September 19^th Golf Social and Croquet Tournament
to benefit Anima Young Singers Scholarship Fund

 The Anima Encore Society is presenting a special event this fall.   On September 19^th the Encore Society will host a Golf Social and Croquet Tournament to benefit the Anima Young Singers’ Scholarship Fund

When:  Friday, September 19^th

Where:  Maple Meadows Golf Club

Time:  Registration 3:00 – 3:30

Shotgun start for golf 3:45

Croquet Tournament 4:00

Reception 6:15

Start your weekend early! Play on the beautiful “East 9” of the Maple Meadows Golf Club while enjoying the charm of the former Brookwood Country Club or enjoy the Croquet Tournament and the Margarita bar!   Then join us for a reception of spirits and Hors D’oeuvres. 

Have lots of fun and all for a great cause.

For reservations, please visit www.animasingers.org and check out “What’s New” or Call Nondi Orazi at 630-858-2471 for more information.

 Hope you can join us!

I currently reside in Naperville, IL with my husband, Phil, and my cat, Buster.  I am very lucky in that I was not only raised in a musical family, but I married into one as well.  My husband is a private music teacher, clinician and performer. My mother-in-law is a professional accompanist and my father-in-law plays clarinet in the local band.  Combined with my brother-in-law, who studied music education, we have a lot of fun at family get-togethers when instruments and voices make their way into the living room next to the piano. 

I was a member of the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus for eleven years from 1988 to 1999.  Since graduating from the choir, I have pursued both choral and instrumental adventures.  I completed my undergraduate degree in Bassoon Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts and a Master’s Degree in Bassoon Performance from Northwestern University.  I have attended numerous music festivals around the United States and have performed with ensembles such as the Elgin Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez in Lucerne, Switzerland.   

I am also moments away from completing my Master’s Degree in Music Education from Northern Illinois University.  I am currently student-teaching and will be completing my certification in December! Through my years of private teaching, coaching, and judging ensembles, I am thrilled that my passion for music and love of teaching can be combined to support music in the public schools. 

Words cannot describe how my experiences in the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus, now Anima, have helped me throughout my life.  Not only do I often run into alumni who enjoy sharing stories from the past, but I am also lucky to use the skills, music, and attitudes that I learned from my outstanding mentors to help me reach new goals and gain new experiences every day.  

These glorious summer days are the perfect setting for singing at Millennium Park. August 15 and 16 we were in two performances of opera choruses with the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, singing to a packed house and lawn downtown, with a full moon shining down.  What a thrill for our young singers, who, in the words of conductor Carlos Kalmar, performed “flawlessly.”

Last week we performed Holst’s The Planets, also at Millennium, with Chicago Sinfonietta and projections on a large screen above the stage provided by Adler Planetarium.  It was another magical evening. Picnics on the lawn provided a full view of the stage and projections – a fabulous way to spend a gentle summer evening on the lakefront. 

The Planets was composed between 1914 and 1916, as WWI raged across Europe.  The work includes seven movements, each named after one of the Planets.  Holst was fascinated by astrology at the time and strove to capture the astrological character of each planet in his music. The work’s focus on outer space, mysticism, astrology, pagan mythology, and the raw power of nature was truly groundbreaking in its day.  Immediately a favorite with audiences at its premiere, The Planets remains a much beloved standard of the orchestral repertoire, full of color, beauty, and power.   The wordless women’s double choir in the last movement was a marvelous vehicle for our oldest singers and several chorus alumni who came back to join us for this spectacular event… a grand way to kick off our 44^th season!