Harmony Rag Quartet of Nations Newsletter, Region 31 Sweet Adelines International Summer 2010
Double Gold for Finesse In harmony, Helen, Beth Nicky and Tan x
It was with much excitement and trepidation that Finesse boarded a train north, bound for Gateshead, on 6th May.
We were really looking forward to catching up with the lovely new friends we made last year, all of whom had been so warm and welcoming at our first Region 31 Convention. We couldn’t wait to get back onto the fabulous Sage stage and knew we were going to be taking part in an incredible contest! Competition day dawned sunny and bright. We quickly got caught up in the buzz of makeup, hairdos and nail varnish. We were all very relieved to find that the previous night’s excesses of crisps, nuts
and chocolate had not had too detrimental an effect on the zips of our gorgeous new dresses! Singing once again on that fantastic stage was so much fun. We were delighted to see so many people already in the auditorium as with such an early draw we were half expecting to only have the Judges to sing to! What we were not expecting however was the breath-taking response we received back from the audience. To see so many people on their feet, to hear the clapping and cheering and to feel such warmth coming across the footlights was truly overwhelming and brought tears to our eyes. We can’t thank you all enough for making Convention 2010 one we will treasure forever.
Thank you to everyone for your lovely comments; we were touched by how many people made a point of coming over to congratulate us despite it being a hectic
weekend for everyone. Our flowers were beautiful and a really thoughtful gesture. Being LABBS and Region 31 Champions at the same time is an honour and a
Golden Gateshead! Penny Hay ~ Lace City Chorus
The Lace City Chorus are still buzzing after their fourth consecutive Sweet Adelines’ gold medal.
“So much talent was evident in both the quartet and the chorus competition that we are very proud to be part of this wonderful region.” You know the story – up early on Saturday morning for hair and make-up, rehearsal, then into costume and ready for the
bus to take us for those wonderful six minutes on stage. We girded our loins and strode on to stage, ready to show what Lace City chorus is made of. It was great to hear so much noise from friends and supporters and really helped every member to give her 110%. Then, the waiting began. For a number of us, that started with a large glass of something in the bar! The tension in the auditorium grew as the
results approached and Glenn, our fantastic director, and Maureen, our wonderful team leader had to go back on stage to wait, (which Glenn most definitely didn’t want to do!) As each place was announced, hands were gripped more tightly and palms grew more damp. Finally, “with a score of 646, Lace City Chorus!” The screaming and hugging began and soon we had those fabulous blue ribbons
around out necks again! It was incredibly special to have Jenny Lawson direct her “Song for the Champions” and to hear the region sing it for us! The weekend was particularly special for our ten new members, who wore their medals with pride and amazement. The show was really fun for us and we hope you enjoyed it too. We have worked incredibly hard since returning from
privilege that Finesse take very seriously. We are very much looking forward to flying the flag for both organisations to the very best of our ability.
Nashville, somewhat disappointed, but with the aim of giving our best performance in Gateshead. We are very fortunate to have such a marvellous number of talented people within our chorus and we are very grateful to all of them who have been called on in the last few months. Our aim is to do the region proud in Houston and show everyone that the Brits are a force to be reckoned with in October 2011!
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
Small Chorus Winners – Milltown Sound! By Kim Potter
The results were in and Milltown Sound sat eagerly awaiting the outcome of the Small Chorus Competition.
