Sweet Adelines International 75th Jubilee Commemorative Album

Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the necessity of moving the convention to Detroit, Michigan (USA), the International Board of Directors (IBOD) discussed what might happen if one of our conventions had to be cancelled. They decided that if a convention had to be cancelled for whatever reason, there would be no champions for that year. Quartets who qualified to compete in that convention, except those placing 2-15, would be eligible to compete in the following year’s regional contests. The Performance Package was changed to the Entertainment Package in 2006. The Most Entertaining Award, voted on by random members of the audience, would soon be and still is a most coveted award by all performers! SALT was the first quartet to achieve the Most Entertaining Quartet Award in Las Vegas, and the Spirit of the Gulf Chorus was awarded the Most Entertaining Chorus. Previously held as part of IES, Harmony Classic contests were added to the convention schedule on Tuesday evening in 2009.

SPOTLIGHT: JUDGING PROGRAM

2010s

Regional competitions added an entirely new division in 2014 – the Open Division – allowing performers to present a package similar to the choruses and quartets in the international finals. Competitors choosing this division receive a letter grade for their performance, so are not a part of the qualification for international competition. However, they receive a complete, newly designed scoresheet with a full evaluation of not only the competition songs, but their overall presentation.

Jan Gervais, Expression; Mary Ann Wydra, Music; Lea Beverley, Expression; June Berg, Music; Renée Porzel, Showmanship; Shirley Kout, Sound; Sharon Babb, Sound; Sue Beck, Showmanship

Inset: Betty Clipman, Bobbette Gantz, Melanie Wroe and Ruth Ann Parker weep with laughter before the Chorus Semifinals. Jan Gervais and Lynnell Diamond focus on the Chorus Finals.

The Judging Program truly drives the educational direction of the entire organization. For every question that could be asked about this program, there’s an answer in the Judging Category Description Book (JCDB).

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