Looking Back on the May 3-5, 2024 Alexandria Chapter at NED Convention
The May trip to Lake George, NY, for the Alexandria A Cappella Collective (AACC) ensembles, was a great adventure and another opportunity for the chapter to participate in an outreach effort to share our hobby with other barbershop singers. It was also a great chance for members to get to know more of the new members.
We were hosted in Lake George, NY, for a Northeastern District (NED) barbershop quartet and chorus contest weekend. Quartets were able to qualify for the July Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) contest in Cleveland. The Metro Voices and the Harmonizers attended as guests of the district through a grant from the city of Lake George.
The venue on the Lake was a great meeting place. The contest and show were at Warrensburg High School. The Alexandria crew mostly traveled by bus on Friday, from a parking lot near the chapter’s meeting place. It was an eight-hour ride including a motor problem about 10:30 pm when a belt came off. Luckily, our chapter executive director was able to assist the driver to get it working well enough to take us the last half hour of the trip to our hotel. Stan Quickworks to restore cars and knew what to do and how to do it without tools! In typical barbershop tradition, the singers broke into singing “Down Our Way” while the engine work continued. A replacement bus arrived during the night for the return trip to Virginia on Sunday.
As usual for chorus bus rides, there were lots of snacks on board and some game playing; plenty of laughing; and some guys reviewing the new songs and choreography. Some members drove up to tour the area, and a few family members were on the trip, too.
A few folks took flights in order to arrive there early for the first round of the quartet contest Friday evening. Our artistic director, Joe Cerutti, was emcee for that contest. We had two quartets in the contest - SWEET AND SOUR with Samantha and Mert Tramack, and FIRST TAKE with Tony Colosimo and Andrew Havens. Tony had some challenges getting to the contest with flight delays and finally renting a car to drive. His quartet was able to get his luggage and quartet uniform at Albany airport and he arrived in time for them to sing last in the contest Friday night.
Both quartets were in the finals on Saturday night and both scored very well and will go to Cleveland! Their Virginia comrades cheered and applauded for their success.
Saturday morning for the choruses started early. The bus left from the hotel at 8:30 but most coffee shops didn’t open until 8. Somehow, most everyone got some coffee and were able to board the bus. The first activity was a warm up session with NED singers for a mixed voice mic tester chorus. Joe welcomed a large contingent of barbershoppers who had prepared to sing with the AACC. He remarked it might be the largest mic tester chorus ever! The singers filled the risers to start the NED chorus contest then at 10 am. They sang “Down Our Way” and “From the First Hello to the Last Goodbye” – another chance to interact with other barbershoppers and encourage shared singing.
While the NED chorus contest was being held, both Metro Voices and the Harmonizers worked on music for their Saturday appearance on the convention show.
In order to be ready for the Saturday evening show, the AACC members found a place to get an early dinner, including some who took the bus to a great diner. They all changed into their color coordinated blue/black/purple outfits for the show.
The bus took everyone back to the school to cheer our quartets in the finals (including a couple of other Mid Atlantic District quartets that come to NED to compete).
After those results were announced, Metro Voices opened the show with “Happy Together” directed by Samantha Tramack. Assistant director, Maggie McAlexander, directed “Sing/Swing.” Samantha directed the rest of their show including “Fight Song” with Becca Williams singing a solo spot.
The NED emcee for the show then welcomed FIRST TAKE to do a guest spot in which they wowed the audience with their show package and a wonderful new emotional ballad. They concluded their set with “Impossible Dream” which ended with the opening of the curtains to reveal the Harmonizers on the risers to sing the tag with the quartet.
The chorus opened with “New York, New York” with word changes to ‘Lake George, New York.’ The audience loved it and of course the traditional Harmonizer front row chorus line choreography earned a huge response.
Joe thanked the NED for their hospitality and their welcome to our ensembles. He explained the current Alexandria outreach approach and introduced “Wee Small Hours,” arranged by Walter Latzko, as our 1998 gold medal ballad.
Terry Reynolds introduced “Calling Dreams” which was commissioned for the chapter’s 75th anniversary. Joehonored a longtime NED member with flowers and Happy Birthday.
Then Tony spoke about our Everyone In Harmony approach in Alexandria which led into the exciting performance of “Defying Gravity” with Samantha as major soloist.
To wrap up our show, those NED members who had prepared in advance joined the AACC on the risers for “Why We Sing” including a young boy with him mom (he knew all the word too). Joe directed “Keep the Whole World Singing” to close the convention.
The bus took the AACC folks back to the hotel to change and join in the afterglow there and a pizza feed.
Sunday morning, folks were up and found coffee and on the bus by 9 am for the drive back to Alexandria. Honestly, a lot of the members napped on the way home. There was a lunch break stop too. Some singing started and members accepted the challenge to work on and learn “I’m Still Standing” for the Wolf Trap show in June.
The bus made the trip without problems and all of our cars were safe. As usual, this sort of trip requires a lot of coordination. Terry Reynolds gets credit for keeping everyone at the right place at the right time. The new SLACK app was a useful tool. Stan Quick also provided leadership for the bus trip. Randall Eliason brought waters and drinks and goodies for the bus ride too, which were appreciated by all.
Former Harmonizer, Alan Lamson, was in the audience as a NED leader. Our frequent retreat coach and the arranger of “Why We Sing,” David Wright and his wife Sandy, were on the judging panel. He has arranged a number of songs for our chapter including “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” for our 2022 contest package.
The arranger of our 1995 gold medal contest ballad, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” Rob Hopkins, was also on the judging panel for the contest. Former chapter member, Spencer Wight, sang with MADHATTAN in the quartet contest.
Steve Tramack and Renee, Samantha’s parents and coaches for our 2024 retreat, were at the NED event. He was emcee for the chorus contest, sang with us for “Why We Sing” and is the arranger of “Defying Gravity.”
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)
The Chapter Mission Statement Enriching lives through vocal harmony in the greater DC area.
