Malin
Lindgren Palmqvist,
tenor
Suzanne Frolen Harrington,
lead
Anna Bonnedahl Ohman,
baritone
Naima Roos Meyer,
bass
From:
Ronninge, Sweden
Convention City:
Miami Beach, Florida
In
1979, in the tiny
community of Ronninge,
Sweden, just south
of Stockholm, four
11-year-old girls
decided to sing
together as a quartet.
The mother of one
of the girls was
Britt-Helene Bonnedahl,
director of Sweet
Adelines' Ronninge
Chorus. She suggested
which parts they
should sing, and
she listened, coached
and trained the
young voices. The
Growing Girls were
on their way...
All
four girls attended
the Adolf Fredrik
School of Song and
Music in Stockholm,
Sweden's comprehensive
grade school specializing
in vocal and instrumental
music. They also
sang with the Sweet
Teens, a girl's
barbershop chorus
under the direction
of Inger Lindstrand,
then director of
Sweet Adelines'
Telge Harmony Chorus.
The girl's tremendous
interest in singing,
and their hard work,
produced results.
Their clear voices,
good sense of music,
and exquisite feeling
for harmony created
an outstanding sound.
In
1983 The Growing
Girls joined Ronninge
Chorus; in competitions
held in Sweden in
1985, '86, and '88,
the young quartet
came out a winner
by wide margins.
Swedish media began
to take notice and
the group appeared
on several television
shows.
Winning
the Sweet Adelines
Swedish reigonal
competition in 1988
opened the door
to international
competition in Houston,
Texas. Preparations
for the trip were
intense and arduous,
as two of the young
women now lived
in Helsingborg,
350 miles from Ronninge.
Determined to make
it to the semifinals
round in Houston,
the four met every
weekend in Helsingborg
or Ronninge to rehearse.
Their hard work
culminated in an
appearance in the
Houston finals and
a 6th place finish
overall, far exceeding
their own expectations.
The
Growing Girls entered
international competition
in Miami Beach,
1989, under even
greater pressure.
Their home chorus,
Ronninge, was also
competing and many
chorus members expected
the quartet to achieve
at least sixth place.
When construction
disturbances delayed
the semifinals session,
many Swedes in the
audience feared
that the quartet
might be thrown
off balance by the
long wait. But,
friends and troupers
for so long, the
young women had
confidence and the
security of being
together. They spent
the down time singing
and eating sandwiches
- and when it was
all over, they had
won the title of
1989 Internatioanl
Champion Quartet.
Their joy was crowned
by the fact that
all of their parents,
their greatest supporters
through the years,
were present to
witness and share
their ultimate success.
Although
marriages, children
and distance (two
Growing Girls live
in the U.S. off
and on) have limited
the quartet's appearances
in the years since
their championship,
these four beautiful
young women remain
an active quartet
and their fans look
forward to every
opportunity to enjoy
their ringing, Swedish-American
harmonies, barbershop
style.
Back
to Quartet Search
