International Quartet Competition
Phoenix, Arizona
September 17, 2003


Don't forget, the photos are at this site:

http://www.sweetadelines.net/files/Phoenix

Emcee Rita Hull

13..Persuasion (#21, RC-02)
....Patty Cobb Baker, Dani Avalos-Prigge, Carol Krenek, Merideth Emley
....Harborlites (#21), Central Coast Celebration (#11)
Stage Attire: black velvet long-sleeved floor-length dresses
Song #1: I'm All Bound 'Round With the Mason-Dixon Line
Song #2: My Buddy
Love their sound...they just sparkle. Boy, they make it look so easy.
They express the ballad so convincingly and with breathtaking emotion.

14..Reckless! (#14, RC-03)
....Cheri Danner, Lindsay Chartier, Dawn Johnson, Debbie Segal
....Virginia Coast (#14), CAL (#1)
Stage Attire: black long sheer jacket over black pants and top, silver
accents.
Song #1: Who's Sorry Now
Song #2: For the Sake of Auld Lang Syne
OK, these gals are from my region, so I'll have to admit inside
knowledge and impartiality. This is their first time to compete at
International and they've worked really hard since they won in the
spring. Lindsay (as most of us know) is a two-time Harmony Inc. quartet
champ singing bass, and now she's giving it a shot in lead. I can hear
quite a difference in their sound since regional, which is quite a
feat, especially since Lindsay is commuting from Canada. I'm really
proud of these gals...go Cheri!

15..Crystal Clear (#9, RC-00)
....Melissa Carmack, Chris DeRosa Kirkman, Susie Bonds Safarian, Tabby
Miller
....Song of Atlanta (#23), Toast of Tampa (#9)
Stage Attire: black off the shoulder floor-length dresses
Song #1: Piano Roll Blues
Song #2: Oh How I Miss You Tonight
Very effective lead/tenor vocal gimmick on "we cuddle." They've dressed
up this fun number with some very cool embellishments and chords.
Wheee...check out that bass! These guys rock. Polish and finesse...yup,
they nailed both. Their interp on the ballad is spectacular. What a
tight package. Lead sings with such incredible emotion; she just reaches
out and grabs you with that beautiful voice.

16..Kismet (#25, RC-03)
....Colette McDonald, Gwen Smith, Mary Rhea, Debbie Masters
....Rich-Tone, O.K. City
Stage Attire: silver and black top, black palazzo pants (they fit very
nicely, thank you)
Song #1: Cry Baby Medley
Song #2: At the Mardi Gras
I've always been a huge fan of this lead, and isn't she lucky enough to
sing with my buddy Mary! It's great to see/hear both of them up there
again. Mary, you're gorgeous...you never seem to look any older. Can I
say that here? They have a great sound...excellent lead/baritone blend.
Killer bari/lead duet on the tag of the ballad.

17..VOX (#32, RC-03)
....Helena Clifford-Zenk; Carin Landstrom; Katarina Erikson; Eva Gullberg
....Sun Light
Stage Attire: black pants, purple sequined top, beautiful
Song #1: Two Tickets to Georgia
Song #2: Here Am I, Brokenhearted
Really enjoyable quartet with a lot of stage presence and a pretty
sound. Lead has great control on her very soft pickup in the ballad
tag, which isn't easy. Love their choice of songs...two of my
favorites. Another fine Swedish quartet!

18..forefront (#21, WC-03)
....Jennaya Hicks, Janine Librojo, Erin Sears, Suzee Adams
....Harborlites
Stage Attire: STUNNING teal spaghetti strap long gowns
Song #1: My Mother's Eyes
Song #2: Take Me to the Land of Jazz
I feel really old right now. These girls are not only young, they're
cute. Really pretty voices in this group...I especially liked the tenor
and bass sound. Clever individual choreo in uptune. Uptune is vocally
tighter. Yahoo, they rang the heck out of that tag! Great first showing
on the international stage...this is definitely a group to watch. A
breath of fresh air.

