On Saturday, October 18, 2014 the Chapel at Tel Hai will be filled with the sounds of exceptional vocal performance by three tenors—William Davenport, Galeano Salas  and Mackenzie Whitney. Accompanied on piano by Jeffrey Uhlig, their program of opera, Broadway show tunes and Neapolitan songs will thrill and delight the audience.

Coordinated by returning favorite, Jeffrey Uhlig, the three tenors bring a variety of operatic experience and years of musical study and preparation. William Davenport of Maryland has been described as a “lyric tenor with Italianate style.” He completed his studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and performed frequently with Peabody Opera. Recent engagements have included Verdi Requiemswith the Austin Symphony, the National Philharmonic, the Tuscia Opera Festival in Italy and the Bucks County Choral Society. He is currently a Resident Artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, where he studies with Bill Schuman.

Galeano Salas, a Texas native who grew up in Mexico City, holds a Master’s in Music from Yale University, He is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. He most recently sang the role of Alfredo in La Traviata and was the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Hartford Symphony and the New Haven Symphony Orchestras. He also won the Annual Arkadi Foundation Competition this year.

Mackenzie Whitney of Janesville, Iowa, received his Bachelor’s in Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Northern Iowa and participated in the Emerging Artist program at Opera New Jersey. Mackenzie began his studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia in September 2012 and has performed the role of Count Almaviva in Rossini’s Barber of Seville and the role of Rodriquez in Massenet’s Don Quixote. He won the Encouragement Award at The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2014.

The three tenors will be accompanied on piano by Jeffrey Uhlig, who performs regularly with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Uhlig received his Master of Music degree from West Chester University and is in demand as a chamber music player, vocal coach and accompanist. He is a faculty member at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia where he holds the Lilian Kraus Felber Distinguished Faculty Chair in piano. He is also Principal Keyboard and Vocal coach with the Ocean City (NJ) Pops Orchestra and a Tel Hai favorite!

The concert is offered free of charge and the public is welcome to attend. The performance will begin at 7:30PM in Tel Hai’s chapel off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10. Directions can be found on the website: www.telhai.org under the “Contact Us” tab; with GPS please use the physical address—1200 Tel Hai Circle, Honey Brook.

PHOTO 1: William Davenport will be one of three tenors to perform at Tel Hai on Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 7:30PM with piano accompaniment by Jeffrey Uhlig. 

PHOTO 2: Tenor Galeano Salas, currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, will be one of three tenors to perform at Tel Hai on Saturday, October 18 at 7:30pm.

PHOTO 3: Mackenzie Whitney, Tenor and student at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, will join William Davenport and Galeano Salas in performance of opera, Broadway show tunes and Neapolitan songs at Tel Hai on October 18, 2014 at 7:30pm. 

PHOTO 4: Jeffrey Uhlig, Principal Keyboard and Vocal Coach with the Ocean City (NJ) Pops Orchestra will accompany the three tenors during their performance on Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 7:30PM at the Tel Hai Chapel off Beaver Dam Road in Honey Brook.

Tel Hai resident and memoir workshop leader, Donna McLay invites aspiring writers to the next memoir writing course scheduled to begin its eighth season on October 8, 2014. Donna says, “Each person’s life is unique as a fingerprint. No one else has had your experiences. Do you have a story to tell?”

Mrs. McLay offers a six-week writing course on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 3:00pm in the Magnolia Room of the Garrett Community Center on Tel Hai’s campus. Sessions will be held October 8 through November 19 (skipping October 15, 2014). The $25 course fee is payable to Donna McLay at the first class. Pre-registration is requested; class size is limited. Please contact Donna at 610-273-4605 to register.

Tel Hai is located off Beaver Dam Road in Honey Brook Township, east of Route 10. The nationally accredited community, established in 1956, offers a variety of residential accommodations, personal and health care, and rehabilitation services on its 149 acre campus. For directions visit the website: www.telhai.org and click on “Contact Us.”

