We welcome these world travelers and extend our hand of hospitality to share the message and mission of MUSE. We are grateful for the opportunity to expand our own awareness of world choral music and our ability to create great music to share with the world. In addition to MUSE’s own participation in the competition, we will host and share Friendship Concerts with a choir from Indonesia. We'll perform together at Warren Correctional Institution (Lebanon, OH) and at Findlay Market in Cincinnati.

For our 29th, the spotlight’s on MUSE.

We are thrilled to take our talents back to the beautiful Corbett Theater at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts for our Annual Spring Concert. It’s one night – and one night only! (May 12, 7:30 pm) No guest artists -- just pure vintage MUSE accompanied by talented local instrumentalists. We’ll treat you to a melodic mix of music we’re performing at the summer World Choir Games as well as for our performance in Denver, CO, at the GALA festival [Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses] in July. Come experience this musical panorama celebrating our creative repertoire!

Want a sneak peak? Imagine The Lion King’s "The Circle of Life" bursting with even more energy and polyphonic, pulsating exuberance through a new arrangement -- created just for MUSE -- by talented, local composer and arranger, Steve Milloy. Pair that with American Spiritual Ensemble choreographer, Peggy Stamps' gifted rhythmic vision, and the MUSE choir belting out traditional Zulu African chants – you might just be dancing in your seat!

There's much more in store for 2012!

This year is filled with exciting excursions. We’ll be performing at Antioch College as well as heading to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to participate in a prestigious music series at the First United Methodist Church. We’ll be supporting women's basketball by singing The Star Spangled Banner at the University of Cincinnati and at Xavier University. And to support our generous friends at ArtsWave, we’ll be singing our hearts out at the ArtsWave Sampler Weekend in February. We hope to see you at all of our engagements!

who brought their lovely artistic talents to share. The evening was full of crafted goods, which this year included such edible art as cake pops and delectable chocolates. We are hoping to continue to grow next year to expand our space, lengthen the duration of the bazaar, and broaden the number of outstanding vendors who will personally benefit, and benefit MUSE from the event.

One particular vendor, author and designer, Terry Werth, shares how she came to sell her wares at MUSE's Winter bazaar. Terry became one of our newest fans after she stumbled upon MUSE's version of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," when she was searching for music from the movie, "Iron-Jawed Angels". Terry excitedly spread the word of her discovery to friends and family about MUSE, whose musical excellence reflected the way she had been instructed in her years at Elmhurst College, under the tutelage of Dr. T Howard Krueger. Her jewelry collection, Women Rising (made from seashell fragments and freshwater pearls and with silhouettes of women) was made especially poignant because Terry created pieces specially for the event, in MUSE's shade of turquoise.

In the same way MUSE's repertoire does, Terry's multifaceted "Women Rising" collection celebrates the strength of women, with a "sense of self-awareness, self-determination and self-confidence...(with) moments of triumph, success and survival." Terry will soon be carrying her "Women Rising" line on her website.

Some other highlighted websites from this year's 30 vendors are:

Beth Goldstein Ceramics
Growing Sounds Children's CDs
Paulette Meier LessonSongs for Peacemaking
Pic Michel Intuitive Readings
Patti Mossey Jewelry/Felted Goods
Debra Shepard Cake Pops and Photography
Connie Springer Photography

We hope you will join us at next year's Bizarre Bazaar, which we hope will be just as fantastic a fundraiser, and you can be assured, just as beautiful! Here’s to our vendors!

We are gradually going to focus our efforts on migrating our group members over to our very "likable" fan page. If you haven't already, please "LIKE" us. You can get easy updates on all kinds of fun things we are doing that way, and easily share the news with all your facebook friends (and your real friends, too. LOL);)

Like us here!

After graduation, Kate worked for GEICO, even once squeezing into the Gecko costume for a corporate event! A few years later she got her MBA from Penn State, where she met her boyfriend, Justin, who moved to Cincinnati for a job with P&G.
One year after that, Kate moved to Cincinnati, to join Justin, and to begin working for dunnhumby USA (which "provide(s) (Kroger) shoppers with a more customized shopping experience"-CNN Money).

