INTUNE, SPRING, 2007 You can also view this newsletter online at: www.sairegion13.org/intune-spring07.html IT'S ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY! Pick up guidelines for singing your best on stage, acquire tips on becoming a skilled singer, watch and learn from choruses getting coached...and more...at the upcoming Western Washington Area School. * Saturday, June 2 * 9:00 am - 4:00 pm * Calvary Lutheran Church in Federal Way * $15.00 registration fee includes lunch Faculty for this workshop are Sue Beck, Charlene O'Connor and Sally Wallace. All are experienced members, coaches, directors, quartet singers, and faculty members. You can't go wrong! Whether you are new to Sweet Adelines or a long-time member, you will get something out of this workshop to increase your knowledge of barbershop and to take back to your chorus. The registration deadline has been extended to May 25. Get yours in today! For more information, visit the Workshop webpage on the Region 13 site [http://sairegion13.org/workshops.html]. And for a downloadable flyer and registration form, visit [http://sairegion13.org/WWAS%20info.PDF]. Questions? Contact Sue Middleton, 253.874.2733. Remember, it's all about the journey, so take the trip to Federal Way and jump start your musical education today! ____________________________________ RMT MEETING HIGHLIGHTS The RMT met January 27-28 at the Sea-Tac Marriott. Saturday was dedicated to old and new business with Sunday being allocated for some long range planning. The education team has some fabulous Summer Enrichment Training coming up. The first weekend in August 2007. Diane Porsch will be the faculty and the location will be Pasco, WA. Check out the regional web site for more information. In September 2008, we will be having a joint SET with Region 26 in Richmond, BC with Rumors as the faculty, and in 2009 we will have Betty Tracy; location to be determined. Other items included a Director and Faculty Workshop this past March, Area Schools in Washington and Alaska during the summer of 2007, Quartet Education and Young Women in Harmony. Every chorus and quartet is looking for ways to raise money. We are working on preparing a Fundraising/Grant Writing package to have ready for distribution at SET. Since it was the January meeting, we discussed the upcoming convention and future conventions and contracts. We also discussed ways for chapters to purchase tapes utilizing a “Director Cam” similar to what is available for directors at an International Convention. We discussed ways to improve regional awareness of opportunities for members to assist Region 13 with a variety of small to larger tasks. It is a goal to build a “Job Bank” where members complete a quick and painless survey and we can track a database of our available talent. The RMT will be hosting a table at SET to promote this. We allocated a significant amount of time to begin working on a Long Range Strategic plan. This plan is a work-in-progress; more information will be available during the summer. Submitted by Jan Matthews ____________________________________ CALLING ALL CHORUS HISTORIANS! Good news! Due to popular demand and further discussion, the contest portion of the SET History Book Display is back on. All you Region 13 Chorus Historians, get your chorus scrapbooks ready for SET this year, which will be held in Pasco, WA August 3-5. Remember that the event is a combination display and contest: entries can be for display only or also be included in the contest. It is your choice. I will be contacting chorus historians in June to touch base with you, give out instructions and collect your entry information. You are certainly welcome to contact me (509-218-4799) at any time with questions. I look forward to seeing YOUR chorus scrapbook at this year's SET History Book Contest/Display! Jody Allen, Region 13 Historian ____________________________________ FROM THE RMT Directors Coordinator Congratulations on a job well done! Our contest weekend was fantastic and now it's time to strategize for the upcoming year. Vocal Skills are part of every judging category so I encourage every chorus to start or continue a PVI program (Private Vocal Instruction). If you need help starting this vital vocal skills improvement program, contact me or a member of your friendly regional faculty. We are all here to assist you. Use us! Karen Leet / 907.745.8371 / ckleet@gci.net _____________________ Events Coordinator The 2007 Regional Contest was a great success by all measurements taken! Patty Martin (Education Coordinator) and I put our heads together and came up with