Spring 2019 Staff Signals

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Staff Signals

Denver Alumnae Chapter * Xi C Province, Region 1

Spring 2019 * Volume 68, Issue 3

2018-2019 Denver Alumnae Theme
"ACTION"

Presidential Thoughts

By: Marion Talley
President

SAI Denver Chapter members and friends,

The Denver Alumnae Chapter has been adjusting its activities to meet the needs of its members. This past year has seen member growth of 8 affiliates. They are all SAI strong! But many ‘regular’ attenders cannot attend meetings due to health issues of self or spouse. You are encouraged to make known your “Like To See” list for the activities Denver Alumnae chapter does during this 80th Year! Reach out to your rosie sister or an executive board member with your ideas and thoughts!

As the 2018-2019 year comes to a close, you may read the President’s Year End report of summary of activities on the chapter website, https://saidenver.org/ Thank you to the leadership of the Executive Board...Cassidy Boone, VPM; Krista Aliga, VPP; Linda Rolf, VPR; Anna Maria Manalo, Secretary; Sabrina Green, Treasurer; Rachel Davis, Editor; and Marion Talley, President.

Continue to connect with SAI sisters by inviting them to go with you to an outdoor summer music event, or to make music together. Make SAI memories through Denver Alumnae Chapter.

Chapter Chatter
Here's what you've missed

Alumnae Members, Sigma Upsilon Members, and potential members met at the Denver Botanic Gardens for a lovely afternoon.

April in Review:

April 6, Sigma Upsilon initiated one new member
April 14, Social trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens was a huge success!
April 16, Formal Chapter Meeting
- Affiliation of new member Alyse Greenberg
- Our Annual SAI's Got Talent showcased multiple performers
  - Donita Banks and Anna Maria Manalo, piano, performed Selections from Candide
  - Rachel and Paul Davis, voice and guitar, performed "Slow Burn" by Kacey Musgraves
  - Cassidy Boone and Anna Maria Manalo, voice and piano, performed "Rose Saga" by Melissa Shiflett
  - Carmel Collier, voice and piano, performed "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan
  - Ellen Shamas-Brandt, piano, performed "Nutturno", Op 54, No. 4, by Edvard Grieg

May in Review:

May 21, Chapter Meeting
- Anna Maria Manalo and Marion Talley, violin and piano, performed Sonatina in G Major Op. 100 by Antonin Dvorak and "Crane Dance" by Ludovico Einaudi

June in Review:

June 1, Sigma Upsilon Initiated two new members
June 12, SAI Founders Day
June 15, End of Year Brunch/Founders Day/Awards
- Sisters joined at Church of the Nazarene in Lakewood to celebrate the 2018-2019 Year
- There was an SAI Songbook Singalong, the Founders' Day Ceremony, Award Presentations, Installation of 2019-2020 Officers, and general Announcements

Personal Announcements:

Interested in singing more during our 80th Year? Contact Donita Banks to join the SAI Singers!
Donna Chase's mother passed away.
Tina Phillips is accepting new students in vocal coaching and improvisational skills. Spread the word!
On Monday, June 24th, Clement J. Hanson passed away. Not only was he married to our sister Mary Hanson for 45 years but he was also a Friend of the Arts and good friend of the Denver Alumnae Chapter. Services are scheduled for July 21st at 12:00pm at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church.
Our Bylaws passed! Thank you Sabrina Green for your hard work on them. Check them out on our Chapter Website.
New Member Ariana Olivero Rodriguez has moved back to Florida with her family. We will miss her in the Denver Alumnae Chapter.

So much beautiful music was made this Spring. Let Anna Maria Manalo (our new VPP) know if you'd like to perform a musicale next year!

Awards and Honors

Award Recipients: Donita Banks, Marion Talley, Cassidy Boone, Rachel Davis, Sabrina Green, Krista Aliga, Linda Rolf

At the final gathering of the year, the following chapter members were recognized and awarded for their achievements and dedication to Sigma Alpha Iota and the Denver Alumnae Chapter.

Certificate of Recognition - Donita Banks
Certificate of Excellence - Krista Aliga, Rachel Davis, Sabrina Green
Sword of Honor - Cassidy Boone
Wreath of Dedication - Marion Talley
50 Year Pin - Linda Rolf

Click here to read more about the achievements of these members.

Honors Committee - Shelley McCluskey, Dee Netzel, Mary Hanson

Upcoming Events
MARK YOUR CALENDARS

**Indicates a Denver Alumnae Event

**July 11th - Bimonthly performance at The Gathering Place
July 14th - Xi C Province day at the Rockies Game
**July 25th - Bimonthly performance at The Gathering Place
**August 8th -Bimonthly performance at The Gathering Place
**August 17th, 2nd Annual Picnic 12:00pm-2:00pm at Observatory Park. Bring Friends and Family for an informal social potluck!
**August 22nd - Bimonthly performance at The Gathering Place
**September, 21st - First Meeting of the Year 10am Bethany Lutheran Church, Cherry Hills Village.

Remember to check the calendar on our website for more information!

The 2019-2020 Denver Alumnae Chapter Executive Board
Bottom: Linda Rolf: VPR, Marion Talley: President, Cassidy Boone, VPM
Top: Rachel Davis: Editor, Sabrina Green: Treasurer,
Shelley McCluskey: Secretary, Anna Maria Manalo: VPP

Getting to Know You
One new sister was affiliated at the April 16th Formal Meeting

Alyse, second from left, participating in the Founders Day Ceremony at our June Meeting.