At Fountain Square, Kate plays broomball on ice for dunnhumby. She also enjoys time with her puppy named Gunnar.

Kate loves that MUSE is made of women willing to work for the basic rights of others, especially since she is passionate about GLBT rights and religious tolerance in our country. Kate is pleased that with MUSE she is able to address these issues in a positive and useful matter.

She does find memorizing the music to be a challenge since "those concert dates creep up very quickly".

Welcome Kate! It is a great pleasure to have her in our choir.

-----

Little Miss Katy Moffat, Alto II, Does Not Sit on her Tuffet.

She is busy as a student of Music Education at Wright State University. She is also working on a minor in History. If that weren't enough, she works at Dayton's PetSuites of America (a kennel for dogs and cats), and teaches piano lessons (to people).

Katy finds the most rewarding parts of being in MUSE is meeting so many kind women, and also MUSE's diversity. Katy faces the challenge of a grand commute (the better part of an hour) between her home in Springboro and rehearsal in Clifton.

Katy is passionate about art education, animal rights and equality issues. We are grateful to have Katy join us this year, and glad she's making that commute.

The women who join MUSE come from a wide array of singing backgrounds. Many have performed with bands and in solo settings. The cabaret allows these women (and some very special men) to showcase their talents for a brand new audience including you! See such local, vocal phenoms as Whitney Szabo (Whitney B), whose euphonic sounds, and deft lyrics earned her a 2005 Cincinnati Singer/Songwriter of the year award. Or buy that ticket to experience one of our men friends, acclaimed performer/arranger Steve Milloy who not only excels as a thespian, but has also entertained troops, tickled the ivories, and used his tremolo to foment MUSE into giddy admiration. These acts and others are pulling out all the stops for this marvelous night of music, comedy, friends, fun, and festivity.

Your $20 ticket ($15 if you buy online) gets you into the action and supports Cincinnati's Women's Choir. Let the women of MUSE (and some of our favorite men), entertain you, enjoy the fabulous atmosphere of Below Zero, and enter a raffle for a chance to win some goodies. We look forward to spending a great night with you.

Cabaret Details:
Jan. 28th, 7-9pm, Doors open at 6:30
Below Zero
1122 Walnut Street; Downtown
Tickets $15 online/$20 at the door

A leadership team comprised of MUSE board members and some choir members will work for 10 weeks with a team of three CCM students to evaluate the role and function of MUSE's Board within the organization. All aspects of operations will be analyzed including financial, marketing, technology, venues, programming, attendance, revenue, human resources and mission. The students will have regular meetings with the MUSE leadership team and use the information they gather to make recommendations to strengthen our operations and develop our strategic plan.

This will be an intensive undertaking but the resulting information and insight will prove essential to MUSE's growth as a community arts organization, allowing her to flourish into her fourth decade and beyond!

You now become a Friend of MUSE for the entire current season no matter when you give in the season. We especially continue to need your valued support this season as we have ambitious spring and summer plans yet to come. We will be going to Ann Arbor, MI, in March, be participating in the World Choir Games here in Cincinnati, in July, and then flying off to GALA in Denver, also in July. It all costs money and we are committed to being able to have all of our members participate.

Not on our 29th Season Friends of MUSE member list, yet, or feel you might be able to give an additional donation? Don't despair, it is as easy as a click on your computer and the spring concert program will include the names of all our 29th (2011-2012) season FOM members. BE ON THE LIST! You will feel the love of 70 plus MUSE singers and 5th section (non-singing members) of MUSE.

Around 125 people crowded into the Cabaret for an 8 game round - each of which required the player to follow a particular pattern in order to achieve "Gay Bingo". Each card had four mini games.