a great start on taking the emphasis off the competition aspect and turning our three days together into a true convention! The Friday morning class was well-attended and something we hope to continue next year. The first rehearsal of the Star Chorus went well and the 35 hearty souls who got up on the risers had a ball (to be con-tinued at SET 2007 in Pasco). Region 26 also has a regional chorus and we hope to join them at SET 2008 in Richmond, BC. The Thursday night Kick Off format was well-received and will be scheduled again next year, starting a little earlier (as requested by folks who think they need to get some sleep during the weekend!). Working together with Ovation at the Saturday Night Afterglow was also successful. We had a lot of fun and Ovation made some money for their Fund. If you have any questions or comments for me as your Events Coordinator, please feel free to email me and I’ll do my best to respond! Other ideas regarding contest weekend, such as theme, format, future sites, etc., are more than welcome! Contest locations are set for the next three years: Spokane 2008 and 2009 and Anchorage for 2010. Sue Hahn / 907. 272.4245 / sourdoughsuesb-b@alaska.com _____________________ Marketing Coordinator What an incredible convention weekend! To a very hard working Convention Steering Committee, Thank You! The theme of “changes” was very appropriate. The Thursday night kick off was a fun way of taking care of the annual business meeting with some entertainment. And after the wonderful education class and coaching by Carol Kirkpatrick on Friday morning, I found myself listening with “smarter ears” during the quartet contest. Continuing with the change theme, the RMT faces remain the same but some positions change. I have enjoyed being your Chapter Coordinator for the last year. Last summer, after having proposed changes and soliciting input from the regions, International had all RMTs vote on a new Regional Management Team structure. The two changes to the current structure are to split the previously consolidated Membership/Marketing Coordinator position and to eliminate the Chapter Coordinator, whose duties will now fall under the Membership Coordinator. I am stepping into the role of Marketing Coordinator and will be looking to form a team. If you have an interest, suggestions or any questions, please email me or give me a call. Jan Matthews / 907.522.1988 / jlm@alaska.net ____________________________________ MOVED? CHANGED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS? Did you know that updated address information should be sent to Teresa McLuen, our Regional Database Manager [mctandd@msn.com]? Teresa will then distribute it to the appropriate people in the region who need the information. Individual members can send the information, or chapter leaders. You can even send a copy of your roster if that is easier! This information is ONLY used for official Region 13 business, such as the InTune, and mailings for competition or workshops. Your name will not be sold to anyone! And don't forget to send your change on to International, too! An email to Connie Heyer [connie@sweetadelineintl.org] will do the trick! This will ensure uninterrupted delivery of The Pitch Pipe, as well as any dues renewal or other important information from International. SAI does not sell membership information to outsiders either. Thanks for helping keep our mailing and membership lists up to date! ____________________________________ REGIONAL CALENDAR 2007 June 2: [http://sairegion13.org/workshops.html] Western Washington Area School, "It's All About The Journey", with Regional Faculty Sue Beck, Charlene O'Connor and Sally Wallace; Federal Way, WA 23: Grand Olympics Chorus is pleased to present "Let's Get Away From It All!" 7:00 pm; Port Angeles High School Auditorium; 304 E. Park Ave; Port Angeles, WA 98362. Show time is 7:00 pm. Featured guests: Tracy Blume, with Jazz-n-Blume, and the local Peninsula Girls Choir. Tickets can be purchased online at NWPerformingArts.com and are $15 preferred seating and $12 general. July 1-8: Society International Convention (BHS) Denver, CO 11-14: IES (International Education Symposium), "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Alamo"; Trinity University, San Antonio, TX. 20-22: Evergreen District's Harmony College Northwest; Tacoma, WA. 28: InTune Newsletter deadline for Summer issue; questions and articles should go to Nancy Gott [harmonynlg@aol.com]. August 3-5 - SET w/Diane Porsch - Pasco, WA 10-11: Alaska Area School, featuring Joe Connelly; Anchorage, AK. 25: LiveWire Quartet Extravaganza; Tukwila/Federal Way, WA area. The evening will feature several SAI and BHS quartets. Contact Teresa McCafferty at 253.631.2130 for more information. September 15: Pacific Sound Chorus Master Class with Betty Clipman. October 9-13: International Convention - Calgary, AB 19-21: Evergreen District Convention; Meydenbauer Convention Center, Bellevue, WA 27: InTune Newsletter deadline for Fall issue; questions and articles should go to Nancy Gott [harmonynlg@aol.com]. November 9-10: Quartet Workshop featuring “The Buzz” sponsored by “Ovation” - Seattle, WA 10: Jet Cities Chorus Show; guest quartet The Buzz. Seattle area. 17: Pacific Sound Chorus Master Class with Betty Clipman. 