Looking Back on the March 13-14 International Prelims Contest Weekend

This year’s prelims contest was in Harrisburg, PA this past weekend at the Harrisburg Hilton. There were lots of Harmonizers there both in admin positions, in competing quartets and in the audience.

Two of our quartets earned scores that will qualify them to sing at the International in Pittsburgh in July. MAYHEM with Matt Fellows, Pookie Dingle, Mike Pinto and Ken White and LAST MEN STANDING with TJ Barringer, Drew Feyrer, Mike Kelly and Ed Bell.

Our other two quartets were also in the finals on Saturday nite: FORCAST with Mike Fitch, Tyler Rackley, Dan Cook and Travis Murray; and YOUTH RECLAMATION PROJECT with Mike Wallen, Roger Tarpey, Vic Owen and Hardman Jones.

The weekend included some other contests too – a senior’s contest, a youth adjudication event, a mixed quartet contest (the quartets could be any combination of men or women).  The 2014 World Mixed Quartet Champs from the contest in Germany, DOUBLE DATE, served as mike testers quartet, and conducted a class about forming a mixed quartet. That quartet includes Nathan Johnson, Michaela Slamka, Blair Brown and Ravi Raghuram.  They are all from the St. Louis area and involved with the Ambassadors in Harmony.

In addition to our two quartets going to Pittsburgh to represent M-AD, there will be three others from our district – GIMME FOUR, ROUND MIDNIGHT and FRANK THE DOG. THROWBACK also qualified and they will represent the Sunshine District.  YONGE GUNS  from the Ontario District qualified for the collegiate contest in Pittsburgh.

Great to see our advertisement on the inside cover of the printed program promoting the ACA CHALLENGE event!

Other fun news from the weekend is the formation of a new chapter in Hershey, PA, with some of our special forces guys in the forefront of the new organization – Sean Devine, Jay Butterfield.  Pookie Dingle is a member there too.

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 of the great things going on each week during the 67^th year of the Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter. —YeEd.