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SUMMER, 2007
Contents
Address change?
Calendar
Chorus Chatter
Fan
Mail
From the RMT
Ovation Correspondent
Quartet Corner
Quartet Workshop
RMT Meeting Highlights
Western WA Area School
Please feel free to make extra copies for
your chorus members! The
Text Only version will probably print
best.
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Here's your chance to get the scoop from
one of the best quartets and arrangers that SAI has ever had.
Join Ovation in Seattle for the weekend of
November 9-10, 2007 for a workshop with The Buzz and Nancy Bergman.
The registration fee is only $160 per
quartet or $50 per individual. YWIH attendees pay only $25 each. Details and
registration forms will soon be available on the regional website or you can contact
the registrar, Karen Carter /
klcsings@comcast.net
Workshop
attendees also get a special price for the Jet Cities' show that evening,
featuring The Buzz and LiveWire, along with a celebration of Nancy Bergman's
80th birthday!
Ovation is proud to present this workshop
for you and we're working hard to create a wonderful weekend.
See you there!
Your Ovation Management Team
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From the RMT
Communications Coordinator
I read
Time, Scientific American and my chorus newsletter.
I check PSC’s Members Only and Region 13’s websites, call my son, read
Keith Olbermann online, review
(countless) work and personal emails. I listen to my granddaughter
jabber, watch NBC and local evening news, read Sunday newspapers, etc.
Sometimes truly important items get lost! How about you?
Humans
are blessed with sophisticated communications skills. Why does
communicating, efficiently and effectively, often become a barrier
between us rather than an inviting pathway to understanding? “My boss
doesn’t communicate.” “My son won’t listen.” “The senator
misunderstands my point.”
Purveyors of “news” relevant to particular audiences must (1) seek
valuable sources of information, (2) identify appropriate communication
vehicles and (3) transmit “news” on schedule. The process applies
whether it’s a daily newspaper, a weekly magazine, a daily online blog -
or our very own quarterly Region 13 newsletter.
However, communication is a two-way street! Information receivers also have a
responsibility
to seek out timely information and act
on it. Information overload causes us to fail at even such a
simple task. What is required is action
- remembering dates and times, calendaring critical items and
following up in a timely fashion. That
way we make the information our own.
Here
are current Region 13 communications vehicles: (1)
www.sairegion13.org
, (2) electronic InTune, (3) RMT
emails to chorus leaders (presidents and directors), and (4)
special interest online discussion groups. What do you do with “news”
from these sources? When did you last look at Region 13’s website? Do
you print copies of InTune for chorus members who don’t have
email? Have you responded to an email request from RMT members by
sharing critical information with chorus members?
Region
13 is blessed to have a smoothly functioning communications team with
whom I am honored to serve. Our mandate is that Region 13 members have
meaningful and relevant news available in a timely way, particularly
about educational and performance opportunities.
Now
it’s up to members to make the information our own! Where’s my
calendar?
Susan Soderberg
425.204.5252 /
susanbass@speakeasy.net
Marketing Coordinator
This
year, Sweet Adelines International paid for all of the Regional
Management Team to attend IES. We had a great time in San Antonio!
Region 13 was a hit at the Toga Party, where our team made it into the
final round of one of the costume contests.
This is the first year that the Marketing
position has been split from Membership. I will be creating a
marketing team and guess what, everyone is invited to join! Seriously,
if you’ve got ideas and are interested in contributing, please email
me at
jlm@alaska.net.
I will also be creating a networking group for the chapter Marketing
and PR Coordinators so that we can share ideas and promote public
awareness for this incredible hobby. If you are in one of these
positions and have not heard from me, please give me a call or email
me.
Jan
Matthews
907.522.1988 /
jlm@alaska.net
Membership
Coordinator
 I have just returned from IES and
continue to marvel at the education provided Sweet Adelines.
Certainly the art of barbershop singing and correct vocal production
is the focal point of our art form. However, it takes a well educated
and willing infrastructure to coordinate all that we do to keep our
organization going. And as the saying goes, “Many hands make light
work.” So I am asking for your “hands” as a part of the overall
Membership Team for region #13.