“Then third place was announced and our heads dropped, ‘never mind’ we said to each other and discussions started about who we thought had
expectations by winning a gold medal but we then found out we were 7th overall with a score of 562! This was far too much to take in and it is
“After competing in our first convention as Milltown Sound we had been receiving excellent comments from fellow competitors and we started to believe that maybe, just maybe, we could get third place,” writes Kim Potter.
won. Then first place was announced and it was us. We couldn’t believe it! We had won!” “The excitement didn’t stop there for Milltown as the next step was to find out the scores. That was another surprise. Not only had we exceeded our own
safe to say that we were far too excited to eat our meal that evening.” “We thought that was it. We thought our excitement was over but it wasn’t and it actually keeps getting better and better. We have now been officially invited to
Houston, Texas in October 2011 to compete in the Harmony Classics as we have finished in the top five small choruses in the world. We are certainly going to accept and we are now planning on fundraising activities to help get us there. We can’t wait to represent Region 31 in the Harmony Classic and we promise you that we will do you proud.” “This win is a major thing to us as we went in to the competition as a newly chartered chorus. We don’t even have risers to rehearse on and our costume was basic
due to our lack of funds. What Milltown does have though is a fantastic group of ladies who work hard and put a hundred percent into everything. This hobby is the best and I feel blessed and privileged that I get to share it with women who aren’t just fabulous singers but excellent friends and people.” “On behalf of the chorus I would just like to thank Region 31 for being a great region. Everyone is fantastic and friendly and the standard of competition gets better every year, making this win even more special.”
Bronze Medals for MissDemeanour Suze, Amelia and the Sarahs Miss-Demeanour.
How do you describe the feeling of having your name called out to receive a Region 31 Bronze medal? We don’t think you really can, it all seems very surreal to us! Needless to say, we are absolutely chuffed to bits to be wearing our white ribbons around our necks for the next 12 months. To be honest it’s a small wonder that we ever even make it to a contest stage. Lastminute.com should have us as their spokespeople! We have been together two years now and if anyone had said to us that we would
2 | HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010
be receiving not one but two Bronze medals within six months (we’re also current LABBS Bronze medallists!) we’d have probably laughed in their faces. We’re incredibly proud of everything that we’ve achieved in such a short space of time – it has been an invaluable learning experience. To share the medal ‘rostrum’ with the likes of EU4IA and Finesse (thank you for always being so supportive to us) has definitely been a great boost to our confidence. Congratulations also to Fahrenheit for their fantastic achievement this year and to Mac 4 too.
Farenheit – Fun and Fourth! Ally, Amie, Leisha and Pippa Farenheit
What a fabulous few months it’s been for us.
At the Sage not only were we thrilled and rather ‘gob-smacked’ by our 4th placed medal but to be awarded the most improved quartet by 172 points, leaping up 20 places is something extra special and certainly worth all the hard work we have been putting in over the last 12 months. Our final warm up sums up the ‘Farenheit’ ethos perfectly - the Glee soundtrack playing ‘Don’t stop believing’ and four friends singing their hearts out with water bottles and hairbrushes as microphones! It was an amazing weekend and our success could have not been achieved without the support of our loved ones, our friends,
DaleDiva and our coach Rob Barber, to whom we extend our thanks. Thank you also to all of you who
took the time to say nice things to us during the competition weekend it really does mean a lot.
Storming Chorus Cheshire A Cappella’s first foray into national competition and what a triumph. As complete newcomers, Cheshire A Cappella’s members had the most
wonderful people. And as far as the competition was concerned, whilst the vast majority of our members had no idea what to expect, it really was remarkable fun and it all happened far
most weeks. In addition to a love of A Cappella singing, the members enjoy a good external social scene which helps bond the team. The Chorus performs
Another bit of preparation and some great stage experience came when we
auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent in February. After three “yes’s” and a standing ovation from the audience we were invited to London to see if we had made the live semi-finals along with the last 187 acts. If you have been watching this programme you will know we didn’t get through but did you notice four very excited ladies, in bright pink waving madly every week when the competition was advertised? Yes, that was us! In April we also appeared on the DaleDiva matinee and evening shows and it was a real honour to sing with the BABS 2009 champion quartet, Evolution. We had loads of fun and it will be a memory we will treasure forever. www.farenheitquartet.co.uk
STOP PRESS Surrey Harmony have been offered a wild card place at International in Houston 2011. There could be three Region 31 choruses in Texas. Go Girls!
