[15 November 2011]

On November 12, a group of the YCC singers performed for the residents of the Sanctuary at St. Joseph Village. We entertained about three dozen of the residents and guests, with songs from our spring 2011 concert and our upcoming holiday concert; we also invited the audience to join us in several Christmas carols. We're not sure if we had more fun than they did, but we look forward to returning to sing for them at a future date.

We have posted pictures to our photo album of our singers and the audience members (thanks to Michelle Sanford for taking the shots and providing them for our use).

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[20 September 2011]

During the latter part of September we will be rolling out an updated color scheme on our website; we expect that this will make our website easier to read, especially for our vision-impaired visitors. We are also making some minor tweaks to ensure a consistent 'look-and-feel' throughout our website.

In case you are suffering from withdrawal pains, we've provided a link to the news page as it appeared in our old style.

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[15 July 2011]

We are completely overwhelmed that the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation will be sponsoring our annual joint concert with the Ypsilanti Community Band. Please join us on Thursday, December 15, for a wonderful night of seasonal music!!!

The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation is dedicated to enriching the quality of life in our region through its knowledgeable leadership, engaged grantmaking and creative partnerships with donors - to make philanthropic investments and build endowment. Founded in 1963, AAACF manages more than $60 million in assets on our community's behalf and has awarded more than $21 million in grants and scholarships - $1.7 million in 2010. AAACF's success is a tribute to the thousands of community members and donors whose continued support helps AAACF meet the changing needs of our community - For good. For ever.

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[24 December 2010]

The Ypsilanti Community Choir was invited to appear on the Lucy Ann Lance Hometown Christmas Show which aired between 9:00am and 1:00pm on Saturday December 18th on WLBY Radio [AM 1290]. The program was also rebroadcast on Christmas Day, December 25th from 8:00am to 12:00 noon, and made available on their website. Lucy Ann indicated she hopes this special radio program will be an continuing holiday tradition and we hope to be a part of it in the future.

[YCC in WLBY studio on 17 December 2010. Thanks to Lucy Ann and Bridget for taking the picture and sharing with us.]

A group of YCC singers also appeared with Dave Heikkinen, owner of Heikk's and president of the Downtown Association of Ypsilanti during the 9:00am segment of Lucy Ann Lance's program on December 24th.

[YCC in WLBY studio 24 December 2010. Thanks to Dean Erskine for taking this picture on my cellphone.]

YCC extends a big THANK YOU to WLBY Radio, Lucy Ann Lance, Dean Erskine, their producers, and to Dave Heikkinen for these opportunities.

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[5 December 2010]

The Ypsilanti Community Choir continued our tradition of community support to help bring the holiday season to downtown Ypsilanti.

On Friday December 3rd, YCC provided carols as part of the Downtown Starlight Shopping Spree Tree Lighting. The tree lighting ceremony was sponsored by the Downtown Association of Ypsilanti, and was held in Ypsilanti's Library Plaza in the 200 block of West Michigan Avenue. Afterwards choir members caroled for about an hour along shops in downtown Ypsilanti.

The next evening (December 4th), YCC appeared at the tree-lighting ceremony kicking off Depot Town's Starlight Shopping Spree. The tree-lighting was sponsored by Depot Town Promotions and was held next to the signal tower at the corner of River and Cross Streets. YCC also caroled along the businesses of this unique neighborhood in our community. Check out the Depot Town Promotions' Facebook page to view pictures of those who attended.

YCC thanks our patrons and friends are for supporting our local businesses, many of whom have been in business in Ypsilanti for generations. We also thank DAY and Depot Town Promotions for the opportunity, and Sidetrack for their support.

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[10 October 2010]

The Ypsilanti Community Choir was invited to provide intermission music as part of the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra's Back to the Future concert. The concert was held on Sunday October 3rd at Towsley Auditorium at Washtenaw Community College.

Our musical selections all reflected local Ypsilanti history, including the Hudson automobile, Rosie the Riveter (alluding to the history of the Ford Motor Company Willow Run assembly plant), and Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University).

Pictures of this event can be found in our photo archive.

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[1 June 2010]

The Ypsilanti Community Choir presented its first-ever musical revue, Broadway and More, on Sunday May 23rd at the Riverside Arts Center. Not only did this serve as a fundraiser for our organization, but it provided a vehicle to showcase the talents of individuals and small groups of singers within our choir.

YCC thanks both those of our members who volunteered their time and talent in this revue, and our audience and sponsors for attending this event. Special thanks to Old World Bakery who provided desserts, and Haab's Restaurant who provided sparkling beverages that were served at intermission. Thanks also to C. Tino Lambros who served as Master of Ceremonies.

Pictures of the rehearsal can be found in our photo archive.

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[5 February 2010]

We are pleased to announce the launching of an Ypsilanti Community Choir page on the social networking website Facebook. Just as with this website, you can find out more information about our group, including our history, leadership and upcoming concerts and events. You can also take advantage of Facebook's networking capabilities and sign up as a fan of the YCC!