2008 April 10-13: Region 26 Annual Convention - Vancouver area 24-27: Region 13 Annual Convention - Spokane, WA May 15-18: Region 24 Annual Convention November 4-8: International Convention - Honolulu, HI 2009 April 2-5: Region 13 Annual Convention - Spokane, WA 23-26: Region 26 Annual Convention - Calgary, AB May 14-17: Region 24 Annual Convention November 3-7: International Convention - Nashville, TN 2010 April 22-24: Region 13 Annual Convention - Anchorage, AK 29-May 2: Region 24 Annual Convention May 13-16: Region 26 Annual Convention - Saskatoon, SK October 19-23: International Convention - Seattle, WA 2011 October 18-22: International Convention - Houston, TX 2012 October 30-Nov 2: International Convention - Denver, CO 2013 November 5-9: International Convention - Honolulu, HI Send Calendar info to: Tracie Cogdill, Calendar Coordinator [tracie@mosquitonet.com] PO Box 80007 Fairbanks, AK 99708 Home: 907-457-5244 Fax: 907-456-5244 ____________________________________ RISERS WANTED Prospective Voices Northwest Chorus is currently meeting in Snohomish, Washington. We have 21 auditioned members with more on the way and no risers yet. If you have insights into how we can find some - without spending an entire fortune - please share. The sooner, the better. Thanks all! Sue Beck, Director [sue.beck@comcast.net] Prospective Voices Northwest ____________________________________ 2007 CONVENTION WEEKEND Chalk up another smashing success for North Pacific Region 13! The Regional Convention Steering Committee, under the leadership of Marshia Nicholson, did a wonderful job of expanding a "contest" into a true convention weekend. The competition backstage work ran like clockwork as well, thanks to the hard work of CC Jill Landback. All committee members and backstage crew deserve a huge THANK YOU from the members. Congratulations to Mojo, for winning the quartet contest on Friday. Corinna Garriock, Julie Hagstrom, Patti Burklund, and Judy Pozsgay Rimple (Lions Gate and Pacific Sound Choruses) will be heading to Calgary, Alberta, Canada this fall to compete at the 2007 International contest. Congratulations also go to Pacific Sound Chorus (Bellevue, WA), under the direction of Susan Lamb Kegley, for winning the chorus contest on Saturday. Pacific Sound will represent Region 13 at the 2008 international contest in Honolulu, HI. You can get more complete scores by visiting our Regional Competition page on the website. Mark your calendars for April 24-27 for the 2008 Regional Contest. It's gonna be another winner! _________________________________________ EXPAND YOUR BOUNDARIES “Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.” Quote by Corita Kent WOW! North Pacific Region 13 truly celebrated the moment during our 2007 Competition/Convention weekend in Spokane. Congratulations to everyone who participated in this wonderful event. Now it is time to move forward and spread our experience and knowledge beyond all boundaries this year. The March 2007 Director/Faculty Workshop, facilitated by International Faculty member, Sandie Nason, was very successful. We had 44 participants that included Directors, Assistant Directors, and Section Leaders. Sandie shared her knowledge and experience as she addressed building a successful team environment, using tools for making quick and accurate group assessments, teaching and improving unit sound, reviewing both the expression and showmanship categories and sharing self-care hints. As we continue the Regional Education journey this year, members will be afforded multiple opportunities to “Love the Moment”. We begin in June with the Western Washington Area School, “It’s All About The Journey”, scheduled Saturday June 2, 2007, at the Calvary Lutheran Church in Federal Way, WA. Regional Faculty members Sue Beck, Charlene O’Connor, and Sally Wallace will work with members addressing singing your best on stage, how to become a skilled singer, choreography, and