Because..

There’s nothing

like singing with

my Ladies!!

~Christine Allen

Seattle Shores Chorus

Fall of 2016 Volume 6, Issue 1

Inside this issue:

Special Treat con’t 2

Holiday Sing-along Program 2

Oh How We Love to Sing 2

Musical Improvement 3

Meet Our Newest Member 3

Over the Rainbow Back

Upcoming Events Back

This is our Fifteenth newsletter.

If you received it in the post and

would rather receive it thru e-

mail; know someone else that

would enjoy receiving it; or

would like to be removed from

our list—Let us know. See con-

tact information on the back

page.

You can change lives!

Please join us for our annual benefit concert

October 1, 2016 | 6 p.m.

92nd Street Church of Christ

4226 92nd St NE, Marysville, WA 98270

Featuring:

Seattle Shores Chorus

Seattle’s original Sweet Adelines Chorus

Seattle SeaChordsmen Barbershop Chorus

4.0 Men’s Barbershop Quartet Regional Champions

Admission is free, and all donations go directly to Operation Smile to provide free surgeries for children born with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial deformities. Just $240 can provide surgery for one child, and every little bit helps to bring health and hope to young lives. Enjoy beautiful barbershop harmonies, and change a life!

For barbershop connoisseurs, the two choruses will premiere an eight part har-

mony rendition of Dare to Dream that was specially arranged for us by the one

and only Mr. Mel Knight. If you are unfamiliar with the name, let me tell you

about this incredible man. He and Nancy Bergman were the leaders at Harmony

College Northwest in 2015. Both of them said that the cooperation between

men’s and women's barbershop in the Pacific Northwest was a unique situation,

not duplicated in many other regions. As the discussions continued, Mel talked

about men and women doing more singing together. Mel is "Mr. Barbershop" in

the men's barbershop world. He is highly regarded for his (con’t on page 2)

A Special Barbershop Treat

Visit our Website

SEATTLESHORES.ORG

And find us on

FACEBOOK too

Seattle Shores has been a very

busy chorus. We have been singing

in many venues. The Richmond

Beach Christmas caroling at the

beach last Christmas was a first for

us but our performance at The Taste

of Edmonds is an annual

event. Besides singing at retirement

and convalescent facilities, we have

sung at the Kirkland 4th of July

Parade again this year. Before the

parade, we all met at the Heathman

Hotel for brunch before we went

down to sing at the beginning of the

parade. Everyone loved the Star

Spangled Banner and God Bless the

USA. Because the veterans were a

Page 2

HOLIDAY SINGALONG PROGRAM

little slower than expected, we also

had time to sing Battle Hymn. The

timing was perfect. We ended the

song, just as the veterans stepped

into the intersection. The crowd

cheered for the music and the vets.

Richmond beach was an

interesting place to sing. There was

a bonfire outside of the covered area

where we sang. The wind was

blowing and threatening to rain, but

it did not. People were singing and

dancing to our collection of

traditional and contemporary

Christmas songs.

The Taste of Edmonds had a

different twist this year, The stage

was totally different. In order to get

on and off the stage, there was a

ramp where members were assisted

by some very nice burly men. Our

Assistant Director, Vickilynn

Gruber, did a fantastic job directing

us that day.

We also have had a wonderful

time singing in the Seattle

Seachordsmen shows. We continue

to look for new and different avenues

to spread the joy of barbershop

singing. Most people say, "Why

didn't I do this sooner?" If you

know of any women who would like

to sing, send them our way.

By Bonnie Jeanne

OH HOW WE LOVE TO SING !

musical knowledge and arranging skills.

When approached to do an 8 part arrange-

ment of Dare to Dream, he said he was inter-

ested, but had to see the arrangement. Dare to

Dream was the opening song for the Sydney

Olympics. Olivia Newton John was one of the

singers. After some dialogue and reviewing of

the music, he agreed to arrange it for us. He

had to change some things to stay within copy-

right laws. It is a wonderful arrangement that

just sings and lifts your spirits. We are very

proud to have the opportunity of premiering

this wonderful piece.

Thank you Mel

SPECIAL TREAT con’t

Announcing our first-ever holiday sing-along program!

Exciting news! We are launching a special program this fall

that will give guests a chance to try out barbershop singing and

perform with us! Beginning in mid-October, guests are welcome

to join us during our Tuesday rehearsals for group lessons in the

basics of barbershop singing. Then on December 6 at 7 p.m., we

will hold a “friends and family” holiday performance at Shore-

line Unitarian, and our guests will join us on the risers.

It’s a great no-cost, no-obligation way for women to give

barbershop singing a try and enjoy an evening of holiday music.

Please join us!

Email us at Seattle.Shores@yahoo.com if you have ques-

tions.

grew up in the Rogue Valley in

Southern Oregon. Her dad

worked at a sawmill and her

family had a small farm which

provided most of the family's food.

