Harmony Rag Quartet of Nations Newsletter, Region 31 Sweet Adelines International Winter 2009
Tone-Acity
The Nashville Experience!
By Claire Heighway Well!! What an experience that was!! If someone had told us a year ago that we’d have had the chance to fly half way around the world to compete against a whole host of regional champs and past queens, we’d have laughed out loud! But that’s exactly what we did and it’s certainly something we will never forget. We had a few issues getting there (Jen had to spend the night in New York with her dad as there weren’t enough seats on the internal flight, and the guy at the hotel check in was a total star sorting out our complicated room arrangements at almost 3am when the rest of us finally arrived) but by Saturday morning we were reunited safe and sound and were ready to enjoy the experience. We did the obligatory sightseeing trip around the town on a freezing cold, open sided
bus, marking out all the places we wanted to visit while we were there (for places read bars!). We had a fantastic few days of relaxation, eating lots, drinking lots and generally enjoying the wonderful local hospitality and the company of the great group of family and friends who had saved hard and made the long trip with us. Then it was time to get down to business and start preparing for the biggest and most important competition of our lives. Our daily rehearsals got longer and more intense
would be singing, and the other quartets we would be competing against, we were beginning to feel more and more nervous. This was it. No turning back, the pressure was on. Sitting in the auditorium listening to all the rules and regulations has to rank as one of the scariest experiences of our lives! But then it was mission mode. We were here and we were determined to go on that stage, do our absolute best, and most of all enjoy it. The day of competition arrived and we felt like movie stars with all the attention and support from not only our own chorus members, but all the ladies from Lace
and we were raring to go. As we entered the backstage area and went into holding, we knew that this was what we’d been working towards for the past 10 years. This was our time. The cheering and flag waving as we bounced onto stage was unbelievable and we could feel all the vibes from our friends watching the webcast back home. Singing on that stage, where so many of our idols had sung before us, was a total dream come true. We did our best, we
and we were focused on the task in hand. By the time Tuesday came around and we finally got to see the huge arena where we
City, Surrey Harmony and various other Region 31 choruses who had also made the trip. It really boosted our confidence
sang as well as we could have sung and we came off stage feeling on top of the world. Ok, so we didn’t win, we didn’t even
come close to breaking into the top ten, but the feeling of elation when we were greeted by all our supporters in the tunnel as we came off stage made us feel absolutely on top of the world. It was the best experience we’ve had together and something we will never, ever forget. We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped us to get to Nashville; to all our family and friends who travelled with us; and to everyone back home for your texts, messages and calls of support. You made us feel very proud and honoured to represent such a wonderful region. We also want to say a huge congratulations to Surrey Harmony and Lace City for their wonderful achievements in both making the International top 20! We were very proud to cheer and support you both. Region 31 is well and truly on the map and I think we’ll be there for a long time to come. Watch out world – the Brits are coming!!!
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
Surrey Harmony in the City of Music Surrey Harmony last competed in Nashville, TN in 1998 and even back then, when the scores we read out, there were whoops and cheers. For the first time in history... we hadn’t come last! Fast forward 11 years and last place is a long way off, but so is the coveted top
10! Everything was to play for as the Sweet Adelines International Competition got underway. The chorus arrived in Nashville on the Sunday and once settled into the hotel, we readied ourselves for a week of Barbershop, friendship and fun.
Monday was a free day for the most part so members took to the town to explore. Quite a few
were spotted at the Oprey Mills Mall for a spot of retail therapy, while others checked out the sights and sounds of downtown Nashville. Everyone was back in the afternoon though, for the first of our four rehearsals. Tuesday gave us two
more rehearsals, the latter of which included an extra thrill for Surrey Harmony. Tone-acity stopped by and treated us to a performance of their competition songs. It was so great to see them and we knew they’d give a fantastic performance on the day. After rehearsals
there was still plenty of time in the evening to enjoy a bit of Nashville’s famous night life as the
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chorus hit the Wild Horse Saloon for buffalo wings and Line Dancing. The party continued until late and rumour has it that one or two may have even finished their 42oz cocktails! Wednesday was time for the competition to
start with the Quartet semi finals. A dazzling performance by Tone-acity, saw the them place 33rd out of 50. Well done girls! Our rehearsal followed and then it was time for an early night. Suddenly it was Thursday, and Performance Day was upon us. Our late billing meant many of the chorus were able to spend some time watching some of the earlier contestants, including choruses from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, not to mention our very own Nottingham sisters, the Lace City Chorus. Competition was fierce and the auditorium was huge... there were a few pangs of nerves as we made our way back to the hotel. Resplendent in our new chorus make-up, our hair high and wide and our new
necklaces sparkling in the glow of the ballroom lights, we had our final warm-up rehearsal. Not wanting to peak too early we didn’t sing the whole package through, but instead concentrated on short bursts of the songs. There was also plenty of time for some final bonding and spirit lifting. As 6pm drew near it was time to board the coach to the 10,000 seat Somet Stadium, usual home to the Nashville Predators Ice Hockey team. For many of Surrey Harmony’s members, it was their first appearance on the International stage. One such member remembers the time flying by, Sandie Kirk, “Representing the UK at International with Surrey Harmony was an incredible opportunity. It really was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done. Walking onto that stage in front of all those thousands of people was the biggest buzz. Our six minutes seemed to be over in a flash and we came off even more
at the bus queue before the word started to spread. “15th” came the cry over heads of others in the queue. “No, we can’t be!... Really?... I don’t believe it?...15th?...No!” Excited voices filled the bus as we wondered in disbelief if we really had come that close to the finals and beaten our previous highest ranking of 22nd. And we had! 15th in the world! We were just 32 points off 11th place and a spot on the stage on the Saturday. It’s the highest ever ranking for a UK chorus. We cannot tell you how thrilled we are with such a fantastic result! We were joined that
excited than we’d gone on. We had no idea how we’d done, but it felt like a solid performance, so we just had to wait for the results.” Once the finalists had been announced, we started to make our way back towards the hotel... but many of us were barely
evening by our friends in Alaska Sound Celebration Chorus, who gave us an insight into the land of snow and ice where men are men (and dance a little bit like Michael Jackson). The party that followed continued well into the night!