19..Spotlight (#2, RC-01)
....Kendra LaPointe, LeAnn Hazlett, Sue Snow, Patti Britz
....Water Wonderland, Spirit of Detroit, CAL, Shoreline Sound
Stage Attire: long-sleeved purple floor-length dresses
Song #1: Melancholy Baby
Song #2: I Didn't Want to Fall
Beautiful treatment of this old favorite ballad. The lead shines in this
song. Great full sound from all four excellent voices. The uptune is
very fun and they've done some clever stuff with it...they're setting
the scene for a wedding. The bass pulls a veil from her sleeve and
attaches it to the lead's head, while the lead pulls a bouquet from her
sleeve.

20..Unplugged (#13, RC-01)
....Teresa McCafferty, Julie Hagstrom, Anna Chamberlain, Judy Pozsgay
....Pacific Sound (#13), Lions Gate (#26)
Stage Attire: red sparkly dusters over black top and pants
Song #1: Red Hot Mama
Song #2: I Never Meant to Fall in Love
They enter the stage with confidence and verve. Love the vocal gimmicks
in the uptune! They present a very polished image...wonderful, rich
sound. The ballad is one of my favorites. Excellent lead post in the tag.

21..SparX (#21, RC-03)
....Margaret Rochon, Dayle Ann Cook, Kathy Barnett, Andi Rostel
....CAL, Tuscon Goodtime, Scottsdale, and Enchanted Mesa
Stage Attire: black sparkly jacket, sheer long sleeves, floor-length
black skirt
Song #1: Chase the Rain Away
Song #2: World War I Medley
The hometown crowd goes wild for these gals! Very expressive faces;
they're selling the ballad very convincingly. Beautifully executed
tag. Smooth sound...pretty voices. Delightfully entertaining
uptune...we didn't want them to stop singing!

22..Naturally (#11, RC-03)
....Christina Scott, Laura Pallas, Anne Casey, Lisa Kneebone
....Verdugo Hills, Santa Monica, Agoura Hills Harmony
Stage Attire: bright pink jacket and pants, satin lapels
Song #1: Ya Gotta Know How to Love 'Em Medley
Song #2: My Buddy
These gals have a reach-out-and-grab-ya sound. Loads of charisma and
personality here to match the sound. Tender rendition of that beautiful
ballad. Killer overtones. Such control on the softs in the ballad,
especially the tag.

23..Rendition (#25, WC-03)
....Tracy Fuller, Kayla Fuller, Annette Gary, Teresa Batten
....Prairie Winds
Stage Attire: dazzling red duster jackets, red pants
Song #1: I Love to Hear That Old Barbershop Style
Song #2: Come Take Your Place in My Heart
Really pretty voices here. Great color of red for stage...it's
breathtaking. It's obvious they're having fun up there and they love
singing together. Excellent job on the ballad tag.

24..ICE! (#6, RC-03)
....Barbara Graham, Karen Dunn, Denise Baber, Marcia Starnes
....City of Lakes, Vallee de Croix
Stage Attire: silver jacket and pants with silver
Song #1: Jazz Man
Song #2: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Very cool vocal thingy on "hot." Thingy would be the technical term for
it. I like what they've done with the uptune...gives it a kick.
Banzai...the tenor nails it with gusto on the tag! They're getting some
killer overtones in the ballad.

25..Studio One (#10, RC-03)
....April Kauffman, Gayle Doughtie, Denise Gabardi, Vickie Dennis
....Houston Horizon (#10), Rich-Tone (#25)
Stage Attire: black duster, sheer sleeves over pants and top
Song #1: For the Sake of Auld Lang Syne
Song #2: Cry Baby Medley
Let's have a giant moment of admiration for the tenor, who is extremely
pregnant and still able to sing and breathe. No small feat. Four
pretty voices up there. These gals are really enjoying what they're
doing. And we're enjoying listening to them.

Ruthanne's off visiting, so I'll take a turn. I was able to just enjoy
most of these performances and I have about twenty quartets in my top
ten so far. Now I have to work backstage, so I will miss some of them
The rest of the descriptions and the results will be posted as soon as
it's all over -- Marti

To be continued...

--
mostly written by Ruthanne Bell
posted by
Marti Lovejoy
Proud "Owner" of SING: sponsor of a YSF Scholarship in 2002
Score Collector for SING (and the site below)
Life Member, Reg 10, TX, USA - 31 years so far
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SweetAdelinesScores/messages
LovejoyMar @ att.net <--remove spaces