SOUNDWAVE -- 1994-95 INTERNATIONAL HARMONY QUEENS

A little about each of the members as seen in the Keynote

Becky La Bella,LEAD

Hi! I'm Becky and singing lead is my life! I started singing barbershop in California in 1976 when our youngest daughter, Amber, was just 3 months old. Since then, our family has moved completely across the country. I have sung in eight different barbershop choruses in four different states, and Amber is now a College Student who sings with me as a member of the Crystal Chords. My, how time flies when you are having fun!

I have long maintained it is the enthusiastic support of my dear husband of over 30 years that has made my continuous participation possible. Bob always arranged his schedule to watch over our four children whenever I had a chorus or quartette commitment--and he never complained or discouraged my activity. He is a great supporter of barbershop, often saying it is the best kept secret in the country. He is occasionally encouraged to participate as more than an observer, but remembers too well the year I taught him to sing the lead to "Lida Rose". Well it only took 8 months, not a whole year!

Though music has always been an important part of my life, I've learned more about proper singing and performance from my barbershop training than anywhere else. It has made me more confident and self-assured, personally as well as musically. Bob remembers, in the years before barbershop, I would get sick with nerves before any performance--and now there is nothing I'd rather do!

Our children don't need much "watching over" anymore. Rob, our eldest, is married and lives in Pheonix, Arizona, with his wife, Patty, and their son, Robby. I'm sure you'll all agree that Phoenix is much too far away for an only grandchild to be! Our second son, Paul is a policeman in Reading, Pennsylvania. Our daughters Brooke and Amber are working and attending college.

Besides singing and being with the family, I enjoy various handicrafts, such as quilting, cross stitch, and crochet. I have made stained glass windows in the past and would love to pursue that more actively. I enjoy working with and playing on our computer, which among other things, keeps me connected to my West Coast family via the internet. In my spare time I work as a part-time teller at Chase Bank in Owego where we now live.

When we moved to Corning in the summer of 1992, I was dissappointed that there were no organized women barbershoppers in the area. But soon I noticed posters around town announcing the formation of a women's barbershop chorus. I went to the first rehearsal, just as Lana did, and there we met Donna and Anne. In short order, the four of us were singing together . . . and Soundwave was born. Though hard work and focus are eventually bound to result in success, not even the most generous prognosticator could have predicted the crowning events in Novemeber of '94 in Providence. What a thrill that was--to be acknowledged by the judges and peers as Queens of Harmony! It was like a dream, but I knew it wasn't because my dreams are never that good.

The following years promised to be just as exciting, with the opportunity to sing in numerous chapter shows and to meet many Harmony sisters in Canada and the US. What a blessing this organization brings us--wonderful music and lasting friendships.

Music has always been a big part of my life. When I was a little girl, I used to spend hours making up songs and singing them until it drove my parents and my brother crazy. I learned to play the piano and clarinet when I was a kid, and sang in every chorus I could throughout my school years. I began singing barbershop about 16 years ago. At that time a few of us were trying to get a chorus started but it never got off the ground. However, from that group of women, a quartette called Four In Accord was formed. In 1986, I experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a Harmony Queen as the tenor of that quartette. It was a truly magical experience, and I will never forget it as long as I live. After Four In Accord broke up up in 1988, Anne (baritone in Four In Accord and Sondwave) and I spent four long years missing barbershop, since we had neither a quartette or a chorus. Finally in 1992 after lots of pleading we convinced my husband, Bill, that he would make a wonderful director for our chorus (which didn't even exist yet). After he agreed, we set out to form a chorus from scratch. After lots of advertising, we held our first rehearsal with about 20 women in attendance.

Becky thinks she is responsible for our decision to form a chorus, even though we had not even met her yet (it's OK, I let her think that she is responsible). Becky's story goes this way: She moved to Corning in June 1992 only to discover that there was no women's barbershop chorus in the area. Becky had been a barbershopper for many years and was feeling saddened by the prospect of not being able to sing barbershop in Corning. Right about the same time in another part of town, Anne and I had this great idea to form a chorus. So Becky thinks we felt her "presence" and that's why we started the chorus. When the chorus met for the first rehearsal, in walked Becky and Lana. So I had the priviledge of yet another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a Harmony Queen. How fortunate can one person be?

