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A Brief History of the Alexandria Singers |
Their season debut took place under the direction of Barry Hemphill in December 1975 for the senior residents at the Woodbine Nursing Home. They also performed for a general audience at the Alexandria Christmas Tree Lighting. City funding for the Singers followed shortly thereafter. Mr. Hemphill continued as conductor until January 1978, when Roger Oliver was hired. Nancy Reid returned as accompanist in September 1978. Under the direction of Roger Oliver, the Singers have continued to expand the depth of their musical mission and the scope of their repertoire. As membership grew, rehearsal were moved to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, where they remained for several years before moving to the Lincolnia Senior Center in Alexandria in 1990. A number of the residents of the Center now form a regular audience at weekly rehearsals. Formed as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, the Alexandria Singers rely on funding from the City of Alexandria, as well as, on concert ticket sales and general fundraising to meet performance expenses. In addition to their June and December concert series, the Singers perform regularly at civic and community events throughout the year. In 1993, the Singers embarked on their first international tour. Fifty Singers, spouses, and friends went to Russia and Estonia to perform American music. It was truly a Goodwill tour because the Singers not only took their voices and songs, but also took medical supplies to selected children's hospitals. |
Copyright © 2000 The Alexandria Singers |