Notes From Nashville
Penny Hay ~ Lace City Chorus. “What a week! How fantastic to think that Region 31 now has not one but two choruses in the top twenty at International,” writes Penny Hay. Lace City offers Surrey Harmony their warmest congratulations on achieving the region’s highest ever placing. Lace City had an amazing lead up to the competition with appearances at the London Palladium (a dream for many singers in barbershop and beyond), the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, and not forgetting BABS Convention in Llandudno and Sweet Adeline’s in Gateshead. Our trip to Nashville was amazing. We loved the city and it’s people and it was great to catch up with all our friends from other choruses and also to make many new ones. The trip for some of us did not get off to the best of starts, with people’s luggage being left on the tarmac in Atlanta! We had a few days of being tourists before rehearsals
began. Trips to the Belle Meade Plantation, Belmont Mansion and the Country Music Hall of Fame were fantastic, along with great food, great music and the odd
glass at such well-known establishments as BB King’s, the Wild Horse Saloon and Legends.
Rehearsals began, and we were fortunate to have visits from Jim Arns, Sandi Wright, Claire Gardiner and our Swedish friends, SALT. Tone-Acity and Luminous also came to support us, and we were very proud of
their fantastic performances in competition. The big day arrived and the eyelashes were fitted, makeup slapped on in
great quantities and all the other nameless articles put on… you know what I’m talking about, ladies! The bus arrived, into the traffic pattern and then suddenly we were on stage, in what appeared to be fluorescent yellow dresses with purple fringes and black faces!!!!! (Ultra violet lighting. Ed) As usual it went
all too quickly, especially for our “newbies”, who naturally wanted to do it all again. The reception from the audience was wonderful from the moment we started to go on stage until we got back to our seats.
“Your ballad made me cry,” one member was told. We then sat back to watch a wonderful performance from Lionsgate; Though we were sad to realise we’d missed the Rich-Tones! Surrey Harmony then gave a superb performance, which made us proud to be from Region 31. Now we’re getting ready for Christmas and our show in March, with Moxie Ladies and Evolution, which we hope to see many of you at. Finally, Gateshead beckons! This promises to be one of the best conventions ever in the region and I for one cannot wait. My final word goes to all our loyal supporters, who sat glued to computer and T.V. screens to see our performance and then sent such encouraging words to us when things didn’t go the way we’d hoped… THANK YOU so much, you ROCK!!!!!
MUSIC DIRECTOR WANTED
We are a small but enthusiastic women’s Chorus, motivated to learn and improve our skills. We are looking for a new Chorus Director to succeed our present MD and would love to hear from people experienced in the Barbershop style who have skills in vocal production and direction. We meet in Lingfield, Surrey on Tuesday evenings 7:30-10pm.
If you are keen to direct a small chorus and take us to the next level please contact Vanessa on 01883 732039/ V_Lydon@Sky.com or Sam on 01342 833976 Lingfield Harmony HARMONY RAG | Winter 2009 | 3
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
Scooting to Nashville Maureen, Elspeth and Elaine (and Carol!) Mac4 Quartet and proud dual members of Coastline Show Chorus, 7th place International finalists! In the Spring of 2008, during a coaching session with Mac4 in Scotland, Gail Jencik, Master Director of Coastline Show Chorus and coach of Forth valley Chorus, invited the members of Mac4 quartet to join her chorus as ‘ooters’ (out of towners) and accompany them to sing in International Contest in Nashville in 2009. We looked at our various commitments and realised that 3 of us, Elspeth, Maureen and Elaine, were in a position to explore the prospect more fully.
