It's volunteer appreciation week, so cheers to the all the work done on behalf of the chorus by its members! Here's a shot of the SeaChordsmen Board of Directors at a recent monthly board meeting. Does it look like everyone's having a great time? It's not your imagination. Come to a rehearsal and join in the fun! Tuesdays, 7-9 at the Queen Anne Baptist Church.
Last week, the SeaChordsmen were incredibly lucky to have Rob Mance join us for some vocal coaching. Rob is highly sought after in the barbershop world because of two things: his skill in finding low-hanging fruit for each chorus member to work towards becoming the best singer they can possibly be, and his warmth and kindness in doing so. We were spellbound as Rob talked about a variety of challenges singers face -- breath support, alignment, vibrato, etc. It was a clinic in how to help singers learn and enjoy themselves doing it. We got so much out of the evening that we're planning to have Rob back soon. If you've ever thought about joining us for a rehearsal, now's the time! Then, a couple of months down the road, you, too, can reap the rewards of Rob's incredible coaching.
Why yes, that IS the Seattle SeaChordsmen you see in this month's Harmonizer magazine. We're proud to sing in Figgy Pudding each year -- and we're happy to be featured!
We were so lucky to have such an inspiring and chorus-changing session with the incredible Kevin Keller last week. There was so much to learn and think about, we'll be gleaning and processing it for weeks. Months!
Here's Kevin leading us in an exercise on one of our contest songs:
This weekend, members of the chorus were honored to gather with the family of Jim Smith for his memorial service. During the service, we learned more about Jim and his many hobbies and the adventures of his life. We were lucky to have Jim in the SeaChordsmen ranks for over 60 years, where he took on all kinds of chorus leadership roles. He contributed so much to the SeaChordsmen, and we won't be the same without him.
Read an article about Jim in the Queen Anne & Magnolia News.
The SeaChordsmen warm up and prepare for the service.
It's official - our inaugural, live online Singing Valentines was an unmitigated success! We sold out of our Singing Valentines, raising nearly $1,000! Quartets had so much fun singing to recipients all around the world, and we were happy that the feedback was so positive.
Again, giant kudos to Jim and Chris for the planning, the prep, and the endurance race that was the day-of logistics to pull this out without a hitch. We look forward to more online performances in the future!
Congratulations to Chris Saether for being chosen as this year's Barbershopper of the Year! Chris has been a dogged and creative problem solver over the course of the pandemic, exploring different ways to keep the SeaChordsmen singing safely. From our in-car rehearsals (carbershopping) to our incredible "holiday postcard" to our recent live-over-Zoom Singing Valentines, Chris has been at the forefront of the efforts to keep us singing, and the SeaChordsmen have hardly missed a beat. Thanks for all the microphone testing, cord wrangling, and mixer managing, Chris. And congratulations!
In the photo, last year's Barbershopper of the year Aaron passes the torch to Chris.
The SeaChordsmen have been rehearsing for our inaugural Singing Valentines over Zoom! This is a live, personal, unique experience for each customer. Your very own quartet will be talking with and then singing one of our three new, personalized, Valentine songs for you while watching you on the monitor:
Without that guy and his bald spot in the way, of course!
Details on how it works and ordering information here: How Zooming Valentines work | Seattle SeaChordsmen. Hope we see you on Valentine's Day!
We were so honored to sing a few songs in honor of Phil Fredrickson, who was a member of the Seattle SeaChordsmen for 40 years -- from 1968-2008. Thank you to Phil's family and the Horizon House community for allowing us to participate in celebrating the life of this wonderful singer and amazing man.
The SeaChordsmen were so happy to participate in this year's virtual Mini-Figgy Pudding. Cheers to guests Damon, Dillon, Robert, and Sam for joining in their first public performance with the chorus.
