The Harmony on the Sound Chorus, a chapter of Sweet Adelines’ North Atlantic Region 1, won its 15th chorus championship in the 2016 regional contest on May 14.
Competing against 14 other choruses from all over New England, the Trumbull-based group scored 642 points, which put them in the A- category. By doing so, they accomplished a goal of delivering an “A” performance on the contest stage for the 2nd time in three years. They previously scored A- when they won the 2014 Chorus Championship. In 2015, they were required to sit out because they competed at the international level.
Harmony on the Sound is currently under the direction of Master Director Karen Sweeters, who is also a certified Sweet Adelines International judge in the category of expression.
The competitions are judged in three other categories as well — music, sound and showmanship with each quartet and chorus singing two songs.
Each of the four judges awards each song a score, with a maximum of 100 per song or 800 total. The number score is acquainted to a letter level. Karen is the fourth director to lead the chorus over the years. Her knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm are the cornerstones of this group of singers. She has led them to grow their musical and performance skills, enabling them to repeatedly win their regional competition and represent Region 1 at the International level. With 600 Sweet Adelines Choruses around the world, qualifying for the International stage multiple times is a proud achievement.
Competition is an important part of Sweet Adelines International, a worldwide organization committed to promoting the original American art form of barbershop harmony. Each spring every region holds a quartet and a chorus competition. Every fall the International Convention and Competition takes place. The quartet champions, plus 10 wildcard quartets, represent their regions the same year of their win. The chorus champions, plus 5 wildcard choruses, represent their regions in the following year’s international contest. HOTS will represent Region 1 in Las Vegas in October 2017.
This latest win is a fantastic way to celebrate the group’s 50th Anniversary. The chorus was founded in 1964 by a group of women who wanted to get together to sing and socialize. Two years later in 1966, they took the next step and applied to Sweet Adelines International for a Charter under the name Stamford YankeeMaid Chorus. The Charter was approved on June 9, 1966. To keep up with the times, in 2004 the name was changed to the more contemporary sounding Harmony on the Sound Chorus.
Throughout the years the chorus has been, and is, celebrating their craft through the music they sing, the many audiences they delight, and the friendships they develop. This is an organization of women with a goal of empowering women of all ages through education, performance, and competition. The HOTS Chorus currently has 93 members from over 30 towns in CT, New York, Rhode Island and Florida. Ranging in age from 25-85, each of them is encouraged to share their personal knowledge with other members through administrative and musical channels, while continuing their own growth by learning from other members and the many educational events offered by Sweet Adelines International.
The chorus is available for hire and can be scaled down for any type of performance. Sometimes the whole chorus is hired, but more often it is a select group ranging from a quartet to 20-30 members. New members are always welcome and are encouraged to attend a rehearsal any time.