PHOTO: Memoir Writing instructor, Donna McLay will offer a 6-week writing course beginning on Wednesday, October 8 on Tel Hai’s campus. Participants are encouraged to create memoirs of their own life experiences to share. Pre-registration is requested by calling the instructor at 610-273-4605.

 

The Life Enrichment Committee at Tel Hai has invited APPRISE volunteer, John Vogel, to return to the campus chapel on Tuesday, October 7 at 10:00am to provide an update on Medicare programs and benefit changes. As the Medicare Open Enrollment period approaches all participants will be keenly interested in learning more about the program in general terms as well as the benefit changes that may affect your selections for 2015. Residents from the surrounding community are also invited to attend.

Pennsylvania’s APPRISE Health Insurance Counseling Program is designed to assist older Pennsylvanians to understand and utilize the Medicare program and its benefits. Medicare provides health insurance coverage to individuals age 65 and older, as well as to certain persons with disabilities. APPRISE counselors are specially trained volunteers who can answer questions about the Medicare program and provide objective, easy to understand information. Additional information can also be obtained by contacting the Chester County Area Agency on Aging located in West Chester.

Tel Hai is located off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10 in Honey Brook Township. Directions to the campus can be found on the website: www.telhai.org under the “Contact Us” tab. When using a GPS, the physical property address should be referenced: 1200 Tel Hai Circle.

Tel Hai, a nationally accredited not-for-project community, has provided housing, health care, rehabilitation and to seniors since 1956.

Kathleen O’Connor, Volunteer Coordinator for OPTUM Palliative and Hospice Care, was joined by coworker and Army veteran Christine Quave on Thursday, August 14 for a ceremony honoring the military service of Tel Hai resident, Walter Nauta. The informal ceremony was held in The Meadows health care center’s solarium with Mr. Nauta’s family members in attendance. The framed certificate and small American flag were presented by Ms. Quave; the pinning ceremony honors went to Nauta’s grandson, Max Nauta, who arrived in uniform. Lt. Nauta is currently serving in the Marine Corps Reserves in Colorado.

Walter Nauta and his wife, Joan moved to Tel Hai in December 2010 as residents in the Hillcrest apartments. Joan remains in the apartment home and can easily walk under-cover to visit Walter in the campus health care center.  This ceremony recognized Mr. Nauta’s service in the US Army from 1946 to 1948. Private 1^st Class Nauta served with B Company of the 63^rdInfantry Regiment in Korea. As a mortar crew gunner he was trained in infantry combat techniques and tactical employment of the mortar.

Hospice-Veteran Partnerships were established in November 2001 with a focus on improving end-of-life care for veterans across the country. These coalitions of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities, community hospices, State Hospice Organizations and others “work together to ensure excellent care is provided to our nation’s Veterans and their families.” The WeHonorVeterans.org website documents the startling numbers that underscore the need for such outreach and service coordination:

• More than 1800 veterans die every day. This represents a quarter of all deaths in the United States.
• Approximately 85% of veterans do not receive care through the VA health care system.
• Most veterans still die in the community; only 4% of veteran deaths occurs in VA facilities

The staff of OPTUM looks forward to planning many more such ceremonies to honor the service of military veterans that they serve throughout this area.

PHOTO: Army veteran and OPTUM Hospice staffer, Christine Quave presented Walter Nauta with a framed certificate and small American flag in recognition of his military serve. Pinning ceremony honors were handled by his grandson, Lt. Max Nauta of the Marine reserves.

Tel Hai’s Life Enrichment Committee (LEC) invites the public to an informational presentation by Secretary of Aging, Brian Duke, on Friday, September 26 at 11:00am in the campus chapel located off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10.

Brian Duke was nominated to his current post by Governor Tom Corbett in February 2011. The Department of Aging oversees many services and benefits for older Pennsylvania and advocates for their interests at all levels of government.

In the past, Secretary Duke served as Director of the Bucks County Area Agency on Aging and prior to that he was the Executive Director of the New Jersey Foundation for Aging—a statewide public charity dedicated to improving the quality of life of older persons. Earlier he also served as a consultant with the US Administration on Aging and the AARP Foundation in the development of statewide care-giving coalitions in 12 states. He also co-chaired the Caring Community, a coalition of over 100 organizations convened by WHYY, the public broadcasting station serving the greater Philadelphia region.

