We are pleased to celebrate our Greater NY/NJ Region 15 Members of Note and Golden Members!
Each year our choruses have the opportunity to recognize one of their own who goes above and beyond in their service to the chapter. "A Member of Note is someone who works tirelessly for the chapter, has a positive influence on the chapter, and is a great ambassador for the chapter."
These special honorees were selected by their choruses and their names were revealed at VocalFest September 8-10, 2023.
We'll celebrate them again when we gather for our annual regional contest in Albany, April 11-14, 2024.
At the same point each year, we take the opportunity to spotlight our Golden Members – those with 50+ Years of Membership with Sweet Adelines International! You are shining examples for us all!
Click to jump down to the full list of honorees:
Congratulations to all of our special honorees!
Click here to view the full Member of Note profiles submitted by each chapter.
And see below for some excerpts for a quick look at this year’s honorees.
Mary Murphy • Capitaland Chorus
Jan McGrath • City of The Hills Chorus
Carole Argulewicz • Evergreen Chorus
Kim Gooding • Greater Nassau Chorus
Georgette Chrystal • Harmony Celebration Chorus
Deanna Wade • Heart of Long Island Chorus
Jeanne Elmuccio • Heart of New Jersey Chorus
Nina Comanto • Hickory Tree Chorus
Deborah Rode • Island Hills Chorus
Laura Transue • Jersey Harmony Chorus
Laura Reagan • Liberty Oak Chorus
Evelyn Gillespie • Long Island Sound Chorus
Victoria "Tori" Green • Saratoga Soundtrack Chorus
Colleen Christi Willett • Sirens of Gotham Chorus
Karla Chun • Spirit of Syracuse Chorus
Deborah Lorber • Twin County Chorus
Mary Murphy • Capitaland Chorus
We are so lucky to have Mary in our chorus, she’s kind, caring, hilarious, creative, and dedicated….
Mary is a bright light who sparkles AND casts a steady glow, she brings a marvelous warmth to both our sound and our lives!
Jan McGrath • City of The Hills Chorus
We all love Jan; she is very encouraging when she steps in as director. She is a natural leader. We are all pleased to be able to honor her for her many years of hard work by selecting her as 2023 Woman of Note.
Carole Argulewicz • Evergreen Chorus
Carole Argulewicz is the quintessential Sweet Adeline and has been so for over 40 years with Evergreen! Throughout her 25 years of directing Evergreen, she continually finds creative ways to motivate, educate and expand our barbershop community.
Kim Gooding • Greater Nassau Chorus
Kim has been a Sweet Adeline for 18 years and is an A+ member of GNC at every level…. Kim exemplifies what it means to be a Sweet Adeline. Her dedication and positive influence - in and out of chorus - makes her the perfect choice for Greater Nassau Chorus’ 2023 Member of Note.
Georgette Chrystal • Harmony Celebration Chorus
Georgette is a shining example of love and leadership…. She has wonderful leadership skills, a kind demeanor, and an amazing ability to help those around her feel comfortable, even in difficult circumstances. Georgette works to make people feel included and valued…. Ultimately, Georgette serves to remind us of the possibilities of our future - HCC Better Together!
Deanna Wade • Heart of Long Island Chorus
Deanna is our Treasurer and meticulously maintains our financial health…. [She] runs our Sunshine Club where every birthday and major life event of our members is commemorated… [and] has also run some fundraisers for us, from beginning to end. She always says yes when something has to be done, even if it’s not related to finances. Her dependability and flexibility goes a long way! [Deanna is] an exemplary member of our chorus!
Jeanne Elmuccio • Heart of New Jersey Chorus
Jeanne has a knack for making every rehearsal a wonderful and fun experience. She dedicates so much of her time and effort to teaching us, and bringing us to our fullest potential as singers… all while making it so much fun! Her love of music and the organization is infectious. Jeanne is truly the “heart” of this chorus.
