Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 3, 2022
Contact
Kelly Collins
Marketing Coordinator Westcoast Harmony Chorus kmorris23@live.ca 604.617.2484
Westcoast Harmony Chorus wins 6th place on the International stage
Surrey, B.C.—After more than two years of Zoom rehearsals, followed by outdoor rehearsals, indoor rehearsals in hula hoops, masking, and COVID cancellations, Westcoast Harmony Chorus is proud to announce that they achieved 4th place in the Sweet Adelines International semifinals competition held in Phoenix AZ in September, out of a field of 26 competing choruses from around the world. That Top Ten score, the first in their 57-year chapter history, took them to the finals, where they came away with a 6th place International medal.
Westcoast is an a cappella chorus of women and people of marginalized genders who love to sing four- part harmony, mainly in the barbershop style. They rehearse weekly at Parkland Community Church in Surrey. The Phoenix event was the 74th Annual Convention and Competition of Sweet Adelines International, held after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. This year’s week-long gathering featured competing choruses and quartets from the US, Canada, Sweden, United Kingdom, and New Zealand, and was webcasted live around the world.
Out of the 57 Westcoast singers on stage in Phoenix, three had performed in Westcoast’s very first International competition, back in 1987 in Hawaii. Joining them were 12 new singers who had never before attended an International competition, some of whom joined the chorus while it was rehearsing 100% by Zoom. That combination of experienced and new musical talent, led by Master Director Anne Downton, proved to be a powerful force, putting Westcoast in 6th place in the world, representing the only Sweet Adelines International “All Canadian Region.”
The future for Westcoast is bright indeed. They will be performing in Surrey and Abbotsford during the Christmas season, and in the New Year they will begin rehearsing for the next Regional competition, to be held in Saskatoon in April 2023.
Westcoast is actively seeking new members.
Women and people of marginalized genders looking for a musical challenge, in an inclusive and diverse community of likeminded people, can contact Westcoast at info@westcoastsings.com or visit them at www.westcoastsings.com for more information.
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