ourselves with the music, learn the audition piece and attend a coaching weekend with Coastline in the Autumn. On the basis of that experience, for Coastline as well as ourselves, we agreed with Gail we would make a final decision after that to commit to a year as dual members with Coastline. Almost immediately after advising Gail of this, she emailed us all of the music, seven songs with learning media!! One of the potential finals package songs had been selected as the audition piece, so we jumped on that first! We also became the ‘Scooters’ - Scottish out of towners
So started an incredible journey, which taught us so much and brought 90 new friends into our lives! It also led us all the way to the International Finals and the proud possessors of 7th place International medals out of some 600 choruses world-wide and, we believe, the only members of Region 31 to have experienced barbershop singing in a chorus at that level. So, back to the beginning. As we had no idea what we were taking on, none of us had competed at International before, we decided it would be a good idea to have a trial run. We took the first steps, to familiarise
and, over the next twelve months this seeped into the language of Coastline more of that later! At this stage, we have to mention our virtual ‘Scooter’ our amazing Mac4 Lead, Carol Butters. She was so supportive, volunteering to learn all the music with us along the way, so we could practice with all four parts. At our Mac4 regular Monday rehearsals, we would take a little time to sing through the Coastline songs and Carol would listen, encourage and sing along with us. Without her enthusiasm and support none of us would have felt the same about the project, so thank you Carol!
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Over the summer months we worked on our songs and sent off our recordings, via email, to be checked. Coastline had also made provisions for us to learn the choreography by posting digital video recording on to You Tube and we practiced this at home on our PC’s. We were sent ‘ooters’ guidelines and general chorus induction material, so we were clear about what was expected of us and what we could expect from Coastline. All of us discovered our usual learning styles were challenged through this remote learning and recording process, but we managed to adapt and grew as a result of it. We sent off our audition song and all passed, not necessarily at the first attempt! Then September came and we made our first trip! We were very excited, but nervous too and we all hoped we could step up to the plate and sing and perform at this advanced level and... cope with the jet lag. When we arrived in Providence, Rhode Island for our first visit, we were concerned the person meeting us, Gerry Malanga, wouldn’t recognise us, so we thought we’d do a little choreography as we came down the escalator at the airport so she could easily identify us! We needn’t have worried though, as there was Gerry, dressed in a full Scottish outfit, complete with kilt and Glengarry (a type of hat) and waving Scottish flags! The funniest thing was, no-one in Providence airport was giving her a second look, as if that kind of thing happened all the time! We had an action packed rehearsal that night, with Joe Connelly coaching the chorus. The chorus had also learned the tag for ‘Scotland The Brave’ and, when they sang that to us to welcome us, we cried! It was to be the first of many emotional
moments! Everyone was so welcoming and excited to have us there, we felt like celebrities! The rest of the weekend passed in a flash, with extra choreography rehearsals planned for us, chats about costumes and financial matters, etc. It was also a coaching weekend with Dale Syverson, so we were really in at the deep end, having to keep up with all of the things Dale and Joe were teaching the chorus. For all of our visits, Gail and her husband Mike generously hosted us in what became known as ‘the Scottish bedroom’ in her home as it was adorned with Scottish flags to welcome us! We can’t thank Gail and Mike enough for allowing us to stay in their lovely home each time we came across to Providence. When we got on the plane to come home we were so full of adrenalin, we only had about 5 minutes sleep the whole way! Of course, after that amazing weekend, we were HOOKED! We let Gail know we wanted to go ahead with the project and started working on all of the other songs, so that we could pass those too. We couldn’t have done this without all the electronic postings Coastline did for us. Not only the songs and learning tracks, but
trips, although Elaine snuck in another one in May - she must have needed the extra work! Before we knew it we were in Nashville and on stage! This whole experience has shown us all just what a truly International organisation we have in Sweet Adelines. Apart from the Scooters, Coastline also had 2 ooters from Australia and lots from other States in the USA. It was an amazing journey for us and we want to thank Gail and Coastline Show chorus. It was a very innovative, generous and brave invitation that Gail extended to us and we will always be grateful to her for having such vision and generosity. We also made 90 new friends and their acceptance of us was overwhelming. We count ourselves very privileged to have had this incredible opportunity. As a mark of our gratitude, we wanted to leave Coastline with something to remind them of our time together. We bought a traditional Scottish dish, called a Quaich, which is a friendship drinking cup and had it inscribed, ‘The Nashville Scooter Award’ and we presented this to Gail and her Music Team for their determination in making this whole project
when there were any interpretation changes they would be posted too. We also got section rehearsal recordings and, of course, lots of choreography on You Tube! We made 3 other
work. Of course they sang the ‘Scotland The Brave’ tag to us again and we cried buckets, but that’s how it’s meant to be isn’t it?! Follow your dreams, no request is too extreme!
