15-16 December 2007
Swingle Bells Sings and Swings

The North Coast Men's Chorus gave its annual holiday present to Northeast Ohio this weekend with a pair of jazzy, thumpin’, bumpin’ concerts at Lakewood Civic Auditorium. The Auditorium, NCMC’s first venue when the Chorus was formed 20 years ago, played host to a Saturday night and a Sunday matinee performance that delighted enthusiastic audiences with up-tempo twists, holiday carols, touching musical moments and NCMC's signature silliness.

The ninety men of the Chorus were ably backed by members of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra who added a full-tilt boogie blast to the concerts. “From Coney Island to the Sunset Strip,” the cool cats of the Chorus breezed through “Christmas Waltz” with a smoothly crooned intro by Greg Morley. Soloist Brandon Bowman’s soft-as-butter baritone voice led the Chorus in “Cradle in Bethlehem.” And bass Stephen Adams introduced the hauntingly beautiful, "Believe" from The Polar Express as a gossamer ribbon that tied up the evening's array of gifts.

NCMC premiered a newly commissioned piece, "Jumble Bells" which took a silly turn on the classic "Jingle Bells" including a Spike Jones inspired band of bells, whistles, and noisemakers. The Chorus and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra performed jazzed up renditions of the carols "O Come, All ye Faithful," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and a hoppin' "Hot Hannukah" and the Jazz Orchestra peppered the show with several instrumental performances of their own.

Swingle Bells was just the beginning of the tower of treats for NCMC's 20th Anniversary Season. On Friday, March 28th, the Chorus will present the incomparable Bernadette Peters at the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square. Then, to close out the season in June, NCMC will bring Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City, to Waetjen Auditorium at CSU for “Tunes from Tales.”

To reserve your tickets for the Chorus’ Friday, March 28th performance starring Bernadette Peters, accompanied by the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, go to the Playhouse Square box office or online at www.playhousesquare.com or by calling (216) 241-6000 or (800) 766-6048.

The North Coast Men's Chorus is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The Chorus presents its 20th Season performances with the generous support of the Ohio Arts Council, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Ameriprise Financial Services, and media sponsors Cleveland Magazine, the Cleveland Free Times, WCLV 104.9 FM, WCPN 90.3 FM ideastream, WEWS NewsChannel 5, WKSU 89.7 FM, and WNWV 107.3 FM.

October 2007
Jazz Clinician Leads NCMC Retreat at Lakeside

On October 19-21, the Chorus held their second off- site weekend retreat in Lakeside. The retreat is a chance for the members to work with an outside clinician focusing on musical skills and techniques in a concentrated manner. This year the chorus was delighted to have Jeremy Fox as the clinician. Since our holiday concert - Swingle Bells - has a jazz focus to it, Jeremy was a perfect fit.

After graduating from the School For Music Vocations in 1996, Jeremy earned a B.M. degree in Piano/Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University. He later received his Masters degree in Studio Jazz Writing from the University of Miami, while teaching classes for their renowned jazz program. Jeremy's charts have been sung and recorded by such groups as "Gold Company" and "GCII" from Western Michigan, "Singcopation" from Mount San Antonio College, "Form" from the University of Edmonton, "Soundsation" from Kirkwood Community College, "Estetica" from Lincoln High School, and Miami's "JV1." From 1999-2002, he received 8 awards from Downbeat magazine, including ones for: Jazz Song, Jazz Arrangement, Studio Engineering, and for his Small Vocal Group, Emerge. Jeremy publishes his compositions through his own company, Foxtrot Publishing, and is a member of ASCAP. He also has several charts published with UNC Jazz Press and is active with clinics and workshops. Jeremy Fox is currently a faculty member at The School For Music Vocations in Creston, Iowa.

During the weekend, Jeremy focused on the jazz style of singing and led the group through exercises dealing with improvisation, jazz styling and theory of jazz music. His upbeat personality and sense of humor kept the sessions moving in a quick, entertaining way. This was the first time that Jeremy had the chance to work with such a large chorus (not to mention a gay men's chorus!) so it was a learning experience for him, as well. Although he is straight (hey, we can't all be perfect!), Jeremy was far from narrow! He admitted to not quite knowing what to expect from the group, but after about 30 seconds in front of the members, he was totally at ease cracking jokes and taking notes on the various phrases and terms that had a gay subtext, such as "straight quarter notes".

There was a lot of laughter during the sessions, but at the banquet on Saturday night, Jeremy shared some of his innermost feelings and thanked us for being so open and accepting of him and making him feel so welcomed. His eloquence touched many of the chorus members, leaving several members with tear filled eyes.

