-------
Highlights-
As Harmonet Reporter this year, it was a distinct privilege, but an awesome responsibility. I enjoyed almost every minute, but here are a few of the best parts!
... Getting to the Arena the first day and having Anita Larson show
me the set of slides that would be flashed on the monitors between sessions,
and pointing out the one that said,
"Sweet Adelines Welcomes Harmonet Reporter, Debbie Warwick,
sending out cyber-reports daily!"
That was pretty cool! I ran into a lot of friends who didn't
know I was doing this job but found out about it via that bit of publicity!
Thanks, Anita!
... Having the opportunity to pick my own seats (I got two) in the arena, after Anita informed me that the area they originally selected for me was too far away from the stage! The seats I chose were perfect (except for the boom camera - more about that later) and I had an excellent view most of the time. It was fortunate that the seats I wanted were available. They were far enough out of the way, so as not to be a distraction to the people around us, (I know, because I asked) and yet visible enough that a LOT of people saw the camera and computer as they passed by and stopped to say hello. I must have heard "You must be Debbie! Hi, I'm _________" about 100 times this week! I also heard "What's the Harmonet?" almost as much! Next time, I'm going to go armed with a supply of business cards printed with the complete instructions, including the FAQ web address.
... Hearing Ambiance and the Growing Girls at the Coronet Club Show on Friday!!
... Sitting next to the "Shiny Hat Section" and having Shelly Sweet Rubenic (tenor Ambiance and Alliance) and her husband, Vern, migrate to the seats behind us for part of one session. ("for a better view!") She's a lot of fun, and provided several "un-credited" quotes! She also asked how to get on the Harmonet! Other Queens who wandered by Harmonet Central and said hello: Carol Ann Bagley (neat lady!), Alice Gohl, Peggy Barnes, Betty (Tracy) Clipman, and more! And then there were other miscellaneous "dignitaries" like Greg Lyne, Don Gray, Charlie Hill, Scott Hoge, Cathy Clites, Janie Macchiaroli, Bill Thornton, and dozens more.
... Going to the Coronet Clubhouse on Saturday night just in time to be invited onstage to SING! The huge (five foot high) stage had a full set of risers on it to accommodate any choruses that wanted to sing. I stopped in early, and Sandi Wright was trying to get things going. Janice DeCuir offered to help by directing a song, and then sat down. Once I figured out who she was. I made my way over to meet her, and we visited a bit. Then, from the stage, Sandi asked if anybody wanted to get up on the risers to sing! Great idea! About 100 of us piled onto the risers, (those who had always wanted to be on the front row could do it NOW, but they had to take a "pose" until the rest of us were in our places.) Then we sang 4 or 5 of the songs everyone should know, like "Everything Old Is New Again," "Ain't-a That Good News," "San Francisco Bay Blues," and a couple of others I can't recall now. I don't know how things sounded to Sandi and those few people that were left in the audience, but it felt great from my spot on the third row, just left of center! We had a blast, and even managed to work in some classic moves, when they were needed!
... Going back into the Coronet Clubhouse (looking for someone) later that night just in time to hear "Mo Field," of the Lion's Gate Chorus, in British Columbia, do a wonderful rendition of "Nobody Does It Better." Mo seemed to crop up nearly everywhere I went this week. What a character! Someone should try to bottle that energy and sell it! She was most deserving of the standing ovation that followed her wonderful song.
... Attending the Harmonet Gathering and having absolutely nothing to do with it, other than sending in my $10 a few weeks ago! It was wonderful! I took a few photos, and will be sorting through those when I finish with those of the contestants. As was announced at the Gathering, Kira and I have "known" each other for about three years now, but this was the first time we had ever MET! Then she ended up sitting with me through most of the next two days. I enjoyed her company and occasional assistance. She did a wonderful job with the arrangements for this year's gathering and I loved having an opportunity to meet her, and a few others as well!
