Albuquerque, New Mexico

Volume 58, Issue 1

February 2010

Founded September 14, 1952

BOTY 2009 Congratulations to Carl Pennington for being named Barbershopper of the Year for 2009. This coveted award is given annually to the man who contributed the most to the Chapter over the past year, and it is easy to understand why Carl is deserving. He has organized and run the retreats for several years, and with the help of his wife, Carmen, the installation banquets he coordinates are always delightful. He is also currently the lead music librarian for the Chapter. According to our esteemed Director, who was also last year’s BOTY recipient, “Carl always steps up when asked and he always has the most positive of attitudes.”

Carl Pennington

The New MexiChords held their annual Installation Banquet at the Rio Grande Hotel. Friends and family enjoyed time of fellowship together and a lovely buffet dinner, followed by the greatly anticipated awards and the installation of officers. Society President Bill Biffle was on hand to charge the new Board, and he reminded each of us that “It was harmony that first brought us together. It was the sound of our voices, raised in song, that first attracted us to this wonderful hobby. For many of us, it was the ringing of a barbershop chord sung in a quartet—the essence of what we do—that cemented our commitment to the Barbershop Harmony Society. We joined the music for the harmony. And it was harmony in the larger sense—the positive feelings we developed for each other as we sang together, the camaraderie built by working together to achieve a shared goal, the fraternity we’ve built here together week after week, performance after performance— that keeps us coming back.”

NMC 2010 Board of Directors with Society President Bill Biffle

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Installation Banquet—January 16, 2010

MR. PERFORMER —J.C. Preston and his wife Judy

President’s Award—Bud Wildin

MOST IMPROVED SINGER— Ned Keltner

MR. VOLUNTEER— Carl Pennington, also BARBERSHOPPER OF THE

MR. NEW MEXICHORD— Jamie Arrington

QUARTET OF THE YEAR— First Light

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR—John Taylor and his wife Lynn

Special thanks to J.C. and Judy Preston and Gil Whalen or these photographs.

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Chuck Levy Les Elmer and his wife Faye

Oz Wehlander and his wife Marlene

Rol Blauwkamp and his wife Samantha

COSTUME MALFUNCTION AWARD— Mike Taylor

Dick Goins and his wife Marilyn Tom Cole and his wife Celeste

George Franklin and his wife Sally

Jody & Arlo Nelson

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NEW MEMBER He may be an alien born in Roswell, but Jerry Quintana uses that oddity to his advantage. From early childhood he has liked figuring out how things work, from simple origami birds to harmony in music to computers! Another passion of his is caring for four retired racing greyhounds. Although NMC is his first experience in barbershop harmony, Jerry has been a vocalist since his late teen years. In fact, he still sings with a church group he’s belonged to for thirty years! He discovered The New MexiChords at the River of Lights in 2008, and with Gil Whalen’s persistence in inviting him to come sing over the next year, Jerry finally acquiesced and found a new home on the risers. He is especially impressed with the friendliness of the entire chorus, and looks forward to singing in a quartet and collaborating in web-mastering and artwork for the NMC.

PONDERISMS • • • • • • • • •

If a word is ever misspelled in the dictionary, how would we know? Is it good if a vacuum cleaner really sucks? Why do we sing “Take me out to the ball game” when we’re already there? Why are they called “stands” when they are made for sitting? If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words? Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand? Why do we say something is out of whack? What’s a whack? Why does “fat chance” and “slim chance” mean the same thing? Why do tug boats push their barges?

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FROM OUR PRESIDENT 2009 Revue This is the time of year when you look over your shoulder to survey where you've been, then look ahead to figure out where you want to go next year. Any way you look at it, ’09 was a success. Membership grew at better than a 10% clip, all the shows were dynamite, we got more active in local sing-outs, laid down some great tracks for the next album and contest was a big success regardless of what the judges said. Much as I would like to take credit for all this, I can't. The folks who brought this off were the ’09 Board. Most notably, Freddy Mac made big improvements in getting everyone involved in making guests feel a part of the chorus, and Mikey got more folks involved in the shows. Oz is getting everyone stirred up with our weekly program and Tom has the music program clicking on all cylinders. Doug and Jamie have the rehearsal schedule just humming along (so to speak). They were ably assisted by the rest of the Board members. Notice a trend here? Everyone getting involved! Funny how that works; the more people are involved, the more energy is developed. If you have any ideas how we can continue this trend, I'm all ears. Personally, I think the source of this newfound energy is our new membership. That talent transplant you were looking for, I think it’s here. 2010 looks to be a very good year for the New MexiChords. All the building blocks are in place to continue this momentum and I want to thank each and every one of you for the part you've played. Phil

The New MexiChords

SERENADER The Serenader is published periodically and is distributed to members and fans free of charge. Editorial comments, articles, donations and address corrections may be sent to the editor: Becky Whalen 14323 Camino del Rey Albuquerque, NM 87123 [email protected] 505.323.6435 Articles without bi-lines are written by the editor and do not necessarily represent the views of the chapter, district or the Society.

