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Four Bettys Big Performance Coming Soon
The 2008 Sweet Adelines International Champion Quartet, FOUR BETTYS, along with MaxQ, the 2007 Barbershop Harmony Society Quartet Champions, will showcase barbershop harmony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The two gold-medal winning groups will perform from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sat., May 31, on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center.

The performance will be part of the A Cappella Festival, which will feature a variety of a cappella performances from across the globe. FOUR BETTYS and MaxQ will be there representing barbershop a cappella harmony.

The performance will be streamed live on the Web, and after the performance placed in an accessible online archive. For more information on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage follow this link:http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium.

Cori Albrecht, Bass
FOUR BETTYS Quartet
Region 3

The Cincinnati Sound Chorus Merger
Chapter officers from Queen City Chorus and Seven Hills Chorus met in late July of 2006 and decided to merge. The two choruses combined to form the Cincinnati Sound Chorus and began their journey to international competition in Hawaii.

In February, a local television station sponsored a Cincinnati-style Clash of the Choirs and Cincinnati Sound Chorus was chosen to participate. A reporter and camera crew interviewed members of the chorus and the segment appeared on Feb. 19. The publicity assisted in the fundraising efforts for Hawaii. 

The merger of the choruses has enriched our sound and energized us to improve our skills. The excitement is building and we hope to ride the high wave of competition in Hawaii this November. Wish us aloha and good luck!

Barb DeNamur, PR and Marketing
Cincinnati Sound Chorus
Region 4

Australia's Prospective Chorus Breaks a Record
Prospective A Cappella West Chorus recently held a successful first night that we are excited to share with the membership. Starting a new chorus from scratch has been a dream of director Lindsey Dyer, directors' coordinator for Region 34. That dream has now become reality. We had a fantastic team to kick this chorus off.

Jennifer Bullen, past membership/marketing coordinator for Region 34, and Lindsey put together a fantastic advertising campaign that resulted in 130 women expressing interest. On our first night, 87 women attended. The total number of attendees that night, including founders and helpers, added up to 96 members. We also expect an additional 10 – 15 who could not make it to the first rehearsal to attend the following week.

Perth, Western Australia, has been crying out for another chorus for many years. Perth Harmony has been the only chorus here in the west and when Lindsey moved from Sydney, New South Wales, she knew she was in the right place at the right time.

I believe we might have created a record in our region for the most attendees for the first night, which we are thrilled about. Lindsey is conducting a six-week program to build the chorus that will culminate with a show in April. She will be ecstatic if we retain 40-45 ladies to charter.

Watch out for ACW in Region 34!

Annette Connolly, finance coordinator
Prospective A Cappella West Chorus
Region 34

Hair Today, Gone ToЕ A Needy Child
As lead of the Region 15 three-time champion quartet ESCAPE, Susan Schuman usually pulls her shoulder-length hair into a neat twist secured with a hairpiece for performances and competition. On Feb. 4 she shed her long locks so that a child without any hair could crown their head with a much-needed wig.

While caroling with ESCAPE this holiday season Susan saw a Locks of Love flyer posted at a local eatery. She had already been thinking about cutting her hair and wondered if she could wait until the February event date. Locks of Love is a public, non-profit organization that provides high quality hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

"I thought this would be good for Girl Scouts, for me, for others, and then I thought, here is my son Jonathan working on his mitzvah project for his upcoming bar mitzvah, and I figured I could do this as a mitzvah, in his honor," said Susan.

"My hair is shorter than it has ever been, but it will grow back. The children I am helping don’t have that luxury. I only hope I can fix my hair as nicely as the stylist.  I’ve been a wash-and-go girl for so long! I’ve only used hairspray during contest season!" laughed Susan, who will compete with ESCAPE on April 4 without a hairpiece.

Dana Dunlevy, publicity
Hickory Tree Chorus
Region 15

Features

Prospective Members Speak Out
Recently the communications department distributed an online survey to our growing list of prospective contacts. The survey results gave us an inside look and answered questions, such as how they are finding out about us, what’s important to them, what are their experiences and much more. The responses offer an opportunity to fine-tune our marketing efforts and direct our approaches according to their needs and wants.

We were able to distinguish that the majority of prospective members have not been enticed by radio, television or newspaper advertisements but instead heard about us through relatives, friends or by word of mouth. Another significant result choruses should consider is that more than 30 percent found information about Sweet Adelines and choruses in their area through search engines and Web sites.

Out of the many survey responses received 31 percent have already joined and more than 50 percent are still considering it. A small group of respondents would like to join but have not heard back from anyone. Although this is only a small percentage it is still very important to recognize when trying to make a respectable impression in your community.

The prime reasons behind why prospective members are interested in Sweet Adelines include the opportunity to sing in a chorus, the friendships formed with members, and the type of music we sing. More than 80 percent noted that we are a friendly organization with talented singers.

More details about the prospective member survey results will be published in the April issue of The Pitch Pipe.

Young Singers Foundation
This month, the Foundation features Bev Sellers Memorial Scholarship recipient Melissa Larkin. Melissa is a graduate student at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, majoring in Music Education with concentrations in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. Taken from her scholarship essay, Melissa says:

"I think I've known all my life that I was meant to be a musician, specifically a singer. Mom tells me that before I was two years old, I sang rounds with her and held my pitch. The sheer joy of singing had drawn me in and I was forever captured. I sang whenever and wherever there were opportunities. I am most happy when I am making music or helping other people... As a singer, I hope to speak peace to another person's soul, to inspire joy, to give hope where it is not easily seen, and to give voice to another's sorrow. As a teacher, I hope to guide and encourage. My greatest mentors have been my music teachers and I pray that I will have the chance to pour inspiration and training into the lives of others just as they poured into my life. The Bev Sellers Memorial Scholarship is enabling me to reach a new level of artistry in my preparation to enter the world of professional singing and complete the credentials I will need in order to teach."

You can help talented young people obtain a quality music education! Please visit http://www.youngsingersfoundation.org.

International Sales

Just Arrived
Revised 2008 Judging Category Description Book

• The music category is reorganized with updated language and informative details.
• The showmanship category is rearranged to match the newly designed scoresheets.
• The showmanship scoresheet has the same information, but is designed to emphasize the importance of vocal skills.
• Descriptive language clearly defines new rules regarding the use of props.
• Current (updated) scoresheets are included.

$25 (USD) plus shipping and handling.  Order before April 30, 2008, and receive $5 (USD) off. Order online at www.sweetadelineintl.org or by calling toll-free sales direct at 877.545.5441

International Competition Performances Now Available
Don't miss your chance to view the top-ten chorus and quartet performances from the 2007 Calgary convention. Order your copies now from International Sales.
DVDs: $35 USD
CDs: $15 USD
(plus shipping and handling)