much more. The song, “Kokomo”, will be used during this workshop, so dust it off and review your notes. Also in June, the Regional Education Direction Team (Joan Levitin, Sally Wallace, Dottie Diedrick, Cris Turner, and Patty Martin) will be meeting to finalize the 2007-2008 Regional education schedule and plan for the 2008-2009 “no boundary” education adventures. Also during this month, I have tentatively scheduled a trip to Region 26 with our Events Coordinator to discuss and plan the 2008 SET that will be held in Vancouver, BC, facilitated by the International Championship Quartet, Rumors. July 2007 brings our members education through the International Education Symposium (IES) scheduled for July 11-15 in San Antonio, Texas. The variety of class choices is astounding! You will definitely expand YOUR educational boundaries. I know all of you have marked the dates of August 3-5, 2007 to attend this year’s Summer Enrichment Training (SET) in Pasco, WA at the Pasco Red Lion. The theme is “Tropicale Musicale” and the song for the weekend is “Kokomo”. This year members will have the pleasure of stepping over the fun boundary: all are encouraged to wear tropical attire, sing in a quartet or double quartet, and broaden your education horizon with classes taught by Regional and International Faculty. Diane Porsch is very excited to work with our region. In October, you can physically cross the border by attending International Competition/Convention in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Use your energy of the moment and support Region 13’s International Competition chorus, Spirit of Spokane and quartet, Mojo. Participate in region "cheerleading" activities and observe the best International Sweet Adeline choruses and quartets during the week of October 9-13, 2007. Region 13 quartet members will have a special opportunity November 9-10 as Region 13’s Quartet Champion organization, Ovation, sponsors a Quartet Workshop featuring International Championship Quartet, The BUZZ. Saturday night of the workshop, plan to attend Jet Cities Chorus' annual show, which features The Buzz and special guest Nancy Bergman. Expand your educational boundaries and take the time to attend these scheduled events during 2007-2008! Patty Martin, Education Coordinator __________________________________________ OUR GOLDEN TREASURES "There'll be some changes made today”...what a fitting theme for our recent regional convention. Our region has welcomed three new or prospective choruses this year. The new RiversEdge Chorus is fully chartered on the "sunny side" of the state in Spokane. Plus, we have two prospective choruses on the rainy side of the mountains: welcome to Voices Northwest (Snohomish, WA) and to Port of Angels (Port Angeles, WA). And how terrific was it to have prospective POA on the risers for evaluation!? Our hats are tipped in welcome to you all. One of the highlights of our conventions is presenting longevity certificates and ribbons to those wonderful women who are the bedrock of our organization. On Thursday evening, Sue Beck read through a carefully researched script (by Regional Historian Jody Allen) and we acknowledged milestone memberships for 121 women (the certificates were mailed to the members? choruses or to CAL members in late February). Anyone who might wish to purchase a copy of the photos taken for each group of award winners Thursday night should visit ER Lilley's online site at [http://www.r13pics.photoherald.com]. Of special note, this year we presented three 50-year certificates and ribbons to three special ladies as a part of the Show of Champions. Lois Dye, Anita Gohl and Barb Ewai each received their 50-year certificates. Opal Hicks rounded out the presentation by receiving a certificate for 55 years! So three cheers for Region 13! In with the new but also recognizing that we are what we are today due to the activities, vision and spirit of those who have blazed the trail for Sweet Adelines here in the Pacific Northwest. Gayle Robinson, Membership Coordinator __________________________________________ CHORUS CHATTER Alaska Sound Celebration Chorus “Newborn” Alaska Sound Celebration Chorus (ASC) took our first “baby” steps on the stage of the Region 13 Competition in Spokane and brought home second place medals, a score which ensured co-directors Karen Leet and Peggy McBride Master Director status. “Peggy and I are very proud and humbled by our new Master Director designation,” says Karen. “We know you obtain the Certified Director status yourself by completing the DCP tests, but it takes a chorus to give you the