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In this issue:
Upcoming Events
| Dec 13 |
Rich-Tone Chorus Holiday Show - Richardson, TX |
| Dec 18-19 |
OK City Chorus Christmas Show - Bethany, OK |
| Feb 5&6 |
Fo' Paws: Quartet Retreat. - Addison, TX |
| Mar 18-21 |
Region #25 Competition - Richardson, TX |
| Jun 25&26 |
Summer Music Camp - TWU -Denton, TX |
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Congratulations
International Competitors! |
2010 International Champion Chorus
THE RICH-TONE CHORUS
Dale Syverson, director
2010 International Division AA
Silver Medalist Chorus
TOP OF THE ROCK CHORUS
Kelly Causey & Peggy Gram, directors
2010 International 14th Place QuartetCABARET
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Quartet Retreat - It's just around the corner: 2010 Quartet Retreat with Laura Pallas, AWESOME International Faculty member! Laura was the guest faculty for our Director's Retreat a couple of years ago. She was so wonderful, we decided to bring her back for Quartet Retreat!! Laura lives in Los Angeles, California and is the Master Director of the Region 11 Santa Monica Chorus. She has sung lead with several regional champion quartets and has competed on the International stage. Her specialty is "vocal production", and we know you'll enjoy learning more about it from her!
 Summer Music Camp - Don't forget to "save the date" for this year's Summer Music Camp with The Buzz quartet as our guest faculty! That's right, The Buzz: Debbie Cleveland (used to be Connelly), Jeanie Froelich, Nancy Cloeter (used to be Fuhrmann), and Karen Breidert. They've promised to send us something special very soon to peak our interest about the classes they're planning, so stay tuned for more information!
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Sarah Montgomery, Membership Coordinator
Pilot Program
It was exciting to be in Nashville and hear about the Pilot Program – that we are one of only six regions worldwide participating. Go Region 25!
We hope that all of the choruses have completed at least one phase of the program. The four phases are:
- Acappella Harmony Classes (the vocal lessons)
- Come Sing With Us
- Targeted Guest Night
- Free Performance
Remember, all you have to do is participate in these four phases. It doesn’t matter whether you bring in new members. We are testing the effectiveness of the membership tools provided by SAI. Report to Communications Coordinator Connie Light after you complete a phase (two phases may be combined – example Acappella Harmony Classes followed by a Free Performance). Questions? Call Me!
 REMINDER: Deadline for the votes in the International Board of Directors Election is December 2, 3 p.m. PLEASE make every effort to have your chorus vote turned in on time. Let's be the first region to have 100% chapter participation.
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  Region 25 Has True Nashville Stars
Submitted by Nancy Nortz
You only had to look at the ribbons hanging from our badges to know why Region 25 was so proud in Nashville. Cabaret, Flirt!, Rich-Tones, Timeless, Top of the Rock, and Zing! What a group.
Top of the Rock did an amazing show package that centered around the 50th anniversary of the Barbie doll. Each member of the chorus was dressed as a different Barbie. All except one, as a more-than-believable Ken doll escorted one regal Barbie onstage. I understand that the plastic hair Ken sported was purchased on Ebay and it was marvelous. Top of the Rock finished with a silver medal in the first Harmony Classic ever held at the international convention and posted the highest total in their division for show package bonus points.
Flirt! drew the 1st spot for quartet semis and started the contest off in style as they swept onto the stage in their trademark black and pink suits, sang Flirty Guys with a confidence that belied their novice status, then melted the audience with a richly emotional rendition of My Buddy. Four quartets later, Zing! hit the stage. I read a quote on the SING list that said “From the intro of You Turned the Tables on Me, it was apparent that Zing! was a force to be reckoned with.” That feeling was apparent as the audience leapt to its feet after their first song and again after My Foolish Heart. Like Top of the Rock, Zing!’s finals set earned the highest number of bonus points for entertainment on the show set, making Region 25 competitors 2 for 2 in that category.
When the Regional Management Team visited the Rich-Tones in rehearsal, we caught the tail end of Erin Howden’s coaching session. She had them ready to take the audience by storm and that’s exactly what they did. When they finished their first set of I’ll Never Stop Loving You (Joni Bescos’ last arrangement) and Yessir! That’s My Baby, I remember saying to no one in particular…Okay, beat that! Their “Evolution of Dance” finals set involved (if I counted correctly) clips of 21 different songs. Yeah, you heard me. And there wasn’t a slow dance in the bunch. I’m still not quite sure how the front row survived. I have to tell you that Lion’s Gate from Vancouver came to play. Those of you who attended Quartet Retreat will remember Sandy Robinson Marron, Lions Gate director, and its choreographer, Judy Pozgay Rimple. Their finals package drew parallels between the Winter Olympics that Vancouver will soon host and Sweet Adelines International Competition. Two sportscasters did a play-by-play of the final song. They first “muted” the chorus and continued their commentary as the chorus stayed in full performance mode but in complete silence. Then they Paused, Rewound, Fast-Forwarded and Slo-Mo’d the scene behind them. Even if you’ve never considered purchasing a DVD of the International Chorus Finals before, you might want to think about getting this one. These are two of the most entertaining sets you’ll ever see. Rich-Tones (and Lions Gate) had perfect scores on bonus points for their package. I believe that earns Region 25 the title of “Most Entertaining Region”.
