NOVEMBER 10, 2024

A NOTE FROM LYNN (TFMC President Lynn McNew)

Hello, Everyone, from sunny Fort Worth! It’s good to be in touch with you again. I’ve tried very hard to find someone to help me get a newsletter out to all of you, and finally decided I had to do it myself. This won’t be anything fancy, but there is a lot of news to share with you.

I’m sure by now all of your clubs are well into a great program year. Please send a copy of your yearbook to me—I really like to see all your wonderful programs. Also send a copy to Jean Moffatt, our yearbook chair. Her address is P.O. Box 791, Seminole, TX 79360. Her email is jmoffatt60@outlook.com. And I know teachers are busy preparing for Christmas recitals and soon after that it’s festival time. Thanks to all of you who work so hard to turn your students into great performers.

There are many things going on in our wonderful organization this year. Mark your calendar for April 3-5, 2025, for the state convention in Lubbock at the MCM Elegante Hotel. Our very special National Guest will be Jean Moffatt and the 2023 winner in men’s voice, Micheal Celentano, will be our Young Artist. We will also be hearing a young man, a student at Texas Tech, who was in the cast at Opera in the Ozarks last summer. He will surely have an interesting story to tell about his experiences. We will be electing new officers, so if you would like to serve in some capacity, let us know. I will be asking District Presidents to serve as a nominating committee. Last year I asked for short reports from clubs to put in a packet for convention goers. I don’t need your report forms until they are due— all I want is a few paragraphs telling what your club is doing this year. On that note, if you have an outstanding program this year, let me know. We would like to see it at convention.

Equally exciting is the announcement that Texas will be hosting the NFMC National Convention in Austin, June 10-14, 2025. It will be at the Hilton Austin Airport Hotel and I hope many of you will attend. There may be a special incentive if you do and I will need the help of many people for hospitality and to help with table decorations to name a few. You will definitely want to be there on Tuesday night with your boots and hats as we will be going to Cooper’s Barbecue for a real authentic Texas barbecue and line dancing and then a trip to Congress Ave. to see the bats. There will be luncheons, informative workshops and interesting speakers. Plus the music will be outstanding; there will be new Young Artists selected and performing during this time. We also are working on the possibility of Texas hosting a Lifer’s Breakfast for all national life members, as we do at our state conventions. I am asking each club, if it is possible for you, to donate $100 to help defray some of the expenses of hosting this convention. Any money left over after the convention goes to the host state and we will make sure that all the clubs who donate will get something back. If $100 is more than you can manage, please give what you can. Also I’m asking each club to come up with something to include in the gift bags given to all the attendees. You will surely find some clever small article which exemplifies your part of Texas. When we were in Bettendorf, Iowa, last year, several people asked how we were going to top some of the things we heard and saw there. My reply was that we weren’t going to top it, we were going to make it truly Texan!!! There will be 200 bags.

It is important that Texas make a good showing at this convention. It is a great honor to be asked to host a National Convention and we want to show why everything is bigger (and better) in Texas.

I hope you will be as excited about our 2 conventions as I am. And we must not forget Opera in the Ozarks in July of next year. It will be the 75th anniversary and also the opening of the beautiful new theatre. Something else to look forward to.

As we head into the holiday season. I ask that you remember all the many things for which we are thankful. As our Collect says, “For the love of music and the gift of friends.”

Blessings, Lynn