gift of Master Director; we thank them for our wonderful gift!” In January 2007, the two Anchorage choruses (Anchorage Sourdough directed by Peggy McBride and Top of the World, directed by Karen Leet) merged. These “Babes of Barbershop”, or BOB, showed up full force in Spokane with 69 of our 77 charter members making the journey. BOB also made his presence known in sparkling BOB pins and signs, and was also featured in ASC’s Showcase performance on the Saturday evening of Competition weekend. Karen and Peggy said, “We are extremely proud of these ladies. They took a risk in merging these two long standing successful choruses and their risk paid off. Everyone has been working non-stop since our first “real” rehearsal last September and they haven’t stopped yet. The great part is, we’re working hard but having lots of fun in the process too. There is a buzz of excitement in the air every time we meet and we love that!” Our newly formed Management Team now continues the work begun last winter with Elaine Albertson at the helm as our new Team Leader, who says, “I can say without a doubt, this is the most challenging and most rewarding musical experience I've ever had, and it just keeps getting better!” ASC will grow into the future and bring traditions from both choruses as we mature. The December 2006 holiday show featured a “Sing for Scholarships” contest for high school students; a local Rotary club provided some of the scholarship money. We intend to grow that program and other mutually beneficial relationships. The February 2007 Melodrama was a fundraising success and introduced new Top of the World talent to the Melodrama stage; 2008’s show holds the same promise. ASC will continue to sing at the monthly Naturalization ceremonies for new US citizens, while performing at the Alaska State Fair, delivering Valentines and Christmas Cards, and enjoying several coaching sessions will round out the year. And did we mention 8 other new songs to be sung this year? Alaska Sound Celebration looks forward to a bright and exciting future expanding our repertoire and preparing for 2008 Competition. “One heart, one voice and one chorus” was the theme for our merger year. Now, as we work together, we look forward to some amazing musical adventures. As Karen says, “Our first competition experience together was marvelous. Thank you to everyone to who gave us encouragement along the way. It has meant the world to us.” Submitted by Beth Galea _____________________ Coeur d'Alene Chorus The ladies of the Coeur d'Alene Chorus had quite a time at Regional Competition this year. All but four of our members were able to compete, and those four were in the audience to lend us their support...and boy, did we have support! Well, I should qualify that. Our chorus was enveloped in love and support from everyone at competition, partly because our physical support unfortunately left something to be desired! On Friday, we arrived at the DoubleTree to rehearse for Saturday’s chorus competition. As we entered the rehearsal room and began to ascend the risers, they suddenly collapsed, throwing several members to the floor. Three ladies on the top step landed between the risers and the wall, hitting both as they fell. Other members either fell onto the riser or were able to jump free. Paramedics arrived within minutes and four women were transported to the hospital. The rest of us were in a state of shock. As we waited to hear about our friends, sharing hugs and tears, we realized what might have happened if some of us had not stopped on our way to rehearsal to listen to Mojo singing out in the hallway! We decided it was important "the show went on" and--with cell phones set to vibrate with hospital reports--headed to the quartet competition to support Moxie with our director, Bianca Perry. As good news trickled in, we took a collective deep breath: there were fractures, sprains, lacerations and an assessment for a concussion, plus various soft tissue injuries to all those places you never knew you had! But we’re very happy to report that our “walking wounded” returned to the hotel that day and every last one of them competed...braces, slings, headaches and all! We sang our hearts out, even though many of us had lumps in our throats from the very emotional standing ovation we received when the curtain opened! If there is a silver lining here, it is that we hope everyone will perform regular checks on their equipment. Mike Elliott, Spirit of Spokane director, was on the scene to see if he could determine what had caused the riser accident. Though no cause has been absolutely