Char Gurney - Master Director
Char Gurney has many titles. In her family life, she is the mother of Kerry Denino and the grandmother of Amanda and Nicholas. In her professional life, Char is the Infusion Billing Supervisor at HomeReach, a subsidiary of OhioHealth and their 2006 "Prism Award for Integrity" winner. In her musical life, Char is the Master Director of the Scioto Valley Chorus. She is a Certified Judge in the expression category for Sweet Adelines International and judged both the 2006 International Chorus Competition and the 2007 International Quartet Competition.It has been said that Char is the heart and soul of the Scioto Valley Chorus. She's much more than that. She's also the "Queen of the Mixed Metaphor." Sweet Adelines International recently asked Char to contribute an article for their magazine, The Pitch Pipe, on the subject "my director's always saying." Char requested the chorus' input. She may have expected responses like "if you hold it, it has to grow" or "keep the energy flowing in the soft passages of the song." But when she sent an email asking "what do you remember me saying in rehearsal?" she received responses such as "we can kill two stones with one bird" and the ever-popular "it's not rocket surgery!"
Char has been a great inspiration to our chorus and many other choruses and quartets as well. Char is often called upon to help other directors develop their choruses. Also, Char is the coach for many talented quartets. She has held several leadership positions within the Sweet Adelines organization. Because of her hard work and dedication to her craft, she has earned one of the organization's most prestigious director awards: Master Director.
Kerry Denino
In 2008, SVC opened an exciting new chapter in the future of the chorus when we welcomed Kerry Denino as our chorus co-director. A founding member of the chorus, she is the perfect person to join her mother Char at the helm.Kerry lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband Steve and their two young children, Amanda and Nick. She is a teacher at WeJoySing, an early childhood development program based on music and movement. Kerry comes from a barbershop family and has extensive experience with Sweet Adelines. She joined SVC at the age of 13 and competed and earned International Top 10 honors with Success Express Quartet. Ultimately, Kerry achieved one of SAI's highest honors when she was crowned a Queen of Harmony as the baritone of SPOTLIGHT, 2006 Sweet Adelines International Quartet Champions.
Kerry's high energy and extensive knowledge helped lead the chorus to the AA championship in the 2008 Region 4 competition. The chorus looks forward to continued musical growth, success, and fun under the direction of our mother-daughter duo in the years to come.
