By Barbara Denbow, Lead

We are so proud of our three members Julie Smith, Lori Murphy and Pat Larre who as dual members staged with Lions Gate Chorus at the International competitions in New Orleans this Sept and shared in the wonderful experience of a 2nd place standing in the world - Congratulations women - REGION 26 ROCKS!

Several of our chorus members attended NOLA to cheer on our Region and kept in close contact with those of us at home who gathered in dotted pods on our little island watching, listening and celebrating with them from afar. We were busy little beavers at home though: keeping their spots warm; Advancing the music under the direction and guidance of Diane Butler and Syd Bullock; Enhancing our quartet promotion with the Grand March, assigned and sporadic quartets, coordinated by Rose Justice. Heck - talk about helping ‘make dreams come true’ – our choreo team with our section leaders ran our last rehearsal – what a diverse, cooperative bunch of women we are.

We’re pleased to report that our Annual ‘Duncan Days’ Sing Out and our ‘Wine Women and Wheels IV’ events held over the summer months brought us an overwhelming audience turnout that far surpassed any previous – I think we may have made an impression over the years.

Our 2nd 6-week Free Membership Drive Oct 15th to Nov 19th is about to kick off tonight at our rehearsal hall, so is behind us as you read this bit. The success of this event in 2017 is sparking anticipation of the new voices that will surface this time around – It’s like an early Christmas present. Keep an eye out for the result in the next edition of our Region’s Maple Leaf Express here.

The name ‘Sounds of the West Shore’ calls out to the folks in our neck of the Island as we circulate our ads and prepare to present our season’s harmonic concert Nov 30th. Holding the event close to home at our rehearsal hall will offer familiar surroundings for our ‘performance ready’ new-bees from our membership drive and help ease their jitters as they hit the stage for the 1st time. We are thankful that our hall is so well equipped with ample space to enable a healthy show for this inauguration of new voices and debuts.

Training and experiences obtained by anyone of us pours out to all, as a treasure trove of ideas, techniques and mindsets come home for us to try on. Thank you to Lolanda Emerson and Syd Bullock who attended a choreography symposium in Saint Louis this summer and came back to share moves and thought-provoking insight of more to come. Thank you to our three Silver Medalists who dropped a coined phrase ‘Singer Driven’ into our inboxes for us to chew on. You can bet we’re curious and excited to learn more about what our chorus ‘ambassadors’ have gathered for us on their adventures. Stay tuned.