News And Events

News And Events

Fall 2021 Meetings Continue

The Syracuse chapter of the English-Speaking Union continued to meet via Zoom through the pandemic but is now back to in-person meetings (with Covid safety precautions in place) with our traditional excellent luncheons, enjoyable social interactions, interesting conversations, and outstanding speakers.

Our October meeting featured Kathi and Dennis McCarthy, the directors of the St. Lawrence River Historical Foundation, who focused on shipwrecks in the waters of the St. Lawrence River and Alexandria Bay. They also described early underwater diving techniques featuring diving helmets and scuba gear, followed by the newest diving gear which enables divers to descend to 300 feet, 100 feet further than scuba divers. Member JoAnn Wallace (center) introduced them.

ESU member Marjorie Julian introduced our November speaker, Adam Sudmann, the Market Manager at Salt City Market, the new Food Hall and Public Market in downtown Syracuse that opened in January 2021. Mr. Sudmann was inspired by the diversity of people in Syracuse and their food cultures. He has helped new entrepreneurs begin businesses. So far the Salt City Market features food of Pakistan, Burma, Palestine, Vietnam, Somalia, and, closer to home, Savannah, Georgia.

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ProLiteracy Program Lecture

The Syracuse Chapter of the ESU opened its 2021-22 season with its first in-person gathering in over a year. Our speaker was  Kevin Morgan, who spoke about adult literacy and the ProLiteracy organization's mission to develop and promote adult literacy learning, content programs, and advocacy.  
Mr. Morgan was introduced by ESU member Dr. Kathleen Hinchman, whose 30-year career at Syracuse University focused on childhood and adolescent literacy.

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2021 Syracuse Branch National Shakespeare Competition

 
Meet our Syracuse branch Shakespeare Competition winner Anka Chiorini...if you can find her under her mask!  She's pictured above with our Shakespeare  Committee Co-chair Susan Jarosz, her Jamesville-DeWitt High School Principal Paul Gasparini, her teacher Matthew Phillips, and the plaque awarded her by our branch.  The plaque now includes her name and that of her school and will hang in the school for the coming year.  
 
This year was her second as a high school student and as a participant in ESU's Shakespeare Competition.  Her selections were a monologue by the character Pucelle from Henry VI, Part I, and Sonnet 134.  Her performance became especially significant in that her school had never before had a winner who was eligible to compete in the national ESU competition in NYC with students from throughout the country.  It was special, too, in that in this virtual world, her presentation was live, thanks to Zoom made possible by our own ESU member Dianne Emmick.
 
For many students, participating in the Shakespeare Competition would suffice as an extra effort for the year, especially if the year was during a pandemic that brought with it additional pressures and challenges.  But Anka goes for more, and this year turned to play-writing for Syracuse Stage's Young Playwrights. The result? Two of her efforts were chosen to be among the eight winners chosen from the 200 total plays submitted!  The eight winning plays were performed (via Zoom) by Syracuse University Drama Department students. 
 
And summer vacation?  Anka will be involved in a literature course offered by Mount Holyoke College for which she received a scholarship.  
Amazing!
 
(If you wish to view the winning Syracuse Stage plays, you can access them -- if you are a Facebook member --  by Googling "young playwrights 2021 Syracuse Stage").

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ESU Syracuse Branch Annual Meeting

May 8th, 2021 - The Syracuse Chapter has been able to resume in-person meetings following covid protocol.  We were happy to have our May annual meeting to enjoy each other's company and to give member approval of our slate of officers and committee chairs for 2021-2022.

We were fortunate to be entertained by Ernest Musquiz of Syracuse Symphoria, who presented his program "Mallet Keyboard Instruments in the Orchestra."  Mr. Musquiz joined the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, now "Symphoria," in 1974 and is now in his 47th consecutive year with that organization serving as percussionist and timpanist as well as directing the Youth Orchestra. His mallets fly with fantastic precision when he plays the keyboard instruments.

ESU member Alice Borning with our guest speaker Ernest Musquiz

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2021 Syracuse Branch Shakespeare Competition

The Syracuse Chapter held its Shakespeare Competition virtually this year with ten finalists who won their local competitions at Central New York School Districts.   Contestants are required to perform an excerpt of a monologue from a Shakespearean play along with one of the bard's sonnets.

Students participating, along with their school districts, were Lillyanna Whipple (Camden),  Bel Lazarsky (Cazenovia), Emilee Edick (CBA), Kalysta Donaghy-Robinson (Fabius-Pompey), Rachel Bouwens (Homer), Anka Chiorini (Jamesville-Dewitt), Andra Benson (Lansing), Arman Nizam (Manlius Pebble Hill) , Moira McAnich (Tully), and Alexandra Dubaniewicz (Westhill).

The first place winner was Anka Chiorini.  Anka will be competing in the national competition, normally held in New York City but this year held virtually. The national winner receives a trip to London to attend the British American Drama Academy Mid-Summer Conservatory Program.  Second place went to runner-up Emilee Edick and 3rd place to Lillyanna Whipple.  Honorable Mentions were given to Andra Benson and Rachel Bouwens.

