If it were any other year, right now the 15 choruses of the
Greater New York Region of Sweet Adelines International, would be basking in
the glow of the October 30-November 3 Sweet Adelines International contest in
Denver, the 23,000-member organization’s biggest event, and readying for the
busy holiday show season.
But this year, competitors who barely made it to
‘International’ as Hurricane Sandy approached, returned to flooding, power outages, damaged homes and lives, in the storm's aftermath.
“It seems ridiculous to be talking about shows when our
members’ lives have been turned upside down but our choruses are small non-profit
organizations and their annual shows are often their biggest fundraisers, or
biggest expense if not successful,” explains Dana Dunlevy, Regional Marketing
Coordinator. “The flip side is that music, especially community music, can be
incredibly healing.”
Seven choruses had shows scheduled between November 10
(NYC-based Sirens of Gotham Chorus went on with that show) and December 9. Each chorus had to make difficult decisions
about their show’s status, taking into consideration the physical and emotional
recovery of their individual members and their community.
Following is the status of the remaining 2012 shows:
November 18 - Twin County Chorus, Levittown, NY –
Show rescheduled for January 27, www.twincounty.org
December 1 - Hickory Tree Chorus – Show, “Jersey
Bounce” re-named “Jersey Bounces Back”, 3 and 7:30 p.m., West Morris Mendham
High School, 65 E. Main St., Mendham, NJ, www.hickorytreechorus.org
December 2 – Liberty Oak Chorus, Freehold, NJ – Postponed;
date TBA, www.libertyoakchorus.org
December 2 – Greater Nassau Chorus – Show, “The
Magic of GNC”, 3:00 p.m., West Hempstead High School, 400 Nassau Blvd., West
Hempstead, NY, www.greaternassauchorus.org
December 9 – Heart of New Jersey Chorus –Show,
“Holiday Harmonies”, 3 p.m., James Cullen Recreation Center, 1776 Union Ave.,
Hazlet, NJ, www.honj.org
December 9 –Jersey Harmony Chorus –Show, “Holiday
Bound”, 2 p.m., Community Middle School, 95 Grovers Mill Road, Plainsboro, NJ, www.harmonize.com/jerseyharmony
Sweet Adelines International is a world-wide organization of
women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony
through education, competition and performance. Members enjoy singing popular
music in four-part a cappella harmony and the camaraderie of others who share
the same passion. The 15 chapters of the
Greater New York Region welcome guests January 2013 as part of Sweet Adelines
International’s Global Open House Month.
To locate a chorus near you, visit: www.sairegion15.org. 