That’s Baaaaaaaabershop For the fourth September running, Coastline Harmony set off to the hugely popular Findon Sheep Fair in West Sussex. Although the chorus did not perform officially this year, the crowds were entertained by songs throughout the day, which truly complemented the harmonic baa-ing guests have come to expect! For the first time, the chorus had their own stall in the marquee, and some members made delicious sheep cakes and other inventive sheepish items
Fran, went down a storm last year so we were all asked to make some this year. What a great
to help raise chorus funds. “The sheep cakes, using a recipe from one of our creative members,
success, we sold out!” Following this success, Coastline were delighted to be invited to perform
at the newly refurbished Brighton Bandstand situated on the promenade between the two piers. The 125 year old bandstand, which is considered to be one of the “finest examples of a Victorian bandstand in the country”, has now been restored to its former glory. It began to decay from neglect in the early 60’s and was closed down in 1965. However in 2007 the Brighton Bandstand Campaign was set up and restoration started in 2008. So, on a very, very windy and cold Sunday afternoon the ladies marched up to the podium but soon realised the sound was being lost due to the howling wind, so had to move to the lower level in front of a brave seated audience. Despite the cold the audience kept asking for more and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Organised as part of Barbershop Awareness Week, we held a four week taster experience to give ladies the chance to take part in our unique musical style. First of all
voice testing took place then our guests joined us on the risers to sing some barbershop tags which they mastered very quickly. Everyone attending was given a
course, attendees were taught more vocal skills and also joined in the fun of our weekly rehearsals. We were delighted that at the end of the course many of the ladies
learning CD, the aim being to perform this song to friends and family on the final week. Throughout the
decided they would like to stay and continue singing with us and hope to join us at Convention.
DORDOGNE, FRANCE House with pool to let in Dordogne area Sleeps 8. Attractions locally include Rocamadour, Sarlat, Gouffre de Padirac. Available April - June 2010.
Details at www.gitevisit.com .T: 0033 5 65 38 66 60 or email: rgmb55@yahoo.com HARMONY RAG | Winter 2009 | 5
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
A quartet of choruses FARENHEIT organise Barbershop Awareness Week in Plymouth Harmony and co-operation were the watch-words when The Mayflowers joined LABBS and BABS choruses to put on events in Plymouth for Barbershop Awareness Week. Four choruses from around the Devon/Cornwall border planned an exhibition, and
businesses to get in touch to take part. After a lot of prompting by telephone calls, 22 salons
a day of workshops for men, women and children, helping to raise money for MacMillan Cancer support. To raise the profile of
took part, agreeing to have a MacMillan collecting box for a week, to be collected by a visiting quartet on the day.
BA Week, the choruses announced in the press they would be completing a Barber’s Shop Challenge – singing in as many barbers’ shops and hair salons as possible on a Saturday, and inviting
Carousel Quartet, and a scratch octet, who all sing with The Mayflowers, visited unisex salons, and two quartets of men from The Pilgrimaires and Western Approach toured barbers’ shops, entertaining staff and some very surprised customers. A week later was Harmony Workshop Day at the University College Plymouth, St. Mark & St John. Using the college’s
6 | HARMONY RAG | Winter 2009
theatre, the day started with a harmony workshop for children, run jointly by Delyth Knight, who is MD of both Brunel Harmony (LABBS) and Western Approach (BABS), and by The Mayflowers’ own MD, Sarah Gill. In the afternoon the women’s workshop learned “Friends”, while the men learned “Always look on the bright side”. As a supporter of the MacMillan charity, Plymouth’s Deputy Lord Mayor made a formal visit and joined in the singing, and MacMillan’s local organiser, Judith Jolly, expressed thanks for the collections which were presented to her. The four choruses shared the tasks of organising the Barbershop Challenge, the publicity, the library display, the workshop venue, signposting, refreshments, teaching, running an afterglow, booking a bar. Everyone enjoyed it, and some even suggested doing it again! The Mayflowers recruited two potential members from the workshop, and over the week a total of £233 was raised for MacMillan Cancer Support, which made it all the more worthwhile.
Hi Region 31, Amie, Leisha, Pippa and Ally would like to take the opportunity to wish all you fabulous Sweet Adelines and your families a very Merry Christmas! We have had a great time over the last few months, one highlight being the
celebrations. A month earlier we shared the billing on a show with Newstead Brass band. Even though Amie had broken her toe and was on crutches and Ally tripped over (to the hilarity of the quartet) we had a great
fantastic time we had at IABS. It started off extremely well when we sat next to a gorgeous trainee pilot on the flight over (don’t worry he was off duty!). Then throughout the weekend we met some great people, got interviewed on Irish TV and won silver in the International female quartet competition. We have been working really hard on our singing skills and performance confidence so the result was a terrific boost! We also shared joint 2nd place in the Entertainment contest with our lovely chorus, DaleDiva, so you can imagine the
time and celebrated in true showbiz style on the way home with a bag of chips! We love the friendships that have developed and it was especially nice to sing at Leisha’s 40th birthday party last weekend, sorry did I accidentally mention her age, whoops! By the time you have read this we will have busked in the local area including gigs at our favourite coffee shop, free latte’s for all, what a showbiz world we live in! Then before we know it will be 2010 with new songs to learn and choreography to attempt. It’s all go but we love it! Farenheit xxxx
Many thanks to all the choruses who took part and helped to raise over
£17,000 for Macmillan. Well done!