Secretary Duke will provide an update on Commonwealth initiatives including the new Alzheimer’s State Plan passed by the Governor in July. He is also working with the Secretary of Public Welfare on the Long-Term Care Commission convening public meetings in order to establish work groups by year’s end. He will also provide an update on the Governor’s commitment to older adults and his focus on pension reform legislation.

Directions to Tel Hai can be found on the website: www.telhai.org under the “Contact Us” tab. The physical address 1200 Tel Hai Circle, Honey Brook can be used to locate the community’s campus using GPS.

PHOTO: Secretary of Aging, Brian Duke, will present an informational program on senior services and new initiatives on Friday, September 26 at 11:00am in the Tel Hai Chapel, located off Beaver Dam Road in Honey Brook Township. The public is invited.

Watercolor painting classes will resume on the Tel Hai campus in September. Aspiring artists of all skill levels are welcome to join in the fun. Local artist and instructor, Loretta Gable Englerth, will begin a six-week session of instruction on Thursday, September 11, 2014 at 9:00am.  These classes meet in the Art Room located in the Hillcrest apartment building. Mrs. Englerth will lead the class with a focus on the individual artist’s point of view. Learn how to develop aesthetic insights that will help you define your own “style.” Issues of composition, contrast, color, and paint application will be emphasized.

The fee for the six-week course is $60 per person; this course will conclude on October 16. An additional five-week session will be offered beginning on October 23 and conclude on November 20 for $50 per person. Registration and payment for watercolor instruction is arranged directly with the instructor by calling 610-383-1330. Pre-registration is requested because class size is limited.

Beginners should bring the following supplies to class: a spiral drawing tablet, (B) & (H) drawing pencils and erasers. Returning or experienced students may also include paints, brushes, and other basic supplies. Students are encouraged to bring a picture of a favorite subject to use as inspiration for their own drawing and painting.

Tel Hai’s campus is located off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10 in Honey Brook Township. For directions please refer to 1200 Tel Hai Circle on your GPS; online, visit the website www.telhai.org and click on the “Contact Us” tab.

PHOTO: Local artist, Loretta Englerth, will offer six-weeks of watercolor painting instruction on Tel Hai’s campus beginning on Thursday, September 11 at 9:00 AM. Class size is limited so pre-registration is requested to avoid disappointment. Learn a new skill, meet new friends, and discover your inner artist!

Tel Hai’s Life Enrichment Committee (LEC) will offer a two-session discussion of this fascinating and long-debated subject. Dr. Allan Bleecker will evaluate evidences from the natural world and from Scripture. The presentations will be held in the community’s chapel on Thursday, September 11 and 18 at one o’clock. How old you think the earth is has no bearing on the actual age of the earth, of course. It can, however make a lot of difference in how you view the Biblical record. Does an honest reading of Genesis 1 and 2 confine creation to six, twenty-four hour days a few thousand years ago? Or, does it allow for an origin of much greater antiquity?

Dr. Bleecker holds a baccalaureate degree in biology and taught at Rutgers University while pursuing his Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology. He taught biology for 26 years at The King’s College in Briarcliff Manor NY, where he taught the course on creation-evolution and lectured in schools, churches and at conferences on this topic. After retiring in 1993, Dr. Bleecker studied at Westminster Seminary to develop a stronger theological foundation and received counseling certifications enabling him to serve as a counselor with Still Waters Counseling in New Jersey.

The program is open to the public and is offered free of charge. To pre-register, please contact Judy Schweitzer, Wellness Supervisor, by calling 610.273.9333, extension 2154 or via email at jschweitzer@telhai.org. Directions to campus can be found on the website: www.telhai.org under the “Contact Us” tab on the home page. Using GPS please enter the physical address, 1200 Tel Hai Circle, Honey Brook.