Would you like to become active in the
governance of Region #13? All of your regional officers serve as
volunteers within “term limits” so we are always looking for someone
that might be interested in finding out just what it is that we do to
take our place in the future. How about YOU?
As the Membership Manager for our
region, I have the fun task of keeping in touch with all of our
choruses to take pertinent information to the entire Regional Team.
We try to troubleshoot in areas where our help might be needed and
lend support to ALL of our members. There are two positions on my
team that I am hoping YOU might consider.
Chapter-at-Large Liaison – the duties of this position are light but
very important. This position asks that you keep track of the CAL
membership.
(This can be done by using the SAI
website. It’s EASY!) The CAL Liaison records and communicates with
regional CAL members, keeping them informed and responding to their
inquiries so that they feel integrated into the region. (We have a
central duplicating person who does the actual mailing of regional communications to
CAL members.)
(2)
Chapter Coordinator – this position in the regional structure has now
been incorporated under the umbrella of the
Membership Manager and is no longer an actual management team position. The
Chapter Coordinator’s main function is to maintain regular contact
with chapter presidents and team leaders to assess and communicate
chapter needs to the Membership Coordinator.
Both of the above positions would be
helpful in determining whether or not YOU might want to consider
applying for the Regional Management Team as the next Membership
Coordinator. I invite anyone that may have an interest to contact me
at (425) 820-9825 or at
tomngayle@aol.com
to discuss this issue. I also invite any interested parties to our
Regional Management Team meetings to further become familiar with our
style of governance.
YOU can be a part of the decision making
process for the future of our region!
Gayle Robinson
425.820.9825 /
tomngayle@aol.com
Team Coordinator
 Hello Region 13! I hope the summer
finds you enjoying good weather, outings with friends and family,
and tons of singing! IES was wonderful; and, closer to home, Region
13's SET weekend is just around the corner. Sweet Adelines offers so
much in the way of singing and education, it’s truly amazing!
In the midst of the joy of
singing, I want to take a moment to remind you that we still have
obligations to make this organization work on the administrative
side. It’s time to make sure that your chapter team has a copy of
the Chapter Guide and the Policy Book
from Sweet Adelines International. You also need the organization
Standard Bylaws and your own chapter standing
rules. Missing some? You can find these tools on the International
website's
Downloadable Forms page
and also under
International Sales, Manuals and Brochures.
Okay, administrative work can be
yawner, I know, but so many of the answers to how we operate are in
these books: there’s a format for Standing Rules, a yearly calendar
of the things chapters MUST do, definitions of types of membership,
and many other items of interest. These documents will help you
immensely. And SAI has promised this year we will be getting updated
Chapter Guides and Policy Books on CD, so they'll be searchable! Not
as good as a weekend at SET with Diane Porsch, but almost, right?
The administrators of our chapters need
all the right tools, and these will help your chorus run smoothly so
you can get on with the important business of singing!
Chera Boom
907.688.3434 /
cherab@mtaonline.
net
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Fan Mail!
The following is an email sent to Marshia Nicholson,
the Chair of our Regional Convention (CRC). It is from a gentleman who just
happened to be staying at the Spokane DoubleTree Hotel during our annual
convention. Read on to hear his heartwarming note:
"Marshia,
"It’s Saturday night about 11 p.m. and I
am back in my hotel room after a half hour traffic jam at the hotel
elevator. I planned for a quiet evening after having dinner with a business
associate but realized that there was a lot of hustle and bustle around the
hotel at 6:30 p.m. Then I remembered something I had heard early this
morning.
"Let me first introduce myself and tell
you where I’m from. I am Rick Floyd from Sutter Creek, California and
evidently I’m from Region 12 or was it 21 in the Sacramento area!
"I flew in from Sacramento early Friday
morning and drove in my rental car to the Spokane Doubletree to check in! To
my surprise, I was greeted by 60-80 women singing just for me as I entered
the hotel! Another 100 or so were also standing there and awaiting my
arrival. I truly felt that I had arrived!