Nina Comanto • Hickory Tree Chorus
Nina Comanto is one of the most devoted and loyal Sweet Adelines we know…. With her Brooklyn New Yawk accent and great enthusiasm for our chorus and all things Sweet Adelines, Nina is a treasured member of Hickory Tree and Sweet Adelines and we are proud to name her as our 2023 Member of Note.
Deborah Rode • Island Hills Chorus
“It was by a purposeful accident that I found Island Hills Chorus in 2016…. My first Regional competition was exciting, challenging and filled with camaraderie. The costumes and choreo were new to me and I wasn’t sure I could last, but I stayed for the friendships I made and discovered personal tenacity….
It’s the little things that we ALL do to make it work. Yet nothing is little about this nomination, nor is the pride I feel to be an Island Hills Chorus member.”
Laura Transue • Jersey Harmony Chorus
[Laura] shares her lovely smile and appealing sound with us each week. Despite her busy schedule, Laura adds her talents to many areas of chorus activities and duties, including performance engagements, media, and helping with audition and practice quartets…. We love having this pleasant, intelligent, and talented young lady with us as a member of Jersey Harmony.
Laura Reagan • Liberty Oak Chorus
Laura “Ducky” Reagan! Ducky joined the chorus five years ago, and during that time has become invaluable, working behind the scenes on all things tech as well as being a wonderful part of our Lead section…. A true team player, Ducky always has a smile at the ready and is a wonderful ambassador for the chorus and for Sweet Adelines as a whole.
Evelyn Gillespie • Long Island Sound Chorus
Our Membership Coordinator, Thea DiSunno quipped, “The moment I laid eyes on Evelyn, I knew she was a winner.” And so she is. Evelyn was able to analyze and revamp the entire chorus banking system on her own, without the support of a predecessor. She has created a well-oiled, functioning system that has kept the chorus solvent ever since she took over…. Evelyn has spearheaded the chorus’s generous charity efforts.
Victoria "Tori" Green • Saratoga Soundtrack Chorus
Vicky Is our behind-the scenes gal extraordinaire. She has worked tirelessly to take care of all the paperwork for our Regional Contest and for Vocal Fest…. Vicky is also our coach liaison and chorus historian…. She has served on our Management Team and was chorus secretary while serving on the team. Her dedication to Saratoga Soundtrack is exemplary.
Colleen Christi Willett • Sirens of Gotham Chorus
Delightful and multitalented… Colleen has been a driving force of dedication and positivity within the Sirens community for many years…. [A]midst recent unexpected leadership changes, Colleen fearlessly stepped up as President, showcasing her deep commitment to Sirens' well-being…. Colleen’s warmth, creativity and sense of humor are highlights of our weekly rehearsals and her leadership has been a huge asset to the chorus. We are so proud to honor her as this year’s Member of Note!
Karla Chun • Spirit of Syracuse Chorus
Karla joined the chorus in 2018 after being “forced” to attend our Regional Convention and has been hooked ever since. Her enthusiasm for the chorus and Sweet Adelines is infectious. It’s hard to walk away from a conversation with her without a smile on your face…. She has revitalized our social media presence… helped develop the marketing campaign for our very successful membership drive and has developed media for multiple events including our 65th Anniversary Gala.
Deborah Lorber • Twin County Chorus
With great joy and love, Twin County Chorus has unanimously chosen Deborah Lorber as Member of Note for 2023…. She volunteers to do many things, and when asked, she is always happy to help…. Always with a sweet smile, always on time, always ready to help, Deborah has lovingly and generously shared her many talents with our chorus.
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Golden Members are those with 50+ Years of Membership with Sweet Adelines International!
50+ Years
Anita Barry • Barbara Blaisdell • Pamela Hyde • Connie Kash • Jan McCaskill • Sharon Vitkovsky
55+ Years
Linda Brown • Bobbi Foran • Jeannie Froelich • Marilyn Herke • Barbara McKeon • Nancy Saul • Sandy Smith • Brenda Strauss
60+ Years
Joyce Brandt • Marge Dederbeck • Edie Murphy • Sonny Steffan
65+ Years
Judy Rowell
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