Well, we now have a new director.
Back in June, we sent out solicitations for a new director and the quality of the responses was amazing. We, the search committee, found it to be a very difficult job to thin the selection down to the final four, but we did it. Once the four were determined, we ask each of them to come in for an interview. Well, if we thought it was difficult to reduce the candidate pool to just four, after interviewing then, we were then tasked to reduce the pool further to the final two.
We decided that we’d have the candidates come in for an actual conducting experience. We had over fifty folks from the chorus attend this stage of the interview process. Each candidate was given a piece of music that the chorus was familiar with and was also requested to bring a piece of music of his choosing. The candidates were given 15 minutes to go over each piece of music with the group. That was 15 minutes for each piece for a total of 30 minutes.
Once that was done, the chorus voted by paper ballot which candidate they preferred. The chorus was aware that their vote was not the final determination, but was just another phase in the entire process.
The committee met one more time to pick the final candidate and we are pleased to announce that Dr. Rollo Fisher, Professor of Music is our new Director.
Dr. Rollo Fisher
Dr. Rollo Fisher is the vocal and choral instructor at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York. Dr. Fisher received his PhD in Choral Music Education from Florida State University, MME from the University of Central Florida, and BME from Indiana University. His choirs have performed for local and national events, including the Masterworks Series at Carnegie Hall. Dr. Fisher currently serves NY American Choral Directors Association as the Two Year College representative on the Executive Board.
A Tribute and Farwell to Ralph and Sandy Zecchino
The Greece Choral Society was organized in 1970 under the masterful direction of Ralph Zecchino, a man with a passion for music who worked by day as a choral music director at Arcadia High School. For the past 44 years, more than 100 singers have joined together with Ralph on Monday evenings to sing and rehearse for five major concerts held throughout the year.
Almost since the beginning, Ralph’s wife Sandy, herself a music teacher, has been the piano accompanist. Together, the Zecchinos have provided an opportunity for people of all ages to sing together and present wonderful choral concerts to audiences young and old.
Over the years, Ralph has directed the Choral Society in performances of major classical works, folk music, spirituals and Broadway show tunes. Most concerts, including the Christmas Concert and the Spring Concert in May, were presented in St. Charles Borromeo Church in Greece. Some concerts were held in the Greece Schools and some on the lawn under the tent at the Town of Greece Supervisor’s Concerts. The Society also performed for the summertime Wegman’s Concerts by the Shore at the Charlotte Beach Gazebo. The group even traveled and performed in 1990 in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and then in 1994 in Ireland, England and France. Through Ralph’s efforts, the Greece Choral Society has been a member of the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium.
With Ralph’s encouragement, many members of the Choral Society have volunteered for the GPAS Notable Garden Tour serving as committee members, hosts, day-of-event volunteers, and as musical performers in the gardens. In addition, for the past 17 years Ralph and Sandy have supported this fundraiser by attending the tours.
The Zecchinos have decided to retire from the Choral Society after this year’s season. The Town of Greece and the GPAS have been blessed by their commitment and professionalism, by their excellent musicianship, and for all they have done to advance the arts in our community.
They will be greatly missed.
Singing in Greece
The Greece Choral Society was organized in September 1970 and had been directed since its beginning by Ralph Zecchino with is wife Sandy as accompanist. Together they have brought music to the Greece Community for 43 years. However, Ralph and Sandy have now retired.
Approximately one hundred singers join together on Monday evenings to practice for the five concerts they perform throughout the year. The group performs major classical works, folk music, spirituals and Broadway show tunes. Our concert location is St Charles Borromeo Church for our Christmas concert in December and spring concert in May. We perform yearly in the summertime “Wegman’s Concerts By The Shore” at the Charlotte Beach Gazebo and the Annual Greece Supervisor’s Concert Series at the Town Hall.
We have a very supportive volunteer group that helps with two fund raisers during the year. The garden tour in June and the gift wrap booth at the Greece Ridge Mall in December. Each September and January new members are added to the chorus. We are looking for singers who have previous choir experience or can carry a part. Auditions are required.
The Greece Choral Society is a member of the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium.