The fun kicked off on Friday night with the quartet semi-finals, seniors quartet finals contest, novice quartet finals, and our first ever mixed quartet finals. Twenty-two quartets crossed the stage to an enthusiastic audience and panel of judges. The district crowned our new novice quartet champions, Shenanigans, with all four singers competing in a quartet for the first time. Tall Boys, no strangers to the contest stage after their performance at Midwinter this past January, walked away with this year's seniors quartet champion title. Ripple Effect was named the first ever Ontario District Mixed Quartet Champions, beating out six other groups vying for the inaugural title. More importantly, the great slate of quartets sold the entire district on how exciting mixed quartetting can be. Over 77% of attendees stated that mixed quartetting improved or significantly improved their convention experience, compared to just 3.5% who said it detracted from their experience. This is great news as the district gets ready to introduce a mixed chorus contest this fall. Stay tuned for more details

Saturday morning kicked off as always with the Joe Barbershop chorus rehearsal. Under the direction of Andrew Carolan, recent transplant from Barbershop Harmony Australia and new director of the Kingston Townsmen, the 20 men served as the mic testers for the chorus contest later that morning. Eagle-eyed audience members may have even noticed Society CEO Marty Monson among the Joe Barbershop ranks. Eleven choruses crossed the stage in a phenomenal contest that saw Middlesex Centre's Forest City Fire earn the title of chorus champions. Newmarket's Upper Canada Chordsmen won the Encouragement Award, and the  A Cappella Niagara chorus from Niagara Falls won the most improved chorus award. 

Many convention attendees took the afternoon to enjoy the gorgeous weather around the city of London, visiting the many restaurants and stores around the convention hotel and catching up with friends from around the province. By the time the evening quartet finals and Show of Champions rolled around, everyone was ready for some great competition and performances. When the dust settled on the quartet finals, three quartets had earned qualifying scores for this summer's International competition in Las Vegas, NV. Test Drive will once again be representing Ontario, this time with their new bass singer Jean Sauvé, who has never before competed on the international quartet stage. 'Shoptimus Prime will be representing the district for their first time ever in the open quartet competition after having sat out last year following their 2015 silver medal in the International collegiate competition. Yonge Guns are also headed back to the international contest, this time with the highest ever score for an Ontario District quartet. Their top scores in the contest also earned them the coveted Nighthawks trophy for the second year in a row. A fourth quartet, Director's Cut, missed qualification by just one point and are in prime position for a wildcard spot for International.

The Show of Champions was held shortly after the scores and results were announced. More than just a chance for competitors to perform again, the show provides the opportunity for the district to give recognition and awards to deserving individuals. Jeff Taylor received the Larry Dale Coach of the Year Award, given annually to a member who has shown outstanding musical talent in coaching district quartets and choruses. Ken Koehler was honoured with a Barbershopper of Renown title, an award given each year to up to four barbershoppers to recognize outstanding contributions at both the chapter and district levels. Other Barbershopper of Renown awards will be presented throughout the year, as some of the recipients were not able to make it to convention. The district's highest honour, the Barbershopper of the Year, was awarded to Bruce Herdman. Bruce becomes only the the seventh person in district history to have won this award twice.  Based on feedback from past convention surveys, the events team went out of their way to keep this year's Show of Champions as tight as possible. The show came in at 55 minutes, allowing for more time for afterglow and hospitality room. 

After all of the performances and awards had wrapped up, convention attendees headed back to the headquarters hotel for an evening of singing and fellowship. A Cappella Niagara hosted an extremely well run hospitality suite, and the layout of the hotel allowed for lots of singing long into the early hours of the morning without disturbing other guests. 

All in all, the weekend was a great success. Whether or not you were able to join us this spring, we hope to see you this fall when we return to The Sanderson Centre in Brantford! Early bird registration is open now... why wait?

Thanks for a great convention!