Submitted by the intrepid Carol, Karina, and JD
We all giggle when we hear it …. it’s only one night a week! No question, that one night a week is our foundation, but it takes extra time between rehearsals by each individual to achieve the heights we all strive for. Ours is a sport and like all great athletes, we need to exercise every part of our being - our voices, our vocal instruments and our bodies to build enough stamina to effortlessly sustain us through a performance!
When unexpected things hit you, you can choose to panic and fall into hopelessness or you can harness the opportunity to make a great life even greater! Pause before you act, plan for everything to turn out well and trust in your ability to be okay!
Submitted by Nancy Lambrechts
When I think back to my first experience at Regional Competition in Syracuse, I remember it as an amazing time. It made me feel truly a member of the chorus after joining in the fall of the previous year, a rite of passage so to speak.
I thought it would be interesting to check in on our First Timers from 2023 in St Catharines. What was their experience? Read on and find out!
Just like many front rows in the Sweet Adelines world, Canadian Showtime Chorus’s front row puts in the extra time, as required, to learn and perfect floor patterns, moves, and more importantly, blossom and grow into the attitude and character that pairs with our musical selections. And sometimes, we are fortunate to get extra coaching!! And like that old classic from C&C Music Factory "Everybody dance now!!", everybody did indeed dance! (Earworm alert) The amazing Erin Howden was in the CSC Front Row house!!!
Last night we welcomed 7 New Members to our chorus. It took a lot of hard work and dedication but they made it, with the help of their Chorus Connections. We are so glad to have them! Just look at all the smiling faces.
Here is another testimonial from one of the New Members.
Overwhelmed in the best of ways.
My name is Adrienne McLean. I became a member of Canadian Showtime Chorus in November of 2022 and I have been invited to share my experience with their New Member Program.
I retired shortly before the pandemic began and was hoping to become involved in a singing group once restrictions started to ease. A family member found CSC through a Google search and sent me the link to their website. I took one look at everyone’s smiling face and sparkly costume and I was hooked!
The pandemic was still causing havoc at the start of 2022 and preventing us from gathering so we started the year off on Zoom. TNL (Tuesday Night Live) rehearsals continued until March 1 and we even celebrated our Charter Anniversary with members, alumni and special guests on Zoom. It was a terrific trip down memory lane!
The beautiful thing about Sweet Adelines are the friendships you build along the way. There is a special connection you have with your chorus, and there are some lucky few who get to have two families as a dual member.
I joined Sweet Adelines at a very young age. I was only 16 when I became a member of Northumberland Chorus. I took a break from barbershop when I moved to Ottawa for university. I was in a rather tough place when I had to take a year off from school so I decided to get back into singing. That is when I found Bytown Beat.
This past July 24th- July 31st, I was able to attend Harmony University, put on by the Barbershop Harmony Society. It was in New Orleans at Loyola University and I couldn’t be more excited to have gone. After two years delay due to the pandemic, I couldn’t have been prepared for what lay in store for me when I arrived. At the airport, not only was I greeted by warm and enthusiastic staff, I was surrounded by like-minded individuals who shared common goals: learning more barbershop, and the love and dedication we have for this art form.
In November 1982, my friend invited me to her chorus rehearsal. After I heard the first chord of barbershop harmony, I loved it! This group was the prospective Nepean City Chapter of Sweet Adelines Inc. which was formed by Sandie Nason Kerr in January 1982. I became a member and my first performance on stage was in a chorus show called “Razzle Dazzle” in February 1983. I was so nervous that I thought the audience would see my lower lip trembling.
