January and February Reflections

We’ve had an action-packed start to 2024! The first event of the year was the Sweet Adelines Australia Directors' School in Sydney. Our Musical Director, Julie, Assistant Director, Jess, and super-keen baritone, Rowan, had a great time at this educational weekend. They were joined by Musical Directors and Assistant Directors from around the country to learn, share ideas and network.
 

 
Left:  Jule and Rowan with three of Hobart Harmony's musical leaders. Right: Jess and Julie enjoying a debrief/beverage

Soon after, the rest of the chorus kicked off the year with a social event – Rainbow Karaoke (and Schnitty Wednesday) at The Sportsman Hotel! Quite a few Blue Skyers sang songs, from pop to disco to musical theatre - and the crowd seemed to really like us! This event had good vibes - plenty of great singers, a supportive crowd, friendly staff and tasty food. Highly recommend, and we'll definitely visit again in future!
 

  
Left: Our table - all set for Rainbow Karaoke! Right: Suzi was a hit with the crowd, singing Don't Go by Yazoo.

Our first rehearsal of the year was the following week, and this doubled as an Open Rehearsal. We were thrilled to welcome 25 keen singers! We started with warm-ups, then learnt a round and a tag with our guests before performing three songs to demonstrate our musical style. Afterwards, some of our guests stuck around while we ran a session on a new song. Several of these singers have been attending regularly since then, to undertake our audition process. We look forward to announcing some new members very soon.
 

What a fabulous turn-out for our January Open Rehearsal!

Another recent highlight was coaching with International Faculty member Bec Hewitt! We had a wonderful time with Bec, playing with our sound, focusing on consistency and getting the best out of our voices. We look forward to applying what we've learnt to every song we sing! Our next coaching will be in March with another International Faculty member (aren’t we lucky?) – Lea Baker. Stay tuned for more updates!
 

Coaching with Bec Hewitt (front row, centre-right)