Chapter Chats & Regional News - November 2022

Chapter Chats & Regional News - November 2022
Type of post: News Item
Sub-type: No sub-type
Posted By: Debi Gordon
Status: Current
Date Posted: Tue, Dec 6 2022
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CHAPTER CHATS & Region 12 NEWS!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
REGIONAL NEWS
RMT Open Positions
Regional Convention Volunteers Needed
RMT Events Coordinator Position
Mic Testing Quartet Opportunity
Young Women in Harmony Recap

CHAPTER HAPPENINGS
Upcoming Events
Southern Oregon Sound Director Search
Chapter Facebook links

Website Link: 
Pacific Shores Region 12 
Sweet Adelines International

Regional Newsletters:
Past Issues
Join our mailing list 
REGIONAL NEWS
RMT Open Positions
 
The Regional Management Team is continually looking for women who are interested in learning more about what goes on in support of regional activities. There are many opportunities, both large and small, and training is available at every level. If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities, just send an email to the Team Coordinator

APPLICATIONS BEING SOUGHT FOR REGION 12 MANAGEMENT TEAM
The Region12 Nominating Committee is seeking women who are interested in serving our Region on the Regional Management Team for a two-year term starting May 1st each year. The eight-person Management Team is responsible for managing all the affairs of our region.

Why You Might Want to be on the Regional Management Team
  • You will have an opportunity to work with other “big picture” women who are creatively charting the immediate and long-range future for Region 12.
  • You will feel a sense of accomplishment and receive regional recognition for the work you do.
  • You will receive monetary support according to the current Allowances Table for RMT meetings and for regional events other than Regional Convention.
  • If an RMT meeting is held during Regional Convention weekend, lodging will be paid equivalent to one-half the room charge at double occupancy rate, and one per-diem will be paid.
  • You will enjoy a learning experience!

General Qualifications for All Regional Management Team Positions
  • It is recommended that as a candidate for the Regional Management Team you should have some past regional service or equivalent related experience.
  • Service on a chorus management team or board of directors is recommended, but not required.
  • You need to have planning, organizing, delegating, and communications skills, and the ability to work proactively.
  • You should be a team player who has good listening skills and a positive approach to problem solving.
  • In addition, you should be a regular user of electronic mail.
This year, we are seeking candidates for Director Coordinator, Events Coordinator, Finance Coordinator, and Marketing Coordinator. You can download an application at this link. Applications are due on December 15. Feel free to reach out to me for more information about specifics of these positions at sandymisa@gmail.com.

Sandy Jones
RMT Team Coordinator
Regional Convention Volunteers Needed
 
The Regional Steering Committee still has a couple of positions to fill.  These are important to the functioning of the RCSC and your overall convention experience.  
  1. Quartet Stroll Coordinator: This person will contact the competing quartets and coordinate the patterns for their stroll to various chorus rooms and parties.
  2. Facility Coordinator:  This person works with the Competition Coordinator, Official Panel Liaison, Site Coordinator, and Events Coordinator to manage the ballroom during convention events.  It involves working with the ballroom lights, responding to needs of the official panel, and communicating with the Competition Coordinator to make sure all is running smoothly.
  3. Housing Coordinator:  Primarily this responsibility occurs prior to the convention. It involves communicating with the staff at the Nugget to determine the procedures for room reservations and communicating that to the chorus coordinators. 
If you are interested in any of these jobs or have questions about what is involved please let me know.  The region needs your help to make this a successful contest. Send an email to marymamer1976@gmail.com or phone me at 541-961-8805.

In Harmony, 
Mary Mamer 
Events Coordinator
Regional Events Coordinator Position
RMT Applications for Term May 1, 2023 to April 30, 2025
 
It is time for the Events Coordinator position to be turned over to someone new.  The person would take over officially in May of 2023 after the convention.  This is an involved position on the Regional Management Team.  This person needs to be well organized and have strong communication skills.  They will need to work well with other members of the Regional Management Team, members of the organization, and members of the community. This is a very brief description.  Training and consultation will be available to the person in this position as needed after May 1st of 2023.  Applications are available on the Regional Website at RMT Coordinators Application 2022-2024 (1007.5kb).  If interested please complete the application form and send to Kristen Skold, Regional Communications Coordinator.  If you would like to ask more questions about this position contact me at marymamer1976@gmail.com
 
Mic Testing Quartet Needed

Yes, the Region 12 contest is still 6 months away, but it's never too early to start planning.  The RCSC will be looking for a Mic Testing Quartet for the contest. If your quartet is thinking about competition and trying to figure out if you want to compete or not, mic testing might be an option. The mic testing quartet is not a competing quartet, although they can compete for evaluation only.  

