A Brand New Beginning

By Mia Dessenberger, lead in UnderAge

As the last notes flew from our mouths, the crowd went wild. The entire audience was on their feet. For the third year in a row we were in Greenville, S.C., pouring our hearts and our voices out in front of an audience of a thousand people. That feeling at the end of the performance is one I can’t use words to describe, and as we walked off stage I started to cry. It wasn’t because it hadn’t gone well; in fact it had gone very well. It was our best performance, yet I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Something about this performance was different.

We walked off stage hugging and celebrating knowing that we had done our best. Then, as we took our places in the audience, holding each other’s hands and hugging our teddy bears, I started to think about what a wonderful and challenging year it had been leading up to this point. I thought all the way back to the last IES and how thrilled we had been to place third. With our white medals around our necks we had celebrated endlessly, looking forward to the time when we would again fly across the country for the competition.

After last year’s IES we spent the next few months getting involved in another aspect of Sweet Adelines. We all joined a chorus. Brittany and I joined Mary as members of Mission Valley Chorus (MVC) and Caitlin became a duel member of MVC and Bay Area Showcase Chorus. We worked hard with MVC preparing for the upcoming trip to Indianapolis, Ind. However, nothing could prepare me for the wonder of my first International Competition. Everything about it was breathtaking. Competing on the International stage in a chorus of people who share your passion and dedication for music is unlike any other experience in the world. I loved it.

Our return home brought the focus back to the quartet with our regional Young Women in Harmony Competition fast approaching. However, it wasn’t very long after we started selecting competition music that we got the news that startled and worried all of us. The Seguras, our bass and coach, would be moving before Christmas. They weren’t just moving to another city in California either, they were moving to Rogue River, Ore., a seven hour drive north of our homes in the Bay Area. I couldn’t believe it. The other girls in UnderAge are my best friends. We spend so much time together and we have so many wonderful memories. They are three sisters that I didn’t even want to think of losing.

The next couple of months were difficult. We resolved to keep the quartet together, but we had to make some changes. Now we would be lucky if we rehearsed once a month, which was a big change from our old weekly schedule. And when we did get together it meant weekends of intense rehearsal. It was a lot of work, but we pulled through and I truly believe we’re better for it today.

Once we got used to our new situation there were a lot of great experiences around the corner for us. First, we got the opportunity to make a CD, which was a lot of work and a lot of fun. Next, we competed against five other quartets in Region 12’s Young Women in Harmony competition and placed first. Finally, we competed in Region 12’s adult quartet competition. We were truly shocked and honored to place fifth and we wore our “big girl” medals with pride.

Suddenly it was almost time for IES again. We were working harder than ever before. We performed wherever we could, and had as many long weekend rehearsals as possible, even a little “UnderAge Boot Camp” up in Oregon to put the final touches on our music. Then in what seemed like no time at all, we were at Furman University again, back in the heat and humidity of lovely Greenville, S.C.

As my mind drifted back to the present, I stood to applaud for another quartet that had sung beautifully, and I realized something. Throughout this past year we had all grown so much, not only as individuals, but also as a quartet. We overcame the biggest obstacle we had ever faced as a quartet, accomplished more than we ever had as a team, and we really immersed ourselves in every part of the Sweet Adeline experience. These girls are my best friends, I’ve never been closer with anyone other than my family. They are a part of my family. I finally understood the tears trickling down my face, smudging my makeup beyond repair.

I was crying because our performance was a product of everything we’d been through. That performance was what this past year was all about. All the emotion of the past year was contained in every line of those songs, every note and every word. The joy, dedication, and love, as well as the frustration, the worry, and the exhaustion, were all right there. We’d given it our all, and now it was over.

It was time for the announcements, and we grasped each other’s hands, our hearts pounding harder than ever, as the spotlight on the podium lit up. Fifth, fourth, third, and second places were announced and we applauded happily for the other quartets. When they finally announced first it was like slow motion, and when they said “UnderAge” I thought I was dreaming. We hugged, we laughed, we cried together as we realized our dream had come true.

As we stood onstage hand in hand looking out on an audience all joined in song, I smiled at Mary, Brittany and Caitlin as I realized, a new year had started. We will never forget the past year, but the blue ribbons around our necks are a symbol of the end of an amazing journey as well as the start of a brand new one.

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