By Robert Henrey
At the November 5th meeting of the Retired Men’s Association Robert Meaney warmly welcomed the Grace Notes, reminding everyone that they were about to enjoy an exceptional performance by the all-women a cappella group that has been based in Greenwich for nearly 60 years and enjoys the distinction of having entertained and served the community over that extended timespan through the magic of song.
The group was formed in the early 1960s as part of the Junior League of Greenwich and became an independent, non-profit organization in 1967. Its purpose is to bring music to people at senior residential homes, adult day centers, and Alzheimer’s/dementia facilities, as well as town events and community festivals, libraries and schools. This is part of a wider mission to connect and bring people together through music. The members are women who stem from different backgrounds but are united by their personal love of singing and desire to give back to the community.
Members are teachers, authors, artists, business owners, homemakers, and working and retired executives. Many contribute their time in a volunteer capacity. Each has a background in music and singing through school, college and church choirs, community theater, music degrees and training, or professional singing. Each went through a stringent audition process to be accepted into the group. Members dedicate over 90 hours of rehearsal time during the September through May season. They also gather twice-monthly. Dr. Eric Martin has been Music Director since 2008. The group has ranged in size from as few as eight members to more than 30 during the 1980s when fewer women were working full-time. There are currently 12 singers. Two current members have been with The Grace Notes for over 30 years!
The program then got started. All twelve members were present, and each took the opportunity to present herself, mention how her love of music had come about and say a few words about what kept her busy when she wasn’t singing. Following is the rousing program the RMA members were fortunate to be treated to:
I Got Rhythm – George and Ira Gershwin
A Swingin’ Little Christmas – Tony Guerrero
We Need a Little Christmas – Jerry Herman
Snow Sisters – Irving Berlin
Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Brian Wilson: The Beach Boys
Please Come Home for Christmas – Charles Brown and Gene Redd
S’Vivon – A traditional Hebrew song
For Good – Stephen Schwartz
Embraceable You – George and Ira Gershwin
In the Mood – Glenn Miller
At the conclusion of the program the group was given a standing ovation and many RMA members took the opportunity to thank the singers personally and share their enthusiasm for what the Grace Notes have achieved and how they have contributed to making Greenwich the wonderful place it is to live in.
The RMA’s next presentation, “The World That Wasn’t: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century,” by Benn Steil, PhD, is scheduled for 11 AM on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. RMA presentations are held at Christ Church Greenwich, Parish Hall, 254 E. Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830.
Henry Wallace is the most important, and certainly the most fascinating, “almost-president” in American history. As FDR’s third-term vice-president and a hero to many progressives, he lost his place on the 1944 Democratic ticket in a wild open convention, resulting in Harry Truman becoming president upon FDR’s death. The circumstances around Wallace’s defeat have been characterized as corrupt and the results catastrophic, leading to decades of a devastating and unnecessary Cold War.
Based upon striking new findings from Russian, FBI and other archives Benn Steil paints a decidedly less heroic portrait of the man, the events surrounding his fall, and the world that might have been under his presidency.
The author of “The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War” and “The Battle of Bretton Woods: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White and the Making of a New World Order,” Dr. Benn Steil is a prominent American economist and Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics at the Council on Foreign Affairs in New York. He is also the founding editor of the scholarly journal “International Finance.”
Dr. Steil holds a BSC in economics, summa cum laude, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennnsylvania and a PhD in economics from Nuffield College, Oxford University.
To stream the presentation by Benn Steil at 11 AM on Wednesday, December 3, click on https://bit.ly/30IBj21. This presentation will also be available on local public access TV channels, Verizon FIOS channel 24 and Optimum channel 79.
Note: The views expressed in these presentations are those of the speakers. They are not intended to represent the views of the RMA or its members.
RMA speaker presentations are presented as a community service at no cost to in-person or Zoom attendees, regardless of gender. Any member of the public who would like to receive a weekly email announcement of future speakers should send a request to members@greenwichrma.org. The RMA urges all eligible individuals to consider becoming a member of our great organization, and thereby enjoy all the available fellowship, volunteer, and community service opportunities which the RMA offers to its members. For further information, go to https://greenwichrma.org/, or contact info@greenwichrma.org.
