102nd Anniversary Gala Menu Tasting

On Thursday, February 4, Settlement Music School's Gala Menu Co-chairs Susan and Greg Moore and Susan and the Honorable Vincent Poppiti joined Gala Chairs Don and Lynn Haskin and Konnie Stark to sample some of the delicious menu selections offered by Hyatt at the Bellevue along with some fine vintage wines courtesy of Moore Brothers Wine Company.

The Poppitis (left) and Moores with Chef Richard at the Hyatt at the Bellevue have the tough job of selecting Settlement Music School's menu for the 102nd Annual Gala to be held at the Hyatt on April 10, 2010.

Gala Co-Chairs Lynn & Don Haskin and Konnie Stark (Co-chair and husband Paul Stark had an out-of-town business meeting that day -- too bad!)

This is one of the tougher jobs in Gala Planning! All the food was delicious. The chairs sampled the three main courses you see below, as well as a few desserts. Which of these choices do you think will be the winner? The selected meal will be published soon.

Potential Main Courses
Duet Featuring Cabernet Marinated Filet of Beef Tenderloin
Roasted Corn and Leek Potato Cake
Paired with Basil and Macadamia Nut Crusted Salmon on Garlic Infused Spinach
Balsamic Demi Glace

~

Duet Featuring Pan Seared Filet of Beef Tenderloin
St. Andre Cheese and Tart Apples, Black Truffle Potato Cake with a Shallot Demi Glace
Paired with Chilean Sea Bass Brushed with XO Remy Asian Sauce, Leek and Mushroom

~

Frenched Breast of Chicken, Applewood Bacon, Napa Cabbage, Fingerling Potato Hash
and Tart Cherry Thyme Sauce

Potential Desserts
Chocolate Indulgence
Milk Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Glacage, Chocolate Whipped Cream

~

Trio Plate
Pastry Chef Selection of (3) Desserts
Lemon Curd Barquette, Macadamia Nut Cheesecake, and Chocolate Torte

Settlement Music School Closed Thursday, February 11

All branches and offices of Settlement Music School are closed Thursday, February 11. We expect to re-open Friday, February 12 for regularly scheduled activities.

Patricia Manley
Interim Executive Director

Settlement Music School Closed Wednesday, February 10

Weather predictions seem certain that a significant amount of snow will have accumulated by tomorrow morning and that it will continue to fall throughout the day. Therefore, all branches and offices of Settlement Music School will be closed on Wednesday, February 10 and I hope you will be somewhere safe and warm.

Updates will be posted on the Settlement website www.smsmusic.org, on the recorded messages at each branch, and on KYW. The Philadelphia emergency closing number 154 applies to all branches.

Full time staff members should check in on Thursday morning for an update on whether their branch is opening. Depending on the cleanup efforts around Philadelphia, Montgomery County and Camden, we will attempt to re-open the offices and to resume teaching as soon as practical.

Thank you.

Patricia Manley
Interim Executive Director

Sunday, February 7 Events at Mary Louise Curtis and Germantown Branches Canceled

Due to the abundance of snow on Friday and Saturday, Sunday's Winter Orchestra Festival at the Mary Louise Curtis Branch and student recital at the Germantown branch have been canceled.

Please visit the calendar at www.smsmusic.org later this week for the rescheduled dates.

The School will re-open as normal on Monday, February 8.

Settlement Music School will be closed Saturday, February 6

According to the weather experts, Philadelphia and the surrounding area expect several inches of snow to accumulate by early Saturday morning and for the storm to continue throughout the day.

All locations of Settlement Music School will be closed on Saturday, February 6 and will re-open for Sunday afternoon rehearsals and performances. Arrangements for plowing and cleanup have been made for Sunday.

The Settlement website www.smsmusic.org and branch telephone messages will be updated this weekend if there are any changes. As a reminder, Settlement’s school closing number on KYW 1060AM is 154. Thank you.

Stay safe and warm.

The Shape of Things to Come (Walls)

Things are literally beginning to take shape at the Willow Grove branch site. Throughout this post, you'll see pictures of bare rebar sticking out of the ground, marking the places where walls eventually will stand.

The corner you see in the photo on the right marks the left corner of the building as viewed from Davisville Road.

While it may be raining cats and dogs today, the weather last week was perfect for the next stage of the process. Lightweight, pre-fabricated forms were delivered, then erected around the rebar frame.