... Another highlight and special bonus was managing to draft a very able gentleman (not even a Harmonetter... YET) to take photos for me. This was probably the smartest move I made all week. Thankfully, as the husband of a member of both a competing quartet AND chorus, he was pretty much free to come and go as he pleased. To my good fortune, he seemed quite pleased to sit and help me by doing the photography nearly all week. This turned into both a blessing and a curse. I was free of the responsibility of taking pictures, but now I'm going to have one heck of a time sorting out and selecting a few good ones from the more than 400 shots he ended up with! (sigh) That's easy to do when you aren't concerned with film and developing costs! Aren't digital cameras wonderful? ***Thanks Randy!***
-----------------------------
Disappointments- (only a few)
...Not getting to attend many of the "extra-curricular" activities, other than the Harmonet Gathering. The tight schedule, and the fact that I had a responsibility to get the reports out in a timely manner prevented me from going to the Mass Sing, and I missed both of the Melodeers' "Music Education" classes.
... Passing by the Ryman Auditorium a few times, and never manageing to get inside. I guess I need to return to Nashville sometime, and do it right. (I think I'll wait until they get the bridge finished.)
... Not having much time to socialize, except with my roommates and a few friends that were staying at my hotel. I did get to "hang out" a lot on Saturday night, while waiting for the scores, but by then I think I was a bit to tired and a bit too stressed to really enjoy the socializing. I did get to hear a lot of Kindred Spirits and even got to watch David and Doug Harrington doing a little "coaching" with them! They are wonderful, and I can't wait for them to get started on a recording!
... Having only 24 hours a day to get everything done.
... Missing the Chat Room Gathering because of an error in communication.
... Having to deal with that blasted boom camera yet again! (My seats in Atlanta, for the SPEBSQSA Intl, were such that we were looking through the boom nearly all of the time. It was very annoying, and I wasn't even taking photos then!) The first session wasn't too bad, but each day the operator seemed to inch the base of it in a little farther toward the center of the stage, and then he got lazy, parking the camera right in front of the quartet and just leaving it there even when it wasn't needed. (I heard later that this was a bit disconcerting to the quartets as well. One gal was surprised to see a red blinking light moving in her peripheral vision from extremely close range while she was performing. Eventually someone spoke to him about it, and by Saturday, his presence was negligible... finally! Susan Ives evne suggested that we come up with a song to sing to the boom operator... "The-BOOM The-BOOM. Someone else offered additional words that I can't repeat here, but you get the idea.
All in all, it was a fantastic week, and I may have had a few disappointments, but I had no real regrets.
Well, that's not entirely true... I do regret accidentally deleting a few photos before they had been transferred to the computer. That's the reason you will find only one picture of Alliance from the Semi-Finals, and none of quartets 27-31. (Seattle Style, Artistocats, Daybreak, Society Swing, and Cahoots.) I'm also missing Acapella Gold in the Finals. I'm very sorry, ladies. It was my own fault and I apologize sincerely. (I think we got ALL of the choruses though!)
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire Sweet Adelines staff for their cooperation this week. Everyone I dealt with was most helpful and friendly. Things did get a little hairy when I still didn't get the right scores until midnight Saturday, but eventually they came through for me, and I was back in business. With the Press Pass I was allowed access behind the scenes and was able to use the staff offices when necessary. I could have used the phones in the office for sending the reports but I rarely had anything ready to post immediately following the session, and I found it easier to do that from my hotel room. They run a tight ship, and at events such as these, that's exactly what is needed! Thank you, ladies!
Anyway, I hope things weren't too slow or too garbled when they reached you. There were a couple of speedbumps that I had to get worked out before I got into the flow, but I think eventually it worked pretty well. Thanks to those of you who responded, and let me know that my postings were getting out okay. I hope you've found these reports to be useful and that they were able to bring you a little closer to the action. It was a great week!
Let's keep the harmony in "Harmonet" (... in spite of people like Casey.)
Debbie