Looking Back on the Sept. 29-30, 2023 M-AD Contest and Convention with the Alexandria Chapter
It was a great weekend of barbershop harmony and fun for the members of the chapter who sang on stage in the two choruses and in the four quartets that represented our chapter. The drive to York, PA, was just a couple hours or so and not bad on Friday. Some members actually drove up Saturday morning and went home that night. We were staying in hotels all along Rte. 30 which seemed be like a parking lot some times. Our members got to mix and mingle with members from throughout the Mid Atlantic District (MAD).
After the chorus contest, some members ventured out to explore York and found a local brewery. Some found the nearby diner for chow. Others were free to sit in on some special program events: a roundtable discussion on how to improve membership in chapters in MAD; a Q and A session with the chief financial officer of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS), Erik Dove, from Nashville (he was the official BHS representative to our M-AD convention); and a Gold Medal Hour with MIDTOWN quartet who took the gold last summer in Louisville.
Friday night’s quartet contest saw four quartets with Harmonizers in the semifinal round: REVERB with Dennis Ritchey, Reed Livergood, Paul Grimes and Steve White; LEGACY with Rick Taylor; BREAKTHROUGH with Mike Fasano, Jordan Zimmerman, Jason Lee and Ken White; and BETTER TOGETHER with Elizabeth and Tony Colosimo and Heather and Andrew Havens.
Three advanced to the finals round on Saturday night with BREAKTHROUGH as mic tester quartet having placed 12th. LEGACY ended up 8th. BETTER TOGETHER set the standard high in their performances but came in second place with 3,048 or 84.7 per cent when a quartet from Hell’s Kitchen, NY, SMOKE RING, outscored them by six points!! REVERB finished 18th.
The chorus contest got an early start on Saturday morning. Metro Voices was invited to be the mic tester chorus and they were terrific! They scored 1,384 points or 76.9! Founding-director, Tessa Walker, was director for this performance with Maggie McAlexander, Sheryl Berlin, Sophie Clarke, Lenna Jawdat, Heidi Suckow-Krukowski, Cadence Flaherty, Elisabeth Cosh, Mireille Kouagou, Elaine Cooper, Mary Coooper, Jeanne Hillinck and Sylvia Kelty.
The 55 Harmonizer singers captured a score of 1,611 points or 89.5 percent. This score entitles them to compete in the 2024 International contest in Cleveland, OH. When the curtain opened, Joe spoke briefly to share that this package was a tribute for our 75th anniversary and also to honor our former artistic director, Geri Geis, who died recently. Both of the presentation plans for the songs were designed by her. It was a moving performance and top-notch entertainment – “Wee Small Hours of the Morning/Always” arranged by Walter Latzko, and “New York, New York” with it’s exciting front row kick-line ending. The chorus wore the pants and vest from the blue suit with orange ties. The front row guys wore their orange sox and they were visible, for sure, during the kick line.
Associate director Tony Colosimo stepped forward after Joe spoke to be the director for the ballad in the package. A major honor for all he has done to teach, coach and lead the chorus.
The chorus did their warm up time outside since the meeting rooms in the school were small. This was the first contest performance for several of the newer members.
The Harmonizers did not compete in the division contest in the spring and therefore were not eligible to compete for the district championship. The chorus was allowed to compete for score in order to qualify for Cleveland. Parkside Harmony was named chorus champion. In the end, five choruses will go to Cleveland to represent M-AD based on their scores – Parkside Harmony, Alexandria Harmonizers, Gotham, Parkside Melody, and East Coast Sound.
As is often the case, there were a number of Harmonizers. both past and current, who sang with other choruses on stage on Saturday: The Virginians from Richmond included Mike Wallen, director, and Bob Wilson, Tom Berkey, Scott Beach, Jim McConnell, Clark Chesser and Mike Geipel; Dundalk with Rick Taylor; Loudon County with Sam McFarland, Frank Shipp, and Bob Arbetter; Parkside Harmony with Sean Devine and Chris Yates; Patapsco Valley with Kris Zinkievich as director and Biff Gaut, Bob Hirsh, and Tim Buell; East Coast Sound with Josh Meyers; and about a dozen singers from the Harmonizer family were in the new seniors chorus that was formed for this contest.
After the chorus contest, the annual induction of new members to the M-AD Hall of Honor – members who have provided significant services to the district. Many Harmonizers have been added over the years, and one more was added this weekend – Sheryl Berlin, our chapter director of education, a founding member of Metro Voices and a major leader for the M-AD Harmony College East.
Four of our members serve on the M-AD events team to run things back stage for the contest – Dennis Ritchey, Brian Ammerman, Ken Rub and Mike Kelly.
Steve White is coordinator of MADAQC – Mid Atlantic District Association of Quartet Champions. It was their 25thanniversary this year and as always, they welcomed the new quartet champs into their ranks at the end of the Saturday night session. Here again, there were several from the Harmonizer family who were there to sing and welcome the new champs.
Until next time – editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record for the great things going on each week during the 75th year of the Alexandria Chapter. - YeEd)
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