[From the Ontario District's newsletter, The Trillium, issue 60-02, April - June, 2006 , Waldo Redekop, editor.]

Singing! Service! Fellowship! Fun!

By Barry Towner, paired Society Board member

Another great convention in Ontario. In addition to the contests and the great hospitality afterglow hosted by APOC (Association of Past Ontario Quartet Champions), this convention had a very special event attached, when Gordon Lightfoot received his Honourary Membership in the Barbershop Harmony Society.

Gordon was very appreciative of the honour and enjoyed the afterglow back at the Delta Hotel.

Congratulations to The Fixx and Chameleon who will be representing the Ontario District in the quartet and collegiate quartet competitions respectively in Indianapolis.

Also, congratulations to the Ontario District Chorus Champions Barrie County Chordsmen, Novice Quartet Champions The Chromatics, and Seniors Quartet Champions Minimum 65 and all of the quartet and chorus members that performed at the convention. You are all winners.

Speaking of Indianapolis, are you going? With such great quartets and two super choruses in the chorus contest, it should be a great convention for Ontario. The really great thing is it’s not a long drive to Indianapolis.

There will be many other great events happening at the convention such as the Master Class featuring last year’s chorus champions Masters of Harmony under the direction of Mark Hale on Thursday morning.

Thursday evening will be the AIC Show featuring many of the past Society quartet champions.

How about a class to solve those butterflies when we sing. Well, Gary Plaag will be holding such a session on Tuesday along with other great classes run by Jim DeBusman and Joe Liles.

The World Harmony Jamboree will be held Saturday afternoon right after the MBNA Collegiate Quartet Contest. And of course there will be the quartet contests on Wednesday (quarter finals), Thursday afternoon (semi finals) and Saturday night (finals), plus the chorus contest on Friday in two sessions, one in the afternoon with 15 choruses (Greater Toronto MegaCity sing tenth), and at night with the remaining 15 choruses (Toronto Northern Lights sing fifth at night).

A few short weeks after International is Harmony University, which moves back to Missouri Western State College in St. Joe. This year promises to be a super one with three colleges, Harmony College, Directors College, and Quartet College making up Harmony University.

The Saturday night show will be in a much larger auditorium in town featuring Realtime, 2005 International Quartet Champions. Take a look in your Harmonizer for all the courses being offered, or log onto the Society Website.

If you have any questions regarding the Society that you would like an answer to, send me a note and I will try to get an answer for you. This is your Society.

See you at the Pep Rally in June and in Indy in July!

Singing! Service! Fellowship! Fun!     k