If you think this option might work for your quartet please contact me for additional information.  marymamer1976@gmail.com
Young Women in Harmony Event Recap

We invited our students and teachers back to our program by holding a YWIH Workshop on Saturday, November 5, in Sacramento. “Together In Harmony” was a smashing success. Although our group was smaller than usual, we had an amazing day together.

Our clinician, Dede Nibler, knocked it out of the park, just pouring education into those teenage brains, and they loved every minute. Her drive combined with their teen energy made the room electric. We are so grateful she’s willing to share her secondary education expertise in our program.

Rhapsody Quartet was the perfect choice for our song teachers. We sang Lean On Me, and each section learned it so quickly through time spent with Kim, Julie, Andi, and Jeanette, The quartet immediately connected with our students and taught barbershop techniques along with notes and words.
Carolyn Johnson adapted the arrangement for us quickly at no charge, providing a good musical product to work with.

Julie Baxter and Kim Machek taught a brilliant and interactive showmanship class, with the teachers in attendance learning a thing or two as well! Andi Giles, serving as co-chair, took on our group building, providing fun music and games that brought the girls together and had us making new friends quickly. Alison Miller, Region 12 Education Coordinator, and Connie Ludwig, YWIH committee member, rounded out our staff, taking on many necessary duties, running errands, providing equipment, working registration, and monitoring all our visitors.

We provided lunch and snacks, and we had as much fun as the girls did getting to know each other. We want to thank Sacramento Valley Chorus for providing our risers and generously financially sponsoring eight students. You’re the best!

At the end of the day, the chorus was singing strong, without music, performing with expression and choreography! They were immersed in Barbershop and during wrap up let us know what it meant to them. “I never knew about this genre before and didn’t think I could do it, but now I love it so much!”  “I wasn’t sure about coming alone, not knowing anyone, but I’m so happy I did. It was great to sing with new people/friends and discover a different sound.”  “It was so cool to sing in a group where everyone had the same idea to express. It made me feel really happy.” I loved that last comment and let her know that’s how I feel at my rehearsal every week too!

Our next event will be an all-day workshop at AIM on Saturday, January 28th. Make contact with your teens and school programs now to get it on their calendars.

I am still lounging in the blissful afterglow of our successful day. It’s always such a treat to watch the girls walk in shy and quiet, then leave standing taller with confidence and their heads full of valuable knowledge. Thank you, Region 12, for your continuing support of this valuable program. You’re helping to shape girl’s lives by providing this fun, safe space to explore, learn and experience the joy of our hobby. They are our future!

Cyndi Sharp
YWIH Manager
 
CHAPTER CHATS
Sacramento Valley Chorus spent the month of October working on our upcoming Christmas Show. Join us on Saturday, December 3rd, at Orangevale Community Center, Orangevale, CA. There will be two shows - one at 1:30pm and one at 4:00pm. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite. Come see us.....you won't be disappointed!  We'll be featuring our Harmony Academy graduates - they are fabulous. The show has a cast of characters you won't want to miss!  
 


Oregon Spirit Chorus has been pretty active lately!  We hosted our very first World Singing Day event on October 15th and had no idea how many people would show up, so we were delighted to see about 60 people come to sing.  The setting at Riverfront Park was perfect, the weather was amazingly beautiful for mid-October, and we had such a great time we’ve decided to make this an annual event!  We taught the crowd the World Singing Day theme song for 2022 and got this video:
World Singing Day - October 18, 2022

 
OSC then kicked off our annual holiday chorus on October 18th. We were so happy to see lots of new friends, as well as several former members who come and sing with us each year.  We had 18 guests the first night, then a few more the following week, and at the time of this writing, three of them are enjoying it so much that they’ve already successfully auditioned for membership! 
 