"Well, you can imagine how shocked I was
to find that they were not singing to me but they were here for the SAI
Regional competition? Of course! Now, all I had to do was to find out what
SAI was? My wife always said that if you want to know the directions, just
stop and ask a woman! O.K. I admit it, I did!
"Earlier this morning in the hotel
restaurant I had the pleasure of talking to three different ladies and
ascertained from them that tonight was the night! The really big night! They
all invited me to go to the Opera House at 8 p.m. and be treated to the best
of the best!
"As I said earlier, I got back to the
hotel at 6:30 p.m. and I was really tired from two days of business
appointments. I almost made one of the biggest mistakes of my trip, or for
that matter, one of the biggest mistakes in a long time! I almost did not go
to the Opera House! But, I did!
"I got there just as your evening events
began. I enjoyed every minute and every word of every song from your
ladies! What a blessing to have had the opportunity to listen and laugh and
even got a few tears in my eyes as I got to hear the presentations of 50
plus years of service and dedication to the SAI by those four ladies.
"I could see and feel the love that each
of you had for one another and the spirit of friendly competition and
appreciation each of you had for your fellow ladies.
"I saw the joy and the happiness, the
laughter and the joyful sadness as one of your ladies, Carole Kirkpatrick,
had chosen to step down from leading the Seattle Chorus after many years
making way for another leader whom I believe was Sue Lamb! Carole’s reason
was for love of husband and for her family.
"Obviously, it takes a toll on your loved
ones as you each sacrifice to perfect your singing talents.
"As I sit in my room right now on the 5th
floor I hear the voices of what sounds like young school girls having a
wonderful time laughing and visiting with one another! But, I know better!
Your ladies are enjoying the friendships that you all have cultivated and
nourished over the years.
"God has given each of you the 'gift' of
song! Treasure it! Use it wisely and spread goodwill! May God richly bless
each of you and keep you safe in your travels! May he bless others by giving
them the same opportunity that I got tonight as I had the true joy of
spending time with the Sweet Adeline’s!
"As my granddaughter says, 'you happied
my day!' Thanks to all of those wonderful ladies for a truly enjoyable
evening!
Rick"
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Moved? Changed your email address?
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Regional Calendar
2007
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.
For more
information, contact
Susan
Soderberg.
October
6-7:
Olympia Chorus Show,
“Stranded in Paradise”; Olympia, WA
9-13: International Convention - Calgary, AB
19-21:
Evergreen District
Convention and
A Cappella Festival; Meydenbauer Convention Center, Bellevue, WA
27:
InTune Newsletter deadline for
Fall issue; questions and articles
should go to
Nancy Gott.
November
9-10: Quartet Workshop featuring “The Buzz” sponsored by “Ovation” -
Seattle, WA
10:
Jet Cities Chorus Show;
special guests The Buzz, LiveWire and Nancy Bergman! Renton, WA.
17:
Pacific Sound Chorus Master Class with Betty Clipman. For more
information, contact
Susan
Soderberg.
2008
April
10-13: Region 26 Annual Convention -
Surrey, BC
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
PO Box 80007
Fairbanks, AK 99708
Home: 907-457-5244
Fax: 907-456-5244
_______________
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
Sue
Middleton at 253.874.2733.
_______________
The next issue will be distributed in the
Fall; deadline is October 27, 2007. Send articles to
Nancy Gott,
InTune editor.
_______________
Copyright 2007; all rights reserved.
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It's All About the Journey
WOW!! What a rush! The Western
Washington Area School, held on June 2 in Federal Way, was absolutely fabulous this year. But what else
could it have been with guest faculty members like Sally Wallace, Sue
Beck and Charlene O'Connor?
The day started with Charlene
taking us through physical warm-up exercises. Not only did the
exercises wake us up (along with the caffeine from the coffee being
served), but she showed us how
stretching and warming up our “instrument" was more important and
beneficial than doing cute, fun choreography moves.