identified, he felt one of the riser section locks had worn to the point that it no longer gripped the frame enough to hold. When the lock gave, it pulled the other two sections with it. This was something we never thought would happen. And now, one final bit to our competition story. On Saturday evening, most of the chorus met for dinner at Luigi?s. Sharing the banquet room were members of Inland Harmony Chorus. After dinner, we began to sing, inviting Inland Harmony to join us. It was a perfect way of celebrating both our love of harmony and the strength of the bonds that hold us all together. What an uplifting experience! It erased the last of our trauma nerves and got us back in top form. Many wonderful stories of the love and support shown to our chorus at this year’s competition have been shared, and we continue to get “hope everyone is okay” messages. What a great region--and organization--we belong to! Submitted by Jean Bledsoe _____________________ Pacific Sound Chorus Pacific Sound takes this opportunity to congratulate all choruses and quartets for an amazing contest! It's clear that no one should take any "win" for granted. The number of quality quartets is especially impressive. Add to that the obvious effort expended by Alaska Sound Celebration to be the very best they can be pushes the Region 13 bar higher. Best wishes to Spirit of Spokane in Calgary! It was a tremendous pleasure surprising Carole Kirkpatrick with a tribute to her past leadership and, at the same time, welcoming Susan Lamb Kegley home to PSC. Region 13 is blessed beyond measure with women like these in our midst. P.S. Aloha Pumehana! (P.S. We Love You!) Submitted by Susan Soderberg _____________________ RiversEdge Chorus It has been a whirlwind year for this new chorus. We began our journey in July of 2006, and we received our new charter on April 19, 2007. YIPPEE! In that time we produced a successful Christmas show, acquired new risers, and have found a wonderful home at Apollo College in Spokane where we rehearse every Tuesday evening. In March, RiversEdge had a booth at the Women’s Show where we showed videos of recent International Competitions and had information available about our chorus and Sweet Adelines. We felt it was a great way to reach women of our demographics, and we have had four ladies visit the chorus, two of whom will be joining. It was a great way to publicize our new chorus and add to our mailing list. We are planning to have a booth next year, and will be part of the entertainment. On May 12, we held our first annual Mother’s Day Tea, which was a rousing success. We had a nearly sell-out crowd of beautifully dressed ladies who had a wonderful afternoon sharing tea, refreshments, watching a style show presented by Chico’s and a performance by the chorus and quartets. We plan for this to be an annual event, and invite you to join us next year. We are looking forward to a busy summer with coaching sessions and performances. Since we are all good friends, we will also be taking time to enjoy each other’s company at a couple of patio and lake parties. Submitted by Mary Ann Milette _____________________ Rolling Hills Chorus Yo, Yo, Yo... Lean with it... Rock with it... Region 13 is so fly! Rolling Hills Chorus was thrilled to be on the Festival of Champions as your First Place Small Chorus. Our Rap package came about spontaneously during retreat. We had been working on keeping an even tempo with the beat from an electric piano. Our coach, Sue Beck, and our director, Lucy Heinkel, paused for a few moments to discuss things among themselves when the whole chorus started to rap to the beat: "Oh; you beautiful doll. You great big beautiful doll..." Rolling Hills would like to thank Region 13 for all the educational programs they offer. We have benefited from skilled, knowledgeable, dedicated faculty and coaches right here in our region. Thank you, Sue Beck, for being a great coach. In addition to getting ready for competition, Rolling Hills has had two "sing outs": one for the men's barbershop chorus, Columbia River Chordsmen; a High Tea Social at the Kennewick Senior Center; plus, a "sing out" coming up on June 5th at the Grandview Fair Grounds. We love it! Our annual show in January will be a tribute to Irving Berlin, with lots of fun songs to learn while working on our vocal production skills. So, peace out! We love you Region 13. You're so fly, yo! Submitted by Julee Perry _____________________ Spirit of Spokane Chorus We knew our show could succeed, but it meant REALLY working hard! In the end, New York, New York and Dances with the Stars delivered! Our