We hope you will visit both sites early and often.

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[16 December 2009]

[The following was posted by the daughter of YCC founder Denise Scramstad on her personal blogsite Raising Joseph. Jen has kindly granted permission for this posting to be replicated here.

Dear Mom -

You would be so proud of the choir if you saw them now. I mean, I know that you were probably there watching anyway, but I really want you to know how amazing they were last night. First of all, the concert was at Pease. The acoustics there are great - MUCH better than Emmanuel! But, that aside, the choir gave a fantastic performance. The soloists were beautiful, there was one woman that I didn't recognize who had a solo...she started out very quiet and shy, but she had the sweetest tone to her voice when she really came in singing. So pretty. They did all the favorite christmas songs, a few new ones that I hadn't heard before...but overall, it was wonderful.

I brought Little Joe with me, you know how I want him to be exposed to music as much as possible. He thought that the auditorium was really cool - but mostly because we sat way up in the balcony. The view was great up there.

After intermission, the band came out and performed...they only did 3 pieces, but...WOW! The first piece was an amazing organ piece that shook the entire auditorium. Little Joe thought that it was too loud. They finished with the Russian Christmas piece by Reed. I remember when I played this - the horn part is AWESOME!! The band sounded great - the brass section really played well...such a big sounding piece...but they didn't overdo it at all. (Little Joe still covered his ears though ... I think he is sensitive to loud music).

But the best of all, was the finale...with both the choir and the band performing Handel's Messiah 'Hallelujah Chorus'. Holy. Crow. Of course, everyone stood...(as we had learned that on March 23, 1743, The Messiah was performed for the 1st time in London, England. Present was the King of England. The king was so moved by the singing of the “Hallelujah Chorus”, he spontaneously stood to his feet and remained standing until the end of Handel's masterpiece. (And when the king stands up, EVERYBODY stands up.) Ever since that day, it has been customary for the audience to stand whenever the “Hallelujah Chorus” is sung.)

Anyway - so, everyone is standing, the choir is singing their hearts out, the band was playing, the organ pulled out all the stops...and....

Wow.

Tears.

Little Joe turned around at one point and said to me “Mom - are you crying AGAIN?” Hee! He knows me too well.

I hope that you had a chance to listen to the concert - I'm sure that you would be so proud of the choir - they have done a fantastic job. I didn't get a chance to talk to many of the members - it was late, so we didn't go to the afterglow at Tower Inn - maybe next concert.

Love you,
jen

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[12 December 2009]

The Ypsilanti Community Choir was one of several groups that participated in the Lucy Ann Lance Hometown Christmas Show which aired between 9:00am and 1:00pm on Saturday December 12th on WLBY Radio [AM 1290]. We sang a couple selections from our upcoming Holiday Concert as well as one or two more traditional Christmas carols.

Didn't get a chance to hear the broadcast live? The program will also be rebroadcast on Christmas Day, December 25th from 8:00am to 12:00 noon, and made available on their website. We also have pictures posted in our photo album of our arrival, warming up, and fifteen minutes of fame on the air.

A big THANK YOU to WLBY Radio, Lucy Ann Lance, and her producers Krystle and Bridget for making us feel welcome! We had a lot of fun singing on the program and can't wait for our next appearance.

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[5 November 2009]

The Downtown Association of Ypsilanti will be hosting a Starlight Shopping Spree on Friday, December 4th and Saturday, December 5th, 2009. All of our patrons and friends are encouraged to support our local business owners, many of whom have been in business in Ypsilanti for generations.

The Ypsilanti Community Choir will be caroling from 6:00 -- 8:00 pm on Friday, December 4th, in the historic Downtown Business District. We hope to see you out on the streets of Ypsilanti that evening!

[Choir members: We will meet at Haab's Restaurant, 18 W. Michigan Ave., no later than 5:55 PM. Music will be provided. Dress warmly!]

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[23 August 2009]

Now that the weekend has passed, we can put our (collective) feet up and look back on a successful performance at this year's Heritage Festival. Held as always in Riverside Park, along the Huron River in downtown Ypsilanti, this year's event was the perfect combination for summer weather (not too hot, not too humid, no rain during the festival proper).

This year's Ypsilanti Heritage Festival was dedicated to the Ypsilanti Historical Society Museum and Archives with gratitude for preserving and displaying the unique history of the Ypsilanti community. The Choir has been a part of that history the last quarter-century or so, and we are glad of the chance to participate.

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank the Heritage Festival organizers and volunteers who put on another successful festival. Special thanks go to the transportation crew for getting our risers and piano back and forth between the stage and parking lot, and to the audio crew for making us sound good!.

Thanks also to our friends, supporters, and Festival attendees who came by to listen to our concert!

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[1 January 2009]

The Ann Arbor Community Television Network will be airing "It's a Holiday Concert Tradition", the video of our December 11, 2008 concert. This program will air on Comcast Channel 17 on the following dates/times:

• Saturday, December 27, 2008 at 10:00 pm
• Monday, December 29, 2008 at 10:00 am
• Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at 11:00 pm
• Sunday, January 18, 2009 at 10:00 pm
• Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at Noon
• Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 7:10pm

For additional information please check CTN's web site.