You'll be able to hear the results at Swingle Bells on December 15 & 16 at Lakewood Civic Auditorium.

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October 2007
NCMC Raises Money for AIDS Walk

On Saturday, October 6, the North Coast Men's Chorus participated in the Dr. John Carey Memorial AIDS Walk both as a walking fund raising team and as performers. According to the fundraising website, the NCMC team raised $1838! This total doesn't include any funds raised outside the website, so the actual total is probably higher. Many thanks to everyone who assisted the chorus with pledges in raising this amount. Our efforts hopefully will hasten the day when this event is no longer needed. Thanks again!

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September 2007
On Your Toes with Lora Workman

You know the expression "Being in the right place at the right time". This could be the mantra of NCMC resident choreographer Lora Workman, which explains how she got into choreography, toured with actresses like Barbara Eden and Loni Anderson, and earned her tiara as our own "Dancing Queen". Getting into choreography happened by accident. "I've danced my whole life but never intended on choreographing. I was a voice major/music therapy major in College, and was always the music director in regards to a show or a chorus. "I started out helping my friend Nick Vannello with projects that he was choreographing. He was always a fast teacher but didn't really like to clean, so I cleaned the numbers for him. Then he got a job with the National Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar and started touring across the country. I kind of "inherited" all of the projects we had lined up - truly the most stressful year of my life. It just wasn't how my brain was used to thinking. After that first year, I discovered I really liked creating the dances and have been choreographing for about 20 years now."

All artists have individuals they've met or influential works they've seen which light a creative spark. As Lora explains, "My mentor has been Dee Hillier. Dee's husband Jack Hillier was my high school math teacher and Dee choreographed my high school musicals. I started taking dance lessons with her in the basement of her house - that was her studio! I pretty much always went back to Dee through out my life because while I have taken classes in NYC and Chicago, Dee is one of the best jazz teachers in the country. I feel very fortunate to have her in my life.

Everyone's curious as to what it's like to work with a "household name" when the opportunity arises. "I did Best Little Whorehouse with Barbara Eden who was wonderful to work with. She fully recognized that the reason people knew her was because of I Dream of Jeannie and would answer any question about the show. She also wanted her fans to know she had many other experiences that were more artistically satisfying." But apparently even stars have their vulnerable sides. "Loni Anderson was going through her divorce with Burt Reynolds at the time we performed together. I learned that "Stars" (whatever that means) have the same problems as everyone else.... it's just they have a lot more money to deal with it!"

A serendipitous exchange with a fellow worker singer led her to becoming our resident choreographer. "While working at Educator's Music early in my career Rich Cole asked the late Steven Sterlekar (who was in NCMC and also worked at Educator's with me) if he knew of a choreographer for the chorus and Steven recommended me. Rich and I went to lunch, we clicked and I started the same fall that Rich started his first full season as Music Director.

Dancing is an important part of any NCMC production and to keep the experience fresh Lora holds open auditions midway through each performance cycle for the numbers chosen to be choreographed. So which comes first - the music or the steps?

"Since my background is music (I have a Bachelor of Music from Baldwin-Wallace College) I always insist that I have the music before I begin choreographing. That's not how most choreographers work - mainly because most can't even read music. I've never been a choreographer who can just listen to music and start creating dances. I need music to analyze and then I'm able to create - that's definitely not the norm.

"The style of music, even the year the music was written can really dictate the 'right' steps for a song. You really have to be true to the music other wise you get, in my opinion a train wreck - steps that might look good but don't go with a song. Putting hip-hop moves in a jazz number, for example. It sounds obvious, but choreographers do that kind of stuff all the time.

"You also need to consider the dancers you are working with - steps and movements HAVE to fit their ability in addition to the music style. I don't care how good I look doing something, if the dancers can't do it, it's a waste of time. My job is to make the dancers look as good as they possibly can - that's always the goal and there is no exception."

Another venture that Lora is involved with is the Cleveland Cabaret Project, now in its third year, a venture she started with a college friend, Charles Eversole, after Lora participated in a cabaret in San Francisco. The two decided that they wanted something similar in Cleveland and the Cleveland Cabaret Project/Cabaret Sampler was born with Lora as the producer and director and Charles as music director.

Cabaret performing is very different from being an actor/singer in a play or musical. Cabaret is extremely intimate with the performer and the audience when it's done right and it takes a special performer to be able to accomplish that and the key is in choosing the right material - something the singer feels connected to. The music needs to tell a story that's revealing about the singer as a person, not a performer.

