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February 2008 |
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This newsletter is intended to inform, encourage and inspire you on your journey towards chartering as a Sweet Adelines chorus. We hope you enjoy this issue. Please send your stories, letters, articles and photographs for the next issue to ann-marie@sweetadelineintl.org. Best wishes and happy reading! Communications
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Prospective Savannah Sings! is ready for show time. When Vicky McKinley, longtime Sweet Adelines chorus member and choreographer, moved to Skidaway Island from St. Louis, Mo., she set out to find a Sweet Adelines chorus to join just as soon as the moving van left her driveway, but was disappointed to learn that Savannah did not have a Sweet Adelines chorus. Shortly after the household boxes were unpacked and her keyboard was located, she set out to form one. Prospective Savannah Sings! chorus members include women from all over the greater Savannah area. New member, Hannah said “This is a very exciting time to be part of this group. I'm glad I was able to get in on the ground floor!" Jill Petersen, another new member, has sung barbershop for many years and is equally enthusiastic, “Terrific camaraderie, a good musical education and just plain fun are reasons why I love being a part of Sweet Adelines.” Mckinley added, “We are having a great time socializing, singing and realizing our goal to become a Sweet Adelines chorus.” Prospective Savannah Sings! chorus has passed Step One and are working to charter this year. They are looking for an experienced director but McKinley is holding the fort until one is found. They have learned the National Anthem and Take Me Out To The Ballgame so they can sing at the Sand Gnat's game in April (minor league team well known in Savannah). The chorus knows at least seven songs already and are well on their way. Jane Thimme, (friend of the chorus) Editor of The Skinnie Magazine and Prospective Panther City Chorus Prospective Panther City chorus performed for the first time, Dec. 8, on the Texas Millionaires Christmas show. The chorus sang two Christmas songs in each of the two perfor In addition to performing and working on membership, Prospective Panther City has also begun contributing to the community in other ways. This Christmas season the chorus collected 37 toys, which it contributed to Toys for Tots. Prospective Saratoga Soundtrack Chorus The Prospective Saratoga Soundtrack chorus is excited for 2008. This month we welcomed two new members to our ranks. We also registered to perform for evaluation at the Region 16 convention in April and purchased costumes for that event. We are planning a Friends We had a very exciting holiday season with various performances throughout the area including a sing-out at a local assisted living facitily, a benefit for a family center and caroling for holiday shoppers at the mall. They were all great experiences and such fun. The highlight was singing three sets at the First Night Saratoga, which this year was attended by nearly 14,000 people. It is a family-oriented celebration of the arts held in downtown Saratoga Springs as a fun way to usher in the New Year. Over 40 buildings, churches, and storefronts became stages for a variety of musicians, actors, dancers, and artists during the celebration. It was an excellent way to introduce our chorus to new audiences. We were recently featured in a local magazine and will soon have an article about us in our local paper. Hopefully this exposure will help us to grow. The chorus in looking forward to chartering this coming Spring. Jennifer Hunter,
team leader Prospective Chorus In Meridian, Idaho Our chorus in Meridian, Idaho was recently granted prospective status right after we requested information on how to form a c Briana LeClaire, chorus member Prospective Heart of Columbia Chorus It is so exciting to let everyone know we have made another chink in the armor After only three months of training, squeezed in between Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, we were hard pressed to remain sane as we prepared for our first judged program at the end of January. What a way to start the New Year! Talk about nervous! Have you heard the old Southern cliché, “Bless their hearts?” It applies here. After digging up costumes and adding a little choreography to our performance at the very In the middle of all that was going on that night, we welcomed two newcomers to the chorus. After some instructions on proper handclapping techniques, newcomers, Joyce and Tranay quickly joined in on the festivities. Our hope is that we didn’t totally traumatize them and they come back. What a great time we had showing off the skills we’ve learned so far. Somewhere amongst all the laughing and singing, scarf straightening and hugging, we learned even more - it really didn’t matter who we were or what our kids thought or why dad thinks we are silly - at that moment we were all just Sweet Adelines. All in all, we figure we’re a pretty lucky bunch of women here in Columbia. We’ve got Tina as director and Frances Kuhlbars, our administrator, behind the scenes poking holes in the paperwork, and then we find more friends like Peggy and Ann. We’re a mighty diverse group too. We have worries and concerns just like the rest of the world, but I’ve also noticed something else about all of us - we’re very enthusiastic. We’re very competitive and Tina’s a perfectionist. She turns on our go button! The chorus is looking forward to meeting everyone in the Blue Ridge Region 14, and we hope to make you proud. Jo Kline, chorus member Prospective DaleDiva Chorus Hi to all our prospective chorus friends. We are Prospective DaleDiva chorus, On Nov. 15, 2007 she organized an open evening for any women interested in singing, her marketing campaign was very simple, “WANTED women who sing.” That evening over 80 people turned up, far exceeding her expectations. With the support of some of her barbershop friends, Ally made sure that they not only left that evening a more educated audience in the barbershop style of singing but that they had fun and enough information to consider becoming founder members of a new chorus.
