Heartbeat Chorus hits a high note!
It’s a Gold, Silver and Bronze at The European Barbershop Championships
On Wednesday 13th March, Heartbeat Chorus began a 4 day trip to Veldhoven, Holland to compete in the European Barbershop Championships. The championships are held every four years and bring together the top choruses from various barbershop organizations from Sweden, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Ireland and the UK.
Besides the main Chorus, two quartets which have Heartbeat members in them, also took part in the contest. Musical Director, Nancy Kelsall and Choreographer Sandra Lea-Riley, took to the stage in The Mix quartet. Their amazing performance won them a Gold medal and the title of European Champion Quartet. The other half of the award winning quartet are Jo Braham and Andrea Day who are members of Warrington’s Cheshire Chord Company.
The second quartet from the chorus was Echo. Heartbeat members Emma Shanks and Claire Heighway came a very close second and won silver alongside Becki Puncher and Karen Riley who both sing with Spinnaker Chorus, in Portsmouth.
The main chorus competition took 2 days to judge and Heartbeat retained the Bronze medal position they won in the 2009 European Champions. In what proved to be a close competition, the Chorus produced their best ever competitive performance, scoring their highest marks to date and just 0.3% separating them and second place!
Nancy Kelsall said of the Choruses’ performance, “It was fantastic to get the chance to compete against the best choruses from Europe. The audience reaction to our songs was amazing and we were thrilled to come away as bronze medalists. I am so proud to have won a gold medal with The Mix and so pleased that Echo won.”
But the ladies have no time to rest on their laurels! Heartbeat will now be turning their attention to the Sweet Adelines International Region 31 Contest at The Sage, Gateshead in May. They will be competing against 20 choruses from the UK and The Netherlands with the winner going on to represent the region at the international finals in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. There is also a second appearance at Gawsworth Hall in the Summer where they will be performing with The Military Wives.
Additional details
Heartbeat Chorus is an all female group who sing unaccompanied, in close harmony. There are almost 70 women in the group whose ages range from 21 to 75 and there are a diverse range of occupations within the group. They include a lawyer, midwife, bereavement officer, psychologist, and wig maker. It is a passion shared by mothers and daughters and best friends. They repertoire includes beautiful ballads and contemporary classics such as “Moondance” and “Africa”. The group rehearses in Marple each Thursday night and more information is available on their website www.heartbeatchorus.com
Images:
HB Holland - All of the Heartbeaters who competed in Holland
HB Holland 2 - From left to right, Quartet winners Nancy Kelsall, Emma Shanks, Claire Heighway and Sandra Lea Reily
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