Reflections: Barbershop Is Love
On Saturday, November 23, 2024, The South Shore Saints Barbershop Chorus celebrated a memorable annual show, “Barbershop Is Love.”
This year, the chorus took the unusual step of opting out of the Fall District Contest and Convention to focus on the show. Using the extra time gained, our director Alan Briand and assistant director Steve Wheaton regularly helped us hone our songs, while Morgan Hayes LaCroix coached us on several occasions to improve our song interpretation.
The change of schedule apparently led to a number of positive outcomes at showtime. Firstly, the extra preparation seemingly allowed us to focus while staying relaxed. I noticed that we remained calm even when we were backstage, which allowed us to fully enjoy the performance of our guest quartet SKARmony. (This was not the case from my memory of previous shows.) I for one will not soon forget listening to Both Sides Of The Fence involving Alan Briand and SKARmony!
Secondly, the extra work on song interpretation with Morgan Hayes LaCroix appeared to have paid off, in keeping us animated and emotionally engaged throughout the show. (This was evident in the videos that we reviewed at our rehearsal following the show.
The additional work we had put in as a full chorus also seemed to rub off on the chapter quartets as well, for they all came through when it counted the most. For 4Give n 4Get, I was elated that Brian Macnab, our lead, truly came into his own on our show songs (while recovering just in time from a nasty cold).
As for Recycled Parts, what can we say, but that time and again they raise their performance on the big stage? I loved their rendition of Ring of Fire as always, but I will not forget their Lullaby during the mic test, when I couldn't tell whether Jay-Lee Busque-Blackburn or John Gammon was singing the lead part because they were matching their vowels so well.
And who can resist being taken in by the blend of the Harmony Men (Alan Briand, Mario Lapointe, Pierre-Eric Greaves, and Michel Boucher), who in their first year "on the circuit" have shown a remarkable ability to learn new songs quickly and reliably, sustaining and possibly even raising their level throughout the year?
Lastly, I was thrilled to finally see Sean Henry, who covered our chorus on Daybreak in early 2022 and late 2023, shine on stage as our emcee. I will fondly remember him introducing "If I Could Write A Song", which was the perfect song for Don Gillespie, who had been the last surviving charter member of the South Shore Saints until he passed away this February, and whose greatest passion was to see songs that he had arranged come to life.
As Chair of the Show Committee, I have many people to thank: Luc Larose, our President, for his leadership and guidance on organizational matters and managing relationships with College Durocher; Alan Briand for his help on all matters related to the chorus; Kim Briand for keeping me on schedule; Michelle Briand for handling the drawings; and Steve Wheaton for preparing another jaw-dropping dessert-fest for the Afterglow.
Many thanks also to George Tyson for taking care of administrative duties and overseeing the bar at the Afterglow; Barry T. Lidstone for dealing with the bar tickets; Angus Zitman for handling the sale of Show / Afterglow tickets; Pierre-Eric Greaves and Brian Macnab for helping transport the risers from the church to College Durocher and back; Jay-Lee Busque-Blackburn, Dieter Hallmich, Mario Lapointe, and John Gammon for setting up and cleaning the stage; Tom Green for lending us extra Santa hats; Adam Burbidge for managing our website; Benoit Beaudoin and Luigi Calderisi for their generosity and encouragement; Guy Filion for being an inspiration and sharing his deep knowledge in many matters; and all our members who secured ads to cover costs for the show.
Last but not least, thank you to everyone who attended the show. We hope you had lots of fun! As we look toward to celebrating our 65th anniversary next year, look for us to raise our game further!
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