International Quartet Competition
Phoenix, Arizona
September 17, 2003

Marti here, just for a minute... I was working backstage, escorting
every other quartet to the stage and then to the entrance to the
auditorium, but was able to see and hear most every contestant on the
big screen BACKWARDS! I never knew the picture showed on both sides of
those big screens! The sound backstage was pretty good, too, so I don't
feel like I missed much and I now have about 35 quartets in my top ten.

I now return you to your regular reporter for the day, Ruthanne Bell:

39..Final Cut (#2, RC-03)
....Martha Delargey, Dawn Cooper, Traci Martin, Polly Snider
....Shoreline Sound, Spirit of Detroit
Stage Attire: multi-colored sequined jacket over black top and black
velvet pants
Song #1: Cry Baby Medley
Song #2: If You Love Me, Really Love Me
I see another SING-er up there...go Martha! Powerful and passionate
singing. Beautiful chord in ballad on "clear, so clear." Nice soft on
"when at last my life on Earth is through..." Great tenor post on the tag.

40..Kinetix (#12, RC-03)
....Suzi Heron, Julie Harrelson, Leslie Dalton, Sharon Carlson
....Pacific Empire
Stage Attire: brown velvet pants and bronze sparkly tops.
Song #1: How Many Hearts Have You Broken Medley
Song #2: If I Had the Last Dream Left in the World
Smooth-sounding quartet with lots of pizazz. The tops are really pretty,
with a very flattering shawl collar and 3/4 length sleeves. Lead has a
beautiful voice. Lovely and effective dynamic variations.

41..Sequel (#21, WC-03)
....Barb Curry, Julie Blair, Debbie Geiger, Mary Jo Ebel
....Scottsdale, CAL
Stage Attire: black and silver top and long black skirt
Song #1: The Masquerade is Over
Song #2: Flirty Eyes
Mellow, laid-back pretty sound...their softs are really, really soft!
Beautiful overtone on the ballad tag. Cool thingy in uptune on "hey,
hey, hey." Another beautiful overtone on the uptune tag.

42. Act IV - withdrawn

43..latté (#4, RC-03)
....Holly Harrington, Tawni Miller, Holly Colón, Judy Norris
....Hocking Valley (#4), Gem City (#4)
Stage Attire: black and silver glittery top and knee-length black skirt
Song #1: If I Had My Way
Song #2: I Can't Give You Anything But Love
I've never heard this beautiful ballad before...it's really pretty.
Excellent tag. Refreshing arrangements. Rich, warm sound and really
gorgeous voices. Another bunch to keep an eye on. Boy are they having
fun up there and the audience is loving them.

44..Reverb (#8, WC-03)
....Vickie Maybury, Rebecca Richards, Kim Andrews, Cheryl Suhr
....Skyline
Stage Attire: black dusters over sequined top and black pants
Song #1: If I Give My Heart to You
Song #2: Two Tickets to Georgia
Energetic entrance. They stepped right up and took charge. Lively
performance by a skilled quartet. Good audience rapport. Nice
tempo...they kept it moving and drove it right through to the tag. Lots
of enthusiasm.

45..Main Attraction (#5, RC-03)
....Ann Keller, Gena Sommer, Kathy Filipiak, Martha Eiter
....River Blenders, Heart of Illinois, Vermillion Valley Show, CAL
Stage Attire: DYNAMITE red top with a sparkly sunburst design and black
palazzo pants,
Song #1: Last of the Red-Hot Mamas/No One Knows What a Redhead Mama Can Do
Song #2: Only in My Dreams
Smooth-sounding quartet with some very pretty voices. Excellent blend.
Love the lead...she's making it look really easy! This tenor rocks too.
Screaming overtone on the uptune tag. Passionate interpretation on the
ballad; they're really emoting. Very stylish top...I love it! I want one!

