The Eugene Concert Choir offers an opportunity for a memorial dedication in the program book for the Britten War Requiem that can be either in memory of veterans or in honor of living veterans and active military. Please follow the links for more information and to download a copy of the dedication form which can be mailed in to the choir office. Deadline is February 15 to ensure printing in the program.

Dedication Letter • Dedication Form

Veterans series resonated deeply

Letter to the Editor, Register-Guard, Jan. 5, 2012

I have saved the “Called to Duty” salute to World War II veterans and read Bob Welch’s beautiful stories and looked at the extraordinary photos by Paul Carter over and over. The series resonated with my life on many levels.

My father was a decorated World War II veteran, doing reconnaissance for the 14th Armored Division. The veterans series made me wish I could ask my dad about his experiences in the war; it’s a treasure that the stories of these outstanding veterans were captured before it was too late.

The endearing Dec. 6 article, “Love’s power in war,” conjured up images of my dad meeting my mother, a USO hostess, and their hasty marriage at Fort Campbell, Ky., before my dad shipped out for a year. But the Dec. 4 article, “My lost innocence,” about Gerald Patterson, including a quotation of his poetry, struck me to the core. It brought gut-wrenchingly to mind the poetry of World War I poet Wilfred Owen.

As I prepare the Eugene Concert Choir for our performance of the Benjamin Britten War Requiem, composed for a World War II memorial and utilizing Owen’s all-too-relevant poetry, the December veterans series has added a deeply personal element to my understanding of this chillingly significant masterwork.

DIANE RETALLACK, DIRECTOR
Eugene Concert Choir

Auditions for new members of the Eugene Concert Choir

The Eugene Concert Choir holds auditions several times a year. The next audition for new members will be August 28, 2012. Please contact the Eugene Concert Choir office in August if you are interested in signing up for an audition time.

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