Amy
Brinkman, tenor
Dani Avalos, lead
Bon Pressley, baritone
Bonnie Fedyski,
bass
From:
Chicago, Illinois
Convention City:
Reno, Nevada
They
call their fans
"pyromaniacs"
and at the 1994
international convention
in Reno, Nevada,
Chicago Fire made
pyromaniacs of all
10,000 in attendance.
The
quartet competed
internationally
five times prior
to winning in 1994.
Chicago Fire was
formed in 1989 by
Dani, Bonnie and
two other friends
in harmony. They
won their regional
contest that year
and competed internationally
in Miami Beach,
but did not make
the semifinals.
In
order to qualify
for the 1990 international
contest, Chicago
Fire had to return
to their regional
competition. They
did not win it,
but qualified for
international as
one of five"wild
card" contestants
(who attain the
highest scores among
all nonwinning contestants
in all the regional
contests). By this
time, Bon, and Bonnie's
sister Amy, had
stepped in to replace
the baritone and
tenor respectively.
Chicago
Fire's climb to
the top was slow
but steady. They
placed eleventh
in 1990, missing
a chance to perform
in the finals by
only five points.
The following years
they placed sixth,
fourth, second,
finally claiming
gold medals in 1994.
The
last two years of
competition were
neither easy nor
inexpensive: Dani
had moved to California
and rehearsals were
limited to one weekend
a month at the home
of a fellow chorus
member in Chicago.
All four women held
full-time jobs,
and two of the four
had small children
at home. With the
help and support
of family and friends,
Chicago Fire conquered
the challenges of
a long-distance
relationship to
achieve the ultimate
Sweet Adeline dream.
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