Next, Sue Beck showed us how to
create a visual plan. Ask yourself these questions when planning for
competition: What IS the plan? What's the general theme (if there is
one)? How can the costume support the plan? If there is no theme...what
now? The focus of the showmanship category is the evaluation of the
salesmanship of the musical product. The elements of preparation, visual
planning, and commitment will create onstage magic. The
presentation/performance is where it all comes together and comes alive!
Following Sue, Sally Wallace
took the "stage". She walked us through Goal Reaching. Never set your
motivations so high that people in your chorus become anxious. This
scares ladies off and you lose members. Also, don't set it so low that
it becomes boring. Set your motivation just slightly above where you are
now so it becomes doable for everyone. Always remember that talent
varies from person to person. It will take effort on everyone’s part, and
the chorus as a whole should work to increase the use of their talent.
It takes confidence! If you think you can....YOU CAN!
After taking a short lunch
break, the Jet Cities Chorus got on the risers to be coached by Charlene
O'Connor. We sang It Feels Like Home. Then Charlene showed us how to
breathe life into the song using facial expressions and the whole body.
Your body is your instrument. Sally Wallace put it like this, "Your body
is a wind instrument like a clarinet. If you bend over and put a kink in
your instrument, then you won't get enough air through it to produce the
correct sound. Proper singer's posture is SUPER important when singing!"
We then worked on Sweet Georgia Brown. All of the ladies who attended
got to be involved with this one. The group was split in half, with each
side following their opposite in the chorus. Each move had to have
intensity and feeling.
We were then blessed with a
brief respite to get water and chat a bit. Then Sue Beck took over again
and walked us through Getting Ready To Perform and How To Learn New
Music. She took suggestions from the group and made a list. It's amazing
how many different ways people learn music!
After an exhilarating (and
slightly tiring) day of learning, we thanked the three ladies who
generously gave us their time and knowledge, cleaned up and went
home. Many thanks to the ladies in the Jet Cities Chorus who set up/took
down risers, prepared/set out/cleaned up after lunch and rearranged the
furniture!! Y'all rock!!!!
Submitted by Nancy Gott, Jet Cities Chorus
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I recently received the following e-mail from the son of SoundaChords’
(1964 Region 13 quartet champs) baritone, Mary Richards. He said:
“I was hunting around the web recently when I discovered the
Ovation
website. Lo and behold, you've listed the winners of the 1964 Regional
Quartet Competition, including my mom, Mary Richards (one blessed baritone, let me tell you).
“Mom passed last year, and I must say that it's just really nice to know
that her accomplishment, and her love of music, is somehow remembered on
the website.
“Would you kindly pass along our best wishes to all in Ovation, and
Region 13? Mom would really like that.”
I asked her son, Tom, for a few words about
what Mary had been up to since her time in Region 13 and this is what he
replied:“Mom followed my dad, Bill, as his airline career took him around the
United States.
They were transferred by United Airlines from Chicago to Seattle in 1956
and Mom was at loose ends there. She didn’t know many people (except
good friends in the airline crowd), was in a strange neighborhood, etc.
Dad had crewed a flight right after they moved to SeaTac and started
chatting to one of the flight attendants. This lady, DD, was a member of
one of the Seattle choruses. She invited Mom along and the rest is
history. So it’s funny how Dad’s love of flying helped Mom to realize
her love of song.
“With children Tom and Cindy, the Richards family later moved to New
Jersey (1965), Miami (1966), and Chicago (1967). In Chicago, Mary
planted roots deep enough to allow her to go back to singing; this time
with the Arlington Heights, Illinois chapter. She sang baritone with
both the local chorus and various quartets throughout her stay in the
Chicago area.“Mom and Dad moved two more times; first to the San Francisco Bay area
in 1975 and finally back to Florida where they retired in 2001. Mom
passed away due to Clostridium Difficile and related complications on
the 15th of July 2006. She is greatly missed by all.
