Carole
Sundeen
Events Coordinator
seeess@adelphia.net
 Well,
once again it is my favorite time of the year. . . contest!
I would like to wish each competitor the best
of luck. I hope each and every one of you has
a wonderful time on stage.
This weekend we will be experiencing changes
in our usual routine. We are excited about the
smaller choruses being in the latter part of
the chorus contest. We are also looking forward
to the Parade Of Champions being right after
the chorus contest. This will leave the evening
free to eat a relaxed meal, party or whatever
you choose to do without going back to the auditorium
again.
I want to thank my committees and their chairs.
Dottie Henshaw is Chair of the Regional Convention
Steering Committee. She, along with her committee,
has been busy for many months organizing this
weekend. Thank you Dottie!
Jolene Forzetting has served as the Chair of
the Seminars Steering Committee. Jolene has done
a wonderful job making sure our seminars run
smoothly so that we can come to Bakersfield and
learn in the best environment possible.
Linda Wong, Regional Sites Coordinator, has done
her usual fine job in negotiating with the hotels
so we have our "home away from home".
And finally, thank you Tina Rowley, for the competent
job you do as Competition Coordinator, making
sure that the competitors have the best competition
experience possible.
And to put in my usual "plug" . . . I
will be appointing people to work on both the
Convention Committee and Seminars Committee very
soon. If you have any desire to work on either
of these committees, please contact me (SeeEss@adelphia.net).
If you want to work at the regional level but
don't know where you might "fit in",
let me know – or one of the other members
of the RMT. We always have places for people
who are willing to work and serve this wonderful
region. It has been an honor to serve you as
Events Coordinator and I am looking forward to
the new fiscal year and know it will be even
more successful than this past year has been. |
Cathy
Lee
Team Coordinator
voiceslee@aol.com
 Welcome
to Contest 2007 ~ is the world spinning faster?? It's
seems like we just had contest!! Amazing! Of course,
contest is my favorite time of year but time really seemed
to fly this year. I'm sure this contest will run as smooth
as ever. We have a wonderful Convention Steering Committee
that has perfected the weekend with careful attention
to all the details. Please take a moment this weekend
to express appreciation for their hard work. The ladies
of CELEBRITY CITY CHORUS have also made stepped in to
make this weekend seem effortless! Be gracious and grateful
for all those who make everything look so easy.
As we come together to share our mutual love of music,
barbershop style, I would like to congratulate all our
chorus and quartet competitors for their hard work and
commitment to excellence. It will certainly seem strange
to have a Region 11 contest without SHIMMER! competing.
Huge congratulations to them on their Las Vegas performance
and we'll still get to hear them as the mic testing
quartet and at the Celebration Brunch on Sunday.
If this is your first contest, sit back and enjoy the
weekend. Your excitement is contagious and for those
of us who have done this for many years, it's refreshing
to see our new members enjoying the experience. If you
have questions, please feel free to approach anyone on
the Regional Management Team or the Convention Steering
Committee, and we will be happy to help in any way we
can. This weekend is truly a celebration of our love
of barbershop harmony. So put your party shoes on and
have a great weekend! |
Linda
Wong
Finance Coordinator
svsbari@igalaxy.net
 How
can a whole year have passed already? How time
flies when you are having fun! Congratulations
to all of the wonderful Region 11 competitors who
will cross the stage this weekend at our 33rd Annual
Sequoia Pacifica Region 11 Convention. Region 11
rocks!
I'm am sure you are aware of all the changes made to this year's convention,
from the addition of the Director's Cam, to our new riser configuration,
our assigned seating for AETs and our Audience Pass ticket! The RMT has
been very proactive in addressing rising convention and seminar costs to
the region and investigating ways to defray costs to members. Education
and Convention comprise the largest costs to the region and being proactive
by trying new ideas is essential to our financial health. We will continue
to assess ways to keep costs down while providing the best to Region 11
members.
I would like to again recognize my fabulous team, Sue Matus (SANTA
MONICA CHORUS) – Regional Sales Chair; Ferne
Hogan (CAL) – YWIH Fund Chair, and Lin
Holzinger (CHANNELAIRE CHORUS) – Grants
Advisor. These ladies do so much work behind the scenes for Region 11,
from helping to keep us financially secure, to supporting the future of
our hobby. Thank you again ladies for a wonderful year...you are the best! |
Erin
Lunn
Marketing/Membership
Coordinator
tenorlunn@cox.net
 Welcome
back to your Sweet Adeline "home away from
home" for another weekend of fantastic
harmony and fabulous sisterhood. As Sweet Adelines,
you are known as women who treasure music, value
others and aspire to learn about your craft.
Region 11 is so proud of our hard working choruses
and their dedicated singers. Thank you for attending
our educational seminars and competitions. We
also appreciate all you chorus leaders for your
extra dedication. Congratulations also to Marcia
Bosma and Lynne Smith, Region 11 (and Region
21's!) newest Certified International Faculty
members!
In 2007, our goal is to help your chorus "Pump
Up the Volume!" (and I don't mean the decibels!)
A well-planned marketing campaign helps ensure
that your chorus name is "front and center" in
your community. Remember too, that your internal
marketing efforts are as significant as those
placed externally. The tight geography of our
Region, coupled with expanded dual membership
options and the proximity of other regions, makes
it imperative that we continually focus on the "care
and feeding" of our members even as we
strive to attract new singers to our risers.
The Sweet Adeline website offers a wealth of
marketing materials (www.sweetadelineintl.org)
but always know your region is ready, willing
and able to be of any assistance to you and your
chorus.