Alyse was initiated in to SAI in 1997 by the Eta Rho chapter at the University of Delaware. She served in officer and committee chair positions, but it’s been so long that she doesn’t remember which ones. She also served as a big sister. After college, Alyse joined the Central New Jersey Alumnae Chapter of SAI, where she remained active for about 7 years, and served as President, Treasurer, and Fundraising Committee chair. Alyse has been playing the flute for over 30 years, most recently with the Mile High Community Band in Denver. She is currently taking a break from Mile High, and will be rehearsing with the Highlands Ranch Concert Band this spring.

Professionally, Alyse has worked primarily in the environmental conservation field, in roles ranging from environmental educator to grant administrator. Alyse currently works for The Water Research Foundation, a global not-for-profit water research and technology innovation cooperative. As a member of the communications and marketing team, Alyse prepares research reports for publication, writes articles, and copyedits anything that comes across her desk. In her free time, Alyse hikes, does yoga, reads, and volunteers for the Denver Audubon Society.

Featured Sister Article
by Linda Rolf

From Linda Rolf, June 19, 2019
CHARITY TILLEMANN-DICK

One of the SAI national objectives for this year is to promote women in music especially American women. My musicale in January was about Amy Beach, America’s first professional woman composer and concert pianist. I would like to tell you about another American artist, Charity Tillemann-Dick. I wrote a review in Staff Signals about her Memoir in Three Acts titled The Encore and shared it with you briefly at a meeting . Sadly, Charity died on April 23, 2019 at the age of 35.
Charity was born and raised in Denver and was a graduate of Regis University. At the age of 5, she was taken to the opera for a performance of Hansel and Gretel. She was mesmerized by the music and drama of the opera and left knowing that she wanted to be an opera singer. She devoted the rest of her life to that goal. While studying voice at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, she started having breathing and fainting problems. She was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension or IPH which is a disease where blood vessels thicken and constrict and do not deliver enough oxygen to the lungs. For a singer, this is disastrous. However, Charity refused to let this disease keep her from her desire to be an opera singer. Medications helped for a while but at the age of 25 she had her first double lung transplant. She nearly died during the surgery and had a long difficult recovery.
However, on September 21, 2011 she made her debut at the Lincoln Center singing an aria from” La Traviata.” It was a glorious moment for her as she hit the final high E flat and the audience erupted into thunderous applause. Afterwards she went backstage and collapsed into a wheel chair, sucked oxygen into her lungs from a mask and had her IV line restarted. Several years later she had another double lung transplant but never really regained her health. The Denver Post published a lengthy obituary about her life. If you would like to read it, I can make you a copy.
She probably lived more in those 35 years than most people in a lifetime. She sang opera and other music at many places and loved every minute of it. She wrote her book in a delightful, creative way like an opera score with 3 Acts and Scenes taken from different operas . Listening to her read her book on CD and sing short excerpts from these specially selected operas is a great experience.
I would recommend the book, the CD or both. It is a great way to learn about a contemporary woman who contributed greatly to music in our country. We all love stories about people who overcome great obstacles to reach their goal and Charity’s story certainly fits that description.

Book Review
By Linda Rolf

June 19, 2019
Year of Wonder by Clemency Burton-Hill

Do you like having a book with daily inspirational readings? How about one that features music? I have found the perfect book for that purpose, Year of Wonder. There is a page for each day of the year featuring a selection of music to listen to and a clever, witty commentary about the music. Some of the selections are familiar composers and pieces. Many, though, are composers or titles I never would have known about without this book. I have found every music selection on You Tube and sometimes with several different performers. It is highly entertaining and informational to listen to the music and read the commentary. Some pieces are long (15-30 min) and some very short. There is music from movies, musicals, classical, pop; countless different genres. Many are on the date of the composer’s birthday or death or on the anniversary of the first performance so there is a nice historical ambiance to it. This book provides a great way to increase your musical listening repertoire and have fun doing it.

Jeanette Armbrustmacher - July 6
Cassidy Boone - Aug 3
Rachel Stone - July 13
Mary Nichols - Aug 3
Eleanor Coffey - July 17
Dorothy Nelson - Aug 14
Nicole Kobayashi
Louanne Shelton - Aug 17
Keena Day - Aug 27
Mary Hanson - Aug 31

Need More Pictures?

Here is a link for a photo album of more pictures from the last few months. I can easily add more photos to it even after you've received this newsletter so if you have photos from April 2019 - June 2019, please get them to me and I can add them to the album.
If you have a Google account, you can also add your own photos!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZmazZcAvf7XgPTrj7

From Your Editor
Rachel Davis

Please take a moment to check your contact and awards information in the 2018-2019 Yearbook so corrections can be made in the 2019-2020 Yearbook Directory.
As well as our MailChimp email, I also send our Newsletter in PDF to our chapter email list server for those who prefer to print their newsletter before reading. If you do not receive that email, please email me at saidenvereditor@gmail.com so you can be added to the list!
Look forward to our next Newsletter at the end of August.

We Want Your Input!

Please always feel free to send any articles, upcoming events, & personal news, to the Editor for a feature in an upcoming Newsletter. (saidenvereditor@gmail.com)

Announcements made at meetings may be included in future Newsletters. If your news is not something you'd like to be shared, please let me know during your announcement.