“Recently, sorting through her personal belongings, our family came
across shoeboxes filled with Sweet Adelines memorabilia. This treasure
trove highlighted what her loved ones always knew - that Mom had a heart
of song. Her days singing barbershop - and her time with Region 13 in
particular - were precious beyond any words. Keep singing that perfect
pitch, Mom. We miss you.”
Mary’s son remarked that he was so pleased to have found the Ovation
site and to see his mom’s accomplishments memorialized that it brought
him to tears. Our reach exceeds our imagination as a group dedicated to
friendship, beauty and excellence through music. I know why I’m a Sweet
Adeline for life: there’s no group better!
Submitted by Katy Hawley,
Ovation President
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RMT Meeting
Highlights
The RMT met May 18 and 19 at the Hilton Hotel
in Anchorage, AK. The agenda included:
1. RMT Region 13 Report to International
2. Regional Assessments
3. Updated RMT Job Descriptions and Committee Assignments
4. Financial Statements and Budgets
5. Convention 2007
- Webcast
- Director Cam
- Riser Maintenance
- Hotel Room Penalties*
* Contracts with the hotels are based on our
guaranteeing a total number of rooms for the weekend; this allows us to utilize
the ballroom facilities for no additional rental charge. When we fail to meet
the room guarantee, we can be assessed penalties. We are noticing that some
members are opting to stay at other, less expensive hotels. We are optimistic
that by promoting awareness of the financial impact to the Region due to those
decisions, members will opt to stay at the convention facilities.
6. Conventions 2008 – 2015 (Contracted and
To Be Contracted)
- 2008 – Spokane, WA (Contracted)
- 2009 – Spokane, WA (Contracted)
- 2010 – Anchorage, AK (Contracted)
- 2011 – Spokane, WA
- 2012 – Spokane, WA
- 2013 – Western WA/ Portland, OR/British Columbia
- 2014 - Western WA/ Portland, OR/British Columbia
- 2015 – Anchorage, AK
7. Revitalization
8. Marketing
9. Area Schools
10. Long Range Plan
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Summiting the Divide:
Pacific Barbershop Summit
Visionaries expend amazing effort and energy to bridge gaps within their sight:
negotiating a crevasse on Mt. Everest, conquering the challenge of a hostile
environment to walk in space, gearing up airplane production for World War II
airmen, purchasing 1/3 of a continent for a paltry sum and then sending settlers
out to conquer it via covered wagon. Chasms inspire bridge-builders who - simply
- accept the challenge.
Sweet Adelines International (SAI) has heard all the historical reasons why
collaborating with “the guys” will never work. Some in Barbershop Harmony
Society (BHS) harbor a similar philosophy regarding “the gals.” Is there no one
reading Benjamin and Rosamund Zander's The Art of Possibility? It is NOT
titled The Art of Impossibility!
What if collaboration makes us both better?
Barbershop harmony aficionados from the Pacific Northwest’s BHS
Evergreen District (EVG) and SAI Regions 13,
24 and 26
brought their collective intellectual muscle to the task of bridging a divide
that, to them, makes little sense – the totally separate-but-equal worlds of BHS
and SAI. The outcome:
Pacific Barbershop
Summit.
In a
single year these dedicated folks elevated words and vision into tangible
action. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Pacific Barbershop Summit has
several projects already completed or in the works:
*
Integrated master calendar for all four entities
*
Youth Harmony Experience booth at MENC in February 2007
*
Webcasting District and Regional competitions (In April 2007, Region 13 was the
first Sweet Adelines region to webcast their competition; Region 24 also webcast
their competition.)
*
A Cappella Festival, held in
conjunction with EVG district competition in Bellevue, Washington, is in the
works for October 2007
*
Collaborative educational opportunities and resource utilization among the four
entities continues apace
Why should you care?
Together we gain clout with hotels; competition, rehearsal and performance
venues; potential sponsors; and audiences. Not only that, but sharing marketing
dollars, effort and ideas turns out to be a simple, no-brain cooperative effort.
Plus, by sharing EVG and regional calendars, we will reduce conflicts of events
at the regional and local levels, which will hopefully encourage attendance,
and/or volunteering, at SAI and BHS events.