We plan to present a cheque to Macmillan’s in the near future and will send any copies of the photographs to all choruses with a final amount raised. Once again, thank you for all your support. Deborah Lamble ~Barbershop in Harmony Representative
‘Come Sing Barbershop Harmony’
A Personal Review Ergie Baker, Sheffield Harmony Chorus On Saturday 26th September I woke up with a sore throat and hoarse voice. I wondered whether to bother getting out of bed, let alone attend the ‘Come Sing’ event at Sheffield Springs Academy. I decided to get up – and what a good choice that was. A packed programme over two days did not disappoint. The venue was excellent and the shortbreads sublime. The
whole place hummed with energy and it was great to be in the company of so many talented young people from the National
Barbershop Youth Chorus (NBYC) who loved their music and radiated their enthusiasm for it. All the warm-up sessions were good fun with 12-year old Ben’s leadership skills and Duncan’s standup comedy routine exceptional. There were plenty of breakout sessions to choose from and it was a privilege to listen to Rob Barber coaching the NBYC. I noticed that several of my Sheffield Harmony Chorus colleagues needed to dry their eyes at this point, such was the impact of the wonderful sound created. We benefitted from
some very good rehearsal sessions led by the formidable combined talents of Ally Law and Farenheit. Ally is a great teacher and her love and passion for the art of Barbershop is infectious. ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ may not be the easiest of pieces to learn in a short time but we did pretty well although several of us found the pace so fast that our mouths never quite caught up with the words. Ally discussed a strategy for overcoming stage fright with us, which was to assume a different persona for the duration of a performance. I decided my alter ego
would be Madonna – full on, emotional and sexy. In the Sunday night finale, Madonna failed to show. Instead, the other Madge turned up – you know, Dame Edna Everage’s bridesmaid, totally expressionless and mute. A lot of work went into the eight-voice piece ‘Sunrise Sunset’. At times it seemed that this may have been several bars too far for comfort. However, our MD Barry Clinton’s calm and unflappable direction eventually won the day, and the chords rang splendidly. Despite my difficulty with articulation and
being the wrong Madge, I enjoyed every minute of the weekend. I came away feeling inspired and motivated to become a better singer and more competent performer. Finally, and with apologies to Shakespeare’s Henry V: “We few, we happy few, we band of Barbershoppers. For they today that sing with me shall be my brothers and sisters. And singers in Sheffield then abed shall think themselves accursd they were not here.” With many thanks to Jim Goldsmith, Andy Allen, and all the people who worked so hard to make this event such a success.
The Kings of Herts Chorus (Based Harpenden)
Chorus Director Our current Director David Fensome is returning to his rarified position in November as a tenor, we
therefore need an individual (male or female) who understands the barbershop style, has an artistic flair and good communication skills, to replace him. We are known as a sociable and friendly club of 42 members and we rehearse on a Thursday evening. If you are interested and are experienced as a Director or an assistant and live in Hertfordshire or the surrounding counties you should initially contact:Jim Hobley- Membership Secy, Tel: 01582 760582 01582 760582 or email us: info@kingsofherts.co.uk HARMONY RAG | Winter 2009 | 7
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
Seasonal Greetings from Dalediva! We’ve got a busy run-up to Christmas but that’s just the way we like it.
We’ve just launched our debut CD ‘Definitely Diva’ which was the perfect way to celebrate our second anniversary in November. We also marked this with a meal and awards evening – as well as a bit of singing and dancing of course! We’ve welcomed a few new members among our ranks since the last edition of Harmony Rag – a couple who could not wait to join us after enjoying our second ‘Diva for a Day!’ event in September. The day was a huge success which helped to spread the word about DaleDiva thanks to an appreciative audience and the opportunity to invite potential divas to come along and have a go on stage with us. A recent highlight and another new experience for us was when we travelled to Dublin to take part in our first IABS convention in October. It was fantastic to meet new choruses and make new friends as well as catching up with some old ones. It was hard work but a great experience and the icing on the cake was
bringing two Silver medals back home to Derbyshire with us.
Closer to home we were delighted to be invited by our local mayor to sing at a traditional annual Venetian Nights festival which draws crowds from all over Derbyshire and beyond. This was soon followed by a charity concert in
CDs at a sing out. Our appearances at a popular farmers’ market where we’ve become a firm fixture continue and we attracted some useful interest by hosting a display at our second wedding fair. A particularly special invitation we’ve had is one to sing for sick children and their families at an event in Nottingham organised by the When You Wish Upon A Star charity which raises money to grant the wishes of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. This is certain to bring home the real meaning of Christmas and we’re proud to be involved. Meanwhile, we’re looking forward to an enjoyable New Year working hard to build on the success we’ve achieved so far. If 2010 is anything like our first two years we’re in for a great time.
