Page 19 - Summer 2023 Tags and Swipes Newsletter

Tags and Swipes, Summer 2023

Farmington Valley Chorus

No torrential rain or most of our front row getting locked in the hotel staircase right before call time
could dampen our spirits. We came to sing...and sing we did!

We are so thrilled and honored to be representing Region 1 in Missouri’s City of Music next year. We
could not have achieved this success without help from some amazing coaches. We had Karen
Sweeters, Jana Gutenson and Lori Lyford provide incomparable advice in some really unique ways. A
big thank you to Laurel Strielkauskas for pinch hitting for us and bringing her enthusiasm, knowledge
and incredible talent to our risers. HOTS once again did an awesome job of managing the day. It was so
wonderful being back at Symphony Hall wasn't it? like a big warm hug – like coming home. And
whosever idea it was to have those kids come and perform for us was genius. We loved their show.
Congratulations to Ieva, Heidi, Pat and Melissa - our in-house quartet Twilight- for placing 6th in their
first competition together. You looked and sounded beautiful. We are all so proud of you!

Speaking of pride – we couldn’t be more proud of, and happy for, our director Cheryl Wilcox. This
competition was her 20th as our director (Wow!). It’s amazing the amount Farmington Valley has
grown as a chorus and the fun we have had and the families we’ve created under her tutelage. She got to
perform with her daughter Megan singing one of the first songs she directed - “One Voice”- at the
Friends and Family show and at the Show of Champions. So lovely and heartwarming – like her. We
bow low in Cheryl’s direction and raise a glass in cheers to another 20 years.

Our Friends and Family show went really well, as it seems from Facebook posts that so many of them
did. It was so fun to run through our package a few times and get that enthusiastic applause only family
can give. Thank you to all who came to our show and helped hoover down the goody laden tables, and
especially to Marion Devokaitis for her expert imitation of a contest announcer.

We had five newbies on our risers that got to experience Symphony Hall for the first time with us -
Wendy, Sonia, Amanda, Mary Lou and Allison.. I asked Allison to write something about her first
contest for you. Here’s what she thought:

When I told my husband that Farmington Valley Chorus was going to regionals he laughed and said, “
Like the show Glee?! We’re going to Regionals, Super Regionals, State Regionals, Inter-state
Regionals, Nationals, Internationals, Interplanetary competitions and we are going to do it all over
again!” Even though I smiled and rolled my eyes at him, I understood his humor. Why are a bunch of
women who are 25 and older going to a singing competition and keep going to more competitions?

When Sue and I arrived at the theatre we hastily found a place to sit and listen and watch all the quartets
perform. As I am sitting there, listening and enjoying myself and trying to make judgments about who I
thought were the strongest,. a young woman behind me, who was clearly a Sweet Adeline, was cheering
so loudly that my ear was about to pop off. I sat there a little amused and annoyed then looked around
me and thought I had joined a cult. I somehow knew soon we would all break out in song at any
random moment, like Glee. How could my husband be right?

19 (continued on the next page)

North Atlantic Region 1 Sweet Adelines