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2010 MID-WINTER CONVENTION IN TAMPA The highest attendance ever at a Midwinter Convention was just one of the exciting things to happen in Tampa last week. The traditional competition of Senior Quartets was better than ever, and the men earned rousing applause at the end of their sets. However, the venue had even fewer empty seats when it was time for the Youth Festival competition. The audience was on their feet several times as tribute to the caliber of performances by our younger barbershoppers. Albuquerque’s own The 505 received a well-deserved standing ovation after their performance of Somebody to Love. And in our own district, hailing from Colorado, 52eighty earned (and I mean EARNED!) status as GRAND CHAMPIONS! Congratulations to both choruses. Seen around the venue were many familiar faces—Midwinter reminds me of college homecomings, because we see lots of the same faces once a year, but friendships continue to blossom because of the kindred spirit we share for our love of barbershopping. From the ranks of the NMC, Richard Grady, Mike Taylor and Oz & Marlene Wehlander attended, along with Gil & Becky Whalen (who were lucky enough to be hosted by Dick & Lola Lambert). Of course, our own Bill Biffle and his lovely wife Lillian were in attendance in his capacity as President of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Start making your plans now to attend Midwinter in Las Vegas in 2011. You’ll be glad you did!

The inclement weather doesn’t dampen the spirits of Society President and Mrs. Bill Biffle

Becky shares a moment with everyone’s favorite MC, Keith Hopkins.

Richard, Becky & Oz enjoy the FL sunshine.

The Whalens and the Lamberts enjoy sightseeing prior to the convention.

Oz & Marlene enjoy the break between shows.

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WELCOME OUR NEW EDITOR Please welcome Arnold Cohen as the new Editor of The Serenader. He assumes the responsibility of publishing the newsletter of The New MexiChords with the next issue. Although he is a relative new member of the Chorus, he has experience as a bulletin editor (North Queens chapter) which will be helpful as he undertakes this endeavor. Please send him suggestions for articles or pictures of events. Remember, this is YOUR newsletter, and he wants to hear from you!

ARNOLD COHEN 1508 Escalante SW Albuquerque, NM 87104 h-505.243.9105 c-203.253.2535 ARNOLD COHEN

[email protected]

From the EDITOR It has been a privilege and pleasure to serve as your Editor for the past two years or so. I am truly grateful to the editors of other Bulletins who have been so gracious in helping me along the way. Once again, Steve Jackson has been a standout with his able assistance and guidance, as has John Elving. My deepest appreciation to both of these gentlemen! Also, thanks to the men of The New MexiChords for their kind comments of appreciation. This publication will be in good hands with our new editor, Arnold Cohen, and I owe him Becky Whalen such a debt of gratitude for taking on this responsibility. Of course, I’ll continue to be in the wings and one of the faithful cheerleaders of the NMC as they continue their journey to excellence!

For the ladies...

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The New MexiChords 2010 Board of Directors President VP Performance VP Music VP Membership VP Marketing VP Program Secretary Treasurer Members at Large

Music Director Asst. Music Director Tenor Sec. Leader Lead Sec. Leader Bari Sec. Leader Bass Sec. Leader

Phil Middleton Mike Taylor Ron Randall Keith Pederson John Taylor Oz Wehlander Gil Whalen Arlo Nelson Richard Grady J D Lucas Carl Pennington Paul Rowe Doug Arrington Jamie Arrington George Franklin Bill Biffle Ron Randall Phil Middleton

New MexiChords

Calendar 2010

Feb 24 Mar 10 May 15 Jun 27-Jul 4 Aug 1-8 Aug 13-15 Sep 24-25 Dec 11-12

Nat’l Anthem @ UNM Women’s Basketball game Nat’l Anthem @ Thunderbirds, Tingley Coliseum NMC Annual Show NHS International Convention in Philadelphia, PA Harmony University, St. Joseph, MO Annual NMC retreat in Socorro RMD Convention in Layton, UT NMC Christmas Concerts

Enchanted Mesa Show Chorus

Calendar 2010

Apr 5 May 8 Dec 3-4

Friends & Family, 7 PM, Netherwood Church of Christ Annual Show, 3 & 7 PM, Albuquerque Little Theater EMSC Christmas shows, Sandia Baptist Church

The New MexiChords

Place Postage Here

14323 Camino del Rey NE Albuquerque, NM 87123

To Barbershop Harmony Fan

New MexiChords Mission Statement The members of the Albuquerque Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society dedicate themselves to: • • • •

Continually seek the joy to be found in singing well in the barbershop style Promote the benefits of our hobby at every available opportunity Provide our community with high quality musical entertainment, and Foster continual musical growth and fellowship among the members

If you would like to view this newsletter in color, visit our website at www.newmexichords.com and click on the link “Serenader” and find 2010 1Q Serenader

SAVE THE DATE ANNUAL SPRING SHOW Saturday, May 15, 2010 2 PM and 7:30 PM Roy E Disney Center at the National Hispanic Cultural Center

For more information call 323-6435

Vision Statement It is the vision of our chapter to achieve continuous improvement in our music, presentation, and singing, and to achieve a high level of performance.