Stuart’s Flying High The ‘Flying High Singers’ chorus bids an official farewell to MD Martijn Hoeksema on the 15th of December 2009. We thank him for his commitment the last two years he directed us. The Board of ‘Flying High Singers’ is delighted to announce that from the 1st of January Stuart Sides will be FHS new director, and we are looking forward to working with him. Anda van Stegeren Mail: a.h.vanstegeren@uva.nl Website: www.flyinghighsingers.nl E-mail: informatie@flyinghighsingers.nl
Bexhill Harmony is an enthusiastic chorus of 22 members who are looking for a
Musical Director Based in Bexhill on Sea in East Sussex, we meet every Thursday at 7.30.
aid of an action group campaigning to save an historic church. We were very pleased to help them raise awareness about their cause as well as a few hundred pounds towards funds and appreciated the first chance to sell our
8 | HARMONY RAG | Winter 2009
Finally, may all of us at DaleDiva take this opportunity to thank our supporters for their continued help and encouragement and wish all our friends a merry Christmas and a very happy and harmonious New Year!
See our web site www.bexhillharmony.co.uk and contact us at info@bexhillharmony.co.uk
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
The Power of Chocolate! Caroline Donovan, PRO, Phoenix Chorus Where has the year gone?! Phoenix have been very busy since May – a lot of work, hardly any rest at all, but some time for play! We came back from Gateshead bursting with enthusiasm and started off by organising a quartet evening, hosted by Zest! and supported by Finesse and Moonshine. We had a great night with the emphasis on fun and it was fabulous to see so many people “having a go” at singing in quartet - something that many chorus members generally find a terrifying prospect! Perhaps it was the choccy medals or special sweetie awards, but so many found that they actually enjoyed the experience that we are going to make it a regular event. It’s amazing what a bunch of women will do with the promise of chocolate! “Work” has involved some great coaching sessions, and this year
we’ve had a bumper crop! We’ve worked with the Harrington brothers, David and Doug: first, an evening with David and then a whole weekend of them together. They brought their fabulous mix of skills along with their notorious sense of fun and set us some new challenges. In September we were also blessed with a weekend with Kim Hulbert, director of San Diego Chorus and Queen of Harmony – and we really did feel we were in the presence of royalty! Kim is a powerhouse of knowledge but she also has the ability to share and impart her wisdom in an immediately accessible way. And she has a wicked sense of humour! We had such a good time together that she’s already booked a return visit and San Diego
has invited Phoenix to be their sister chorus! We are proud beyond words to be the little sis to such a fabulous chorus and are looking forward to forging closer links and friendships across the water. AND…
By Rachael Buchannan Hello from Aberdeen, where we are preparing for our Christmas shows. Now that the cold dark evenings are upon us, I’ve been harking back to the bright summer days. One of the highlights for me was a wedding. The bride (Andrea) and the bride’s mother (Dorothy) both sing baritone in the chorus. Andrea and Paul had decided to have the wedding ceremony beside Dunnottar castle, the ruins of which stand high on a cliff overlooking the sea. Thankfully the day dawned bright and clear. Guests had been advised
to wear walking shoes for this part of the proceedings because the route to the cliff top was just a track. The tourists who chose to visit Dunnottar
the sight of a mother of the bride and other ladies in their wedding finery all clambering over the heather in their gym-shoes,
Our next coaching event is equally exciting … Renee Porzel in January!! The “Rest”…. We’ve squeezed in a few other events along the way: An Open Evening in October attracted over 30 new faces and several are going through the joining process as I write – very exciting! You know what they say about buses? Well it
appears the same applies to singouts, because it had been a while since we’d had one and then 3 came along in November! One was at the 60th birthday party of one of our longstanding members, which also featured the fabulous Soundcrew, reformed by special request. Another was at the lovely (but chilly!) Crowland Abbey in the middle of the fens, and the last at a local church. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed these chances to perform and it’s given our newer members some valuable experience. By the time you read this we will also have had a carol singing evening around the pubs in Potton followed by a preChristmas get together – cheers!
On a sadder note, Lynda’s husband Nigel lost his battle, after a long period of illness, and passed away peacefully in July. Lynda would like to say thank you for all the messages of love and support that she has received from her many friends in the barbershop network. The family have set up the Nigel Wood Foundation, a charitable trust that aims to support Neurological research at Addenbrookes. They also plan to purchase and develop a piece of land in Potton to promote wildlife and be an area where visitors can share in Nigel’s love of all things living. Donations can be made payable to “The Nigel Wood Foundation” c/o Lloyds Bank, High St, Biggleswade SG18 0JD. Phoenix are planning to hold fundraising events next year – we’ll keep you informed. Wishing lots of Love, Chocolate and a Happy New Year to All!
ceremony. After that, the handsome couple walked round the castle where one little girl asked Andrea if she was the ‘Angel of the Castle!’ Our chorus likes nothing better than dressing up. This year’s Summer show had us dressed as flappers for our twenties set. I think I preferred this to the previous year when we were Aliens! This Christmas we will be swash-buckling on the high ‘C’s’. I think hooks, eye-
patches and the like will be in order for a Pirate Chorus. In October it was great to be able to watch Lace City, Surrey Harmony, Tone-acity and Luminous on the web cast. The reception was good and we could see all their brilliant performances. Well done everyone.
