AMSTERDAM – Rhiannon LaCross, a 17-year-old Broadalbin-Perth High School senior, has been selected as Mohawk Valley Chorus’ 2008 scholarship winner.

LaCross, who plans to major in musical theater at SUNY Cortland, will perform at MVC’s classics concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Amsterdam High School. She will sing Stradella’s Pieta Senore and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Unexpected Song.

The scholarship, awarded annually to a high school senior or junior for outstanding vocal ability, is worth $500 and may be used to further her musical education.

LaCross, the daughter of Ted and Lisa Bochenek, has been performing for years. She has been in the B-P Concert Choir for four years; the school’s Vocal Ensemble for three; New York State Scholastic Music Association programs, including the 2007 All-State Women’s Chorus. A year ago, she also performed at the Marcella Sembrich Opera Museum in Bolton Landing.

Besides singing, the Broadalbin teen-ager also plays a number of instruments -- the violin, clarinet, bass clarinet and piano – and has considerable acting experience. She participated in Fulton-Montgomery Community College’s New Visions Theater and has performed at the Colonial Little Theater, the Glove Theater, Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, Cohoes Music Hall and the Mac-Haydn Summer Theater.

Currently, LaCross holds the title of Miss Central Region and will be competing in the Miss New York State contest in July. She was first runner up for the Miss Mohawk Valley title this year and won the overall talent competition in the 2008 Miss Fulton County contest.

While most of her time has been spent performing, LaCross has also been involved in a number of other school activities, including Varsity soccer and the Key Club.

Charles P. Snyder of Mariaville has been elected president of Mohawk Valley Chorus. He succeeds Gay O’Brien of Ballston Spa.

Other officers for the 2007-08 season are Wayne Brule of Niskayuna, vice president; Gail Shufelt of Broadalbin, secretary; and Linda Bialobok of Hagaman, treasurer.

Newly elected board members are Elaine O’Connor and Nancy VanDenburgh, both of Johnstown. Re-elected to board positions were Ralph Cook and Grace Frederes, Amsterdam; and David Plank, Palatine Bridge. Also on the board are Marcia Adam of Glenville; Geraldine Hammond, Galway; and Karen Spooner, Amsterdam.

Snyder retired from the state after 32 years of service this spring. He has been a telecommunications analyst for the Office of General Services, Taxation and Finance and Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

Besides MVC, he is a 20-year member of the Mariaville Volunteer Fire Department and active with the Junction Ecumenical Ministry soup kitchen, Habitat for Humanity and the Saratoga Therapeutic Equestrian Program


MVC Board Enacts New Registration Policy

In an attempt to improve efficiency and to curb the number of rehearsal absences, the board in June enacted a new policy that requires all members to register within the first two rehearsals for every concert throughout the year.

Registration Policy
All members -- new and old alike -- must pay dues (if necessary), register and get music by the second week of any rehearsal series to sing in the forthcoming concert. Those who cannot, for whatever reason, need to make special arrangements with library personnel for their music; notify the personnel director of their intent; and obtain special permission from the music director to join at any time after the second rehearsal. Such absences will count towards the three allowed in each rehearsal series.
-MVC Board of Directors

This action was taken for a variety of reasons. One, it will ease the burden on librarians who won’t need to carry music from the library at the St. Stanislaus Center for the Arts to the Inman Center week after week. Two, it will speed up record keeping and the development of rosters and attendance cards. Three, it will enable the music director to make necessary program changes earlier, based on the makeup of the chorus.

Although it will, the board hopes, improve attendance and uniformity, it is flexible enough to provide for emergency situations and for our snowbirds. As long as the individual notifies the library and the personnel director and obtains special permission from the music director to begin rehearsals after the second week, he or she may pay dues by mail and arrange to have their music mailed (at his expense) or he may ask another member to register (pay dues and get music) for him. Snowbirds have been doing the mail route for years.

All-in-all, it should make MVC a more efficient and better rehearsed chorus. That’s the point and the purpose.