We look forward to the fun we’ll have in December as we perform around the greater Salem area. We’ll be sharing our harmonies at the huge Holiday Market at the Fairgrounds, the Tree Lighting in Stayton, the stunning light displays at the Oregon Garden, and then cabaret show to top of the season.  WOW! 
 
Things are humming along for Mendo-Lake chorus this fall.  We have been enjoying getting out into our community to sing and to invite guests to visit a rehearsal.

On Saturday, October 15, we celebrated World Singing Day at our local Farmers Market, with a sing-along and performances — including the cutest ever “guest performer” who walked up from the audience with his guitar! 
 

On November 8, we participated in our local Senior Summit, sharing information about the health benefits of singing with a mini-performance and a sing-along so attendees can immediately experience some of those benefits. We did some recruitment as well, of course.

We’ve had 4 guests joining us during the past few weeks for our Christmas Chorus as we prepare for our holiday concert on December 13.  That’s a lot of additional voices for our tiny chorus, and we are loving it!  
Happy Holiday Season, Sisters in Harmony!! River Lights Chorus is working hard to prepare for our annual holiday tea!
There are limited seats left, but if demand is there, we may add an additional table. We can’t wait to share the holiday spirit with our community!

Coming off of a second place finish in contest this year, River Lights is an up and coming small chorus looking for a new director. We’ve been working so hard these last few years under the incredible direction of Sally Massen, and we are looking to continue in growth and ability. We are coming for that first place and are looking for the best person to take us there. If you or someone you know is interested in working with a small chorus of dedicated, talented ladies, reach out to us at riverlightschorus@gmail.com.

Wishing you all a bright and blessed holiday season!!
RISERS...at last.
 


After almost 3 years, California HEAT is back on their risers.  While we have been singing together for a year, first with masks and then distanced, it always has been on a flat floor.  But not anymore!  We were missing a few singers Thursday night, but our riser crew set up two sets for us to use.  Big THANKS to the wonderful grandchildren of Kim O'Connell for taking on the job of our riser crew.

The sound was amazing. We'd forgotten how wonderful it is to have the chords around us! 

We are preparing music for a Christmas performance at Red Bluff's Lassen House in mid- December, and of course we are already working on our competition songs for May 2023.  Thank you, Susan Ramage and Marg Rightmier, for 'directing' us since we returned to in-person rehearsals. We are so lucky to have you.
October brings Fall, Halloween, and the time to gear up for our annual Jingle Bell Tea. We will be holding our Tea on Saturday, December 3rd in Saratoga, the way it was before the arrival of the pandemic, with hot teas, dainty sandwiches and holiday cheer! Masking and vaccination policies will be optional; however, if the situation changes, we will update our policy appropriately. Tickets are already on sale on our website!
 
Carol Gerwitz’ article in the September issue of the Campbell Press, about MVC singing for the San Jose Giants, will be printed in the January edition of the PitchPipe! Congratulations, Carol!
 
Chris Jacobs and Susan Zarchy collaborated on a wonderful new arrangement of Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah! They presented and taught their new arrangement to the chorus, and the members loved it. Chris remarked, “What a thrill to hear it come off the paper onto real voices!” Thanks, Chris and Susan, for this new addition to our holiday repertoire!
 
Southern Oregon Sound is having a lot of fun working with the local men’s barbershop chorus, Rogue Voices, while we continue our Director search.  We have seven holiday performances booked at local retirement communities on December 3rd and 4th and another on the evening of December 9th at the Rogue Valley Manor.  We’ve also been invited to sing again at the Holly Theater Marquee on December 16th, so we’ll have plenty of opportunities to entertain this holiday season!

Our singing skills are continuing to improve with our weekly rehearsals with the guys.  I for one am extending my range singing Lead instead of Bass!  Some of us are accepting Kathy Scheel’s generous offer to sing with Oregon Spirit with the goal of joining them at contest next year.  We’re still on the Director hunt, but realistically, we would not be ready to compete again as SOS in 2023. We’ll start joining Kathy’s rehearsals via Zoom soon and will join some in-person rehearsals in January.  It will be nice to be a Bass again (ha-ha)!
 
