History 2010

Please be patient as this page loads. There are a lot of pictures on it!

January

Choir rehearsal with Dwight Beckmeyer

For the Sunday preceding Martin Luther King Jr. Day, our service featured readings from Dr. King as well as a boatload of Gospel music. Joining us for the service was Dwight Beckmeyer, Assistant Conductor for The 5th Ave Theater. We taped him rehearsing his song "Awesome God" with the choir, and as you can tell, everybody had great fun. We couldn't bear to cut any of it out and shorten it (and the only reason we stopped filming was we ran out of memory!).

February

March

Dorothy Drum art exhibit

Removing a maple tree outside the sanctuary windows

Sandy Edmonds shows off the quilt she made and donated to the choir raffle

April

A European Musical Feast

Join us on Saturday, April 24 at 7:00 pm, as we embark on a European Musical Feast with food and music from five countries. The choir of the Congregational Church on Mercer Island (CCMI) is putting on a show that matches music with the cuisine of each country. As you dine, you enjoy the music of the country, ranging from folk songs to opera. Eating your way across Europe has never been more fun!

¡Buenos Noches! Our first stop for appetizers is Spain, land of exotic spices and even more exotic music. Thrill to the excitement of Granada, or look into the eyes of your loved one with Besame mucho, while you savor a wide variety of tapas.

Dobroi nochi! We now head into Russia for some borscht and visit the land of Czars, bitter winters, and lush, romantic music. Featuring Russian folk songs and Rachmaninov arias.

Gute Abend! Next take the “Chopin” train from Moscow to Vienna for some sturdy sausages and music, including Mozart’s Queen of the Night, Viennese operetta, German folk songs, and selections from The Sound of Music.

Bon Nuit! We wind up the evening by crossing the Rhine into France for romantic dessert Français. The music of Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf and duets from Lakmé and Hoffmann round out the evening.

Featuring the members of the CCMI choir under the direction of Erich Parce, along with piano and violin accompaniment, your waiter both serves and sings, sometimes both at the same time.

Doors open at 7:00 pm, when you can sip champagne, eat Tapas and stroll through a silent auction. Soup commences at 7:30 pm and both the music and the food flow freely throughout the evening.

Tickets are available at the door for a donation of $40. Proceeds are used to purchase music for the choir and start a new concert series. CCMI is located at 4545 Island Crest Way and is fully handicap accessible.

A European Musical Feast

The theme of the choir fundraiser this year was “A European Musical Feast,” where the music of each of five countries was accompanied by a corresponding food.

In addition to the dinner (which drew more than 60 people) there was a silent auction of items donated by the choir (Thank You, choiristas!). And a raffle of a Sandy Edmonds original handmade quilt.

Our sources tell us that the auction raised over $2,000, the dinner netted $1,500, and the quilt raised about $450, for a net total raised of between $3,500 and $4,000.

In a word (or three): a stunning success!

Basses and tenors singing “Yo Heave Ho” as they haul in the Russian borscht

Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me

Special thanks go to Diane Calvert and Karrin Dobbe for being the cashiers for the silent auction. They’re not in choir, so their services are especially appreciated. Karrin was also responsible for the donation of wine from Gary Hogue, her client.