Illini Statesmen

We'll be singing at the Luminaria ceremony of the 2008 Champaign County Relay for Life, an annual benefit for the American Cancer Society. Money raised goes to help survivors and fund research in the fight against cancer. It's a wonderful cause, and this is their biggest fundraiser of the year. We're proud to be a part of it, and we hope you can join us Saturday, May 17, at the Centential High School track!

The Illini Statesmen brought two great songs to the Illinois District chorus competition this year, "Where the Southern Roses Grow" (find it in the tag book!) and "Basin Street Blues". We worked hard building the good singing habits necessary to get those songs sounding great, and it paid off. We came in 4th overall with an average score of 70.1—an improvement over last year and another step toward the top of the podium!

Prairie Blend has cooked up another set of recordings for us; this time, it's the "Lone Ranger"! These are standard learning-style recordings with your part on the left channel and the three remaining parts on the right channel.

• Tenor
• Lead
• Baritone
• Bass

Thanks again to Hugo for preparing the recording!

Thanks to our teaching quartet (Prairie Blend), we've got a great recording of "Basin Street Blues" broken up into parts. These are standard learning-style recordings with your part on the left channel and the three remaining parts on the right channel.

• Tenor
• Lead
• Baritone
• Bass

Extra thanks to Hugo for preparing the recording!

The Illini Statesmen will be performing for folks at the annual Schnucks Valentine breakfast. Schnucks in return will be generously donating roses for our Singing Valentines later that week! Dress will probably be tuxes and red shirts, but stay tuned for more details...

It's that time of year again! Love is in the air, doing its best to keep the cold winter away. What better way to express your love for your sweetheart than to send a Singing Valentine? One of our fine quartets will visit your loved one this Valentine's Day and sing a song of love. Your sweetie will also receive a rose and a photo to remember the moment.

We can send a Singing Valentine anywhere within 20 miles or so of Champaign-Urbana on the 13th or 14th of February. Contact our coordinator at valentines@illinistatesmen.org or by phone at (217) 366-0148 for more details and to arrange your Singing Valentine.

Prairie Blend has been singing together for just two years, but in total they have over 70 years as members of the Society.

Their lead, Dennis Mulvany, delivers a smooth tone to both highs and lows of the melody. Denny has been a member of several quartets, including Square One and C-U Swing.

Their bass, Vern Knapp, needs no introduction in the Illinois District, as he's been the solid foundation of three Illinois District Quartet Champs over the past 30 plus years.

lots of news, but you have to read it to find out...

the latest Illini Statesmen news:

September is Membership Month
upcoming events,
the importance of volunteering,
perfecting our craft through vowel matching,
Society HQ new address in Nashville,

All the news we could find, including stories on...

quartet activities
upcoming chapter events and performances
how to produce a good tone when singing
reflections on the International Convention
and more...