OK City Chorus Well Represented

OK City Chorus Well Represented
Type of post: Chorus news item
Sub-type: No sub-type
Posted By: Martha Thomason
Status: Current
Date Posted: Wed, Mar 27 2024
OK CITY CHORUS WELL REPRESENTED AT REGION 25 REGIONAL COMPETITION
~ Submitted by Linda Hammett

The OK City Chorus had an exciting weekend in Richardson, Texas on March 15 and 16 at they gathered with other choruses for the annual Regional Competition of Sweet Adelines International.  This event is one of the highlights of the year when quartets and choruses from the region take the stage to share their talents.

The Quartet Competition was held on Friday, March 15, and OK City Chorus had six quartets in the lineup.  All six did a stellar job in their performances and made us all proud.  Placing 5th was Montage (Mary Rhea, Leah Arnold, Marie Dallam and Lynn Rogers—all from OK City); in 3rd place was Madison Avenue (Barbara Underwood, OK City; Anne Fenton and Caroline Rocco, Richtones; and Jacque Glasgow, Chapter-at-Large).  In first place, named Champion Quartet, was Wildfire! (Jen Foster, OK City; Jen LeClaire and Erin Goeke, Richtones; and Rachel Radcliff, Chapter-at-Large).   Congratulations to Down Home quartet, who received the medal for Most Improved Quartet, raising their score by 53 points from last year. 

On Saturday, the chorus competition was one of the best in some years with all choruses presenting enjoyable and talented performances.  OK City Chorus took the stage with 77 singers as contestant #3 and left everything on the stage, receiving a standing ovation and many screams of delight.  They did what they came to do and were rewarded with the second-place medal with a score of 658 out of 800. 

There were nine ladies, some of whom are very new, who competed with the chorus for the first time.  They are Sandra Bullard, Caroline Shacklett, Cheryl Hicks, Savannah Head, Marsha Sneed, Lindsey Fite, Lisa Kirkpatrick, Lori Riemenschneider and Catherine Morfa.  When asked to share some thoughts about their experience, these were their responses:

“It was fantastic to see our hard work pay off in the competition.  Even though we are competing against other choruses, there is an amazing camaraderie in Sweet Adelines.” 
—Lori Riemenschneider


“I thought it was a lot of fun!  I really enjoyed listening to the other choruses and getting to know the ladies in our chorus better.  I loved the way all of the different choruses supported each other when they performed.  Even though it was a competition, it really felt more like a big family there to support and cheer for each other!  It was a great experience, and I was very glad I was able to go!” 
—Lisa Kirkpatrick


“My first regional contest was so exciting!  Everything was very well organized, and everyone was eager to answer any questions I had!  Thanks to all who had a hand in making this event a success!” 
—Sandra Bullard


“One of the things that stuck out to me the most from Regional was the quartet competition.  I was blown away by the extreme talent and precision of the quartets.  It definitely made me want to be in a quartet someday!” 
—Lindsey Fite


The chorus was also invited to perform on the Show of Champions on Saturday evening, featuring various winners from the contests.  They performed the finals package that helped them place 9th in the world at the 2023 International Convention in October of 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky.


It feels good to come home with a medal, but it feels even better knowing that the hard work put into preparing for this or any competition was worth the effort.  It was a great weekend, in spite of the rain and cold temperatures, because new friendships were made, old friendships were renewed, and good memories were made.