Angel of the Castle
that day were somewhat mesmerised by
10 | HARMONY RAG | Winter 2009
accompanied by fellows in kilts! Andrea swept up the path on her father’s arm and we all clustered round to witness the marriage. It was a beautiful setting for a poignant though informal
The Cottontown Chorus &
@ SUNDAY 28TH FEBRUARY @ 6.00PM Tickets £12.00 & £8.00 Concessions
Contact
The Cottontown Chorus: bookings@cottontownchorus.co.uk or Heartbeat: contact@heartbeatchorus.co.uk The Box Office: 0161 477 7779
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
View from the Pit:
A Judge’s-eye view of regional convention ByValerie Taylor Approved Candidate Judge, Sound Category At our regional competition we are all so busy rushing around – rehearsing, putting on make up, travelling from our hotel to the convention venue, more rehearsing, performing, eating, buying photos, singing with friends. We ask ourselves: “What exactly do those judges get up to?” Here is a typical routine for a judge at regional convention.
Thursday They will arrive in the UK today (or maybe on Wednesday) – it’s a long way to travel and there’s jet lag to contend with. There isn’t much time to rest over the weekend… There is a reception with the Regional Management Team on Thursday evening where the judges get to meet the RMT and competition team. That’s when the judges get the packs with their score sheets from the panel secretary. After the reception, they will go back to their rooms and fill in anything on the score sheets that they can do in advance – this may be just signing their name and crossing through the “bonus points” box, but it saves valuable seconds in the pit. If they are lucky (which they were last year) they will get a list of the songs and will be able to enter that information onto the score sheets too. Friday Morning Friday morning is when the “pit inspection” and
quartet sound check take place. The judges head over to the competition venue pretty early in the morning. Last year our pit inspection was at 10am and lasted a couple of hours. After that the judges go back to the headquarters hotel for one of the most important parts of the preparation – the quartet levelling DVD. They spend 2 hours watching a DVD of quartet performances ranging from C- to A level. While watching, they discuss what distinguishes a C- performance from a C performance, and they do the same all the way up to A level performances. This helps the judges to get the levels clear in their minds and to be consistent across the categories. Then they get ready, get their score sheets, notes and pens and head over to the contest venue. The Quartet Competition The competition last year started at 3pm, so the judges would be at the venue by 2.30. They take their places in the pit and the competition starts. If there is a mic warming quartet, the judges get to sit back and enjoy the performance, but they will be practising their skills by assigning a level or a score. Then the contest begins. As soon as a quartet starts to sing, the judges will write down the name of the song if they don’t already have it. This is why you might see them look down as soon as you start – it’s not because your opening notes were terrible! They will also do what is known as “instant levelling” – assigning a level (B-, B, B+ etc) based on the standard set by the quartet in the first few bars of a song. While the quartet is singing, each judge is evaluating the performance based on the judging
12 | HARMONY RAG | Winter 2009
criteria for her category. She writes comments on the score sheet – in proper sentences and with the correct spelling – and assigns a score for each song. She checks that the scores add up correctly and that she has covered all the aspects of her category. She then enters the quartet’s score on a form so she can keep track of the scores of all the competitors. This is used by International for analysis after the competition. She separates out the 3 copies of her forms, passes 2 to the panel chair and keeps one for her records. Meanwhile, the panel chair checks the scores of the other 3 judges and keeps a master sheet with all the scores on. She liaises with the panel secretary who is timing the competition and entering the scores in the official spreadsheet of results. All this happens in 6-10 minutes (singing time plus walking on and off). When the competition is over, the panel chair and panel secretary work together to ensure the results have been calculated correctly, and the panel secretary compiles the results
chorus sound check. This might take half an hour or so while the panel chair listens to the sound of a large, mid-size and small chorus and adjusts amplification (if there is a sound system) and lighting to ensure that all performers are properly lit. With the competition over, the judges will head back to the hotel – it’s about 10.30pm by now. They will get together for a debrief at the hotel, which might last for an hour or so. Then before they get to sleep they will file their papers from the quartet contest and prepare their papers for tomorrow’s chorus contest. Saturday Morning The judges meet early to watch the chorus levelling DVD. Last year they had to be ready to leave the hotel at 11.15am so they watched the DVD between 8.30 and 10.30am. Once at the competition venue they go through the same judging process as for the quartet contest. The chorus contest last year ran from 12 noon until 5pm, during which time the judges are working pretty much non-stop. When the contest is over and the results announced,
packs for competitors. The panel chair announces the eagerly awaited results. But the judges’ work isn’t done – after the quartet contest it is time for the
the judges meet with the regional convention team to give feedback about the competition and to discuss trends in the region. This meeting is
attended by the Education Coordinator, the Events Coordinator, the Chair of Regional Convention and the Competition Coordinator. The meeting lasts a minimum of half an hour and the judges hand over hand written sheets which they filled in after each competition, detailing areas of strength and areas for development in the region, both for quartets and choruses. This is the regional team’s chance to hear what the judges think about the way convention was organised and the standards in the region. After this, at about 6pm, they head off for dinner and their own debrief. They almost always attend the show of champions, so they will be back in the auditorium at around 7.30pm and then back at the hotel (or in the afterglow!) at around 10.30pm. Sunday Morning The vast majority of judges give their time, free of charge, to take part in education sessions on Sunday morning. Last year, the judges stayed to run classes on Sunday morning, coach the Young Women In Harmony chorus and answer all our questions. They don’t finish their duties until we all leave the venue! As an Approved Candidate Judge with a mere 6 trial scoring experiences under my belt, one of the things I can tell you is that the judges are passionate about doing a good job for the competitors. They have absolute respect for the effort put in by all competing quartets and choruses and they take their jobs very seriously. So if you have ever wondered what the judges get up to between contests, or even during the contests, now you know!
