Sweet Adelines International
Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performances. This independent, nonprofit music education association is one of the world's largest singing organizations for women. "Harmonize the World" is the organization's motto.[1]
Sweet Adelines International | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Genres | A Cappella Barbershop music |
| Years active | 1945–present |
| Members | nearly 25,000 |
Sweet Adelines went international on March 23, 1953 when the first chapter outside the U.S. was chartered in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Even though there were international chapters, it wasn’t until May 1991 that the name officially changed to Sweet Adelines International.
The membership of nearly 25,000 women, all singing in English, includes choruses in most of the fifty United States as well as in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, Wales and the Netherlands. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the organization encompasses more than 1,200 registered quartets and 600 choruses.[1]
History
editSweet Adelines International was established in 1945 by Edna Mae Anderson of Tulsa, Oklahoma. She gathered a group of women who wanted to participate in the "chord-ringing, fun-filled harmony" that their husbands, members of the men’s Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA), were singing. SPEBSQSA has since changed its name to the Barbershop Harmony Society.
By year's end, the first chapter incorporated in Oklahoma with Anderson as its president. It had 85 members and a chapter name, Atomaton (for "an atom of an idea and a ton of energy") that recognized the Atomic Age.
"The original purpose for which Sweet Adelines was organized in 1945 was educational, to teach and train its members in musical harmony and appreciation," Edna Mae Anderson stated. The main goal was to create and promote barbershop quartets and other musical groups; another goal was to give musicals ... public and private performances for ... learning and general appreciation of all the things pertaining to music."[2]
In 1957, Harmony, Incorporated split from Sweet Adelines over a dispute regarding admission of black members. SPEBSQSA and Sweet Adelines at that time restricted their membership to whites, but both opened membership to all races a few years later.[3]
International Convention and Competition
editIn 1947, the organization held a convention as a means to gather all members together in a group forum. A contest was held for the best female barbershop quartet in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The winners that first year were the Decaturettes from Decatur, Illinois. The members were Viola Phillips singing Tenor, Mary Minton singing Lead, Myrtle Vest singing Baritone, and Eva Adams singing Bass.
In 1973, the organization held its first international chorus competition in Washington, D.C. The contest presented a new and exciting experience for all competing Sweet Adelines. With 64 members on stage singing Heart of My Heart/That Old Gang of Mine medley and There's a New Gang on the Corner, Racine Chorus from Racine, Wisconsin made history as the first chorus to receive the "international champion chorus" title. With Racine Chorus' international win, chorus director Jarmela Speta, member of 1955 International Champion The Nota-Belles, became the first of only six Sweet Adelines to win gold medals as both a chorus director and a quartet member.
World's largest singing lesson
editSweet Adelines International set the Guinness World Record for Largest Singing Lesson on October 24, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. The record-setting event coincided with the 63rd annual International Convention and Competition held at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
Music professional and past Sweet Adelines International Quartet Champion Peggy Gram led the lesson by demonstrating inspiring techniques for integrating the voice into the art form. The venue was filled with sound as 6,651 singers practiced the demonstrated techniques and sang simultaneously for the duration of the 10-minute lesson.
Guinness World Records official adjudicator Danny Girton, Jr. presided over the certificate ceremony to validate the record and confirm that the achievement met the criteria set forth by the organization. "We welcome Sweet Adelines International into the Guinness World Records family for its inspirational and fun achievement," said Girton, Jr. while presenting the award.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Press Room". sweetadelineintl.org. Sweet Adelines International. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
- ^ "History of Sweet Adelines International". sweetadelineintl.org. Sweet Adelines International. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
- ^ Gage Averill (2003). Four Parts, No Waiting. Oxford University Press. 978-0195328936., p. 132-133: "The split occurred after the 1957 convention in Miami, at which the outgoing board introduced a resolution to restrict membership to Caucasians... no one was aware of any black singers who had petitioned to join the organization... the board argued that there had always been a tacit agreement about racial exclusion and that it was time to formalize this policy.... in the aftermath... chapters split, quartets broke up, members resigned, and arguments ensued at all levels of the organization... starting in July 1958 a number of northern chapters dropped out of Sweet Adelines... and met in Providence, Rhode Island... to start [Harmony, Incorporated.]
- ^ http://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_Largest-singing-lesson/BLOG/1455850/7691.html?widgetId=278229