Page 9 - 2022 Contest Edition Tags & Swipes Newsletter

Tags and Swipes, Contest 2022

Merrimack Valley A Cappella

Only two months have gone by since the last Tags & Swipes newsletter, but MVA has been busy, and
there’s lots of good news to share!

We were so excited to get back into the contest swing, and this year was the first time we participated in
Open Division. Videotaping our submission in front of an enthusiastic audience at our rehearsal hall, we
performed parody versions of It’s My Song, Steppin Out Medley and Gee with a theme of (what else?!)
lamenting all the time spent on Zoom and celebrating a return to in-person performances. (Sample lyrics:
“Steppin’ out, no computer/ditch the robe, turn up the light” and “Gee but it’s good to be here/better than
staying at home.”) We enjoyed cake and camaraderie a few weeks later as we gathered for the reading of
the judges’ comments. It was great to hear that our hard work has been paying off.

Contest season brought bling to several of our affiliated quartets. MVA tenor Becky King, along with
New Yorkers Alicia Caron (lead/ Spirit of Syracuse Chorus), Jenn Hunter (bari/ Saratoga Soundtrack
Chorus) and Cherie LaDuke (bass/ Coastline Show Chorus, comprise the new quartet Illuminate, and in
their debut Region 15 contest they took home first place! In Region 1: MVA bass Patti Newman and her
quartet Carried Away, with Meg Lynch (tenor/Coastline and Voices United), Stephanie Goddard
(lead/Coastline) and Karen Nadeau (bari/chapter-at-large and Voices United) placed third. Rhythm
Method placed second; members are MVA bari Sally Jeffery and MVA associate member Diane Kelley
(lead), Sarah McNamee (tenor/chapter-at-large) and Karen Rourke (bass/chapter-at-large).

Group pose after our open division video taping

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North Atlantic Region 1 Sweet Adelines