Regional Faculty The Regional Faculty is our own group of trained coaches and educators. They can help in a variety of ways including chorus and quartet coaching, as well as management and administrative advice. Please feel free to contact them to see what they can do for you. Alternatively if you are unsure who to contact, your Education Coordinator, Valerie Taylor, can advise you on who would be best for you. Fees and expenses should be agreed with faculty members in advance. Anne Cargill Aberdeen Chorus Aberdeen – 01224 704627 acargill@lochside.fsbusiness.co.uk
Dorothy Main Aberdeen Chorus Aberdeen - 01224 782124 emmandee@tiscali.co.uk
Alyson Chaney Lace City Chorus Nottingham – 01636 814377 alysonchaney@yahoo.co.uk
Rebecca Middleton Coastline Harmony Chorus Fareham – 01329 2354491 becks2010@hotmail.com
Glenn Chaney Lace City Chorus Nottingham – 07960 112732 glennsings@yahoo.co.uk
Mike Taylor Spinnaker Chorus Southampton – 01489 600134 mike@singwell.me.uk
Elaine Hamilton Forth Valley Chorus Edinburgh – 0131 334 2372 elainemrssh@aol.com
Valerie Taylor Prospective Vocal Dimension Chorus Croydon – 020 8660 8037 valerie.taylor@privacysolutions.co.uk
Dates for your Diary International Convention
LABBS Convention
2010, October 19-23, Seattle WA 2011, October 18-22, Houston TX 2012, Oct. 30 - Nov. 3, Denver , CO 2013, Nov. 5-9, Honolulu , HI 2014, Nov. 4-8, Baltimore , MD 2015, Oct. 6-10, Las Vegas , NV 2016, Oct. 11-15, Las Vegas , NV 2017, Oct. 10-14, Las Vegas , NV
29th October - 31st October 2010 Llandudno
IES Events
BABS Convention
2010, July 8-10, IES East, Pittsburgh , PA 2010, July 15-17, IES Central, St. Louis , MO 2010, July 21-24, IES, West, Rancho Mirage, CA 2010, Nov. 11-13, IES Pacific Rim, Auckland , New Zealand 2011, September, IES Europe , Glasgow
Regional Convention Dates 7th – 9th May 2010 Newcastle
Education Dates
24th – 26th September 2010 28th-30th May 2010 Harrogate
Got a Show?
Let us know the details and we will print it here. Swell those audiences free!
Have you got a story for
Harmony Rag?
DEADLINE for the next issue 26th Februaury 2010 Contact the Editor: Rose Paxman 69a Muskoka Drive, Sheffield S11 7RH Tel: 07891 269212 Email: rosesings@gmail.com
Gwen Topp Aberdeen Chorus Aberdeen – 01224 575366 gmtopp@yahoo.co.uk Michelle Walker Lace City Chorus Nottingham – 0115 965 4524 shelbywalks@yahoo.co.uk
Regional Management Team 2009 – May 2010
Chris Bentley - Team Coordinator Forth Valley Chorus Tel: TBC chrisbentley963@hotmail.com
Tracy Bailey - Directors’ Coordinator Champagne Cornwall Chorus Tel: 01726 63937 allthebaileys@aol.com Nuala Hobden - Finance Coordinator Spinnaker Chorus Tel: TBC nualahelen@aol.com Valerie Taylor - Education Coordinator Prospective Vocal Dimension Chorus Tel: 020 8660 8037 valerie.taylor@privacysolutions.co.uk Emma Riley - Events Coordinator Prospective Vocal Dimension Chorus Tel: 07771 562962 emma.riley@reedelsevier.com Deborah Lamble - Membership Coordinator Spinnaker Chorus Tel: 01202 487287 deborah@lamble.plus.com Alison Page - Communications Coordinator Rhapsody UK Chorus Tel: 01733 242937 alison_page@btinternet.com Helen Gauld - Marketing Coordinator Aberdeen Chorus Tel: TBC helen.gauld@btinternet.com HARMONY RAG | Winter 2009 | 13