ABERDEEN A C A P P E LLA
The Aberdeen Chorus of Sweet Adelines International Invites you to join them for a light-hearted afternoon of entertainment and barbershop singing
AN EXTRAVAGANZA OF 4-PART HARMONY SINGING
amazing weekend at The Sage in Gateshead at this year’s Convention. Singing alongside thousands of very accomplished ladies from different established chorus groups from around the UK, it was a complete pleasure to meet so many
too fast! Chartering in under twelve months, it’s just over a year since its inception and the chorus has developed into a close group of more than fifty vibrant singers of all ages and backgrounds with new members coming along
regularly at private events and local music festivals around the area singing a growing repertoire of hit numbers, both modern and traditional, many choreographed and in the inimitable energetic style of 4-part a cappella harmony.
St Andrew’s & St George’s Church George Street, Edinburgh Saturday 21st August 2010 2.30 pm
Tickets £9 (£7) available from: St Andrew’s & St George’s Church:
0131 225 3847
The Aberdeen Chorus:
tickets@aberdeenchorus.co.uk
The Fringe Box Office:
www.edfringe.com
www.aberdeenchorus.co.uk
HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010 | 3
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
The First-Timer’s Guide to Regional Convention Convention first-timers Lynette Gilbert, Jean Goodrick and Emily Peirce of County Connection Harmony Chorus relive their baptism by choir… Friday May 7th! Arrive at Cambridge station 35 minutes early – with so many unfamiliar things to pack, we’re sure to have forgotten something. Sequined jacket? A5 bag? Jewellery?
Check – phew! Convention veterans
assure us the weekend will be great fun. The Sage was a phenomenal venue from the outside and even more so from within: everywhere exuberant women are wearing matching outfits, like a school trip but with
more glitter. The Quartet contest was hugely exciting and we couldn’t wait to be on the stage ourselves. Saturday May 8th
We’re surprisingly unembarrassed about our attire going down to breakfast. A few confused glances from other guests,
though these are mostly stag and hen groups who didn’t expect to be outdone in the party stakes so early in the day. The time comes to warm up, run through songs and do our make-up. “Slap it
on” advises a seasoned convention-goer, “You can’t
overdo it!” (We later learn this is untrue – ‘scary eyes’ read one comment from the judges). We slip into our glittery jackets and head to the Sage. Shaking with nerves, wrapped in silver foil – now we know how turkeys feel at Christmas. The taxi drivers kindly tell us we look ‘bonny’.
The next 30 minutes is a blur. Our mouths are too dry to speak as we listen to a last minute pep talk from our coach who is far more confident than we feel. We wait in corridor with stage crew, and then suddenly we’re taking our huge Sweet Adeline’s smiles on stage! What a fabulous experience. The buzz from the audience lift our energy and we couldn’t believe it was all over so quickly. Sunday May 9th We trickle in for morning workshops on blending and cones. A bit technical for our tired brains but we try to keep up. Then we’re on our feet cheering for our two Young Women. How great to see young singers so excited about barbershop. We had a really great weekend with this impressive organisation and can’t wait to see you all again next year!
Update from Steren When asked to describe my hobby to ‘NonBarbershoppers’ I like to use the Marmite analogy-you either love it or you hate it. I took my first tentative steps into the world of Barbershop when I joined Champagne Cornwall Chorus in September 2008-and it’s been a glittery love affair ever since! After experiencing my first SAI convention at Gateshead in May 2009 I knew I’d found a hobby for life, and after achieving the Most Improved Chorus award I knew I wanted to cram even more Barbershop into my life! Steren in it’s current line up was formed in September 2009, with a view to competing at Gateshead in May 2010. There were just a few
glitches on the journey, but we soon learnt that Barbershop just isn’t
the way! Having made the decision to travel once I’d finished my A-Levels,
quandary of fitting a 4 month trip to New Zealand into the time period of 8
the same without a few dramas thrown in along
I suddenly found myself struggling with the
months in which we had to prepare for Competition,
4 | HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010
along with convincing the rest of Steren that through the wonders of MP3 players, Youtube and email I really would be able to practise whilst away. In April we caught up for lost time at a fabulous quartet retreat in St. Ives, where we got a lot of work done and had a fair few laughs along the way. This was a great idea and we definitely recommend it to any quartets who want to have a good time and get some work done! Convention weekend came and went quicker than you could say ‘sequins’ but we had a fantastic time. Steren placed 16th out of 23 with a score of 437, grading us at C+ and giving us some solid critique to work on for next year. We’re ready and raring to go, so see you all in Birmingham in 2011!
