International Board of Directors Election January 2020 Past Issues October 2019 November 2019 December 2019  Next submission deadline January 30 Region 16 website members' area login info UserID member16 Password singalong

The election of the International Board of Directors of Sweet Adelines International is complete, and the following candidates will be serving along with the continuing members of the Board:   Elected to a three-year term beginning May 1, 2020: Thérèse Antonini, North Metro Chorus, Region 16 Paula Davis, Song of Seattle Chorus, Region 13 Vickie Maybury, Skyline Chorus, Region 8 Mary Rhea, OK City Chorus, Region 25   Appointed to a one-year term beginning May 1, 2020: Leslie Galbreath, Skyline Chorus, Region 8 Elaine Hamilton, Forth Valley Chorus, Region 31

SAI: Mission, Vision and Guiding Principles

From the International Board of Directors With input from our members, we developed our Mission and Vision Statements and Guiding Principles to communicate the purpose, values, and hopes of Sweet Adelines International. They will serve as a compass to guide all efforts toward creating a strong and sustainable future for Sweet Adelines International. Mission Statement  Elevating women singers worldwide through education, performance, and competition in barbershop harmony and a cappella music. Vision Statement Inspiring and empowering voices to joyfully harmonize the world. Guiding Principles Musical Excellence:  We honor and embrace artistry, education and innovation in the performance of women's a cappella music while championing the barbershop style. Culture of Belonging:  We create harmony where every voice matters. We foster a culture that provides a joyful place to share our uniqueness within a global community united in song. Diversity & Inclusion:  We celebrate our differences as essential to the rich harmony that unites us. As we recognize barbershop’s African American origins and learn from our exclusionary past toward women of color, we reject discrimination and unwaveringly strive toward greater awareness, openness and understanding of each other. Personal Empowerment & Leadership:  We encourage and empower everyone to lead from where they stand. We foster individual skills, nurture personal growth, and provide education and mentoring to develop strong, effective leaders on and off the stage. Outreach:  We build strong connections by sharing our love of barbershop harmony throughout our communities, countries and the world.

Education

Another contest season is upon us and we are very fortunate to have a very skilled regional coaching faculty available to help you as needed. Click here to peruse the faculty list.   In addition to coaching, did you know that Region 16 resource staff can help you by facilitating other helpful sessions for your chorus? Some examples:  Music Team training – sessions geared specifically to your needs Facilitating a Core Values, Mission, Vision session Goal setting Leadership training Membership growth planning And more! Questions? Contact Sue Melvin , Region 16 Education Coordinator

Marketing

Hello Chorus Marketing Coordinators and Chorus Presidents. Tamatha Goad, senior director of marketing and communications for Sweet Adelines International, sent an email on Dec 6, 2019 to your chorus contacts to let you know about a new campaign designed to get potential members to visit a chorus rehearsal:   …The beginning of the year is a time when people reexamine what they want in their lives, so it’s a great time to introduce them to Sweet Adelines! The campaign will run from Jan. 1, 2020 through Feb. 29, 2020. Through our advertising agency, ads will be placed on Facebook, Google Search, Google Display, and YouTube targeting all countries where Sweet Adelines currently has choruses. The ads will direct viewers to the “Find a chorus” feature on the Sweet Adelines International website and also provide them with information about starting a quartet.   In advance of this campaign, I ask you to review your chorus’ website and social media pages to make sure they are up to date. Is your rehearsal information easy to find? Can visitors easily learn about the culture of your chorus and how active you are? From looking at your website and/or social media pages, is it obvious that you are affiliated with Sweet Adelines International? If they click on a Facebook ad for Sweet Adelines then land on your website, they need to see a clear connection with Sweet Adelines so they know they’ve landed on the right page. If you need to make updates, you will find our updated organizational logo and the new Life on a High Note marketing materials webpage on the Sweet Adelines website. (Log in as a member by clicking "Member Login" in the upper right corner of the Sweet Adelines website, select “Marketing Materials” under the “Resources” tab). Resources including print ads, postcards, brochures, digital static ads, social media images, and videos. (The customizable materials are great for choruses who hold open houses around the start of the year!) Even beyond this specific campaign, I encourage you to check back often because we continue to add new materials. If you have suggestions for marketing materials that you would find helpful in attracting new members, please send us an email at communications@sweetadelines.com. NEXT… What Are You Doing to Promote your Chorus? Tell us what you have been doing to promote your chorus – creating a new website, designing new logos, using promotional material and other marketing materials? Let us know what you have been up to and we will share it with the region. Share your ideas, your successes. Ask questions if you are looking for something specific or looking for new ideas. If we don’t have the answers, we will go searching for you. Send your information to Martha DeClerq.   Martha DeClerq Region 16 Marketing Coordinator