annual show had creative entertainment AND financial success! Despite a perilously short four-month timeframe, our show committee, led by Farol Stroyan and Phyllis Albee, managed to create success in several key areas: partnering with local media celebrities, careful financial planning, clever advertising techniques, and above all, a renewed positive energy for the chorus! Most Americans have heard of the hot, new reality show “Dancing with the Stars” from which our show evolved. The story was set around a chorus traveling to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall, stopping along the way to visit famous theaters. One theater was having a dance contest with two Spokane celebrities as contestants (what a coincidence!). Our success took more than a good idea, though. Establishing a relationship with local media personalities was part of our win-win combination. Not only did we meet some incredible people, but received a huge amount of free radio and television exposure. Why did Robyn Nance, KXLY TV news anchor and Dave Sposito, KZZU morning radio show star jump on our bandwagon so willingly? Because we pledged to raise money for two local cancer foundations. To quote Robyn, “It was such an honor and a joy to be part of a wonderful show. I was able to help raise funds for cancer care, which is close to my heart, as my grandmother is fighting (and beating) cancer. I made some amazing new friends in the cast, and the show sparked a new passion for me: ballroom dancing! Thank you for including me. I loved every minute!” Another element which propelled this show to success was the choice of a great Spokane landmark as our venue: the Bing Crosby Theater, which was a fun place to perform as well as a historic showbiz setting for the audience. Providing tickets through TicketsWest also lent a professional quality to the show. Add to that great singing and guests, and the show was a winner all the way. The fun didn’t stop when the curtain fell. Thanks to the outstanding commitment from the chorus, we exceeded our profit margin by 162 percent. The number of chorus members selling ads and tickets increased tenfold. Best of all, ticket sales soared and we enjoyed our largest audience ever! In addition, we raised and donated $650 to both the Northwest Cancer Foundation in Spokane and North Idaho Cancer Care in Coeur d’Alene. Look for our second Dances with the Stars to be even bigger, include more celebrities and raise more money! When you give, you receive! The Spirit of Spokane Chorus is beginning to make its mark in the arts community, but more importantly is raising money to battle cancer, a disease that touches so many lives. Now that is trying AND succeeding, in show biz and in life. Submitted by Dee Pearson and Laura Lambert _____________________ Prospective Voices Northwest Chorus It was a tiny paragraph in the free weekly paper that covers the town of Snohomish, Washington, the kind that still reports on the police blotter. I don't even always read it. The article was short, sweet and entitled, "Chorus Forms". It said a new county-wide chorus called Voices Northwest was starting in January. I have been telling my husband for years that I wanted to find something music-oriented to balance out the stress of my corporate job. I hoped this might be it. As soon as I walked into the room the first night, I felt the energy. What a GREAT group of women. All ages, all walks of life, all types. And THEN, they said this was going to be a chapter of the Sweet Adelines! I could not BELIEVE my luck. Though I'd not previously been in a position to join, my aunt was a member 30 years ago in Virginia. My mom sang in a chorus in Oklahoma with many CAL members when I was very young. I couldn't wait to tell my family I had stumbled into a newly forming Sweet Adelines chorus! It is all the more fun to be a charter member of this new group, and get to help build it. We have the most fabulous mixture of very experienced members, less experienced members, and complete newbies like me. Our group is collaborative, welcoming and helpful to everyone who is interested. Our experienced members are incredibly talented, starting with our director, Sue Beck. Six of our members just came back from Regional contest and four came back with a first place medal earned with the Pacific Sound Chorus where they enjoy dual membership. One of our members is an experienced arranger, several others have sung in medalist quartets, and still others of us have belonged to various choruses in this and other regions and have recently moved here to Washington State. We are