Fund Raising ONE DAY WORKSHOP
✪ A Smashing Way to Bring Money into Your Chorus ✪
Daniel St.Pierre / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
If you’ve thought about applying for sponsorship, grants or money from funding bodies and simply do not know where to start or you never seem to get anywhere, this is the Workshop for you.
DATE
Saturday 18th September 2010 VENUE
BVSC, The Centre for Voluntary Action, 138 Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 6DR
COST
Up to and including 4th September, £30.00 per delegate. Thereafter, £40.00 per delegate. The cost is inclusive of all sessions, coffee, lunch and tea.
BARBERSHOP IN HARMONY
This Workshop is a joint endeavour by BABS, LABBS and Sweet Adelines International, Region 31. With a collective voice of over 6000 singers, the three Associations are working together to promote and raise the profile of barbershop singing in the UK.
REGISTER NOW Please send your form and cheque by post to Mrs Jacqui Edwards, 112 Hillside, Banstead, Surrey, SM7 1HA. Cheques should be made payable to: Barbershop in Harmony. If you have any queries, please ring Jacqui on 01737 355306 or email her on: jeedwards@btinternet.com
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
Lace City Baby Boom! There’s been something in the water in and around Nottingham over the last year... Lace City Chorus has experienced something of a baby boom!
Rowan made the trip to Nashville to watch in person! Olivia managed to hang on until her Nanny got home from Nashville before making her entrance into the world, and Arran made it number six when he arrived in Januar y. Whilst we’ve all been on maternity leave we’ve managed to meet up a few times. The babies seem to enjoy each other’s company as much as their Mums enjoy a cuppa and natter about babies and barbershop!
Jack was the first to arrive and has just celebrated his first bir thday in May. He was joined by Rowan and then Noah last summer. Joshua followed in September and whilst he, Noah, Jack and their Mums watched Lace City perform in Nashville via the webcast,
Back row: Becky and Rowan, Rachel and Joshua, Michelle and Olivia Front row: Laura and Jack, Alyson and Noah, Helen and Arran
CONVENTION 2010 Llandudno 29 - 31 October
Quartet and Chorus Competitions Three shows with top medal-winners from LABBS and BABS Plus special guests from Sweden
2009 European Quartet Champions
Ringmasters
Ringmasters Sing with the Champs - Afterglows - Masterclasses Photo and DVD sales - LABBS shops - Marketplace Our supported charity is ‘Save Babies Through Screening Foundation UK’
Further information and a registration form is available on our website www.labbs.org.uk 6 | HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010
Chorus Champions 2010 ~ Lace City
Quartet Champions 2010 ~ Finesse HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010 | 7
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
Silver Medal, Eu4ia
Bronze Medal, Miss-Demeanour
4th Place and Most Improved, Farenheit
5th Place, Mac 4
Silver Medal, Surrey Harmony
Bronze Medal and Division AA Gold, Heartbeat
4th Place, Aberdeen
5th Place, Phoenix
8 | HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010
Spinnaker
Division A Gold, Milltown Sound
Flying High Singers
Champagne Cornwall
Dale Diva
Viva Acapella
Mayflowers Plymouth
Lincoln Sounds
Rhapsody UK
Stockport Liberty Belles
Sheffield Harmony
Solent Sounds HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010 | 9
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
Somerset Hills
City of Roses
Cheshire A Cappella
London City Singers
Most Improved, Apple County
Hillfoot Harmony
Coastline Harmony
New Land Singers
County Connection
Dres Kernow
Forth Valley 10 | HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010
Forth Valley Chorus Does ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ By Mags Ronald
Did you see us on TV on Saturday 8th May?
