Sweet Adelines International 75th Jubilee Commemorative Album

As I stood on the stage in Hawaii to receive my 50-year membership, I was overwhelmed by the audience response. At that moment I realized that no one in the world is more blessed than I. The extended family I have gained over the years through my membership in Sweet Adelines means more to me than I can possibly put into words. Each one of you has touched my life in some way, even if only by singing my music. So I say ‘thank you’ and my wish for you is that your affiliation with Sweet Adelines brings you as much joy and love as it has afforded me. — Joni Bescos

SPOTLIGHT: ARRANGERS

Joni Bescos

A few Sweet Adelines arrangers were also composers, who brought their original songs into the organization. The two primary Sweet Adelines theme songs, Harmonize The World and How We Sang Today, were composed and arranged by Sweet Adelines members Nancy Bergman and Vicki Uhr, respectively. In keeping with ASCAP mandates and advisory notices, Sweet Adelines International addressed copyright issues in the early 1990s, with ongoing changes continuing to be made as to how music may be legally distributed, copied, and arranged. As the number of Sweet Adelines music arrangements for women grew, Sweet Adelines became a music publisher, often including copies of newly published arrangements as inserts in the organization’s international publications.

Norma Andersen, music judge and arranger, served for nearly 25 years as the Sweet Adelines Arrangements Coordinator. For many years, a new song appeared in the centerfold of The Pitch Pipe, selected by Norma.

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