still working out all the administrative details, but it's exciting to see it all form and come together. We're looking for risers and planning repertoire. Sue very wisely had us singing immediately and we have surprised her with how quickly we are learning. She is hustling to find more music, moving us along in record time. I've been singing in one form or another since I could talk and I've not seen a group sing together as well as ours in such a short time. I could not be having any more fun. When I told my husband what I was looking for, I tried to describe this type of music to him (a non-singer) and now when I go to rehearsal, I feel like I am in the middle of my wish. I am meeting new people and finding wonderful friends in an instant community. For whatever cosmic forces conspired to have all these events come together for me, I am eternally grateful. Submitted by Nona Clifton _____________________ QUARTETS CORNER Happy Hour Wow - what a whirlwind weekend! Our regional competition, yet again, proved to be the highlight of our entire year! After a year of working hard, coaching with our three FABULOUS coaches: Beth Smith, Lea Beverley and Sandi Robinson Marron, singing for audiences throughout the west coast, and laughing ourselves silly, Happy Hour was thrilled to win 4th place, and improve by 44 points! We feel so lucky to have a cappella joy Chorus and Harmony Northwest Chorus as our "mother" choruses - their love and support really drives us to do our best. And, yes, we have a mother in each chorus! It was also a special treat to know that our families were watching on the webcast. Even Sharon's Mum and Dad watched the entire competition... from Scotland! And, we'd like to send a huge hug and thank you to each of the other quartets - it was great seeing and hearing everyone and we're looking forward to next year! Happy Hour Quartet: Sharon, Nikki, Carol, and Erika _____________________ Mojo It’s difficult to put into words how very grateful we are for the amazing love and support you gave us during competition weekend in Spokane. Thank you for helping create wonderful memories of our first contest together. We are already hard at work preparing for our trip to International Competition in Calgary and hope that many of you will be there to share that experience with us. As we prepared for Regional competition, we were blessed with exceptional coaching from Dale Syverson and Sandy Robinson Marron. Before we hit the stage in Calgary, we will continue to coach with Sandy, and also have coaching sessions planned with Carole Kirkpatrick and Peggy Gram. There may be others on the horizon as well. We are so grateful for our families, both in Canada and the USA, who continue to amaze us with their love and support. And, of course, Region 26 and the Calgary-bound Lions Gate Chorus (Judy & Corinna are members) and the Pacific Sound Chorus (2007 Region 13 Champs!) -- well, YOU ROCK! And last, but by no means least, the love and support from Ovation Chorus has been phenomenal. What a celebration they gave us as new champions! Congratulations to all of the quartet and chorus competitors. You are ALL winners! Mojo: Corinna, Julie, Patti, Judy _____________________ Pepper Our thanks once again to Region 13 for putting on a great contest! There were many wonderful quartets and choruses, and we are proud to have earned medals again this year. Our year has been filled with performances, coaching, and rehearsals in Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Certainly the distance between our members presents certain challenges, but it has been well worth the effort. The highlights of the year include mic-testing for the Region 24 contest, headlining the Helena chorus show, and coaching with Dale Syverson. We especially want to thank our coaches, Mike Elliott, Ryan Heller, Dale Syverson, and Carol Kirkpatrick; to our families for their loving support and sacrifice; to the Spirit of Spokane Chorus; and for the amazing support and encouragement from members of Region 13 and Region 24. We appreciate all of you! Pepper: LouAnn Hommel, Debbie Drake, Elizabeth Keller, and Carran Kelley _____________________ InTune is published quarterly for the membership of North Pacific Region 13, Sweet Adelines International. For questions or comments about this electronic edition, please contact [mailto:middsue@aol.com] Sue Middleton at 253.874.2733. _______________ The next issue will be distributed in the Summer; deadline is July 28, 2007. Send articles to [mailto:harmonynlg@aol.com] Nancy Gott, InTune editor. _______________ Copyright 2007; all rights reserved.