ISLAND CITY CHORUS

GREATER MONTREAL CHAPTER

Northeastern District

SPEBSQSA Inc.

The Little Chorus that could!

MINI PITCH

Date: May 31, 2004 Great Show Everybody! Volume 2004 -Issue 23

Saturday, May 29, 2004 set a new mark for successful shows here in Montreal. As a chorus, we sang very well, we provided excellent, high quality entertainment, and hospitality that is becoming legend in the barbershop world.

We were fortunate to have three great quartets on the bill with us. Commonly Unique did a great job both on the show and then at the afterglow. Nice people making great music. As a matter of fact, that can be said of everyone who appeared on our show.

Our MC, Marc Montgomery was excellent. He had done some research into his subject and presented us in an extremely positive light as well as tying our show together into a logical and cohesive unit. What a find!

The Gas House Gang continues to show what excellence in music and entertainment is all about. Guest baritone, Mike Slamka, certainly seemed like he was at home with the three original Gang members. His presence was a poignant reminder of the loss of Rob Henry just nine months ago. Mike was welcomed back to Montreal where he and his Dad, brother and cousin won the 2003 International Quartet Championship as Power Play.

There is no doubt in my mind that Dr. James Henry is a brilliant comedian as well as probably the best bass I have ever heard. Kipp Buckner has a tenor voice that compliments Rich Knight's beautiful lead voice and the awesome lead/bass match.

We heard them perform favourites from the past and from their newest CD. In their 17^th year, like fine wine, The Gas House Gang improves with age.

The show closers were Four Voices, 2002 International Champs. They showed why they are a popular and entertaining show quartet as well as marvellous singers. To have two basses on the same show like Jayson VanHook and Jim Henry was a treat, but we were also treated to Lester Rector's amazing tenor. Chad Guyton sings as sweet a lead as you will hear anywhere and his brother Brandon Guyton shows what great baritone is all about.

The scary thing is, these young men will continue to improve as time goes on, and that is saying something! They are phenomenal now. What is to come!

If the awesome show wasn't enough, we were treated to another incredible Brossoit afterglow where we got to hear the quartets once again, and a special treat an octet of International Quartet Champs.

Congratulations to everyone who helped make this a brilliant show. I know before I start that I will miss many people who made important contributions to the show, but here I go anyway.

Thanks to Bert Brossoit for his overall leadership. To Alan Kenley for doing the program under very difficult circumstances with help from Jonathan Rose and Murray Phillips. To Addie Wheaton-Tauchner thanks for once again making our performance supper something spectacular to enjoy. To Ray Watkins thanks for handling the tickets and show finances.

Thanks to Darren Prentice, Jeffery Mance, Alan MacKenzie and the rest of the gang who moved the risers to the hall. To Al Mahoney for the riser drapes, thanks for the great idea and excellent execution!

Thanks also to our fabulous, talented and energetic director Rob Mance for his exceptional leadership.

The biggest thanks goes to you, the members who did their best to make this the best show ever.

Another classy group has decided to hang up their music. Northeast Connection announced that they would be retiring after eight years.

Since they first got together and rang a chord in 1996, Northeast Connection has been singing to delighted audiences throughout the United States and Canada. They've represented the Northeastern District, SPEBSQSA in International Competition on four occasions, having placed as high as thirtieth.

We offer thanks and best wishes to tenor Matt Mercier, lead Ralph St. George, Baritone Dan Washington and bass Rob Lynds. They were great representatives of the Northeastern District, even showing up as poster quartet on the Society website. That is Northeast Connection, at the top left corner you see when you go to http://www.spebsqsa.org/.

All ticket and advertising moneys should be given to Ray Watkins by next Monday evening.

This will permit him to prepare the show statements, and will also get him off your back!

Money for Afterglow tickets should be give to Bert Brossoit this week!

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.

The members of the Greater Montreal Chapter offer their sincerest condolences to Alan Kenley on the loss of his Mother Sarah on Tuesday of last week. Mrs. Kenley had been ill for some time.

Funeral services were held on Friday, May 28, 2004.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Alan and his family in their time of grieving.

Here is our current repertoire list: [mp3] means that the mp3 file is on the Members' Only web site

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

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