Forth Valley Chorus got their 20 seconds of fame on the Britain’s Got Talent show - just as we were on-stage at The Sage. Although we missed seeing our debut television performance we caught up on ITV2 and of course the performance is now on Youtube.com. For those of you who did catch us, thank you so much for your positive comments! So how did we get there? Earlier in the year a researcher asked us to audition for the show, as they had never had ‘a large women’s choir’ on the show. We consulted the chorus members asking if they wanted to appear before Simon Cowell, and with over sixty “yes’s” we decided to go for it. This was a great opportunity for a unique performance experience. And what an experience it was! We have become accustomed to singing for audiences of barbershopappreciators, or in places
where we have been invited to perform, so to appear in front of an audience of thousands of potentially unappreciative, non-barbershop loving Glaswegians was pretty daunting! To support us we had a huge (!) following of two or three family members and our bus driver. On arrival at the venue
mixed in with some rather strange acts. A woman with a shaggy dog, who got 3 “yes’s”, lots of people in strange costumes and 4 men dressed like chauffeurs. We speculated like mad about their act! We stood in line for what seemed like an eternity, then David our MD appeared, wired for sound and gave us the
onto the biggest stage I’ve ever seen. And it was so shiny! Well, that’s my enduring memory. The next part was a bit of a blur. Simon had his bemused expression on as he watched us walk on and then he asked David a few questions and we sang. The audience started to cheer when they recognised our
we were taken to a room on our own and after some preliminaries we all got one of the famous numbered stickers. Then the wait began! After almost 5 long hours, interspersed with an interview and practising of our audition piece, suddenly it was the curtain call. Backstage we were
pep talk. ‘ Let’s just enjoy and remember, don’t stop singing unless we get 3 buzzers.’ As we got nearer the stage we suddenly saw Ant and Dec ready to greet us! They looked quite strange in close-up with all their stage make-up up on but who doesn’t!? They declared ‘ There’s a lot of you’ – gave each of us a High Five and we walked
song “Sister are doing it for Themselves” and sportingly booed when Piers buzzed us. By the end of the song, we had the audience on our side and that was what we were aiming for. So that was it! Amanda and Simon put us through and we went home wondering if it was all a dream. However, the next
untelevised round was the decider. Decisions were made about the acts that were going through and we didn’t make the cut. Maybe it was Piers who gave us the thumbs down or maybe it was because we were such a large number that it would have been unmanageable. In any case, we knew that it would have been difficult to proceed due to our numbers, so were quite relieved that we didn’t have to make the decision. It was a great experience for the Chorus and gave us all a new topic of conversation. Those who have never seen us perform, were quite impressed by our TV appearance. What were the positives? Well, maybe we will need a bigger venue for our show next year. we have even more exposure on Youtube, we’ve been on the telly and Barbershop has been brought to a few more of the masses. Personally, I swear Simon winked at me! What more could a girl ask for?
MUSICAL DIRECTOR WANTED
A group of enthusiastic and experienced lady barbershop singers (ex-“Velvet Harmony”) are desperately seeking a new Musical Director as ours has retired. We would like to develop our skills with the aim of performing at sing-outs and eventually competing locally and nationally. We already have a great repertoire of wellknown songs. We currently meet on Tuesday evenings in Orpington, Kent. Barbershop experience is desirable but not essential. If you think you could help us, please contact: Gill Page (Chairman) on Tel: 020 8852 2778, e-mail: gill@gillpage1.wanadoo.co.uk or Barbara Gray (Secretary) on Tel: 01689 852492, e-mail: grayarea@talktalk.net .
HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010 | 11
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
Variety Show A Smash Hit ‘Showtime’ recently hosted by the Somerset Hills Chorus at the Wellesley Theatre in Wellington was a resounding success.
The Somerset Hills chorus once again gave a spectacular performance as they displayed why they are the 2009 ‘Sweet Adeline’ U.K.Small Chorus Gold Medal Champions. In stunning outfits, the chorus, directed by Cynthia Tucker, closed the show
with a beautiful rendition of ‘Peace on Earth’ which they dedicated to all our troops at home and abroad. A collection was made in the foyer of the theatre and £153 was raised for ‘Help For Hero’s’ The chorus will also be donating a further £150 to this good cause. The chorus also invited some other acts to perform. The audience were treated to the foot stomping rhythm of the
The “Geek Effect” Jim Arns has a massive reputation within Sweet Adelines, and many of you will know him personally. But as a relative newcomer to the world of Barbershop, my only knowledge of him was having seen him direct the Melodeers on stage in Nashville, in their now legendary “geek” routine.
sort of knowledge most of us can only dream of, but the way he shares that knowledge, is so charismatic and motivational that we all left at the end of each day, exhausted but truly inspired. One chorus member was inspired enough to refer to him as a “diminutive Kevin Costner!!”
he thought we should be doing more to score points in that category He radiated pride in his own chorus and Renee’s success as President Elect; he was energetic, he kept on pushing us until we understood what he wanted and performed that way; his directing was precise but not
So when, with great excitement, we were told that he was coming to coach us before convention, I (definitely not a music theorist), was prepared to be baffled by the science. How wrong could I have been?! There is no doubt that Jim Arns has a huge brain, filled to overflowing with the
His technique with us was to explain in depth exactly what each judge would be looking for and his catchphrase for the weekend quickly became “there’s a point for that”! He created imaginary places where the judges would sit and, while we were singing, leapt about between these when
over-bearing; and he was so enthusiastic about barbershop that we couldn’t help but respond equally positively. If we came up against a problem, he would point it out and tell us to “just fix it!” We were all really proud of the fact that our standard had risen to a point
12 | HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010
where the information he was giving us was embellishing our sound and adding artistry and feeling. It is always exciting welcoming coaches from the US, but there is a huge amount of organising to be done to make it all run smoothly. After all, someone has to be allocated to fetch and deliver the requested Big Macs and Diet Coke! But seriously, flights and hotel arrangements have to be made, as well as a myriad of other behind the scenes jobs. Thanks to all SH members who worked so hard to make Jim’s
Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys as they sang and played their way into the hearts of fans new & old. Sarah Cunningham & friends brought a jazzy element to the evening whilst showing off the vocal talents of 15 year old Jasmine Homer and Matthew Atasoy along with the exceptional keyboard playing of Christopher Magrath. A very enjoyable evening for a very good cause!
visit such a success. If he had been visiting us a week later, he would have been stranded with us due to the volcanic ash. Wouldn’t that have been terrible! All in all, we were able to put a lot of extra confidence and technique into our performance at Newcastle and were really proud to come away with our silver medals. Congratulations to all the magnificent choruses and quartets who took part over the weekend and in particular to Lace City, to whom we wish the very best when they represent us all in Houston next year.