An
integrated approach will bring more young voices to our attention. Working as a
one-stop-shop resource team will foster cooperation with, and education of,
vocal music educators. Throw in the possibility of unusual and interesting
chorus/quartet permutations, which will broaden the pool of singing
opportunities and eager audiences.
Additionally, using the talents available among the four entities broadens the
scope of knowledge and types of classes available to all choruses and quartets
in the Northwest. More educational opportunities will soon appear closer to your
home, wherever that may be. In the works right now is a "generic" faculty and
coach form that will soon be available to all barbershoppers.
So remember
this name: Pacific Barbershop Summit. You'll be hearing more about it in the
months to come.
_____________________
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Chorus Chatter
Coeur d'Alene
Chorus
On June 24,
a special event occurred in our city:
the Ironman Triathlon.
The Coeur d'Alene Chorus participated, not as athletes, but to provide aid to
those who are. We were responsible for manning an aid station for
the bicycle leg of the competition. This year we recruited 120
volunteers - about 20 chorus members with many family and friends.
For 10 ½ hours we passed out water, sports drinks, bananas, and
power bars to the cyclists. We also provided a hot dog barbeque to
feed our volunteers, and entertained the crowd by performing some
of our favorite barbershop songs. One of our members and her
brother brought sound equipment and provided karaoke as well. The
Coeur d’Alene Chorus has been a part of the Ironman competition
for the last five years – since
the city of Coeur d’Alene has hosted
it – and plans to continue as long as
we remain a host city.
Our next fund raiser will be
held at the Kootenai County Fair during the forth week of August.
We work in shifts throughout the five day run, cleaning up the
buildings and rodeo arena. This is a big job and requires the
participation of every able-bodied member as well as lots of help
again from family and friends. This has been a fund raiser for us
for almost 20 years!
Another fund
raiser/wonderful-singing-experience is our Christmas Caroling at
the Coeur d’Alene Resort. We provide double quartets in Victorian
dress to wander the lobby and dining and banquet rooms
entertaining the guests. Our rehearsals for Christmas started in
July.
These commitments mean we have
a very busy summer, but like all barbershoppers, we love it!
Submitted by
Jean Bledsoe
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Inland
Harmony
Chorus
Our historian's husband took this photo at
Inland Harmony’s third annual
"Troy, Idaho Days" performance on July 21st. We were singing "Together,
Wherever We Go": 'With you for me and me for you, we'll muddle
through whatever we do'… our theme song!
Troy Days starts with a Lions Club picnic breakfast in the Troy City
Park, where a nearby bandstand features several entertainers, including
the Old Time Fiddlers and a budding Yo-Yo Ma cellist. When we first sang
for this event three years ago, we performed for 15 minutes. This year
we sang for an hour; right up until parade time! Our performance always
ends with "Proud To Be An American" and "God Bless America", with
audience participation. We heard great comments all day from our "spies"
throughout the town.
Member Susie Schneider is a fifth grade school teacher in Troy (she's
third row, far right, behind the microphone). She worked with a
gentleman in the school district who set up a great sound system for
us…and who is one of our biggest fans.
At our show last February, we announced the father of our assistant
director, Becky Pope, was a former barbershopper looking to start a
men's chorus. They now have 24 members! We invited one of their
quartets
to sing some songs during our Troy performance.
Earlier in
the year, at the Clarkston, WA VFW Memorial Day ceremony, we performed between
portions of the ceremony and sang Battle Hymn and Star-Spangled Banner.
Recently, we were featured on KLEW-TV news in Lewiston, ID for our
participation.
About half of Inland Harmony’s members are dualing with Calgary-bound
Spirit Of Spokane. They have been learning a lot from Mike Elliot and
the Spirit Of Spokane coaches, which has improved our chorus immensely!