Once the form is in place, concrete will be poured inside it, surrounding the rebar, which serves to reinforce the walls.

The white forms represent what will be the back of the new facility, which faces the road. You'll enter the parking lot from the left side of the rear of the building, then park on the side that isn't visible from the road.

Thusly, the front entrance of the building actually is in the rear of the lot, on the same side as the railroad tracks that occasionally make their way into the pictures.

Here's another shot of the concrete form from the other end of the lot. Part of the wall created here will be under the ground, forming one wall of the building's lowest floor.

Have a question about the Willow Grove construction project? Let us know in the comments below and we'll do our best to answer it.

Elevators, jacks and pylons, on my!

Exciting stuff happened at the site of the Willow Grove branch just after the first of the year. The big trailer you see to your right was pulled onto the lot in order to lay the groundwork for a piece of the construction process that won't happen for a few months.

Any guesses? In case the subject of today's post didn't give it away, this jack drilled a solid metal pylon straight into the ground. Thirty-eight feet straight into the ground to be precise.

When it's installed a few months from now, the weight of the elevator machinery will rest on top of this pylon.

Just a reminder, you can see larger versions of each of these images by clicking on them.

Settlement's 2009 Nutcracker Performance from a Parent's Perspective

I was a student in Olga Blumenkrantz's first class of ballet students at the Kardon-Northeast Branch about thirty years ago. I had taken nine years of ballet with Olga. In 1983, my class and I performed at the Academy of Music honoring Settlement Music School's 75th year. I can remember getting ready in the dressing room. I still have a framed program from 1986, when Robert Capanna was the Branch Director for the Kardon-Northeast Branch. Countless hours went into practicing ballet in order to achieve the prize of wearing toe shoes. After that, the goal switched to earning a solo, toe-shoe performance.

On December 22, 2009, I watched the annual version of The Nutcracker, choreographed by Olga Blumenkrantz. The festive decorations, Christmas tree, and brilliant lights transformed the stage. The performance was enhanced for me because my daughter, Ava, played the role of the Nutcracker. The most magical part for me came when my nine-year-old daughter, Chloe, danced the part of Clara wearing my toe shoes. To me, Chloe floated across the stage more gracefully than any professional I'd seen.

The audience, along with my husband, in-laws, aunt, uncle, and nieces enjoyed a wonderful, dynamic performance of The Nutcracker. Through my tears, I witnessed memories flooding back and experienced the passing of a beloved talent to the next generation with the help of Settlement Music School and the dedication of the Kardon-Northeast Branch founding ballet instructor, Olga.

My memories at SMS and recent experiences compelled me to join as a member of the Board of Directors. I wanted to give back something to an organization that had given me so much. Prior to joining the board, I knew the office personnel and my daughters' teachers. Now, I have the opportunity to engage with other parents, faculty and students by attending performance hours, recitals, and board meetings.

I wanted to share my story with other parents who are trying to give opportunities to their children and yet ask themselves, "Is it worth it?" Is it worth the drive? Is it worth the money? Is it worth the effort? I can tell you that, as a former ballet student and mother of current ballet and violin students, it is. They will carry the experience with them always, just as I do.

Julia C. Roberts
Settlement Parent
Kardon-Northeast Branch Board Member

Willow Grove Construction Over the Holidays

As you can see from the photos on this post, real work on the Willow Grove project started in earnest in December.

Once the construction vehicles arrived, the first goal on site involved clearing some trees from the sides and back of the lot.

Following that, workers began clearing and grading the land in preparation for drainage installation.



Despite the surprise that was the pre-Christmas nor'easter, the drainage pipes were delivered. Further photos to come as work progresses. Be sure to visit the blog regularly for updates.

Settlement's Willow Grove Project Begins!

Welcome back to Settlement's blog! One of our resolutions for 2010? More updates, more regularly.

We'll start with the progress on the Settlement's Willow Grove project. A reminder: the new branch replaces and doubles the capacity of the Jenkintown Branch, which currently is housed in a leased facility.

To give you a clear idea of where we started, the photo on the right shows what the lot looked like less than two months ago.

If you haven't been to the lot recently, then you missed the excellent sign that our builder, TN Ward, built for the site just before construction started. As with any image on the blog, just click for a larger version. Shortly after the sign went up, a trailer and portable restroom were installed on the property, a sure sign the construction was about to begin.

In the second of today's posts, we'll share what happened at the construction site over the recent holidays.