When not quartetting, the rest of my life is full of responsibilities and pleasures. I work full-time at Corning Federal Credit Union. I have two children, Jessica, age 19 and Marc, age 15. My husband Bill, is a long-time barbershopper and director of the Crystal Chords. Bill and I met through our mutual love, barbershop singing. We've been married for 5 years now. Barbershopping is a big part of our lives.

Thanks a million to the members of the Crystal Chords and to Bill for all your help and encouragement. Also, thanks a bunch to coaches, Don Stothard, Dave Carr, Steve and Linda Janes, and Mike O'Donnell. I also want to thank every member of Harmony, Inc. for giving Soundwave your love and support.
Anne Leinen,BARITONE

It's hard to believe that I came home from Providence wearing a crown and a gold medal--in fact, sometimes I have to kick myself to be sure it all really happened! I think back to how I got my start at barbershopping and realize how far I've come and all the talented people along the way who have helped me. My first try at barbershop singing was back in 1981, when a small prospective chorus under the direction of Karen Trotter was formed. The chorus never got off the ground, but Karen's enthusiasm for barbershop was very contagious and I was hooked! I also met Donna through this chorus, and we formed a quartette that even my husband couldn't stand to listen to! After various personnel changes, Four In Accord was created. It was during my time with this quartette that I learned how to really sing barbershop--matching vowels, intonation, proper breath support and all those other basics that make for good singing.

After Four In Accord disbanded in 1988, there was a dark period of no singing for four years. I remained active in Harmony, but had no chorus to sing with and try as we may, Donna and I just couldn't find a lead and a bass to sing with in our small community. So Donna finally did what any dedicated barbershopper would do--she married a great chorus director from Canada, imported him to Corning and formed a new chorus! And not only did we now have a chorus to sing with, we met Becky and Lana and the rest, as they say, is history!

My family has been my biggest fan club--my husband, Ray (who does not sing), has supported my hobby from the moment I started. I have left him home with infant and toddler children so that I could sing and realize how fortunate I am to have him as my significant other! Our eldest son, Bill, thinks hard rock is pretty cool, but hopefully this too shall pass (PLEASE!). David would rather build legos than sing, so I guess he is destined to become and engineer like his Dad. Our daughter, Diane, is the other singer in the family. She knows all the words to Soundwave's songs and goes around the house humming or singing most of the day. We have great plans to sing in a quartette together in a few (well maybe 15) years!

Barbershopping has been an important part of my life and one of the most satisfying aspects has been following the development of theCrystal Chords. Most of the members had no previous barbershop experience--and now they are totally hooked! It is exciting to see women ring a chord for the first time and see the look of astonishment on their faces when they realize THEY actually produced the sound.
Lana Held,BASS

My Dad introduced me to four-part harmony when I was in junior High School. I started singing alto in a 'family' quartet with my Dad, my brother and his wife in church. Most of the time we sang a capella and I loved the close harmony of the old hymns. When I heard my first barbershop quartet in High School, I was hooked. Unfortunately, at the time I didn't realize that women could do this, too. Since then I have been a member of two barbershop choruses in the Mid-West.

I am a registered Medical Technologist at the local hospital here in the Southern Tier of New York. I work part-time so I still have time for my family and my hobbies. Besides singing, I love to golf, bowl, swim and sew.

My family has been very supportive of my barbershop habit. My husband, Dan, is a Roofing Consultant and we've been married for over twenty years. Our daughter, Jamie, is an avid swimmer and softball player. Our son, Kevin, whom we adopted at four months old, is from Korea. He is all boy and enjoys everything, especially soccer, computers and Cub Scouts.

After moving back to New York from the Mid-West, I couldn't find a barbershop chorus in the area. Needless to say, I missed singing and was definitely going into withdrawl. I'm so glad that Donna and Anne had the idea to start a brand new chorus. This organization is wonderful and I'm proud to be a part of it. I know I can speak for the rest of the quartette when I say that we were thrilled to be representing Harmony. Thank-you for making our dream come true.

SOUNDWAVE has made a recording!

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