After a week of great performances by all the Region 25 contestants, Cabaret was headed directly to Seattle by virtue a great 14th place finish, Zing! was wearing crowns and the Rich-Tone Chorus had posted the highest score in Sweet Adeline history. Ask any Region 25 member who was there what it was like and, after we float back down to earth, we’ll be happy to tell you all about it.
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New Directors
 The Red River Valley Chorus of Sherman, Texas is very pleased to announce its new director, Melody Holmes. She comes to the chorus with fantastic credentials of a degree in trumpet performance and having been surrounded by music all her life through the Salvation Army and her parents. Melody has traveled to South America, North America and most of Europe, with special remembrances of the Republic of Georgia. There, she performed the trumpet, taught music and drama to teens, and worked to meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
When Melody returned to the states, it was time for a change. She added a bachelor in Biological Health Sciences, a master of Molecular Genetics and is pursuing a PhD in Adult Education. As a current professor of Anatomy and Physiology at Collin County Community College, Melody loves teaching almost as much as music!
Melody says about her new director position with the Red River Valley Chorus, “I came to the chorus in 2006 when I was looking for an outlet for music and fellowship. This group of women certainly lived up to that! RRVC is a sisterhood of harmony, and I count myself fortunate to be a part of it. I am honored to step into the role of director, and I look forward to a season of growth and happy harmony for Red River Valley Chorus!”
- Barbara A. Hotze, CCE, Red River Valley Chorus
Prairie Winds Chorus of Lubbock, Texas is excited to announce the selection of Connie Light as Acting Director.
Connie has been a member of Prairie Winds for three years, coming to Lubbock from the Palo Duro Metro Chorus in Amarillo, where she sang with both choruses for a year.
While a member of Palo Duro Metro, Connie served as Lead Section Leader, Choreographer, and Music Team Secretary. As a member of Prairie Winds she has served as Assistant Lead Section Leader, Costume Chairperson and Assistant Director. She is currently in the Director’s Certification Program and serves Region 25 as Communication Coordinator for the Regional Management Team. 
With music always being an important part of her life from childhood, Connie sang with award-winning quartets, Crystal Collection and Star Struck; and currently sings lead with Crossfire Quartet. Her husband, Richard, also involved in barbershop music, is very supportive; and daughter, Aleisha, pursues several musical interests.
In addition to being a wife, mother, director and quartet member, Connie is a secretary/bookkeeper and holds a degree in Communication.
Connie’s willingness to step up and take on this challenge is evidence of her leadership ability and love for the chorus and the Sweet Adeline organization. She is an asset to our leadership team and we look forward to a great partnership of music and harmony.
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Webinars
Did you know that SAI offers classes online? Take advantage of the Membership Webinars that are on the SAI website. Go to the Marketing Center and look under Training Library. There is a webinar coming up on November 21st on developing a Rookie Program. We need to learn how to keep all those new members we will hopefully be bringing in. If you aren’t available to participate in the class live, you can watch it later. This webinar, as well as past webinars, will be archived so you can access them at your convenience. Past webinars are Marketing Your Chorus, Parts 1 & 2, and Member Orientation, Parts 1 & 2. Each webinar is approximately one hour in length. They are well done and worth your time.
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■REAL WOMEN
■ REAL HARMONY
■ REAL FUN
The results for the first quarter of the Membership Pilot Program were turned in to International earlier this fall. From the choruses who reported, there were 50 guest visits. From those guest visits came 14 new members. The most effective method of getting guests in the door is still personal invitation. I have heard rumors about some very exciting Pilot Program phases going on right now, with very exciting results! Please follow each phase of the Pilot Program with a report sent to Connie Light, Communications Coordinator, detailing your efforts. We want to present International with as much helpful information as possible, both what worked and what did not work. Thank you stepping outside of YOUR "comfort zone" and making Region 25 of Sweet Adelines a great place to be!
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OK CITY CHORUS
At this year’s Region 25 contest, the OK City Chorus had its traditional chorus breakfast. We were focused on staying upbeat and preparing to give our best performance. We knew that in a couple of hours, we would share the stage with Jim Massey for the final time.
