Harmony
SWEET ADELINES INTERNATIONAL
Rag
UK REGION 31
The newsletter of Quartet of Nations Region 31, Sweet Adelines International
SUMMER 2005
CONVENTION 2005 – one to remember! When we heard this time last year that the Rich-Tone Chorus was coming across to Region 31 and wanted to attend our Convention in Plymouth we could hardly contain our joy. We have had International Champion Quartets over here in the past but this was to be the first time that an International Champion Chorus would be visiting us, along with their Master Director, the legendary, Dale Syverson. We were certainly in for a treat! A week after Convention and I’m still buzzing with the impact Dale and the Rich-Tone Chorus have had on the Region. I was one of the lucky Lace City Singers who got to stand on the risers with those amazing women (did the risers suddenly expand to hold 150 singers, or was it all just so magical…?) and I must admit it was the most fantastic experience of my barbershop life! We can’t thank them enough for sharing their love of barbershop, their friendship and their expertise with us. We loved having them over here and our Region has made so many new Texan friends! Come back soon!
My warmest congratulations go to all our award winners and medallists this year. Particular congratulations go to our worthy first place medallists Eu4ia UK and Surrey Harmony. We know that you will be fantastic representatives for our Region over in the USA. What you said…. Thank you to all who took the trouble to fill in evaluation forms. Here in a nutshell are the very valuable comments you made. We will certainly take them all on board, although some, like the weather (what happened to the sunny south west?) are out of our control…… The main points gained from the Education sessions: • Dale’s explanation of creating space and resonance • listening to the Rich-Tone's sound • learning a useful new tag (Berkeley Square) • keeping your face lifted even for a sad ballad • the ribbon technique to get a smooth sound • how singing with locked knees tightens your sound
RICH-TONE CHORUS Page 1
• using AH to make • • • •
the sound broader how to bubble Q and A session with the judges use of different senses eg. kinesthetic some new warm ups
The best things about Convention were: • Rich-Tone Chorus and Dale Syverson – brilliant (this comment was on everyone’s evaluation sheet!!) • the auditorium – compact and produced a good sound • shorter traffic pattern • fantastic experience on stage • the opportunity to see the very best and find things to aspire to • afterglow and singing with other choruses • seeing other choruses perform and especially witness their choreography • fabulous show! • good venue • organisation of the event generally • meeting others and sharing • the camaraderie • help given in the education classes • being able to talk with likeminded people • the excitement of competition • seeing how the standards improve year on year • nice town, venue and atmosphere • break from the kids!