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!