July 2025 - Summer Salutations

Hi from a very busy VHC!  This June marked an extra-special one-year anniversary for our spunky and fearless leader, Melanie Jewell!  Yes, we’re going to shout her out again; our newly-minted director led our chorus to a strong “Most Improved” award at contest, earning our endless gratitude and support.  As thanks, we promise to try to stop singing “chew”!  

The VHC delegation in Queen Creek, AZ, reports that the sessions were quite informative, especially those on marking music, retention, and quartet development; they really got the creative juices flowing.  We debuted a double quartet, Sneeze the Day, in a parody of “San Diego Bay Blues”, our more localized version of “San Francisco Bay Blues”.  If you were there, you might have witnessed some bedhead, explosive sneezing, copious amounts of Lyzol, absurdly long hankies, and a few chuckles.  Double quartet members celebrated the display of teamwork, saluting the coaches who really pushed the group’s creative boundaries by swapping some vocal parts and experimenting with some new techniques while still remaining true to our chorus culture.  

At the end of July - a month in which we very enthusiastically welcomed a new Bari named Carol - we kicked off the year with a night of fun and reflection.  Survey says Family Feud was the perfect way to address successes, areas of improvement, expectations, and personal goals.  The chorus came away more bonded and motivated to keep busting through perceived boundaries.  

Looking into August, our excitement is mounting for the 6th annual Music on the Porch Day in Escondido, hosted by our friends in Solo Voce.  We’re working to polish one or two of our songs, and maybe even share a new one!  So excited for the next year!  

​- Tabitha Woolpert