Harmony Fusion had a really successful show on Oct 29, “Back By Popular Demand”, which was our first show since 2019. Many Region 12 sisters were in the audience, for which we were very grateful and felt the love and support.  And one of our newest guest singers performed our final song that she had learned in just a few weeks! We invited all Sweet Adelines, current and former, to come up on stage to sing together “How we Sang Today,” which brought at least one of our HFC singers to tears.  

We also had coaching by Erin Howden on Halloween night, a first for HFC. She energized and challenged us to get out of our heads and be entertaining singers and take chances, and she gave us some great techniques to improve vocal unity. We were exhausted! 

Below is a photo from our show. 
 
Wishing all of you happy fall, y’all! Thank you so much for all your support in Phoenix at our SA International competition and especially for the really fun and loving Tunnel of Love after our performance. Seeing that crowd of friends from our Region 12 there really made us smile and feel great.
 
Yes, we’re definitely still high from Contest, and we wanted to share with you our special photo from the contest stage. It really was a thrill for all the contestants to perform on the International stage after two years of disappointments and cancellations.
 

Like many of you, there is “Life after Contest!”  We updated our plan for this fall for all the things to do between October through most of next year, starting with Guest Nights for our fun holiday sing-outs.  We have guests visiting for 3 weeks and then singing with us for our really fun SANTA’s ARRIVAL.  Santa arrives on a tugboat with Mrs. Santa, and sometimes even the Grinch is seen sneaking around the tugboat!  Children join us singing carols, and it is truly an uplifting community event.  We even had an article written about us in a local paper, the ArgusCourier, which we hope will stir more interest in visiting to sing carols with us.  We’ve also got a great group of daytime holiday singers, led by our own Sue Oaks (Thanks SUE!), that has several sing-outs planned during the holiday season.  The holiday season with PEC is ON in Petaluma!
 
We can’t wait to see you all again next year at Winter AIM to get those hugs we missed during the pandemic.  Also, we get to finally have our LIVE well-loved crab feed again on Saturday, February 11, 2023, so SAVE the date and come up and join us.  It’s the best crab on the west coast.  Come for delicious crab, salad, pasta and drinks - and performances!
 
We’re sure all of you are conducting or planning guest nights to rebuild each chorus, and we wish you success bringing new people to barbershop.  It’s so exciting to prepare for prospective members who have never heard of our organization.  Spread the word, all!
 
Hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving!  We are very thankful for each other and for all of you.
 
October was a busy, fun month for SOS. We joyfully added two new fantastic leads-Sandra Echavarria and Alicia Miller. We focused hard on our pasta feed fundraiser, held at the Windsor Grange, courtesy of Karen Giovaninni. It was a full-on collective effort, with lots of Zoom meeting planning (who knew how handy that skill would become?), and it came together beautifully. We were so excited to be back in front of a live audience for the first time officially in almost three years, resplendent in fall colors. With a gorgeous wine country autumn as a backdrop, we served a delicious pasta meal (accompanied by Sonoma County wine, of course), performed for an enthusiastic audience, and basically had a wonderful time with our sold-out event.
 



There were many members who were deserving of a shout-out this month, but our winners of the week included Cris Sookne, Kat Slusser, Julie Thomason, and Allison Murphy. We rounded out October with a “live” birthday cake for Master Director Sharon Carlson, followed by our first shared treats in a long while. We are actively preparing our holiday repertoire as we anticipate performances at the Luther Burbank Center Christmas tree lot, retirement homes and shopping centers. As we head toward Thanksgiving, we are very grateful for the opportunity to sing and perform together once again.
 
Wow!  October was jam-packed with a dozen visitors, a baby shower, and coaching with Erin Howden. To start out, we had a baby shower for Mia Wardell, the fabulous lead from Love Notes. She is due mid-November.  She won’t reveal the name, but we do know it’s a boy!  During the month, a bunch of visitors joined us during our rehearsals and a weekend of “boot camp” coaching.  With all these visitors and new members, it’s more than “new blood;” the addition of fabulous singers is like a blood transfusion!
 