46..Night Magic (#19, RC-95)
....Shirley Eckert, Sharon Ehrisman, Renee Walsh, Janell Paviolitis
....Jersey Sound (#19), Harbor City Music Co. (#19), Hickory Tree (#15),
Heart of Maryland (#19)
Stage Attire: black sequined shirt over black top and pants
Song #1: Come Take Your Place in My Heart
Song #2: You're in Wrong With the Right Baby
This quartet has a new bass this year, but she's definitely a veteran,
having won International with Melo-Edge in 1983. Good solid sound with
tons of overtones. Great tag on the ballad. Veteran savvy is
apparent...they're popular with the crowd.

47..Heatwave (#9, RC-03)
....Chelsea Young, Janeen Summey, Denise de la Cal, Kim Elger-Griffin
....Women of Note, South Florida Jubilee, CAL
Stage Attire: red satin pants, short-sleeved red sequined tops
Song #1: Redhead
Song #2: The Girl I Used to Be
Energetic, ringing sound. This quartet has some serious energy! Great
bass post on the uptune tag. Tons of overtones, loads of polish,
fantastic blend, they rock at dynamics. Killer tag on the ballad,
excellent control on softs. Charismatic crew and a lovely performance.

48..HeartBeat (#13, RC-03)
....Eileen Laycock, Sonja Mejlaender, Patti Burklund, Dina Darrin
....Pacific Sound, CAL
Stage Attire: black jacket over white vest and black pants
Song #1: Laughing on the Outside, Crying on the Inside
Song #2: Alabama Jazzbo Band
Smashing costumes, flattering and they fit well. Love the design of the
jacket collar. Very clean, pretty sound. Beautiful dynamics. Four
talented singers; baritone has an especially gorgeous voice. Haven't
heard that uptune in ages and this was a new and different arrangement.

49..Head Over Heels (#3, RC-03)
....Cindy Nelson, Sara Zawila, Linda O'Connell, Janice Romancik
....Melodeers
Stage Attire: black long dress with spaghetti straps and pink/red
sequined flowers on green vines winding around the dress, sheer
abbreviated bolero jackets cover arms
Song #1: The Moment I Saw Your Eyes
Song #2: From the First Hello to the Last Goodbye
These gals are really enjoying themselves up there and have a great
audience rapport.

50..Symmetry (#10, RC-98)
....Janet Burnett, Janie Macchiaroli, Kellie Gareri, Robbin Marlow
....Houston Horizon, Alamo Metro
Stage Attire: purple and gold sparkly jacket over gold pants and top
Song #1: Take Me To the Land of Jazz
Song #2: Roses of Yesterday
Smooth as silk sound. Absolutely stunning costumes; refreshingly
unique. Four beautiful voices and each one is totally immersed in the
performance. Gorgeous tag on the ballad, and this is one of my very
favorite Nancy Bergman arrangements.

51..Blue Berry Blues (#33, RC-02)
....Liesbeth van Wijngaarden, Jose de Lijzer, Suzanne van der Knaap,
Lijnie van Everdingen
....Route Sixteen
Stage Attire: black palazzo pants with multi-colored swirl design top,
black sleeves
Song #1: Hard-Hearted Hannah
Song #2: Oh How I Miss You Tonight
Fun performance...they're really having a great time up there. Great
audience rapport. Very pretty tag...nice softs, good control

52..Rainbow Collection (#8, RC-03)
....Beth Bruce, Catherine Yorgason, Tori Postma, Lynda Mills
....Mountain Jubilee
Stage Attire: black duster and pants with different colored sequined vests
Song #1: Me And My Baby
Song #2: Back in the Old Routine
Welcome back! These gals took a break for a few years and they're back
in the saddle again...still have what it takes! The audience is going
wild! Love that baritone. They're totally into character and selling
it like nobody's business. Especially poignant message for them in Old
Routine...great song choice. Really, REALLY enjoyed their performance!

Results will be included in a separate post.


--
mostly written by Ruthanne Bell
posted by
Marti Lovejoy
Proud "Owner" of SING: sponsor of 2 YSF Scholarships in 2003
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