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[25 December 2008]

[A letter to the Editor of the Ann Arbor News (published 12/25/08) from the President of the YCC Board of Directors:]

The Ypsilanti Community Choir and Ypsilanti Community Band performed their annual Holiday Concert recently at Pease Auditorium. One would say it was a "sellout", if not for the fact that the mission statement for the choir is to provide free access to musical enjoyment for all. The concert provided all of that and more. Brass players and carolers from local high schools set the mood for the evening and were followed by an enthusiastic and talented performance by first, the Ypsilanti Community Choir and then the Ypsilanti Community Band. Finally, while patrons exited the auditorium, they were wished a Merry Christmas by local Boy Scout Troop 290, dressed in uniforms and santa hats, who handed candy canes to all. On behalf of the choir and the band, I want to thank everyone who attended our performance and would invite you all to make this Holiday Concert your tradition.

-- Michelle S. Sanford, Milan

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[13 December 2008]

To follow up on their preview news article on the Ypsilanti Community Choir (see below), the Ann Arbor Chronicle wrote a review of our holiday concert. Read the article here.

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[25 November 2008]

Like any non-profit organization, we are always grateful when what we do is found to be newsworthy and is publicized to a larger audience. Therefore we were thrilled when Ann Arbor's 'other' newspaper, the Ann Arbor Chronicle, came by to listen to one of our rehearsals and then wrote up a nice story about our upcoming concert. Read the article here.

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[1 October 2008]

The Ypsilanti Community Choir is pleased to announce that Maria Cimarelli has joined us as our accompanist beginning with the fall 2008 season. Maria is also the vocal music accompanist for the Creative and Performing Arts program of the Livonia Public Schools. She holds degrees in vocal music performance has appeared with the Detroit Symphony as a guest soloist on a number of occasions, most notably at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Carnegie Hall in New York City. Maria was cast in a Strauss opera that was produced in Detroit by the Detroit Symphony and recorded on London Records.

The Michigan Opera Theatre has been “home” for Maria for the last 17 years. As a singer-in-residence with the Department of Community Programs, she has performed thousands of musicals and operas throughout Michigan and the Midwest.

On Sundays, Maria sings and conducts the choral program at a Detroit area church, and on Fridays, Maria is the director of music at a temple in the northwest suburbs.

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[31 August 2008]

Our performance at the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival also marked a bittersweet milestone for our group as it marked the last performance with our long-time accompanist, Phyllis Bogarin. Phyllis has been a mainstay with the Ypsilanti Community Choir for over twenty years, faithfully learning the music the choir sings and helping our group through that learning curve. On occasion she has led sectional rehearsals or led an entire rehearsal if our director was ill or out of town.

Phyllis continues to come to choir practice on Thursday evenings, joining the alto section and is happy to be singing along for a change. She is a life-long member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, where she has served in a number of volunteer positions in that organization including directing both the adult and youth choirs.

The Choir officially recognized and thanked her for her years of service to our group at our Silver Anniversary concert in May. We have been blessed with her faithful service.

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[3 May 2008]

WOW.

This appears to be the universal reaction following our Spring Concert on May 2, 2008. This concert was a special one for us as this was our opportunity to celebrate our 25th anniversary with the community, so we arranged for some special music as well as holding a reception following the concert.

We were pleased and honored that the City of Ypsilanti passed a resolution designating May 2, 2008 as "Ypsilanti Community Choir Day". The Honorable Paul Schreiber, Mayor of the City of Ypsilanti, was on hand at our concert to read the proclamation to the choir and audience.

We would like to thank the following individuals and groups, without whom this evening would not have been a success:

• Barry Larue -- our announcer
• The Honorable Paul Schreiber -- Mayor, The City of Ypsilanti
• Phyllis Bogarin -- our accompanist for this concert and for many of these last 25 years
• Jerry Hubbard -- organist, "With a Voice of Singing"
• Ypsilanti Community Band Brass members -- accompaniment on "Battle Hymn of the Republic":
  • Kim Graor -- Trumpet
  • Jane Bishop and March Taylor -- French Horn
  • Paul Vaughan -- Euphonium
  • Mark Jeffers and Nathan Sparks -- Trombone
  • Carter Adler -- Tuba
• Emmanuel Lutheran Church -- for use of their facilities for our rehearsals, concert, and reception
• Haab's Restaurant -- Hosting a fundraising effort for YCC on Sunday May 4th (eat, eat!)
• Ariel -- of course
• Our patrons, sponsors, supporters, fans and tenor groupies(!) -- for attending on Friday night and continuing to be there for us these last 25 years!

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[1 April 2008]

The Ypsilanti Community Choir is pleased to announce the launch of our website. It is our intent that this website be a means of communicating with our fan base and the community, advising them of upcoming concerts, rehearsals and news. We also believe this will be an effective recruiting tool for potential singers which will entice them to join our group.

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