 
 
Finally, On October 30th, 31st, and Nov 1st, we were thrilled once again with coaching from the fabulous Erin Howden.  Sunday, October 30th was an all-day rehearsal at our regular rehearsal space, Grace Presbyterian Church in Walnut Creek.  Monday, October 31st was an afternoon visual workshop at the home of Kim Machek, where we explored the psychology of performance and strategies to improve the physicality of our visual plan.  In addition to the visual workshop on Monday, Erin also provided three PVI’s and coached a quartet. On Tuesday, Nov 1st, Erin coached our contest uptune during our regular rehearsal.   We sent her home tired!!!
 
This year is flying by so quickly! October saw us beginning to work on our holiday repertoire in earnest. We are preparing for a holiday show on December 10th. Here's a link to more information about that:
 

Throughout the month, we worked on both regular repertoire and holiday music. We were joined by Jana Gutenson for a wonderful coaching session on October 22. She gave us some great suggestions during our warmup time to help us optimize this very important part of rehearsals. We also spent focused time on our contest songs. We really appreciated all of her insights and are looking forward to continuing to improve our skills to make a better finished product.
 

For our last rehearsal of the month, many of our members participated in a costume parade to celebrate Halloween. There were so many wonderful costumes - everyone was so creative.
 



In November we started our holiday guest program, where those that participate will be able to sing two of our holiday songs with us in our December show. We have had a great turnout these last couple of weeks, and we hope they will enjoy this so much that they keep coming back!

Hope you all are having a great November!
CHAPTER HAPPENINGS
Sat, Nov 19 2:00pm RLC Holiday Tea Grace Lutheran Church Spirit Center
Sat, Dec 3   MVC - Jingle Bell Tea Saratoga Community Center, Saratoga CA
Sat, Dec 3  1:30pm SVC - Annual Holiday Show 1:30pm Orangevale Community Center
Sat, Dec 3  4:00pm SVC - Annual Holiday Show 4:00pm Orangevale Community Center
Sun, Dec 4  2:00pm Oregon Coast Holiday Show Carols Cookies and Cocoa Newport Senior Center
Mon, Dec 5  5:00pm BASC-Mt. View Tree Lighting Ceremony Mountain View
Fri, Dec 9  7:00pm OCC performs at Yachats Ladies Club Holiday Open House Yachats Oregon
Sat, Dec 10 2:00pm Cascade Chorus Holiday Show Eugene, OR
Sat, Dec 10 3:00pm BASC Holiday Show - Holiday Greetings! Mt. Olive Ministries
Tue, Dec 13 7:30pm SOS = Holiday free mini-show Santa Rosa, CA
Sat, Jan 7   MVC with Lynne Smith coaching OBI Studio
Fri, Jan 20 
to Sun, Jan 22 		   SVC Coaching with Jim Arns Sacramento
Fri, Jan 27
to Sun, Jan 29		   Winter Regional Weekend - AIM (Adventures in Music) with Ryan Heller DoubleTree Hotel, 2001 Point W Way, Sacramento, CA 95815
Thu, Feb 2 7:30pm BASC - Judy Pozsgay Coaching Mt. Olive Ministries
Mon, Feb 6  7pm Harmony Fusion with Angela Suraci Hill & Valley Club, Hayward
Fri, Feb 10 
to Sat, Feb 11		 9:00am DVC-Ryan Heller Coaching Grace Presbyterian Church, 2100 Tice Valley Rd., Walnut Creek
Fri, Feb 10
to Sun, Feb 12		 7:30pm Nikki Blackmer coaching with MVC OBI Studios
Fri, Feb 17
to Sat, Feb 18		 7:00pm Chorus Retreat w/Judy Pozsgay Eugene Faith Center
Sun, Feb 19 12:00pm Oregon Coast Chorus Coaching with Barb Vander Putten American Legion, Newport Oregon
Sun, Feb 26 10:00am SVC - Erin Howden Coaching Sacramento, CA
Mon, Feb 27 6:30pm SVC - Erin Howden Coaching Sacramento, CA
Fri, Mar 3
to Sat, Mar 4		 7:00pm Chorus Coaching w/Nikki Blackmer Eugene Faith Center
Sat, Mar 4 5:00pm MVC - Crab Feed!!! Orchard City Banquet Hall - Campbell
Thu, Mar 9 6:30pm Oregon Coast Chorus Virtual Coaching with Lynne Smith Virtual coaching
Fri, Mar 10
to Sat, Mar 11		   SOS - coaching with Ryan Heller Santa Rosa, CA
Sun, Mar 19   BASC - Quartet Coaching with Kim Vaughn TBD
Fri, Mar 31
to Sun, Apr 2		   SVC Retreat Coaching- Vickie Maybury Sacramento, CA
CHAPTER FACEBOOK LINKS
Click on the pictures below to view individual chapters on Facebook. If you have not already liked their page do so now. Next month we will see the next three chapters. 
Facebook is an excellent way to reach out to your audience. Be sure to post weekly. It can be a recap of your latest rehearsal, the announcement of an upcoming event or share a related musical meme.