Thank you to our Convention Steering Committee
and to all our competitors for your hard work
to make this contest the BEST EVER!! |
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Linda
Kelly
Education Coordinator
walkstallwoman2000@yahoo.com
 It
is so difficult to believe how quickly the time
has passed since we were last together at our
Fabulous Fall Festival and it's contest time
again! I believe it is true that the older we
get the faster time seems to fly by. So many
of you reported wonderful performances and shows
over the Holidays. I was able to see several
of them and am happy to let you know that Region
11 choruses and quartets are alive and well and
back in the building! We wish each of our competitors
the very best "success experience" in
this contest!
We are happy to announce that Dede Nibler, Director
of VOICES UNLIMITED, has agreed to be the YWIH Coordinator for Region 11.
She is hardly a stranger to this program and we have no doubt that she
will help us get to our vision for this wonderful cause. We thank Kelley
Welch and Jennifer Tereba for their
help last year and their willingness to assist Dede in any way they can
in the coming months.
Again, Region 11 will be well represented at IES (International Education
Symposium) this July in San Antonio, TX, as our own VOICES UNLIMITED will
be competing in the Class A division. They have the highest regional score
in the organization going in so they are "top seed". We couldn't
be more proud of them and wish them the very best in that contest.
Please save the date for our Summer Sizzler, August 17-19, as we prepare
for another GREAT weekend featuring THE BUZZ, International
Quartet Champions from 2005. The quartet coaching and classes will be phenomenal,
not to mention their performance on the Saturday night show hosted by the
Winner's Circle. You definitely want to be there! |
Monica
Tautkus
Directors' Coordinator
gtasing2@aol.com
 Welcome
to a weekend of many firsts! Isn't it thrilling!
Did you know our Region has made possible an amazing educational tool for
all of our directors? A "DirectorCam" camera is mounted on the
riser shell to provide a front view of our directors as they direct during
their contest performance – just like at International! A DVD will
be provided free of charge to each director for their review and personal
assessment.
This is also the first time with a reversed Alternate Riser Configuration.
This is truly uplifting for our region as a whole! Isn't it exciting to
think that the 12 choruses singing after the intermission will be performing
for a bigger audience in that giant auditorium for the first time in over
a decade! Let's support our sisters in harmony.
We have several directors who will be directing in our region for the very
first time this year! That's a beautiful thing! If you don't believe me,
just ask their choruses! Dani Avalos Prigge – CENTRAL
COAST CELEBRATION, Nancy Coufal – HIGH
SIERRA, Kira Wagner – HARMONY
SHOWCASE, and welcome back to Barbara Nigh – TRI
CITY SOUND (first time in a long time!)
Did you know our region has organized another exciting Directors' Retreat?
On May 18-20, the amazing team of Diane Porsche & Pam
Pieson will be spending the weekend with our directors – how
cool Is that??? Choruses – please be sure to joyfully fund your directors
to this important educational and battery-charging event!
Don't forget to take a minute and celebrate your director this weekend! |
Karen
Lewison
Chapter Coordinator
karentenor@aol.com
 This
is my last column as your Region 11 Chapter Coordinator.
It makes me sad but also proud of the accomplishments
of this RMT and being able to serve on it for
the past two years. Thank you to all the Team
Coordinators/ Presidents who have been so responsive
to anything I've asked for and for trusting in
me enough to ask me for assistance. I've enjoyed
meeting you all and can't wait to see you all
on stage this weekend! Super thanks to the members
of the RMT for their outstanding work in making
this the best region in SAI. Special thanks to
my liaisons who made my job that much easier
the past two years - you're the BEST!! I love
you all! |
Debbie
Curtis
Communications/Technology
Coordinator
curtisnotes@aol.com
 I've
been thinking about this last message to you for a
few months now. Saying "goodbye" to a regional
position I've held for 7 years comes with so
many mixed emotions.
When I became CTC in 2000, I had two goals in mind:
to document the history of our wonderful region, and
to bring new technology advances to the way we communicate
with each other.
From the "History of Region 11" video in
2001 and the subsequent annual "Year in Review" videos,
to the annual Membership Directory and the new 44-page
Convention program you'll see this weekend, I've
attempted to research and document our history for
those who join us in the future. Many Region 11 legends
have helped me with these projects . . . thanks to
Ferne Hogan, Joni Bescos, Dot Calvin, Nancy
Weidenmiller, Judy Ashmore, Bobbette Gantz, Monica
Tautkus and Thelma
Atmore for helping fill in the blanks
of information, when necessary.
As someone who loves the latest gadgets and technology,
having "technology" as part of my title
was a perfect fit! We have a beautiful new website,
a new regional logo, an e-group to help us communicate
more effectively, and now News@11 is online! Who knows
what other exciting things are on the horizon!
Cathy
Lee will now be assuming this position – although
it will now officially be called, "Communications
Coordinator" starting this year. I hope you will
all get to know Cathy – she's smart, dependable,
and has some great unique ideas! She'll do a
terrific job.
Some of you have asked what I'm going to do with
all my "free" time now that I'm leaving
the RMT. You were kidding, right?! You can't
get rid of me THAT easily! I plan to continue as News@11
editor (now in my 10th year!), and I still enjoy creating
the Convention program each year. And I've been
doing some "behind the scenes" work at
the International level!
I have so enjoyed getting to know so many of you over
the past 7 years. I look forward to staying involved – but
maybe getting a little more sleep!!
Best of luck to all the competitors this weekend. Whether
this is your 1st contest or 21st, there's nothing
like the excitement of regional convention. Enjoy!
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