Judges’ Report from Convention – and Farewell! Valerie Taylor Outgoing Education Coordinator Prospective Vocal Dimension Chorus and Encore! Quartet Approved Candidate Judge, Sound
Hi everyone, What a fabulous convention in Newcastle! I hope you are still enjoying the buzz of the weekend – we have fantastic talent in our region and we should all be proud of ourselves! At the time of writing it looks like we may have 2 more competitors heading to International in addition to the Chorus and Quartet champions… watch this space! Judges’ Feedback As you may know, at the end of every convention the judges get together with members of the RMT to provide suggestions for improvement for the region. At this meeting the judges relay to us their impressions of the region and any themes they picked up during the contests – this could be things we are doing well, or things that we can improve as a region. Their comments usually concentrate on specific musical suggestions but they do also provide comments about the convention overall. For the past couple of years the judges have
provided us with their musical comments in written format, using a variation on the score sheet. Each of the four judges writes out her comments – you can find the Quartet and Chorus Trends from all the judges
on the regional website at www.sweetadelines.org. uk Click on the results banner on the front page and then you will see a link to the judges’ feedback underneath the winners’ photographs. (Good luck with the handwriting!) I’d like to pass on a couple of other comments that we received during the meeting. Nancy Field, the Panel Chair and a very
experience judge, has also been a Competition Coordinator herself for many years, so she knows what things are like on both sides of the fence. She said that our convention was one of the most enjoyable contest experiences she has ever had. And she’s been a judge for more than 40 years! Carolyn Healey, the Music judge, was here in region 31 in 2003 and she said there has been an unbelievable improvement since then. Sue Beck, the Showmanship judge, said she had a fabulous convention experience and was so very impressed with the Quartet of Nations Region. Joan Boutilier, the Sound judge, commented to me that she was so glad to have been at our contest because she’s never judged at International and this was just as good – with 28 choruses we are only 5 short of the number that competes in the International chorus semifinals! You can read all the judges’ comments on the website, but here are a few points I’d like to highlight:
• Quartets should take a pitch before starting to sing. This means blowing pitch and then singing a tune-up chord before beginning the song. You won’t lose points for doing this and in fact you will gain points if you have a more confident start. • Quartets will benefit from more attention to the entrance, break and exit, and from practising performing so you feel more comfortable on stage. • Choruses that stand in sections are not doing themselves any favours. The sections can be heard individually, rather than an overall chorus unit. • Choruses have commendable vocal skills! Quartets also showed good vocal skills and tuning. • Choruses generally need more energy right from the start – stand on the balls of your feet, not your heels. Keep your eyes on the director (unless choreographed not to do so), and use your director as an energetic role model. • Use the intro to establish the character of a song. This is not just a throw away section before the real fun starts. • Beware of singing arrangements intended
for male voices. There is more to it than just changing the key – some chords may need to be changed. • Depth in the bass/ baritone sound is crucial to barbershop and it is what distinguishes us from choral singing. And Farewell… I am stepping down as Education Coordinator and handing over the role to Elaine Hamilton from Forth Valley Chorus, who I know will do a fabulous job. After 5 years on the RMT I’d really like to concentrate on progressing as a trainee judge and also focus my attention on my new chorus! I have had a wonderful time on the RMT and worked with some great people. It’s a fabulous way to get an insight into what goes into running this wonderful region of ours, and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I can heartily recommend the RMT to you all! I won’t be off the scene completely until after this September’s education event with June Dale and Erin Howden is over, as Elaine and I are coordinating that together. So I look forward to seeing lots of you in Telford for some fantastic education, and then again at convention 2011! With love and best wishes.
Welwyn Harmony
(Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers)
are looking for a
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
We are a Barbershop Chorus of 40 ladies who meet and rehearse on Tuesdays at 7.45 pm, in Welwyn Garden City, Herts, which is within easy reach of the A1M (J5). Do you have good directing and communication skills, with an artistic flair, good musical knowledge, along with a sense of fun? Preferably, you should be familiar with the Barbershop style of singing. Expenses will be met. Check out our website: www.welwynharmony.co.uk or even better come along one Tuesday evening to see us at rehearsal. For further information please contact Bron Wild @ bron@grahamandbron.orangehome.co.uk HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010 | 13
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
Macmillan say ‘Thank you’ By Deborah Lamble
Many thanks to all the choruses and individuals who took part in making this such a success. This is a charity that is worth making the effort for. There were events held all over the countr y. Many of you came up with joint ventures and interesting ways to raise funds. Not only was it helping a great cause but it was good to
see all three organisations working together for a common goal. The Palladium Show was the culmination of this and I think you will all agree that it was good fun and a fantastic end result. Please keep your eyes and ears open for any future joint events.