Pacific Shores Region 12 has two Facebook pages:
  • Pacific Shores Region 12 - Sweet Adelines  - This Facebook is used to promote the region's activity and news. Currently  994 Likes, 1114 Following
  • Pacific Shores Region 12 - Chats - This Facebook page can be used by the chapters to post events and news. Visit the page and join the group and invite your Region 12 Friends. Currently 176 Members - Please help us grow our Chats Group. Invite your friends. 
REGIONAL CONTACT LISTS
2022-2023 REGIONAL MANAGEMENT TEAMKristen Skold - Communications
Angela Suraci - Directors
Alison Miller - Education
Mary Mamer - Events
Geri Miller-Reidel - Finance
Kevran Day - Marketing
Lynda Casillas - Membership
Sandy Jones - Team Coordinator



RMT email: rmt@sairegion12.org

 
SWEET ADELINES INTERNATIONAL NEWS!
NEW SWEET ADELINES COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR
The SA community events calendar (https://sweetadelines.com/calendar) is now your go-to source to find out where and when SA events are happening in your community, and to publicize your chorus’s upcoming event. Go to this page and click “Add Event” to add any chorus event you may have!
London Harmony Festival 2023
 
After many adjustments and uncertainties, it is with great joy that I share the good news that the London Harmony Festival tour is a GO!  We currently have 26 singers from Region 12 going (plus a few friends from Regions 11 and 13), and we’d love to have more of you join in the fun.  I am very honored to be the director of this chorus. We’ll have our next Zoom rehearsal on Friday, January 13th.  If you’re interested in joining, send me a note at kathy.scheel60@gmail.com.

The price has been lowered, the itinerary is being updated, and the fee includes so much – the tour, guides, several meals, and opportunities to perform in historic venues.  The tour locations include London, Oxford, and the Cotswolds!  And once you are there, you can take advantage of already being on that side of the pond by adding to your adventure by going to France (info about that is on the Harmony Travel website) or to Scotland and Ireland (individuals make their own arrangements for this).

Summer of 2023 will be Harmony Travel’s 25th anniversary of planning these singing tours in different countries around the world, and it will be the last time Patsy Meiser will be offering the international destinations, so it’s sure to be very special.

You can write directly to Patsy Meiser at meiserpatsy@gmail.com.  Go to the Harmony Travel website for lots more information: www.harmony-travel.net
Pacific Shores Region 12 Chapters
Link to Region 12 Chorus Webpage
Map of Region 12 Chapters - Links to Chapter websites 
Found on under GROUPS>CHORUSES

 
Submissions for the Chapter newsletter CHAPTER CHATS / REGION 12 NEWS!
is due on the 1st of the month, published around the 5th.

Please send your article to: reg12eblast@gmail.com
If you have questions please send them to: communications.coord@sairegion12.org
FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS CHAPTER CHATS WITH YOUR CHORUS MEMBERS BY POSTING A LINK IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR FORWARDING THIS EMAIL - THANK YOU
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