DaleDiva rehearsals are so motivating, inspirational and fun. Already new friendships have been formed and a chorus personality is growing. It looks like Ally has got her dream and the Derbyshire Dales will be getting a dynamic barbershop chorus to be proud of. Ally Law, director International Education Symposium
Kick it up a notch with more than 200 educational classes taught by an awe-inspiring faculty. New This Year Specialized learning tracks will be available for:
Excitement abounds when it's kicked up to a level never seen before! International Convention and Competition Register now - there are a limited number of prime seats left and they are selling fast! To register online for the 2008 convention in Honolulu go to www.sweetadelineintl.org/hawaii.cfm and Competition Location: Showcase 2008 - FINAL Show! Featuring: 2008 International Champion Chorus Harborlites and 2007 International Champion Quartet SALT. Combined Japanese Chorus Polynesian Entertainment Don't miss this elaborate production showcasing the grand power as well as the delicate grace found only in the islands of the South Pacific. For more information on Showcase and how to purchase tickets visit http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/hawaii.cfm Coronet Club Show Publicity/Membership Resources Web Page Promoting what you love is easy, but we've made it almost effortless for you by providing the marketing materials and resources you can utilize for your publicity efforts. You will find the following downloadable tools and much more to help promote your chapter: Newsletters Available Online Sweet Adelines International issues a variety of newsletters throughout the year that are targeted toward distinct audiences. These newsletters are specifically geared toward chapter leaders, regional leaders, directors, prospective choruses, music educators and Young Women in Harmony choruses, but they are all available for everyone to review on the Sweet Adelines International Web site. To find the listing of and links to the many newsletters published by Sweet Adelines International go to http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/newsletter.cfm or find them below:
Sweet Adelines on MySpace Check out the Sweet Adelines MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/sweetadelines. This page is a resource tool and intended to be informational for women interested in singing. We hope to make many new friends and inspire many new people to try barbershop. Be sure to spread the word and let your friends know to check us out. For
contact details for all prospective choruses, go to: http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/ProspChorusContacts.pdf. |
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s and qualify for international competitions. Vicky McKinley was the artistic director and choreographer for all performances, shows and competitions. She also supervised costumes, props and make-up. She continues to be an artistic consultant for the River Blenders and travels to St. Louis several times a year to attend rehearsals.
mances. It was an impressive debut and gave chorus members a sample of what it will be like to sing for the mini show and fashion show that they are planning for later this year.
and Family Night to kickoff our visit to regional. 
horus in September. Since then we have been holding Tuesday night rehearsals and sang at two retirement homes during the holidays. We currently have nine members and are taking the appropriate steps to increase our numbers. We look forward to more sing-outs this year and growing into a chartered Sweet Adelines International Chorus. The picture shows some of the members of the Meridian, Idaho chorus-in-formation. Pictured from the left are: Becky Hudson, Edith Stephenson, Patty Wainwright, Jeanetta Asbury and Briana LeClaire. Missing from the picture are Mary Cole, Erin Affleck and Sara Watson. 
last minute we are well deserving of that phrase… ”Bless their hearts.” 
based in the Derbyshire Dales of England, Region 31. We are so excited at being accepted as a prospective chorus and the possibility of becoming Sweet Adelines. Our director Ally Law has been in barbershop for many years and when she and her family re-located to the beautiful Derbyshire countryside she decided it was time to make her dream of forming her own Chorus a reality. 
Twelve weeks later, 52 charismatic women have passed their audition, a board and music team have been formed and Ally now has an assistant director, Emily Walton. Such a fast pace but with such keen, enthusiastic and committed women anything is possible! We are now busy getting a repertoire together and focusing on opportunities to perform in the future. We have our first visit by the regional reps at the end of March and are working hard to make sure we get checks in all the right boxes. We have even created our own Web site, check us out at 