(This lunch meeting will be held outside in the inner courtyard at Hacienda del Sol, please dress accordingly, wear sunglasses and don't forget your crazy hat for the contest.)

 

Khris and Rylande Dodge will be playing holiday favorites and other timeless classics, and probably a little bit of jazz as well. Music requests and tips are highly encouraged.  All tips collected for the luncheon mixer will be donated to Scholarships.

 

 

A well-established musician currently residing in Arizona who plays every genre from country to classical, Khris Dodge brings 25+ years’ experience and a commitment to quality to his eponymous production company.

 

After earning both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Arizona, where he studied with luminaries such as Gary Cook and Jeff Haskell, Khris embarked on a multi-faceted performance career that has included jobs as Principal Percussionist with Arizona Opera; Section Musician (percussion & keyboard) with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra; Music Director for Invisible Theatre and Hidden Valley Inn; director of Jovert, the Tucson High Magnet School steel drum band; and featured performer at many venues around Southern Arizona. Among the dozens of musicals for which he has served as Music Director, Forever Plaid, Footloose, Guys & Dolls, Big, Peter Pan, and Always: Patsy Cline remain the most memorable. In addition, Khris is regularly called upon to play in the orchestra of touring Broadway musicals. Recent favorites include Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Jersey Boys, The Little Mermaid, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical to name just a few.

 

Khris’ tenure at the U of A also included a fair amount of time in composition classes. Through those studies, coupled with his mentorship with Haskell, Khris honed his theoretical knowledge and arranging skills. He has used those skills to arrange fresh versions of existing pieces as well as to create hundreds of original compositions for artists ranging from solo performers to symphony orchestras.

 

While with Arizona Opera, Khris also assumed the job of Orchestra Manager – a position he held for 15 of his 20 years with the company. His duties included running rehearsals, hiring musicians as needed, coordinating between stage and performer needs, creating orchestra budgets and administering payroll, and serving as a liaison between management and union representatives.

 

Khris drew upon his performance, arranging, and administrative skills when forming Khris Dodge Entertainment (KDE) in 2015. He had created arrangements and built shows for other entities, and decided that it was time to take the plunge into business ownership. His first show, To Ella, with Love, set the standard for the creative excellence that is synonymous with a KDE production. Soon thereafter, he and Stuart Moulton (Austin Cabaret Theater and Circus Warehouse, NYC) collaborated on Big Top Broadway: High-Flying Entertainment and Song. The stunning combination of Broadway-caliber talent and circus performers from one of the world’s most prestigious training facilities, Circus Warehouse, showed audiences that KDE brought something unique to the stage.

 

In a little over a year, Khris has created and staged everything from intimate cabaret performances to higher-concept, fully-orchestrated theatrical productions. Back to Hollywood: A Salute to the Silver Screen, created with Canadian filmmaker/entertainer Nicholas Arnold, weaves a story throughout the evening and includes live film scoring, light comedic moments, and synchronized live/film elements. In the Christmas Mood: A Holiday Music Spectacular pays homage to the classic Christmas specials of Andy Williams and Bing Crosby. Gunhild Carling in Concert showcases the sensational and versatile Swedish singer/dancer/multi-instrumentalist.

 

June 2017 marked the debut of Hot Stuff: A Symphonic Tribute to Donna Summer. The renowned Tucson Pops Orchestra premiered the show to an enthusiastic audience of 5,000+. The 2018 roster included shows that pay tribute to the legendary Nat King Cole and the Hall-of-Fame band, Chicago as well as the premiere of The Tapestry Album Live in Concert: The Music of Carole King. 2019 looks to be an exciting year as well, as KDE will debut Trio: The Music of Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris and Aretha starring Crystal Stark, among others.

 

As Khris Dodge Entertainment continues to grow, doing “good things with good people” remains its central mission.

It was a beautiful, crisp day in the courtyard at Hacienda Del Sol. PRESIDENT ELECT MARK IRVIN started the meeting and introduced STU GOLDMAN to lead the Pledge and song “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”

 

Following a break for lunch, VIC JACOBS introduced our speaker Elliot Glicksman. Elliot is an attorney here in Tucson, as well as a comedian. He reminded us that being called an Attorney or Comedian is sort of redundant. Elliot has been married for 35 years and let us know that it is easy to be faithful as pleasing one woman is more than enough of a challenge for him.  After a 5 minute warm up of comedy, Elliot talked about Jazz in Tucson. Tucson has been a great source for jazz in the West. We have a competitive high school band called the “Tucson Jazz Institute”, who has won national competitions in New York City. Elliot offered a bit of history and credited much of the success of the Tucson Jazz Festival to our late RCOT member YVONNE ERVIN. Elliot let us know that while the Tucson Jazz Festival will not take place in January of 2021, the Festival has a really great board and will make things happen for the future. He reminded us that the arts community in Tucson is hurting and to help however we can.

