| Golden Memories |
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Chapters |
| the VM (Dealer's Choice and Acoustix).
Assistant directors over the years have included double Quartet Gold Medalist and 1977 pro-tern director Brian Beck, Jim's son and Associate A.I.C. Member Greg Clancy, former Ft. Worth Cowtown Chorus director Sonny Lipford, aforementioned Charlie White, and Charlie Lyman. Although the VM membership list has hovered around 200 for the past ten years, active participation in the chorus is generally 120-150 men. At one time or another during the course of its 23 year history, over 500 different men have been members of the VM. The first regularly held rehearsals were at the Dallas Bank and Trust building, then in March of 1972 rehearsals moved to the Chapel Downs Community Center. From there they moved in May of 1979 to Ridgeview Presbyterian Church; in November of 1979 to Churchill Way Presbyterian Church, and then in December of 1985 to Brookhaven College. Finally, in the late eighties the chorus moved to its current facility, the Sammons Center for the Arts at 3630 Harry Hines Blvd., an office complex for a consortium of arts groups, at the renovated Turtle Creek water pumping station. Rehearsals are every Thursday night from 7:00 to 10:30. MINING FOR GOLD It should come to no one's surprise that the preparations for the competition cycle begin a full |
year before the actual International Convention. No
step along the way is taken for granted, but a noticeable step-up in the
intensity begins after the district convention. January of competition
year staats with rotating sectional rehearsals on Monday, and once a month
all day Saturday rehearsals start in March. Two-a-week rehearsals begin
in June, as do "early-bird" choreography starting one hour prior to regular
Thursday evening rehearsal.
The final week before the week of the convention is every night including an open performance for VM family, friends, and fellow barbershoppers on Thursday. The following Thursday at convention is the next time VM members meet officially as a chorus at 10:00 p.m. for a two-hour rehearsal. Friday includes two rehearsals but leaves time for the guys to watch the quartet semi-finals. Saturday begins with a traditional "Power Breakfast" to which the VM invites society dignitaries, coaches, and family for one big ~~hank You" for their support. The close of breakfast is signified by the call from the chorus manager for all the guys to, "Kiss your wives good-bye; for the next six hours you are IN THE PIPELINE." For the next six hours the world disappears and the chorus gets incredibly focused on a common goal-implementing what has been drilled into the chorus members for the past six months as THE PLAN. The individual competitions each have interesting stories in and of themselves. The first International the VM was eligible to compete in was Kansas City in 1974. With 73 men on stage directed |
Windmill Dinner theater show, 1977 - Brian Beck, Director
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Contents |
Page |
How It All Began Chapters Chapter Histories International Quartet Champions ChorusesAdministration
Contests and Conventions Registered Quartets Publications Recognitions In Conclusion