Region 16 Logo Contest Deadline has been extended to January 8 Click here for details

Quartet Corner

Happy New Year! Are you a person who makes resolutions and personal makeover TO-DO lists to start the year? My thoughts today are inspired by Jan Carley, an author, motivational speaker, life coach and singer in Sandy Marron’s Lionsgate Chorus in Vancouver. Jan writes about the benefit of mindfulness, delving into being very aware of every detail in this moment and our presence in the situation. She reminds us to consider what we want to BE, before we decide what to DO. Take a moment to consider how that might affect you as a singer. By being acutely aware of our uniqueness, we can keep focused to bring who we are to the table. We can all choose how we show up to do the act (learning a song, attending a meeting, or some aspect of singing like improving your breath management, etc.). Your attitude shows before any words come out. Let the real you show in your eyes – it is human and genuine and reflects what is inside. Choose to be kind, open, buoyant… whatever you decide. You sing barbershop right here in Region 16 for a reason. Your frequent return to mindful awareness will keep you on your path. You will feel motivated to DO the next thing with all the right intention. It is then that you will contribute your best ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_________________ (YOU fill in the blank… ideas, sound, emotion, self.) BE the person you want to sing beside. Close your eyes, appreciate what you are, just breathe.  Paula Allen Region 16 Quartet Coordinator

Circle of Harmony Chorus

Circle of Harmony is so very excited that nine lovely ladies from our PMP (prospective member program)/Christmas Choir program have decided to become members! Here they are with our Master Director Barb Hodge and Christmas Choir leader Kathy Wettlaufer!

We had a lot of fun preparing and singing at our Perfectly Seasoned shows in November, and here Barb and COH President Sabine Findlay (right) present our Show Chair Sheila McKenzie with flowers of appreciation for her amazing work organizing the shows!

On December 15, we were delighted to sing at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, under the direction of Assistant Director Margaret Fielding. It was a stunning venue to perform in and we enjoyed the appreciative audience very much indeed!

On December 18, we held our Christmas Party in the beautiful home of COH President Sabine Findlay. We enjoyed live piano and many performances by groups of Circle of Harmony members. We ended the evening with a carol sing by the beautiful grand piano and officially welcomed in our new members to the Circle of Harmony! Here are eight of our new members by the Christmas tree! Happy New Year to our Sisters in Harmony! Circle of Harmony sends you all warm wishes to begin the New Year!

Greater Kingston Chorus

Here’s hoping that everyone had a good Christmas or Hanukkah with loved ones and friends, and enjoyed ringing in a New Year and a brand new decade! Wishing everyone peace and joy with this new beginning! Hopefully the frenetic pace of the holidays is slowing and there is a bit more time to just relax! Greater Kingston Chorus certainly did enjoy the numerous opportunities we had to spread the joy of the season, which culminated in our shared Christmas concert with Orchestra Kingston at The Spire. That was a new collaboration for both groups, and the stunning acoustics of the former church thrilled all of us and our audience as well!! In January rehearsals resume and for most of us the focus will change to more ‘prep and rep’ for our contest songs. As for GKC, in the months before contest, we look forward to additional coaching from both Steve Tramack and then later Joan Boutillier at our annual retreat. Factoring in a possible rehearsal cancellation or two due to Mother Nature’s inevitable weather-related events, and the first weekend in April will be here before we know it!! It will be fun to get acquainted with our ‘new digs’ in St Catharines, and especially to experience singing in the beautiful new Performing Arts Centre for our very first time! Wishing all a very Happy, Healthy New Year !!

