CASA - The Contemporary A Capella Society

“The after-dinner concert consists of a half-hour of music of the
season, chosen by the Philharmonic’s director, Patrick Gorman,” she
says. At this year’s feasts, guests heard works by Tchaikovsky,
Britten, Reger and a number of contemporary composers, plus a Latvian
carol — sung in Latvian — and an African-American spiritual.

Despite the hard work, usually beginning with weekly rehearsals in
September, Edlebeck estimates that she has participated in more than
100 Tudor evenings.

“Each one is a very special occurrence, and I never get bored,” she
says. “The enthusiasm of the audience each night is infectious. It
inspires us in the chorus to give our all!”

Tudor dinners have a lengthy history, dating from 1933. The Tudor
Singers, under the director of Edgar Gordon, were the first group to
provide music for the occasion. The Philharmonic Chorus of Madison, a
community ensemble numbering around 40, has been the “voice” of the
dinners since 1972, the year that Edlebeck joined the Philharmonic. In
spring, the chorus also presents a number of concerts. To learn more,
visit http://philharmonicchorusof madison.org/index.html.

However, Edlebeck does not restrict her musical interests to Tudor
England. In addition to the Philharmonic, she also sings tenor with the
Sound of Madison, a women’s four-part a cappella barbershop group, affiliated with Sweet Adelines International.

“In barbershop, tenor is the highest of the four parts. The others,
from highest to lowest, are lead, which usually has the melody,
baritone and bass,” she says.

Edlebeck’s interest in long-ago times comes as no surprise when she talks about her part-time antiques business.

“I have always been interested in collecting and organizing things.
I have been a stamp collector for many years, and this has flowed
logically into collecting and selling all sorts of smaller items such
as vases, figurines, postcards, books and anything else I find
interesting. I now rent space in one of the local antiques malls,” she
says.

However, singing and antiques are not Edlebeck’s only extracurricular interests.

“I’m thinking of taking early retirement in the next year or two,”
she says. “That would give me more time to devote to my many passions,
among them, playing the recorder, kayaking, bird-watching,
gardening...” And her list, like the song, plays on.

Reprinted with permission from the University of Wisconsin-Madison University Communications: http://www.news.wisc.edu/11937.html