 

We celebrated JEANNE FLOWER’S birthday and it was noted that she cannot say no to good opportunities for participation in our club. JEANNE said that while COVID-19 has put a pause on her cause, she intends to have lunch with every member of our club in the future.

 

KURTIS DAWSON was the Sergeant at Arms who introduced the internationally acclaimed auctioneer, MATT BLAIR, to auction off a massage package. LARRY ADAMSON won the auction and will be relaxing in style with 5 massages from Tucson Family Wellness.

 

MARK IRVIN reminded us of the Holiday Mixer on December 16^th at the Westward Look Rooftop and to sign up on our website under Upcoming Events. KURTIS DAWSON let us know that we need to sign up for Salvation Army Bell ringing this year and that there is also a virtual way to participate. Check your email.

 

 

December 16 - Holiday Replacement Mixer (No Lunch Meeting)

 

December 23 - Dark Day (No Lunch Meeting)

 

December 24 - Rotary Office Closed

 

December 30 - Dark Day (No Lunch Meeting)

This year we have two ways to participate in the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle fundraising, the traditional Bell Ringing effort of course and a virtual method.  The COVID 19 Pandemic has posed some challenges for the Salvation Army this year, in regards to the bell ringing both Safeway and Basha's corporate offices will not permit the activity on their property.  So we've had to look at some new and we hope stronger locations, here are the details:

 

The Rotary Club of Tucson Bell Ringing takes place on Saturday, December 19th.  We have secured three locations this year with the opportunity to get more when we fill these. Each location has three shifts which are 2-3 hours long and have two slots each shift to fill.  You'll be able to start signing up by Tuesday, December 1, 2020.  Look for an email to sign up on our website under “Upcoming Events”. The Salvation Army has provided us with NK95 masks and gloves if you'd like to use them.  We'll bring them by the kettles for your use.

 

Here is a preview of the schedule.

 

9a-12n

12n-3p

3p-5p

 

9a-12n

12n-3p

3p-5p

 

10a-1p

1p-4p

4p-6p

 

If you would prefer to stay home this year, a virtual Kettle Donation site has been set up.  You will be able to make on-line donations and send the link to friends and family in an email or copy and post it on your social media platforms as well.  We are set up as a team "Rotary Club of Tucson", our link should default to this,  as well as default to your donation going to Salvation Army Tucson.  You can add yourself as a member of the team or just donate.  The link to donate and that you can copy and paste is, https://give-sw.salvationarmy.org/team/331869.  All donations are recognized as being from RCOT and will be combined with our actual kettle bell ringing  collections for a total that we know will benefit the Salvation Army's programs and hope will once again earn us a position as the leader in collection efforts. 

 

Yes, this is a competition as well and we are the reigning champions for Kettle Donations amongst local service clubs and organizations.  This year we are getting a bit of a late start and there are some with a distance ahead of us so we have some catching up to do.  Let's get at it. 

 

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact your Kettle Captains Kurtis Dawson, Kurtisd@tucsonymca.org and Cindy Barbee (520)240-6303.

 

Please join us for a High Performance Driver Education event January 16, 2021.  Continuous lapping with a passing zone.  The most track time for a one-day event in the Tucson Area!  All makes of vehicles are welcome.  Because of COVID this event is for experienced drivers only.  Registration Fee:  $175.  Registration is limited to 30 drivers so sign-up early.  No registration at the track.

 

New requirements as follows:  We now have minimum track entry requirements and a Corona Virus Mitigation Plan you MUST read, download and sign below.

If you are interested contact Lee Olitzky – Lee@wit2tucson.com or 520 444 4109 and or go to Motorsportreg.com and look for PCA Southern Arizona, 1-16-21, Musselman Honda Circuit for registration and more info.

Young people are our future (and future Rotarians). If you can read you can learn anything, including job skills to be self-supporting.  That's why The Rotary Club of Tucson actively supports youth through our reading mentors for  Make Way for Books and Pima JTED - free career education for all high school age students (public, private, parochial, home school, homeless, charter).  Our club puts its money (and time) where its mouth is.  We have raised over 1.3 million dollars for reading programs and Pima JTED's Innovation High School at I-10 and Park.  Our members have given hundreds of hours as invaluable reading mentors for pre K to elementary age children. Rotarians have served as career mentors for numerous Pima JTED students. 

 

The Rotary Club of Tucson is making a positive, significant difference for thousands of young people in our communities!

 

See these links for more information:

 

Make Way For Books

 

 

Pima JTED:

 

To view on the RCOT YouTube channel go to our Home Page of the Club website and click on the YouTube link on the right hand side of the page.  Or, go to YouTube and type in Rotary Club Of Tucson.  You will be able to click on the video you wish to watch once they are posted.  Here is the link to do this: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rotary+club+of+tucson

 

Enjoy watching our meetings virtually if you are not able to attend in person.  Please stay safe and stay healthy!