A few members perform for the VON luncheon.

CKWS TV 'early birds'!

York Harmony Chorus

We hope that you are all having a wonderful Holiday with family and friends! For York Harmony Chorus, this month has been a chock full of Holiday cheer! It all began with a sing out at the East Gwillimbury Santa Claus parade after party, where a group of us performed at the Sports Complex. We had lots of fun offering the kids to take part by playing our Christmas bells for us during Jingle Bells and Sleigh Ride. On November 30 we had our annual Christmas show, a “Claus for Celebration”. Once again, we had the privilege of performing to a full house, as well as showcasing our two new quartets: Sang’ria and On Track. You will have an opportunity to cheer them on this year at our 2020 Regional Conference.

Once again, YHC was invited back to take part in Black Creek Pioneer Village’s Christmas by Lamplight event where YHC performed two shows in the quaint, candle-lit Fisherville Church at the end of the lane. In between shows, we had some time to experience all that this wonderful place has to offer, from freshly-baked tarts and chestnuts roasting on an open fire, to the tin smith’s shop and general store.

The following week, a group of YHC members kicked off the Holidays by performing at the annual Bradford tree-lighting ceremony. We sang Santa into action to light up their beautiful Christmas tree, then took it inside to sing the evening away at the community centre.

In addition to these festive events, there were numerous other sing-outs including those at Southlake Hospital and Sandy Cove Acres. In the midst of this merry-making, we all came together for our annual Christmas party. This year it was hosted by our incredible tenor section. In addition to performances by Sang’ria and On Track, the musical team of Mary Jo Lemme and her husband John, and a guest appearance by “Bob and Doug McKenzie” (aka: Debbie Antonacci and Patty Bowyer), we played some fun games like making a snowman from Christmas treats! Finally, a Save the Date for you: Saturday, March 21 for our annual Death by Chocolate show at the Newmarket Community Centre. All of the yummy details to come soon! Here’s to a stellar and harmonious 2020!!

Eastside Harmony Chorus

What a fun and excellent holiday season Eastside Harmony had! We love singing our Christmas songs and sharing them with all our friends and family as well as anyone else who enjoys Christmas music. Fortunately, this is most people at this time of year. We had been rehearsing our new Christmas songs for months and were looking forward to singing them for others. We started the month of December with a performance at a local retirement home and the warm and welcoming reception by the residents really set the mood for continuing our amazing holiday season.

Next was our Friends and Family Christmas Party event on December 12. What an outstanding event! Our close friends at Kawartha Music Company joined us with their own songs and we sang a few together. We love to sing with these fantastic ladies! We were also joined by two amazing quartets that have some members from Eastside and Kawartha: Whole Lotta Lovin’ and Riverblend. We were so happy they could join us for our event. By all accounts, the event was a resounding success!   On December 14 we held our second annual Christmas Caravan. We spread cheer at four of our local hospitals and nursing homes. It really added to our Christmas spirit to sing for the staff and residents. At the Ajax-Pickering Hospital we were even joined in song by our local MPP, Rod Phillips. He enjoyed singing with us. If he were female, he would make an excellent Sweet Adeline!

We enjoyed performing almost right up until Christmas. On December 23 we were asked for an impromptu performance at the Durham Region Headquarters in Whitby where one of our members works. The stop at the Children’s Services offices was so much fun and the decorations were so festive!   After all of the turkey, stuffing and potatoes, along with the chocolate, candy and desserts, Eastside is ready to start our new year. We are looking forward to our joint venture singing with Kawartha Music Company and all the hard work we plan to put into the upcoming Competition in April 2020.   Eastside Harmony would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our Sisters in Harmony in Region 16 a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year for 2020!