Submitted by Sue Scott
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
RiversEdge Chorus
It
has been a busy summer for RiversEdge with coaching opportunities and
performances. One such notable performance was on Saturday evening, July 14th
. Many of you know Jeanne Law from her days in Pacific Sound. She is now
living in the quaint little town of Metaline Falls, WA (a couple of hours
north of Spokane) and is on the board of the Cutter Theater. Saturday was an
all-barbershop show with RiversEdge Chorus, The Pages of Harmony (the men’s
chorus from Spokane), and two quartets. Headlining the show was the 2005
Championship Men’s Quartet, Realtime (Tim Broersma, Mark
Metzger, Tom Metzger and Tim’s father, Doug Broersma standing in for John
Newell), who flew over in Doug’s plane and landed at Ione International
airport (for those of you who don’t know, Ione is a very tiny town about 15
miles from Metaline Falls with a tiny one strip airport, but since they came
from Vancouver, we feel it now qualifies as an International airport :) ).
It
was a very hot day, and the temperature in the theater was in the 90’s, but no
one noticed the heat when Realtime stepped on the stage. They
put on a fabulous performance for the small, but very appreciative, audience
and received a standing ovation. The applause lasted for several minutes until
the quartet came back for an encore. It was a great evening, and we all
enjoyed it immensely. The chorus stayed the night at the beautiful Ruby Creek
Lodge on the Pend Oreille River where we laughed and talked into the wee
hours. The next day the Cutter Theater held a BBQ in the park, where we all
had fun eating and singing. Good barbershop, a great audience, friendship and
good food - it just doesn’t get much better than this, folks!
Submitted by Mary Ann
Milette
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Seattle
Shores
Chorus
In June, 2006,
Seattle Shores Chorus was asked
to represent Washington at a historic celebration commemorating the
founding of Jamestown 400 years ago. When we
accepted the invitation, never in our wildest dreams did we think we would
be singing for the President and First Lady of the United States!
Getting to Jamestown took hours of practice and
fundraising; we even wiped down the cushions at Husky Stadium before home
games. Our sponsors included the Seattle SeaChordsmen Chorus (BHS), the
Seattle Arts Commission, the Shoreline Arts Commission and many private
individuals.
Sunday, May 13 was the Big Day. In order to pass
everyone through security, we had to be made-up and on the bus by 5:00 am.
Some chorus members are still unsure just how they did that! The long line
continued as 1,607 singers took their places on either side of the 400-piece
orchestra; over 2500 musicians! The two choral directors watched monitors of
the orchestral conductor to keep all of the performers together.
 The
music was glorious. The Star Spangled Banner was punctuated by two
low flying jets and The Battle Hymn of the Republic brought the
thousands in attendance to their feet, cheering and applauding before the
piece finished. President Bush led the orchestra during part of Stars and
Stripes Forever. What an experience!
At the conclusion of that performance, we rushed
to the Exploration Stage for our stand-alone performance. Bonnie Willis
directed the chorus in a 25-minute presentation of barbershop harmony, which
drew over 250 people.
In the evening, the mass chorus and orchestra
assembled again to perform the entire repertoire, highlighted by fireworks
at the end of Tchaikovsky's
1812 Overture.
What an incredible and
exhausting weekend! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. We were
proud to represent Sweet Adelines everywhere.
Submitted by Bonnie Massey
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Spirit of Spokane
Chorus
How do you begin preparation for
an International competition?
Well, the
Spirit of Spokane Chorus
decided you start with truly dedicated, talented singers and work from
there! Last fall, we made the decision to offer dual membership to
current Sweet Adelines who would like the opportunity to compete in
Calgary. We put the word out to the region, hoping we’d get commitments
from a few people. As a result, we have TWENTY-FIVE dual members who
have joined our ranks for Calgary.
The rules were simple: attend the
all-day sessions, pass the audio and visual tapes, and be willing to
commit to the time and energy required. What we didn’t realize was the
commitment level of these motivated ladies. In fact, we see many each
Tuesday night!
The real excitement began at our
first coaching session with Ryan Heller on May 12 -- the day
we saw and heard the “Calgary Chorus” for the first time! By the end of
that day, Mike and Ryan had voice checked every person (70+), we had
been placed in our “riser positions”, and had taken the first step on
our Calgary journey.
