Welcome to the Vanguard Membership Page! We MISS you all, current members and life members alike!
RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY CLICKING ON THE “MEMBERSHIP FORM” BELOW .
COVID-19 has curtailed our activities severely but we are needed more than ever. The Arts are suffering on every level given the social distancing demands of public health welfare.
We are still hoping to expand our membership so that when things return to normal, we can gear up our efforts to support our treasured Albany Symphony. If you are new to our organization website, consider joining Vanguard NOW to enjoy the company of interesting and talented people who share your passion for the Albany Symphony Orchestra and actively work to support it. Both leaders and workers are needed for Vanguard activities, which can vary from one-time events to longer engagements.
When you fill out the Membership Form by clicking on the link below this activity listing, you will be asked to select the ones that pique your interest. They will be listed on the form with the bold titles used here, so do take some time to read about them all below. It will be great for us to know your preferences when we get together again.
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SUPPORT THE MUSICIANS!
- Orchestra Hospitality: Take turns preparing and serving finger food for musicians, the conductor, and soloists backstage at concerts, and during the breaks at Tiny Tots concerts in the spring.
- Orchestra Guests: Drive visiting soloists and composers to and from the airport or train station and their hotel or the rehearsal hall. Help prepare a welcome pack for each of these Symphony guests.
- Concert Ushers: At concerts, serve as an usher along with Palace Theatre ushers. Arrive early to stuff programs with promotional materials, and get instructions. Free admission to that concert. Once a year in the spring, serve as an usher and greeter at the Tiny Tots concerts in Saratoga and/or Albany.
- Concert Prevues: On the Friday before each subscription concert, assist in hosting an hour-long Concert Prevue at the Albany Public Library. The guest composer for the next-evening’s concert speaks of his/her inspiration, the soloist may play, the conductor discusses the works on the program, and everyone enjoys light refreshments that we serve.
- Instruments for Students: You help Vanguard mount appeals from time to time for donations of musical instruments. Then assist in placing instruments with school programs for students whose families cannot support instrument rental fees.
- Musician Housing: Offer a room with a bed for orchestra members who live out of town, who need a place to sleep after a day’s travel and back-to-back evening rehearsals. Over breakfast the next morning, learn a bit about music and the lives musicians lead. They usually stay Thursday and Friday nights and go home directly after the concert on Saturday. You offer to house when you can – you are not committed forever! The musicians and the Symphony deeply appreciate your hospitality. (If you volunteer, your name will be given to the ASO Housing Manager, who places musicians. He will contact you directly.) Free admission for two to a concert of your choice.
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SUPPORT THE ASO!
- Concert Staff Support: Greet concertgoers as they enter the hall and answer basic questions, help them with the Box Office, lost tickets, or the Will Call desk, or sell a CD and converse with people who stop by the Symphony table.
- Tiny Tots Concert Assistance: These concerts are held each spring in Albany and Saratoga, and help is needed for the orderly progress of the many, many little ones from their buses to the auditorium and then to help maintain decorum during the concert. Free admission to the concert you serve.
- Assorted Support: Assist the ASO office staff when they have a major job and need some extra hands. Sometimes this is a bulk mailing, sometimes phone call blasts, sometimes a special brunch, sometimes photocopying, sometimes the entry of data on a spreadsheet.
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SUPPORT VANGUARD!
- Vanguard Events: Help plan a garden party, the annual meeting, a luncheon with fashion show, or other activity. the location, the food, and the invitations all need planning.
- Reminder Telephone Calls: Contact Vanguard members who do not use email. Call your assigned few people. You will be given a script about what to say. Keep track of responses.
- Day Trips: Help find places to go and transport to get there, identify an activity (Boat trip? Guided tour? Tasting session? Theatre play?), and prepare the announcement to advertise to members and the public.