives in service to their country, and those who are still risking theirs (as is my son, Sgt. Jesse Wiseman, who posted to Iraq a few weeks ago.) This year, two events came together. The first was in conjunction with Oliver Hazard Perry Lodge at the Confederate Cemetery at Johnson's Island near Sandusky. Many of the men there during the Civil War, both the Confederate Army prisoners and their Union Army captors, were brother Masons, and while the prison was no rest spa, conditions there were certainly better than at some other civil war-era prisons (the notorious prison at Andersonville comes to mind), and the gratitude of the South was such that they erected a statue there to their fallen brethren, with the base donated by the Grand Lodge of Mississippi, in gratitude for the humane treatment of the captors. Thankfully, the weather that Sunday morning was beautiful (I've been out to that ceremony when it rained so hard that I thought the only way we were going to get back across the Causeway from the Island was if Noah and his Ark showed up!!) and we sang for a crowd of over 500 people, including several Grand Lodge officers - Past Grand Master Thomas Reynolds, Grand Marshal Ronald L. Winnett, and Senior Grand Deacon Charles Murphy. The Grand Lodge Officers in particular were very complimentary towards the effort that the Chorus and the Valley of Cleveland were willing to put forth to take the time and effort to travel there over the holiday weekend to contribute to the efforts of another masonic body. The members of the Chorus that we had there were "few but mighty" and they made a joyful noise, with the assistance of our accompanist Don Shelhorn, Alan Jones' portable keyboard and the sound system provided by the organizers of the event. Our thanks to Perry Lodge Worshipful Master Albert Sowards and Secretary Ron Zerkle for inviting us to participate in this event.

The second event was closer to home - at the annual Memorial Day Service at Acacia Park Cemetery in Mayfield Heights. This was on Monday, and was coordinated by Ill... Charles J McCarty, 330 and Sublime Prince William F. Koeckert, both Past Masters of Euclid Lodge #599 (where Charles J McCarty is also currently Worshipful Master). The weather continued to hold beautifully, the portable keyboard still worked, and Don Shelhorn and the Chorus provided truly sublime music for this lovely and moving ceremony. We are very grateful to Sublime Princes McCarty and Koeckert, and also PDDGM James C Matilo of Acacia Park, for giving us this opportunity to represent the Valley of Cleveland at this ceremony.

As was said at the beginning, what a WONDERFUL year we've had!!! Great music, great Ritual, great fellowship - like the old song says, "...who could ask for anything more???" Well, actually, I could - that being a few more brethren to fill out the ranks of the Chorus, both at our reunions and at other events, for which we are becoming well known and well-liked in Masonic circles all over Northern Ohio. We still rehearse on Tuesday evenings, and would love to hear from more Sublime Princes who can carry a tune (and I've got the bushel baskets to carry it in if you need them!!!)

Looking forward we have another dinner being planned this summer, and we will begin rehearsals on Tuesday September 2nd for yet another "new" activity for the Chorus (I told you we were getting popular again!!) - this time for the Cuyahoga County Blue Lodge Association meeting on September 18th, 2003 at Rocky River Lodge #703 (thanks again to Chuck Keyes for this invitation). We will be doing some of our "pop" pieces after the meeting during refreshments, so this will be a chance to hear the Chorus "singing a different tune" than at our reunions or at other functions - plan to come out and have some fun together, and support the Blue Lodge Association, which supports all of our Lodges (and therefore, the Valley of Cleveland) so well and so strongly all year long. Freemasonry, like the Scriptural Mary and Martha, was founded not only for Ritual but for Fellowship so come "fellowship" with us and join us in a tune or two. As one of our favorite numbers, "The Whiffenpoof Song" says, "...we will celebrate our Andy while the light of life shall last..." - let's take this opportunity to celebrate our fellowship in the greatest fraternity in the world!! So mote it be!