Anka's and Emilee's performances are below.  Anka's monologue is from a speech by Pucelle (Joan of Arc) in Henry VI, Part 1, Act V, Scene iv, and her sonnet is Number 134.  Emilee's monologue is from Constance's speech in King John, Act III, scene iv, and she recites Sonnet 25.

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2020 Syracuse Branch Shakespeare Winner

E-SU, Syracuse Branch's 2020 Shakespeare Competition's winner Emilee Edick stands proud at her high school Christian Brothers Academy.  She holds our Branch's Shakespeare's winner plaque where her name and that of her school are engraved and join those of others in the past who share her honor.  By tradition, the plaque will hang in CBA for the school year.

Everyone notices Emilee's mask that adds much to the story of her participation and ultimate win.  Only a few days before our March 21 scheduled Shakespeare Competition did she and sixteen other students learn that area schools were closing.  So, too, was Syracuse Stage's Archbold Theatre, our venue for both our student workshop and competition.  Baldwinsville Library offered us space, but we realized quickly that we were headed for a virtual path.

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July 2020

Although the coronavirus has interrupted our normal schedule, the local officers and board members are discussing ways to keep us informed and connected during this time. 

The national organization has some current interesting programs for us to enjoy while we're waiting for in-person meetings. Click on this link to see a full listing and details of the ESU Happy Hour series. 

The ESU Online Happy Hours series offers several online speakers on topics including:

  • "Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know, the Bronte Sisters,"
  • "Ron Whitehead, Outlaw Poet,"
  • "Shakespeare Scandals and Scoundrels," and 
  • "Downton Abbey in the Kitchen."

Meanwhile stay healthy, and we'll all look forward to meeting again as soon as it's safe for all.

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May Meeting

The Syracuse chapter had to cancel our March and April meetings due to the coronavirus, but thanks to Zoom we held our annual election meeting on schedule on May 9, 2020.

Thirty-one members attended. We were happy to see each other and say hello. We then moved through the annual meeting steps to elect the leaders for next year. In honor of the Queen's birthday we all wore festive hats. Celebrations followed with toasts to ESU's Centennial, the Queen's birthday,  and the new officers and board members.

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Emilee Edick Tops Syracuse High School
Students Bowing to Shakespeare This Year

This year's English-Speaking Union-Syracuse Branch's 32nd Annual Shakespeare Competition exchanged Syracuse Stage's Archbold Theatre for a home video, triumphing over the corona virus and scoring another victory for William Shakespeare in the process. Winner Emilee Edick from Christian Brothers Academy presented Shakespeare's Sonnet 11 and a monologue by Phoebe from As You Like It.  Her talent won her video a trip to New York City to participate in the National English-Speaking Union's 38th competition with forty-eight other nationwide winners. 

Emma Winkler from Manlius Pebble Hill School won second place and Tyler Piper from Jordan-Elbridge, third.  Honorable mention was awarded to Joseph Norris of Skaneateles, Cael Sullivan  from Camden, and Kimberly Rivera-Cotto from C.W.Baker in Baldwinsville.

Syracuse's event is made possible by the generous support of The Richard Mather Fund and the members of ESU's Syracuse branch.  Syracuse Branch Shakespeare Committee members include Susan Jarosz and Wendy Davenport, Co-chairs, Dot Booher, Sarah Conley, Shirley Cruickshank, Norma Ferguson, Anne Kuehn, Ann Padget, JoAnn Wallace, and Barbara Weller.

Competition judges were Frank Fiumano, Robert Hupp, and Sharee Pierce.  Matthew Phillips, an English teacher from Jamesville-DeWitt, made the competition possible by volunteering to handle the video details.  Joe Pierce, Sharee's husband, came forward with Zoom enabling the judges to confer.

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January Meeting


ESU Member Dorothy Booher and Presenter Juliet Giglio

Juliet Aires Giglio, professor of screenwriting at SUNY Oswego, presented her documentary Only 982 which tells the story of 982 refugees sheltered in Oswego, NY, in 1944-1945.  These were the only European Holocaust refugees who were allowed entry into the United States during WWII. 


ESU members enjoying conversation before the January presentation

Among the 982 were members of Ms. Giglio's husband's family.  Using archival footage and interviews, Only 982 tells the story of cousins Rikica, David, and Ella Levi, who made their way from Yugoslavia to Italy where they joined 3,000 other refugees vying for a spot on the ship Henry Gibbons headed for safety at Fort Ontario in Oswego.  The film documents their journey and the 18 months they spent at Fort Ontario.

Ms. Giglio invites us to view the documentary:


ESU members enjoying conversation before the January presentation


ESU members enjoying conversation before the January presentation

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The English-Speaking Union

Syracuse Branch

Welcome to the ESU

The ESU celebrates English as a shared language to foster global understanding and good will by providing educational and cultural opportunities for students, educators, and members.

To find out more about our programs click here.