How is Gay Bingo different from regular ol' Bingo you might ask? Well for one, a player only wins if they correctly shout "Gay Bingo". Secondly, if a player messes up at all (calls false Bingo, makes any mistakes, etc.), they have to go onstage and sing a little song or do a little dance (along with some other more risqué performances). Among the more tame follies was when a group of CMC guys and our very own Accompanist/Associate Director, Rachel Kramer had to sing "Row Your Boat" in a round until they raised enough money to stop! These side performances were some of the most fun of the evening!

Another difference is that no other Bingo games are lucky enough be presided over by Miss Brooklyn Steele-Tate of The Imperial Sovereign Queen City Court of the Buckeye Empire of All Ohio, Inc. Not only were the drinks cold, the music loud, and the audience bits hilarious, but the musical performances were fabulous!

This year we raised over $1600 - that's over $800 for CMC and MUSE both - double what we raised back in August! Thanks so much to everyone who came out to support. We had an incredible time!

Joining MUSE has been a joy for her, gradually "soaking up the spirit" of the women and reassuring her that this is the right place for her. Preparing for the concert was a considerable challenge, but also a good discovery that she still "had it!"

Robin is passionate about poverty issues and politics. She is a supporter of civil discussion to inch our way to progress. She also believes that education is important to change our culture and individual lives. MUSE is very happy to welcome Robin as our new music librarian, a demanding volunteer position.

-----
New Diva, Lauren Gets Her Kicks from People and Peregrination

Lauren Brinkman, (SI) loves being a member of MUSE. She enjoys learning songs in different languages, as well as the opportunity to meet the native speakers MUSE brings to help with dialect and pronunciation. In her words, it is a challenging, but growing experience.

Lauren is a born and raised West-Sider. But, she is not a homebody; Lauren loves to travel, talk to locals, and experience foods from different cultures. Her travels have brought her to Germany, Jamaica, England, and France, among others. Most recently, she traveled to Scotland, where she met bagpipers; exciting for her, as she even met an acquaintance of one from her favorite drum and bagpipe heroes. She discussed Bubble and Squeak, and Haggis, and other popular Scottish dishes. Lauren is looking to make international travel a biennial event, with her next destination Eastern Europe or Asia.

An active, twenty-something, Lauren is also a member of the ProKids Young Professional Organization, a youth group leader, and a volunteer with HONK (Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky.)

It is obvious that Lauren is passionate about youth and community development, and in teaching skills that may help others achieve personal success. Before finding MUSE, Lauren says she was missing something in her life. MUSE is happy that she found it as a part of our choir among the SI Divas.

We have gotten very positive feedback on the Singer's Blend, a fair trade coffee blend that was created just for us by Coffee Emporium. This Full City Roast coffee inspired MUSE Alto I, Jill Huppert to write this description:

MUSE Fair Trade Coffees are full-bodied Singers' Blends of harmonious flavors, with notes of diva, rock-star and gospel, accompanied by unmatched virtuosity.

This coffee does justice to the MUSE label, is sure to warm your soul, raise your spirits, and your consciousness.

By popular demand, the coffee blend, which comes in ground or whole bean decaf and regular, will reprise at MUSE's Spring Concert. You will be able to pre-order on the MUSE website and pick it up at the concert, May 12th.

While MUSE singers are learning music and rehearsing, the 5th section is busy with community outreach, managing our growing merchandise inventory, and planning logistics for our next concert. On concert days you’ll see us taking tickets, assisting with childcare and special needs, and running the MUSE marketplace.

In addition to working as a team and being part of the MUSE family, you’ll also get a free concert ticket and invitations to our awesome after-parties. Contact Becky Weedy for more information: bweedy@insightbb.com or sign up here!

So far this season, we've been awarded an operating support grant of $3850 from the Ohio Arts Council and we were recently awarded $4500 from the William Albers Foundation to help with our 2012 Choir Games participation.

Two MUSE members were able to obtain $500 grants from the companies where they are employed: Kathy Zindak [Alto 2] from FedEx Office, and Sally Neidhard [Soprano 2] from Landor.

MUSE is currently submitting grants to ArtsWave and the Purdy Foundation to support the production of our 2012 Spring Concert.