Each week the enthusiasm grows,
and the synergistic affect is electrifying. The best part of this,
however, is not only the music we’re creating, but the forever
friendships that we’re forming. Who knew that opening our doors to
anyone who wanted this opportunity would also open our hearts and minds
to the limitless possibilities of our capabilities? To our dual members
- we are so happy you chose to be one of us, and that your directors and
choruses have embraced this opportunity for you. Calgary...here we come!
Submitted by Meech Debol
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Prospective
Voices Northwest
Chorus
Seven months ago,
Voices Northwest was just an idea. Now, with 25 members we are
beginning STEP II of the three-step process toward chartering and becoming a
Sweet Adelines chorus. With help from our friends and the enthusiasm of new
members we’ve already accomplished some pretty wonderful things.
To start with, Sue
Middleton, Jet Cities Chorus, set up our Voices Northwest and Members Only
sites for us and continues to monitor our progress. What would several of the
Region 13 choruses do without Sue and people like her who make us ALL look
good? Then…
In the last InTune
our director, Sue Beck, pleaded for information leading to the purchase of
risers…ANY risers! Carol Ward, Harmony Northwest Chorus, called a few days
later to say she’d seen such a listing on Craig’s List. After remodeling, the
Northshore United Church of
Christ now had built-in risers and was selling their old
ones. Who knew we’d find answers to our “riser prayer” in Woodinville, just
down the road from where we rehearse? One check for $50 for three sets
of risers and a very quick moving job by new member Nona Clifton and we were
in business! Since then, we’ve rehearsed and auditioned, had our first
performance for Kla Ha Ya Days in Snohomish and even hosted Jet Cities Chorus
for a joint rehearsal…all on our own risers!
The most wonderful
coincidence occurred when a member of Jet Cities, Tensie Williams, also turned
out to be a member of the very
church where we had bought the risers. She was able to go back
to the congregation and tell them how much we appreciated
the true gift they gave us.
A great
spin off from
having Jet Cities share our rehearsal night and getting the riser tip from a
member of Harmony Northwest is that we now feel like we have
“out-of-town-sisters” because of these shared connections. We really ARE
family!
Submitted by Anne Sutherland
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Quartets Corner
LiveWire
Running
around like chickens with our heads cut off....that describes
LiveWire since we first
sang together in January!
We grabbed rehearsal time whenever we could between January and the end of
March, when Susan finally moved up here from California. One of our first
rehearsals was a performance on Jet Cities’ Sweetie Pie Social! The rehearsals
between March and contest were a cacophony of activity: music, getting
acquainted, choreography, emcee work and--oh yeah--designing, sewing and fitting
costumes!
Susan still has boxes to be unpacked. Both she and Katy have started new jobs.
Anna's office moved and her brother got married. Teresa is the Chair for
Ovation's workshop in November and is busy getting Jet Cities ready for their
show that same weekend.
Nevertheless…in June we traveled to Friday Harbor with Pacific Sound for a
performance, and in July were faculty for the Evergreen District's Harmony
College and Harmony Explosion Camp, where we performed Saturday evening. What a
thrill it was to sing for—and be entertained by—200 kids who love barbershop!
We hope you'll join us on August 25, 7:30 pm, at Decatur High School in Federal
Way for our Quartet Extravaganza. Tickets are $10 and a portion of the proceeds
will benefit the Harmony Explosion Scholarship Fund.
Looking ahead, it’s Calgary in October to cheer on MoJo and Spirit of Spokane,
then in November, we'll share the stage with The Buzz and Jet Cities Chorus on
"An Evening With Bergman," Don’t miss this show and celebration of Nancy
Bergman's 80th birthday! It's also the same weekend as the Ovation workshop with
The Buzz and Nancy…what a weekend! Then we gear up for the holidays! You know
what they say: "No rest for the wicked!"
Thank you for all of the support you've always given us.
Visit our My Space page and
join our friends and drop us a line!
LiveWire:
Teresa McCafferty, Katy Hawley, Anna Chamberlain, and Susan Kegley
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