Oct 22, 2004 3 min read

The Mozart Music Club of Connellsville held its first meeting of the 2004-05 season recently. The evening began with a catered dinner served by Hartsek’s of Uniontown. Club member Maxine Barricklow gave the invocation.

A program followed, featuring tenor Jesse Lowry and soprano Chelsey Kurtz.

Lowry is a 1990 graduate of Connellsville High School. In his last year of high school, he won The National American Teacher’s Association Singing Award. He also has a music degree from Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., where he majored in voice.

He has performed in many operas and operettas in college and in Broadway musicals in high school and the West Virginia Public Theatre. He lives in the area with his wife, Diane.

For the evening’s program he sang the following selections: “Perche, Dolce and Perduta hola speranza” by Donaudy; “Come Back to Sorrento” by Curtis; “Sole Mio” by Capua; “Who Is Sylvia?” by Schubert; two selections from “The HM.S. Pinafore” by Gilbert and Sullivan; “One Hand, One Heart” from the musical “West Side Story;” and “On The Street Where You Live” from the musical “My Fair Lady” by Lerner and Loewe.

Kurtz was the club’s student of the month. She is the daughter of Ed and Karen Kurtz of Connellsville and has studied voice from Michele Stefl for the past five years.

This past summer she attended the Boston Conservatory Vocal Camp in Boston, Mass. She is a senior at Connellsville Senior High School. Her high school activities have included attending the PMEA Honors Choir Festivals for three years; selection for the 2003 ACDA World Music Honors Choir Festival; vocal semi-finalist for the Pennsylvania Govenor’s School of the Arts in 2003 and 2004; and major roles in the two high school productions, “Annie” and “Showboat.

She is also member of chamber ensemble, concert band, the varsity cheerleading squad, executive secretary of the student council, National Honor Society, French Honor Society, Thespian Honor Society, member of Who’s Who, Academic All-Stars and the 2004 All American Cheerleading Squad.

Kurtz has received awards from the United States Achievement Academy in cheerleading and English. Her future plans include attending college and majoring in vocal performance and music education.

For the meeting, Kurtz sang three selections. They were “Batti, batti, 0 bel Masetto” from the opera, “Don Giavonni” by Mozart; “This Place Is Mine” from “Phantom” by Yeston; and “This Is The Moment” from the musical, “Jekyll and Hyde” by Wildhorn and Bricusse. Accompanying both the singers was Joanna Ball. Introducing the program was Jane Patterson.

For the business portion of the meeting, the club welcomed three new members. They were Stephanie Stefano, Sheryl Nagy and Mary Nagy. Reports were given by secretary Karen Etling and treasurer Jean Gore. Club president Joanna Ball reported on the club trip to Jennerstown this past July.

Some discussion was presented concerning the upcoming Thanksgiving Festival of Choirs, which will be held at 6:45 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, at Wesley United Methodist Church on South Pittsburgh Street. The club has sponsored this event for many years. Special soloists will be vocalists Henry and Cindy Molinaro and percussionist Ben Haines.

Performing at the next meeting on Nov. 2 will be Todd Reagan of Connellsville and Mary Lou Rohlf of Uniontown.