ISLAND CITY CHORUS

GREATER MONTREAL CHAPTER

Northeastern District

SPEBSQSA Inc.

The Little Chorus that could!

MINI PITCH

Date: May 17, 2004 Two weeks to show time! Volume 2004 -Issue 21

Laura Holmes (bass of Commonly Unique and director of the Montreal Chapter of Harmony Inc.) is moving on Sunday, May 30, 2004. As you probably know, she is rather pregnant, and can't lift heavy stuff. She has asked for help in moving, and the request is being passed to you.

Can you help Laura move? She is moving the day after our show … Arrgghh. If you can make yourself available, please let Murray Phillips know.

For the past several years many of the fans of great barbershop quartet singing have touted the talents of Riptide, a talented quartet that started as four great guys from the Atlanta area, now spread across the Eastern Seaboard. They are well known for their "lock & ring," and for singing songs that fall well within the barbershop umbrella.

They have done well, placing 22^nd their first year out in 1998, 11^th in 1999, 6^th in 2000, 4^th in 2001 and 2002 and 5^th in 2003.

The members of the quartet have decided to retire soon after they finish they compete in Louisville and their cruise. This is understandable, since with the exception of Rick Taylor, the tenor, they all have young families and successful careers in addition to their barbershop lives.

The barbershop world will miss Riptide, but I am sure we will hear more from Tim Reynolds, Jeff Selano, Richard Llewelyn and Rick Taylor in the future.

2004 seems to be a bad one for quartets retiring. We have lost Uptown Sound, Freestyle, Cheers!,and Excalibur from last years top ten here in Montreal.

It seemed like the show was way off in the future. Then it was a couple of months away. Now we are down to two weeks!

Nearly all the tickets for the ground floor are sold. The balcony seats are excellent, and people will enjoy seeing the show from there. These many be obtained from Ray Watkins. Most people seem to have done pretty well with their ticket sales, but we need to keep it up.

Alan Kenley has agreed to co-ordinate the Show Program, and he needs to get the advertisements so he can put the book together. There is only one week left to get advertising in.

If you have ads sold, get them to Alan as soon as you can. Don't forget that tickets come with ads over one quarter page. What a deal that is.

Since we have such a great show, we should be able to sell out the Salle Pierre Mercure. Give your ticket money to Ray Watkins as soon as possible.

Four Voices were the 2002 International Champions and The Gas House Gang won gold in 1993, but they keep getting better! Mike Slamka, lead of 2003 Champions, Power Play will be singing baritone with the Gang when they are with us here in Montreal. Commonly Unique will also be singing on the show.

Ticket requests have been coming from Vermont, New Hampshire, New York Ontario and Quebec.

The song list for the show remains somewhat elusive. We do know that our repertoire is solid, and we can choose any of the songs and do them well. So here goes with Murray's guess of the week:

This is the list I am guessing will be in the show:

1. Hello
2. Before the Parade
3. Sixteen Tons
4. Witchcraft
5. Summertime
6. Hello, Mary Lou
7. If I had My Way Dear
8. If I Loved You
9. Chance Are
10. Give My Regards to Broadway
11. Luck Be A Lady Tonight

Another hot show is coming along this spring. The Montreal Chapter of Harmony Inc. are putting on their show June4, 2004. The location and price are to come, but they have Hot Topic2003 Harmony Queens and Commonly Unique on the show along with For the Fun of It (one of their chapter quartets) and of course the chorus, who are singing very well.

Tickets are $18 and the show is at CEGEP Gerald Godin on Gouin Blvd, Pierrefonds.

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

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