VOCE Quartet is still riding high after our 11th place finish in Vegas ‘16’s competition. We are comprised of 3 members from Region 1 (Judy, Beth and Angie,) who sing with Millennium Magic Chorus, and 1 member from Region 15 (Deanna), who sings with Saratoga Soundtrack Chorus. We travel a total of about 430 miles weekly for this “seriously fun” barbershop hobby. While there are always challenges in coordinating schedules to make things happen in a long distance quartet, this summer, VOCE Quartet has known and felt the reality of the quote, “For it is in giving that we receive!”
We experienced the gifts of joy, passion, and excitement overflowing back toward us while helping to mentor over 80 high school girls (130+ campers total) as the guest female teaching quartet at this year’s Harmony Explosion Camp Northeast, held August 3-6th at Worcester State College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Whether facilitating a sectional, teaching a Masters class, or helping to coach a quartet, it was a privilege to witness the intense focus and work effort that each camper gave while learning to unite their musical talents under the direction of Morgan La Croix (girls) and Douglas Carnes (guys). We were also honored to be a featured quartet at the show for parents and the public, alongside all the campers, Drive A Cappella quartet, and Signature Quartet, the current International 2nd place Men’s quartet.
Just when we were starting to experience Harmony Camp “withdrawal” a week later, it was time for Region 1’s RQA/Regional Quartet Association day, held at the University of Hartford, in CT. We were thrilled to be able to continue to prepare for Vegas ‘17 as we were coached by the fabulous ladies from The Buzz Quartet. Throughout the course of the weekend, we were able to spend time with Nancy, Jeannie, and Karen, including quartet demonstrations with both public and private coaching. We got to visit with our regional quartet friends, listen to other quartets be coached, and made some new friends along the way.
As VOCE Quartet continues to seek opportunities for continuous improvement, we are always grateful for the support of our choruses and regions, the friendships, and to the coaches along the way [Mike Gabriella, Debra Lynn, Vickie Maybury, Nancy Cloeter, Joe Connelly, Karen Breidert] who inspire us and take us to new depths in understanding our individual and unit sound, and help us to continue to grow in our desire to be authentic communicators in song. Looking forward to seeing many of you in less than 2 months! Wishing all of our regional choruses and Quartets their best performance yet as they also compete in Vegas!
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