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Something's coming, something good!
By Linda Brehaut, International President
Oh, my goodness – I remember this time of the year – the time when every group you belong to starts up again (happens in September, too). Not complaining – I miss it when I’m not busy!
Some very exciting and most recent news - we have hired a new Office Assistant. Angie Morton-Locke was the successful candidate, and I am confident that Angie will make an excellent addition to our staff. Thank you so much to the other accomplished candidates who put their names forward for this position. Harmony is gifted with skilled and talented individuals.
Lots happening on the volunteer front
First, I forgot to share with you that Betsy Long and D’Arcy Jackson will be our copyright and licensing co-coordinators. Thank you both for stepping into this role! We are looking to fill the new role of volunteer coordinator soon, as we have demonstrated the need for volunteers and know that there are members who want to volunteer. We need to create a system to match the two up!
Very soon you will also hear of some new positions that will assist the Convention Team. As we all know, a convention such as ours does not happen without extensive planning and a focus on details. The Convention Team has identified a few areas where they could use some help and special skills, and the Board fully supports their request. Looking to volunteer? There are many opportunities for you!
COVID protocols
As we plan for our in-person events this year, we revisited our COVID protocol. For IC&C, we kept the vaccine mandate, but made masking optional. In 2023, we have made the decision to drop all mandates. We will reinstate on an event-by-event basis, if the federal or state/provincial government guidelines change for that location. I appreciate your support and understanding when we need to make these difficult decisions.
New judges and new website
Category Training School is over, and it is my understanding that we have some newly certified judges in our midst (but I won’t name names and spoil someone else’s article.) Congratulations to all those who re-certified, to those who are newly certified, and to our new official candidate judges. Harmony is stronger because of you.
I almost forgot to mention that our new HarmonySite website is just days away from launching! Thank you to the team that has made this a reality for us.
Town Hall is still scheduled for January 22 at 6:30 ET. I hope to see many of you there.
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L to R: Vincenza Como (bass), Hailey Boyd (lead), Melissa Eggersten (bari), Janell Chyle (tenor)
There's a brand new rhythm in Area 6!
By Jessica Jones, HI Quartet Development Coordinator
There must be something in the water. Area 6 has birthed 10 new quartets since 2020 – and we’ve only just begun the 2023-24 registration season! This is the largest growth explosion in all of Harmony.
Among this shiny new group of singers is Cadence, formed by members of Sisters of Sound and Unaccompanied Minors. Hailey and Vincenza, who sing with both choruses, had been itching to get a quartet together for nearly four years. They connected with Melissa and Janell, who recently joined Sisters of Sound, and decided that singing together could be a fun experience.
During last year’s IC&C, they picked the name Cadence out of a long list. They appreciated the simplicity of a one word name, so "Cadence" stuck. Since the quartet has long distance members, they’re holding off on rehearsals until February. Vincenza is a traveling MRI technologist out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, until the end of next month, but once she’s back, they plan to rehearse in preparation for AC&C. While none of the members have competed before, they’re super excited for their first experience at this year’s AC&C.
Be on the lookout for this fearsome foursome as they embark on their new quartet journey, and welcome them with warm, Harmony arms!
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| Category School Certifies New Judges |
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Education, music, and happiness in the wilds of New Hampshire
By Kathy Greason, ICJC
Category Training School 2023! In person. Scoring and discussing video performances, judging live quartets, conducting evaluations, sharing information to improve contest logistics, setting up mock contests, celebrating a blend with friendship – it all happened. The bottom line is that the long weekend from January 12-16 2023 was a success for the judging community and for Harmony, Inc. Here are some highlights.
All of our 21 previously certified judges were recertified.
And…drum roll…we have two new certified judges. They are:
Angie Dolber – PER
Adele Merritt – MUS
All four of our applicants advanced to candidate status.
Tracey Beatty – PER
Susan Ives – SNG
Jessi Nasto – SNG
Jeanne Viscito – SNG
Perhaps you will see them on a practice panel near you.
Our ACJCs, who gather at CTS for education and problem solving every three (or so) years, reviewed job responsibilities, shared tools and tricks, and are feeling absolutely ready to bring all of us the very best Area contests possible.
In addition to working hard and learning, learning, learning, we applauded some milestones of judges’ service.
Jill Reid – PER – 5 years
Jen Wheaton – SNG – 10 years
Liz LeClair – MUS – 10 years
Of course, a weekend like this would not be possible without the efforts and support of many people. Harmony, Inc. owes special thanks to:
- our category mentors – Chris Buechler, ADM; Tom Gentry, MUS; Joe Hunter, PER; Rik Johnson, SNG
- our ACJC facilitator – Linda Hilko
- our demonstration quartets – Free Spirits, Heart ‘n Soul, High Gear, and Out on a Limb.
Okay, let’s be realistic. There were a couple of not perfect moments. We could have done with a little less rain, snow, and ice during our stay. We really wish that the weather had cooperated on our arrival day so that Zoom had not been necessary for one of our candidates. We also wish the weather on departure day had not caused delays in getting home. But in the bigger scheme, the weekend was terrific. And that’s a wrap.
