HARMONY CELEBRATIONS

Welcome to our weblog!  Harmony Celebration is a group of women who
sing four-part a cappella harmony in the barbershop style, dedicated to enriching the live of members through friendship, education, musical excellence and community involvement.

Singing in Seattle!

The Harmony Celebration Chorus is dedicated to enriching the lives of its members through friendship, education, musical excellence and community involvement.  And now we get to showcase our progress at the Sweet Adelines International Convention in Seattle!

We are very proud to represent Sweet Adeline Region 15 along other Region 15 competitors - Liberty Oak Chorus, Escape and A.K.A Quartets.  Best wishes to all!

And, you can enjoy our performance home! Sweet Adelines webcasts the entire convention online free of charge, though donations are always accepted!  Harmony Celebration Chorus will hit the stage at 11:50 am Thursday Oct 21, which is 2:50 pm east coast time. Make sure to give yourself a few extra minutes to log on and get it streaming so you don't miss a thing.

Many thanks to our friends and family for supporting us on our journey!

Oct 19, 2010 7:23 PM

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THE MUSIC, OH THE MUSIC!

My dad was in show biz, and my mom made costumes for my sister and I.  We had the usual tap and ballet lessons, and I began performing then.  The school I attended, PS 131 in Jamaica, Queens, had music class.  We were taught harmony from operas.  It felt like being close to heaven, all united, all involved, all in this mysterious realm of sharing beauty. Jamaica High School had 6,000 students, so you can imagine how many talented people there were to choose from to create a fabulous choir, chorus, and musical productions... all of which I was involved in (still solos and harmony). I prefered harmony to solo performances (which, by the beginning of college, were so nerve-wracking the solo performances and my interest in show biz was over).
 
I married at 21 and assumed that when we entertained on a Saturday night, our guests would join me around my piano, and we'd sing in harmony like my Dad and Mom and their friends.  Times were already changing.  Hosts and hostesses no longer entertained their friends.  And it astonished me that EVERYONE didn't want to sing. In fact, let's say it was just me who wanted to sing.
 
I didn't join a singing group until the Teaneck Chorus, when I was about 33.  We sat in our own sections, had poor accoustics, and could only hear our own parts.  Besides this, I was the youngest and maybe that is why they were not friendly.
 
Cut to last year when I was old enough to join the Senior Rec Center in Teaneck, where I met Sharon Schubert. My voice was older, my body had ailments.  I had excuses not to go.  But Sharon raved about HCC -- the music chosen, the talent, the director, the friendliness, the fun.  She encouraged me by driving me there the first time (yay, Sharon), and the heavens opened up for me again.  And this time I could hear all the harmony -- which surrounded me.  Women who didn't know me said hello and smiled broad smiles.  They were helpful and warm.  But the music...oh, the music...This is where I wanted to be.
 
Rita Sohni

Aug 8, 2010 12:06 PM

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WEDNESDAY CELEBRATIONS!

Most of my family members and friends know not to plan any birthday celebrations or anniversary celebrations on Wednesday nights because THAT is the night that I CELEBRATE with the Harmony Celebration Chorus.  And I do mean celebrate.  Each week I celebrate our good fortune at having found Scott Brannon, our director, two years ago.   Each week I celebrate our good fortune that the lady standing next to me or in front of me or across the risers from me, found the Harmony Celebration Chorus and has joined our family.  Each week together we celebrate our love of hard work, of laughter and especially our love of creating beautiful music together.  I count myself as one of the fortunate ones.

 
Susie Goldberg
Aug 6, 2010 1:40 PM

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THE JOY OF SINGING

My days as a Sweet Adeline began when my children were small and I desperately needed a night out! My dad was a barbershopper and I had my memories of his days on the risers and of all the contests we had attended in the Mid Atlantic District of SPEBQSA.  I had resisted membership at first, but once I started, I never stopped.  I’ve been making musical memories of my own since 1985.  It has become a very important part of my life and has been instrumental in meeting lifelong friends.  I have benefited greatly from the education I have received as a singer and the opportunities to take on leadership roles in the chorus, but mostly, I have benefited from the pure joy of singing and belonging to such a uniquely talented group of women.

 

Diane Sussuma – Tenor 

Aug 2, 2010 10:33 AM

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GET TO KNOW HCC!

Name: Alexis
Part: Bass
Joined SAI: October 2006
Joined HCC: October 2007
Favorite HCC Song: I Have Dreamed

Mom: There are ladies singing Monday night at the library. They call  
themselves Sweet Adelines?
Me: What's a Sweet Adeline?
Mom: I don't know - go find out.

And thus my barbershop journey began. I started singing with a  
prospective chorus (now a fully chartered chorus, Saratoga  
Soundtrack) in Region 16 in October 2006. Ten months later I moved  
to Dumont NJ with friends, started working in Westchester NY (also  
with friends) and was on the hunt for a new chorus. I emailed two  
choruses in the area and got an email back from Beth (our current  
TC) and came to rehearsal the next Wednesday. That week happened to be the chorus’s first week with our new director Scott. The next week I brought my lead with me, the week after my baritone, and the rest is history!

 

There are many reasons I love being a Sweet Adeline. I have always been a vocalist and harmony singer, but could never truly hold a part on my own until I started singing bass. I hear it as the melody and to me, finding my place on the bottom of the chord just makes sense. I am a true believer that singing is a full body sport and LOVE that the barbershop style supports that. For me a song truly comes alive once it’s choreographed – and by that I mean everything from keeping the beat with your body, to growing chords from the knees up, or full on dance sequences.

 

My favorite part about singing with Harmony Celebration is all the fun we have.  Everyone on the risers wants to be the best singer they can be and works hard to always bring their personal 100%. We laugh as much as we sing and we’re singing better all the time.  I feel like a part of a wonderful family. Oh yea – and I love our new costumes too!

Jul 30, 2010 11:21 AM

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  FOR harmony celebration chorus iNFOrmation  - CONTACT (877) 220-1681