PHOTO: Dr. Allan Bleecker will present a fascinating discourse on the creation/evolution topic—“How old do you think the earth is?” at Tel Hai on Thursdays in September. The sessions will begin at one o’clock in the community chapel on September 11 and 18^t

Tel Hai’s Life Enrichment Committee is pleased to begin their program year with a fascinating presentation exploring the lives of soldiers and camp followers during the 1700s. Members of the 1^st Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line will be in full costume during their visit on Friday, September 5 at 7:00pm in the community’s chapel. These Revolutionary re-enactors, who portray a rifleman and camp followers, look forward to sharing their keen interest in American history with the greater community as well.

The program will include a brief history of the 1^st Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line which is headquartered at the Daniel Boone Homestead in Birdsboro. An overview of camp life as experienced by the Revolutionary War soldier will include a display of armaments and accouterments. The camp life presentation will include camp tools, cookware and examples of military rations.

Games were a source of entertainment that occupied the soldiers and camp followers. A variety of tavern games will be on display as well as examples of 18^th century clothing worn by men and women of the period. At the conclusion of the program guests will be encouraged to ask questions and given an opportunity to more closely examine the display.

The general public is welcome to attend. Directions to Tel Hai can be found on the website: www.telhai.org under the “Contact Us” tab on the home page. With a GPS please use the physical address: 1200 Tel Hai Circle, Honey Brook. Tel Hai is a nationally accredited not-for-profit continuing care community serving seniors since 1956.

PHOTO: Revolutionary War re-enactors from the 1^st Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line will present a program on the life of soldiers and camp followers of the period at Tel Hai on Friday, September 4, 2014 at 7:00pm in the community’s chapel located off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10.

The new concert season begins at Tel Hai on Thursday, September 4 at 7:30pm with a performance by Carol Jantsch, principal tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She won the position during her senior year at the University of Michigan in 2006, becoming the first female tuba player in a major symphony orchestra. The concert will be held in the campus chapel located off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10.

Ms. Jantsch began piano lesson at age six and began studying euphonium at the age of nine at the Interlochen Arts Camp. Switching to tuba, she attended the prestigious arts boarding high school—Interlochen Arts Academy—and graduated as salutatorian of her class. Continuing her studies at the University of Michigan she actively participated in auditions and competitions. She completed her Bachelor of Music degree in 2006, graduating summa cum laude.

Accompanied by Michael Djupstrom, composer and pianist, their program will include a wide variety of musical styles—from Debussy to Piazzolla, Koetsier and some original tuba pieces by Lebedev. Ms. Jantsch has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony as well as the St. Petersburg Symphony in Russia, among others. She has given master classes in Europe, Asia and North America. She is on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and the Yale University School of Music.

Mr. Djupstrom is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Curtis Institute of Music. His work as a composer and pianist has been recognized through numerous honors and awards; his compositions have been presented throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He is currently a resident of Philadelphia and teaches at the Curtis Institute of Music.

The recital is open to the public and offered free of charge. Directions to the Tel Hai community can be found on the website: www.telhai.org under the “Contact Us” tab. Using a GPS, please use the physical address: 1200 Tel Hai Circle, Honey Brook.

PHOTO: The new concert season at Tel Hai will begin on Thursday, September 4 at 7:30pm in the community chapel featuring Carol Jantsch, principal tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Heart Group of Lancaster General Health will present an educational program at Tel Hai on Wednesday, August 27 at 3:00pm in the community’s chapel located off Beaver dam Road, east of Route 10. Dr. Chris Wenger of The Heart Group at Lancaster General will present “The Bittersweet Truth” reviewing the dietary pitfalls that may undermine our health. Specifically, he will address hidden sugars in our diet and how we can make better food choices to result in improved health and well-being. Learn how our every day meal choices can have a profound effect on our enjoyment of life and health in general.

The program is offered free of change and the public is welcome to attend. To register, please contact Tel Hai’s Director of Wellness, Chasity Brown at 610.273.9333, extensions 2129 or via email at cbrown@telhai.org. Directions to the campus can be found on the Tel Hai website www.telhai.org under the “Contact Us” tab on the home page. With your GPS, please use the physical address: 1200 Tel Hai Circle, Honey Brook.