g a T g Ra
Picture the scene, you’re at Convention and have met fellow singers from 14 different choruses in your hotel lobby. You’ve sung through “That’s What Friends are For” and “How We Sang Today” fourteen times but now can’t find any more songs in common with that bass voice you’ve always dreamed of and that enthusiastic tenor whose reeling unfamiliar song titles off at a rate of knots... We’ve all been there! What if there were a bank of tags that the region all had in common? Whether you’re looking for a new chorus warm-up or just fancy getting a buzz from those chords, enter: Rag Tag! This first tag was written by Andy Allen, director of Hallmark of Harmony chorus and Zac Booles, director of Grand Central Chorus and lead of Monkey Magic quartet. I’m on the look out for more tag-writing talent, so please do get in touch if you think you have what it takes! Rose Paxman
You Must Love Me
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must
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=60
You
must
love
14 | HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010
me You
must
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9ost of BeCistra6onD £85.00 (Members) £90.00 (Non-‐Members) £50.00 (Young singers 26 years and under) *Includes lunch and dinner on Saturday 25th
9ost of JKKommoda6onD Hotel costs will be detailed in full on the registraAon form but will be approx. £75.00 per person for Friday and Saturday night based on double occupancy *Includes Full English Breakfast, Service and VAT
24th – 26th September, 2010 1 2he 3nterna6onal 9entre, 2elford, Shropshire, 2>? 4@A For more information, visit www.sweetadelines.org.uk HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010 | 15
Quartet of Nations Regional Newsletter
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, Elaine Hamilton, 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
Gwen Topp Aberdeen Chorus Aberdeen – 01224 575366 gmtopp@yahoo.co.uk
Alyson Chaney Lace City Chorus Nottingham – 01636 814377 alysonchaney@yahoo.co.uk
Rebecca Middleton Spinnaker Chorus Fareham – 01329 235549 becks2010@hotmail.com
Michelle Walker Lace City Chorus Nottingham – 0115 965 4524 shelbywalks@yahoo.co.uk
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 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
IES Events
2010, July 8-10, IES East, Pittsburgh , PA 2010, J uly 15-17, IES Central, St. Louis , MO 2010, J uly 21-24, IES, West, Rancho Mirage, CA 2010, Nov. 11-13, IES Pacific Rim, Auckland , New Zealand
LABBS Convention
29th October - 31st October 2010 Llandudno
Regional Convention Dates
6th – 8th May 2011 Birmingham
Education Dates
24th – 26th September 2010
BABS Convention
27th-30th May 2011 Llandudno
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DEADLINE for the next issue 27th August 2010
Contact the Editor: Rose Paxman 21/5 Marchmont Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1DN Tel: 07891 269212 Email: rosesings@gmail.com 16 | HARMONY RAG | SUMMER 2010
Regional Management Team 2009 – May 2010 Chris Bentley - Team Coordinator Forth Valley Chorus Tel: 0131 539 1247 chrisbentley963@hotmail.com Tracey Bailey - Directors’ Coordinator Champagne Cornwall Chorus Tel: 01726 63937 allthebaileys@aol.com Nuala Hobden - Finance Coordinator Spinnaker Chorus Tel: 02392 231569 nualahelen@aol.com Elaine Hamilton - Education Coordinator Forth Valley Chorus Edinburgh – 0131 334 2372 elainemrssh@aol.com Petrina Bache - Events Coordinator Phoenix Tel: 07772 932432 trinabache@btinternet.com Deborah Lamble - Membership Coordinator Spinnaker Chorus Tel: 01202 487287 deborah@lamble.plus.com Jean Graham - Communications Coordinator Mayflowers Plymouth Tel: 01752 783724 jean.graham2006@btinternet.com Emma Duguid - Marketing Coordinator Prospective Vocal Dimension Tel: 07815 114476 duguidemma@gmail.com