ISLAND CITY CHORUS

GREATER MONTREAL CHAPTER

SPEBSQSA Inc.

The Little Chorus that could!

MINI PITCH

Date: March 24, 2003 2 Mondays to the Division Contest!

Imagine our show chairman, Alan Kenley, stepping off the plane from Australia, and finding out that The Gas House Gang baritone, Rob Henry was in the hospital, and that a replacement baritone was not available either.

Well, that is what happened. In spite of that the show went on. The chorus was in good form and sang well.

Commonly Unique lead, Kristin Drummond came down with laryngitis and so they could only do one song.

Key of Eh? sang an extra song in their first appearance with new lead, Alan Kenley. The Cavaliers were pressed into action and sang three songs. Great job fellows!

Ric Peterson, host of CJAD 800's The Ric Peterson Show was our host and emcee. He was excellent, and seemed to really enjoy himself to boot!

Jeffery Mance would like to have money turned in as soon as you sell the tickets. Let's hope we have a good audience and that we make some money on the show.

We haven't got much time to get into contest mode, but we have been working on the songs to get ready for the show, so it shouldn't be too hard to get in the right frame of mind.

We do need to make sure that everyone who is going to Watervliet, NY has the proper identification (passport or birth certificate and photo id, or citizenship card), and allows sufficient time for the border crossing.

It will take about 3 ½ hours to get there. That means a very early departure from Montreal to ensure timely arrival.

The authorities will reveal plans to get us there. J

I C 8, a VLQ (Very Large Quartet) with about 10 members has been registered to sing at the contest in Watervliet, NY, as part of the Western Regional Convention and Contest. They will be trying out their sound on the chorus this evening..

Get your souvenir lapel pin for the 2003 International Convention. They are on sale for $7.50 CDN or $5.00 US. This is going to be a major fundraiser for the Chapter, and Ron Schurman has already sent out letters to the Presidents of all NED Chapters, encouraging them to send in orders. Replies are already coming in.

The committee chairs responsible for activities that will take place in the Bell Centre will be taking part in a walk-about prior to the next monthly meeting. This will help us in planning for the events and ensuring that the delegates and guests will have a good and safe time.

Jerry Silverberg has found us a source for walkie-talkies during the Convention and contest, and this will help facilitate quick and accurate communication.

We are in the process of ordering the volunteer shirts for the people who will be helping us with the Convention. One of the jobs to be done is a mass email to the volunteers to get their shirt sizes. We hope that way that people will get a shirt that fits. They definitely will look sharp.

We are very pleased that barbershop quartets have been invited to sing on the outdoor stages during the Montreal International Jazz Festival. This is a real coupe for barbershop, since it will introduce our hobby to a whole new audience.

The International Convention is going to take place in a little less than five months. We are accumulating the reserve of volunteers needed to make this a successful convention, and we have about 275 already signed up. Remember that we will need everyone's total commitment the week of the Contest.

Contest site - Watervliet High School

Friday - Quartet contest begins at 7:00PM

Saturday - Chorus Contest begins at 12:00 NOON. The show will not take place due to the lack of a suitable facility.

It is at route 2 and route 787 near Troy, NY. Take US 87 (Northway) heading South. IMPORTANT!!! After Exit 8 stay to the right and follow signs carefully, so you can take Exit 6 in Latham, NY. At the end of the ramp (traffic light), turn left onto Rt.2 heading East for 1 km. Go straight around Latham Circle & continue East on Rt. 2(Troy-Schenectady Road) for 4.4 km, past K-Mart on left & then downhill as Rt. 2 becomes 19th St., in Watervliet. At traffic light at bottom of hill, turn right onto 12th Ave. for one short block. Then turn right onto Hillside Dr. Go up hill 2 blocks straight into Watervliet HS parking lot....

The Co-Chairmen are Fred Schonenberg & Ken Abbott

If you are interested in having fun while helping a good cause, you may be interested in bowling while raising funds for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the West Island. They are putting on their annual bowl-a-thon, and would appreciate the support of barbershoppers.

Here is our current and future repertoire list:

Practice is something we do at home, every day, between rehearsals!

Rehearsal is where we reinforce what we have been practising every day!