She loved to sing and dance from a

young age and was involved in

choirs in school. She had piano les-

sons when a neighbor gave her an

old out-of-tune piano. Her two

younger brothers were involved in

sports and showed so much potential

that the local middle school coach

gave the family a wrestling mat

which took up the entire living room

floor. If you stepped on it you were

fair game, so she had her share of

rough-and-tumble.

In high school all three siblings were

involved in the Future Farmers of

America and Chris became the first

female president of that organization

while her brothers went on to district

and state wrestling championships.

Chris graduated in 1981 and went on

a exchange program organized by

the Future Farmers of America.

With her savings from the pigs and

steers that she had shown and sold

at the local fair she bought a ticket

that went all the way around the

world. She worked on farms and

traveled with six other young Future

Farmers getting to see places like

Paris, Berlin, Jerusalem, Athens,

Cairo, New Delhi, and Bangkok.

After that trip, Chris was almost 20

years old and thinking about college,

but she was broke, so she worked for

a few years and then continued to

work while she went to Azusa Pacific

University in Southern California. In

1988 she graduated Summa Cum

Laude with a degree in elementary

education.

She had her daughter Kristen ten

days later. She got a job in East Los

Angeles putting her in a good envi-

ronment to learn Spanish. Being bi-

lingual allowed her to qualify for a

scholarship for a Master's degree in

Multi-lingual, Multi-cultural Special

Education at Cal. State LA which she

completed in 1993. But her timing

wasn't as good this time. Her son

David was only two-weeks old when

she had to write her master's exam.

As her children got older Chris,

while continuing to work as a

teacher, found time to join church

choirs, taught herself a little bit of

guitar, and enjoyed playing music

and singing with her children. Now

with her children grown, she and her

son, a jazz pianist and a music major,

still have a regular date to jam every

Monday. She also finds time to do

yoga, akido, and dance with her part-

ner Frank.

This winter she found Sweet Adeli-

nes on the web when she decided that

it was time to challenge herself musi-

cally with a non-church group. Her

music skills are growing by leaps and

bounds. She loves it so much that

she secretly hopes to recruit her

daughter, who is married and lives in

Snohomish, to come sing bass with

Seattle Shores Chorus. (I guess your

hope is not secret any longer.)

Glad to have you in the group Chris!

By Linea Croly

Page 3 Volume 6, Issue 1

MUSICAL IMPROVEMENT MEET OUR NEWEST MEMBER

Seattle Shores is embarking on a

series of ways to improve our sing-

ing. With information from SET

and Harmony College Northwest,

we will be working on vowel match-

ing, unit sound and conso-

nants. These will all help in the

overall unit sound category.

We have received some very

good classes in these areas. The

section leaders will be playing a

more critical role in the develop-

ment of the chorus. Besides teach-

ing the correct notes and intervals,

they will assist in vowel matching,

correct rhythms and overall unit

sound in the section and the chorus

as a whole.

The chorus is always striving to

improve. Each member has shown

this by their willingness to learn

their music quickly and showing

the joy in singing the song. After

this, we will work on becoming be-

lievable performers. Since we have

gone into the performance package

side of competition, this is another

area in which we need to im-

prove. There is a plan for this, as

well. We have a lot of work to do,

but everyone will like the results.

By Bonnie Jeanne

OVER THE RAINBOW

P.O. Box 77666

Seattle, WA 98177

Rehearsals held at:

14724 First Avenue NE

Shoreline, WA

Seattle Shores Chorus

Do Re ___ Fa So La Ti Do What is Missing??? That is right !Come join us on Tuesday nights.

Visit our Web Site

WWW.SEATTLESHORES.ORG

SWEET ADELINES INTERNATIONAL

Voice Mail: 425-463-6650

E-mail: seattle.shores@yahoo.com

Facebook = search Seattle Shores

Since our last newslet-

ter, we have had lots of

ups and some downs. In

an earlier article, you can

see some of our ups—

singing with each other all

over the area.

However, as with any

group that grows so close,

sharing their love for mu-

sic, especially for a group

that has been together for

63 years, there are good-

byes to be said.

Without saying any-

thing more. Sing on Ladies

we miss you all greatly.

Rest in Harmony.

September 17th Saturday

Stratford at Maplewood

September 25th Sunday

Richmond Beach Rehab

October 1st Saturday 4th Operation Smile

Benefit 6:00 pm at the

92nd Street Church of

Christ in Marysville, WA October 8th Saturday

Aegis on Madison

October 16th Sunday

Fairwinds

November 6th Sunday

Richmond BeachRehab

December 11th Sunday

SeaChordsmen Holiday

Show at Phinney Ridge

Lutheran Church at 2 PM

December 17th Saturday

Stratford at Mapleleaf

CHECK OUR WEBSITE

FOR UPDATES: WWW.

SEATTLESHORES.ORG

UPCOMING EVENTS

Opal Hicks

Joyce Rimmer

Patti Pyle

JoAnn Lundgren