Forty-six years before, a brash curly-headed young man had walked into the OK City rehearsal and replaced their calm and dignified director, Henry Foth. I’m not sure Mr. Foth knew what hit him, but soon afterward, Jim Massey infused the group with an energetic performance style that would become its trademark. During Jim’s first rehearsal as new director, an equally young and brash Dola Jean (DJ) Hensley was flabbergasted when Mr. Massey flew through the night’s agenda and announced at 9:30 that they were done and it was time to go home. No one moved from the chairs in which they were sitting to rehearse. You heard me. They used to SIT and sing. Wow. Anyway, when no one budged, Jim was perplexed. So DJ explained that they didn’t want their husbands to get used to them getting home that early on Tuesdays and rehearsal continued.
At Jim’s first regional contest in 1964, the chorus placed a very respectable seventh. In 1965, they won. It was the first of 15 regional titles earned. While Jim is an amazing musical force and an institution in the world of barbershop harmony, his success with OK City has to be shared with the other half of the Massey team. OK City is known for its innovative packages and every one of them bears the stamp of Marcia Massey. From the piano built onstage with chorus members to the “Red Hot Mamas” who formed a wedge and strutted downstage with their boas, Marcia’s inimitable brand of creativity has been ever present.
“Jim’s Girls”, as the chorus came to be known, picked up back to back 5th place international medals in Cincinnati and London in 1976 and ‘77. Jim’s Girls placed in the top ten on 10 occasions. Our most recent international appearances were 2006 in Las Vegas, where we earned the Harmony Achievement Award, and 2008 in Honolulu, where Jim brought the house down with his hypnotist act. The chorus received one of only three standing ovations during the chorus semi-finals.
Coming into this year’s regional competition, the chorus had two goals. We wanted to have Jim go out on top and we wanted to prepare a tribute worthy of his contributions. Of course, Jim knew that we had something up our sleeve. For weeks prior to contest, we would send him home early so we could work on our surprise. The first half went as hoped when we won the chorus contest with the highest score in our history.
Then came the Saturday night show. Jim may have expected that the chorus would sing something in his honor, but he was unprepared for the fact that the entire evening would be devoted to him. Past chorus members came in from all over the country and Liz Brannon, the show organizer from the Rich-Tones, orchestrated an event to remember. Slides shows chronicled the Massey’s rich history, and good friends Joe and Kay Liles made a surprise appearance. The four Massey kids did a great tongue-in-cheek bit about the stories that they couldn’t tell, recounting each one in detail. Then OK City queens Ginger ‘n’ Jazz performed together for the first time in more than twenty years.
Region 25’s own Peggy Gram, our esteemed International President made a presentation from the region to Jim. She handed him special piece entitled “Creating the Sound”. Golden hands were upturned and fire-like ribbons with music notes flowed upward from the palms.
Then the OK City Chorus took the stage. We started with Jim’s well-loved original creation You Never Had It So Good. Then all the past members joined us for Hi! Neighbor, which everyone already knew because it has been sung by every OK City member since Eve. I have no doubts that any longtime member of the region could probably have sung it as well. The past members then exited to a parody of Got Along Without You that wrapped up with “Your style… your sound… the way you clown around and the amazing way you create the sound. Got along without you before we met you. Gotta get along without you now. How will we get along without you now?” All in good fun.
Then the lights dimmed and the chorus began the intro of For Good from Wicked. A spotlight picked up soloist Katarina Nortz as she moved to the mike. Kat was the tenor of Rising Star winner Tone Appetit and a third generation OK City chorus member. In her senior year as a voice major at Lee University in Tennessee, Kat had flown in just to sing the solo on the first verse. If you are familiar with the song, you know that the lyrics are nearly perfect for the message we wanted to convey. The bridge, however, refers to blame and needed to be changed. With input from several chorus members, it was rewritten to be “And though you won’t be here, your heart is with us. All the things you’ve done we thank you for. And when we close our eyes your hands appear. They touch our hearts and we are free to soar”. Marcia and Jim’s daughters Lin and Marla sang with us for this special piece and the three of them moved downstage together at the end.  Those of you who know Jim, which is nearly everyone reading this, know that he isn’t one to melt into a little puddle over things like this. He did dissolve just a bit, though, as he came up to thank the chorus and the region. He gave incoming director, Mary Rhea a long, heartfelt hug.
And so the torch passes. We are indeed fortunate because we lose one treasure but gain another as Mary takes over the reins. The term Master Director refers to the attainment of a particular score, which Jim Massey has earned. But Jim would be termed a Master Director under any definition of the term. Those of us who had the opportunity to work with the master are truly fortunate.
Jim will continue to lend his talents as a judge for the Barbershop Harmony Society and Marcia remains an active member of the OK City Chorus. Personally, I’m looking forward to the first time that Jim comes to coach us and asks, “Can I say something?” It will give Marcia has the opportunity to be the one to say, “Not now, Jim!”
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Don't Miss out on Regional Events!
Check the Region 25 Calendar on the Heart of America website - www.sairegion25.org! |
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