Canadian Showtime Chorus

Canadian Showtime Chorus is excited to launch the 2020 season with more special performances and new music. Under the direction of Joe Connelly, we continue to enhance and enlarge our choral repertoire with music from old-time masters!  Our Holiday Gala fundraiser, which took place Sunday, December 1, was a huge success. Congratulations to the Gala Team, Aliza Gauzas (lead coordinator), Donna Thomsen, Vivian Keefe-Boddis, and to all the Team Leaders, Christine Dunn, Wendy Haycock, Val Wahl, Santina Scalzo, Carole Dubue and Danielle Ethier and the many hands who went above and beyond the call of duty! Thanks to them, we were able to raise over $11,000. Great job ladies!

Chorus in our chic gala attire!

Gala Team from Left, Vivian Keefe-Boddis, Joe Connelly, Aliza Gauzas, Pierre Lemieux (former Conservative MP, our emcee), Donna Thomsen Small chorus ensembles performed at the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony as well as at three other occasions at the Ottawa Christmas Market at Landsdowne Park (December 7, 14  and 21). The drizzly and cold weather did not dampen spirits at each performance.                                                       On December 17, we were honored to be invited to open for Tom Jackson, the remarkable Canadian-born actor (North of 60) and singer best known for the annual series of Christmas concerts called the Huron Carole, held at the magnificent Dominion-Chalmers United Church. This was not only a most exciting performance but a rewarding benefit that supports organizations doing hands-on work with the homeless and hungry in Canada. For further details, check out this website. We will hold our first membership drive of 2020 on January 14 and look forward to new singers joining our fun chorus family. Experienced barbershop singers are welcome to join us throughout the year. If you know of someone in the area who might be interested in experiencing the joy of barbershop singing, please invite them on our behalf. As this year is beginning, we send the warmest thoughts and best wishes for a Happy New Year. May peace, love, and prosperity follow you always, dear Region 16 sisters!   Danielle Shanefield

Acapella North Chorus

The Holiday Season was a busy one for the Acapella North Chorus . This year their annual show revolved around Christmas as they presented “Santa Don’t Be Late” just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday on Sunday, November 24. The show featured several chorus numbers and performances by the Fourtissimo and Noteworthy quartets, as well as the A# and 4 Elves quartets, who formed to provide musical support for the show. Donations at the door helped with the Restoration Fund for the Pickens Hall Opera House where the show was held.

ANC entertained at several venues during the first two weeks of December, including performances at a Christmas event at a local winery, a local church Christmas service, for residents of a local nursing home, as dinner entertainment for a local service organization, pre-show entertainment for a professional orchestra event, and a fundraiser with our local male barbershop chorus, The Goldenaires, with donations going to the local food pantries. Fourtissimo also performed at a special fundraiser during the holidays for a newly-established local Respite Home for families of children with cancer.  After a few weeks off to celebrate the holidays, the chorus is looking forward to getting back to their weekly Tuesday night rehearsals at the Potsdam Middle School in Potsdam, NY.

North Metro Chorus

As the new year presents itself, it's only natural to reflect on the events that took place in 2019 and what 2020 holds for us over the horizon. In April, North Metro was thrilled to win Regional gold and the right to represent Region 16 in Louisville next year. It was an emotional weekend all around as we bade farewell to our Syracuse contest location; the city, the venue and the people served us well for so many years and it was hard to say goodbye. We are excited to see what our fearless leaders have in store for us in St. Catharines, though! Through the summer, we worked on material for our October show. With a dizzying collection of new music and choreography, we were kept hopping. We were pleased to see so many of you there as we welcomed our guests, the Ennis Sisters. As soon as the show finished, we started working on the music for International.

Our Christmas party gave us a chance to see many old friends and count our blessings. Quartets, a selfie booth, and a variety of entertainment contributed to the festive occasion. Although we lost two founding members and two other former members this year, they all remain vivid threads in the rich tapestry that is our chorus history. We eagerly anticipate the coming months of hard work and fun, and wish you all the same. Have a healthy, happy and musical 2020!