One of the toughest parts of doing cabaret is the patter (that's what you say) between songs. It's what ties all the songs together and creating it can be the most frustrating thing when creating a show. It can really make or break a show - you have so few lines to get the point across. But when you get it right, it's the most amazing thing ever. The second most difficult thing to master is just talking to the audience rather than at them - it's a fine line, especially when you've been a performer/actor who traditionally doesn't have to worry about breaking the fourth wall.

The Cleveland Cabaret Project starts its new season soon, so check out their website for ticket information. And, when you come to our next performance, we hope you have a new respect and understanding for the effort our resident choreographer Lora Workman puts in each show to make the terpsichorean talents we all have inside of us sparkle on stage.
- Steven Pastor

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July 2007
Strommens Receive NCMC Distinguished Service Award

Bob and Joyce Strommen were honored at the June concert - A Time For Us - by receiving NCMC's first Distinguished Service Award. Bob and Joyce are the proud parents of four children including a gay son and a lesbian daughter (as Joyce often says they were pretty clever to have 50 - 50%). Although Bob "retired" in 2000 as the Executive Minister of the Western Reserve Association of the United Church of Christ, Bob and Joyce never retired from working with the North Coast Men's Chorus, or other Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered advocacy causes in North East Ohio.

Since the 1990's they have volunteered for the NCMC concerts. In their Lakewood home, they began corralling volunteers, hosting meetings to organize volunteers on a regular basis to help put out our mailings before we were able to expand to the use of a mailing service, feeding volunteers at all these events, providing lodging for new volunteers and for chorus members in transition until they got a home of their own, and are some of the chorus's most visible and advocacy vocal volunteers, patrons, and audience members.

Bob and Joyce have coordinated the UCC Parents of LGBT Children, remain active with Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, are members of Cleveland PFLAG, volunteer for the North Coast Men's Chorus, and led a workshop in 2006 for the GLBT Taskforce of the NE Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on working with congregations to be welcoming. Bob also served as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Cuyahoga County Ombudsman Office.

Bob was ordained in 1959. They have been active in social justice ministries since the 1960's, when they participated in the Civil Rights Movement. Both marched on Washington in August 1963, and Bob participated in voter registration drives in Mississippi and Canton in 1964 and in Hattiesburg in 1965; Bob received an award from the Greensburg-Jeannette Chapter of the NAACP for his service.

From the mid 1960s to 1988, Bob served in Philadelphia: as Minister of Metropolitan Mission for the UCC, working with pastors and church leaders of inner city congregations, developing urban strategy, worked Philadelphia Welfare Rights Organization, the Action Alliance of Senior Citizens, and other community action groups, served as Secretary for Social and Urban Concerns, working in the religious participation in the boycott and on other issues related to health and welfare, and developed a program of training local church leaders for community outreach.

In September 1988, Reverend Strommen became the Executive Minister of the Western Reserve Association of the UCC. He has continued to be involved in urban issues. Under his leadership, the Association established Liberation UCC to serve the LGBT community in Cleveland, and ten local churches in the Association became open and affirming. Rev. Strommen also co-chaired Cleveland Jobs with Justice, a coalition of Labor, Church, and Community organization that is dedicated to protecting workers' rights in the workplace.

Joyce and Bob have been long time members of PFLAG Cleveland. Sharon Groh-Wargo, President, PFLAG Cleveland writes "Everyone at PFLAG Cleveland greatly appreciated their attendance at the monthly support group meetings not only because of their compassion and insight but also because they told a compelling personal family story illustrating love, pride and celebration of diversity."

On behalf of the North Coast Men's Chorus and it's many members and friends, we wish Bob and Joyce all the best and say a heartfelt thank you for everything you have accomplished.

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July 2007
NCMC Appoints Executive Director

The North Coast Men’s Chorus proudly announces the appointment of James McPeak to serve as Interim Executive Director. McPeak, who spent his entire working career in the non-profit sector, recently retired from Cuyahoga County Library System. A dedicated Chorus member since Feb. 2000, Mc Peak is also a member of The Coastliners, NCMC’s celebrated small ensemble, and previously served as the organization’s Treasurer and Board President. In his capacity as Executive Director, Mr. McPeak will be focusing on fundraising and the day-to-day administration of the organization.

Chorus leadership views McPeak’s appointment as a critical step forward for the organization. According to Board President, Mike Zaverton, “The Chorus has been considering an Executive Director for several years as part of its strategic planning goals. With the exciting 20th Anniversary Season we have planned, it seemed like the ideal time to take this step.”

“I’m really looking forward to working with Music Director, Rich Cole, “stated McPeak. “Though our daily activities will be very different, we’ll be working together toward similar objectives.”

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