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Arbutus Sounds set to sing at choral contest

The Sunshine Coast women’s a cappella singing group Arbutus Sounds Chorus is putting it all on the line once again as they head into competition in the Lower Mainland.
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Choral director Connie Johnston leads the Arbutus Sounds Chorus singers through their vocal paces at a rehearsal earlier this year.

The Sunshine Coast women’s a cappella singing group Arbutus Sounds Chorus is putting it all on the line once again as they head into competition in the Lower Mainland. 

Arbutus Sounds is a member of Sweet Adelines International, a worldwide organization of hundreds of women’s choruses that stages annual competitions. This year’s regional championships will be held at the Chandos Pattison Auditorium in Surrey, April 11 to 14. 

“It’s a very stiff competition,” choral director Connie Johnston said in an interview. “Some groups go to the competition every year. We’re more relaxed about it. We’re not going there so much for the contest. Contests have winners, but I tell our singers we have no losers in our chorus. We’re competing against ourselves, to do better than we did the last time on that contest stage.” 

The Sunshine Coast group doesn’t compete every year but must jump into the fray at least once every three years to remain certified as a Sweet Adelines-quality chorus. 

Each group must perform two tunes (ideally, in four-part harmony) – one up-tempo and another slower piece, such as a ballad – before a panel of four judges. 

“Each is judging on a different aspect, such as showmanship, sound quality or music selection,” said Johnston. “We’ll be going with 18 singers this time and competing against other choruses in a division that have 30 or less members on stage.” 

Some of the bigger choruses compete in a division that can have 150 singers, Johnston added. 

“Their sound can be huge compared to us. And they might do full-on choreography where they have their front line of singers doing cartwheels across the stage. These competitions are really quite awesome to go to for entertainment value.” 

There’s a draw for order of appearance, and this year the Coast chorus will be on stage first among the 14 competitors, unlike their last competition when they were nearly last and “we had to cool our heels backstage while everyone else went out there,” Johnston said. “This time, we perform our two songs, then sit with the audience and watch all of the rest of the performances.” 

Arbutus Sounds Chorus celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018, which coincided with Johnston taking over the director’s baton from Debra Sneddon, who’d had the responsibility for 15 years. 

“We rehearse pretty much all year around, but we take some time off during the summer,” Johnston said. “We always perform at Christmas; that’s probably our busiest season. We usually get hired by Trail Bay Mall to do Christmas carolling. And we always perform at the seniors’ complexes. 

“We don’t get paid personally for this. Whatever money we might get from a performance goes right back into purchasing music and paying for rental of our venues. It’s a labour of love for us all.” 

The chorus is always looking to add new voices, Johnston noted. There is an audition process, but no previous experience is needed and there’s no requirement to be able to read music. You can learn more online at www.arbutussounds.org