Now, readers, if all this information about CTS whets your appetite for serving Harmony, Inc. through the judging program, check out the C&J Handbook for eligibility requirements and application timeline CJ-Handbook-Section-2-Application-Procedures-Sept-2022.pdf (harmonyinc.org), and contact Training Coordinator Sue Novosad, training@harmonyinc.org if you need more information. Maybe this type of service is right for you…
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| Harmony, Inc's New Mission, Vision and Values |
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By Linda McMaster, Strategic Advisor
Members of Harmony, Inc.'s International Board of Directors have been busy working to revitalize HI's strategic plan. In the new year we are eager to share Harmony.Stronger.2023 and a number of new initiatives. We cannot thank our members enough for completing membership surveys, attending town halls, giving us feedback on our mission, vision, and values and so much more. Please know that meeting the needs of our members has been our 'mantra' throughout the planning process.
President Linda Brehaut was proud to share Harmony, Inc.'s revised Mission, Vision, and Statement of Values at IC&C 2022 Opening Ceremonies.
Key to our success is having a current and meaningful mission statement. In simple terms, mission describes an organization's reason for being and also who it serves. Thanks again to everyone who provided feedback. Because of your feedback, our new mission now places singing first.
Our Mission: EMPOWERING ALL WOMEN THROUGH SINGING, EDUCATION, AND FRIENDSHIP.
A motivating, powerful vision statement gives us purpose, inspiring us to reach our future, longer-term goals.
Our Vision: HARMONY, INC. WILL BE A LEADER IN THE INTERNATIONAL A CAPPELLA COMMUNITY, CELEBRATING AND SHARING OUR UNIQUE CULTURE.
We treasure our Harmony Creed. With your help, Harmony, Inc has formalized its own distinct Statement of Values. Our Creed and our Values will guide our behavior, shape accountability, and ultimately protect and strengthen our culture.
Our Values: HARMONY, INC. CORE VALUES – Guiding us in all we do
HARMONY – Celebrating Music, Friendship, and our Future
INCLUSION – Creating a safe place where everyone is welcome and respected
EMPOWERMENT – Encouraging personal growth while supporting each other
INTEGRITY – Striving to do what is right
FORWARD THINKING – Building a bright future together
When a Mission, Vision, and Values are embraced, they provide the foundation for healthy, thriving organizations to empower leadership, staff, volunteers, and members.
Please be sure the new HI Mission, Vision, and Values are revised on your chapter website and are front and center at meetings and special occasions like installation ceremonies.
Stay tuned to learn more about our strategic planning efforts in future issues of the HI Note.
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Volunteer Coordinator
This new volunteer position is an exciting one for Harmony, Inc! Our Volunteer Coordinator will help to ensure that Harmony has the volunteers needed to fulfill our mission and support our Areas, events, programs, strategic initiatives, and the IBOD. Read the President's Message, above, for more information.
The Volunteer Coordinator will report to the Executive VP. For more information, please contact Gaye LaCasce, Exec VP, or click here to apply.
IMPORTANT NOTE about JOTFORMS: If you have submitted a JotForm recently but have had no response to your submission (volunteering, financial questions, etc) then please reach out directly to the Corporate Office or to whomever would have received your Jotform. That platform hasn't been "behaving" properly in the past couple weeks (we're working on it!) and we don't want you to think you've been ignored!
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| Quartet Renewal Date Revised |
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Area contests are right around the corner! Update your calendar with the information shown below for your Area. Entries received after the posted Entry Deadline will incur a $5-per-singer late fee, and contestants registering after this date will sing first in the contest. No entries will be accepted after the late entry cutoff. Please check your Area website for more details about your AC&C.
Area 1
June 1-4, 2023
Entry Deadline: April 3
Late Entry Cutoff: May 3
Area 2
April 20-23, 2023
Entry Deadline: February 20
Late Entry Cutoff: March 22
Area 3
May 5-7, 2023
Entry Deadline: March 6
Late Entry Cutoff: April 5
Area 4
June 8-11, 2023
Entry Deadline: April 10
Late Entry Cutoff: May 10
Area 5
May 26-28, 2023
Entry Deadline: March 27
Late Entry Cutoff: April 26
Area 6
April 13-16, 2023
Entry Deadline: February 13
Late Entry Cutoff: March 15
As a reminder, all contestants who perform in Harmony, Inc. contests must be members in good standing, which means that all Harmony, Inc. Corporate, Area, and Chapter dues must be current as of April 1, 2023. In addition, quartets must also be appropriately registered and in good standing to enter any contest. If you have questions about your membership or quartet registration status, please contact Kelly in the Corporate Office.
Contest entry forms are available online using the links below.
Official Area Chorus Contest Entry Form
Official Area Quartet Contest Entry Form
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Your donations to the For Love of Harmony program enable you to identify individuals or groups to receive special recognition, while at the same time providing a monetary gift to Harmony, Inc.
?from Harmony Heritage in memory of Sandra Goode, beloved sister of Cheryl Copeland-Lewis
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| Condolences From The Membership |
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Those we cherish will always live on in memory.
- to Judy Robichaud (ScotianAires, Area 1), on the death of her sister Rose Marie Robichaud, who passed away on 05 January 2023.
Need to post a condolence notice? Please have the information sent to the Corporate Office to be recorded. Thank you.
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1 FEBRUARY 2023 - Revised (Annual 2022) Quartet registration renewal deadline
4 FEBRUARY - IBOD Q1 meeting, 9-4 ET via Zoom
15 MARCH 2023 - The first 200 people who pre-register by March 15, 2023 will be guaranteed reserved seating for all contest sessions at IC&C 2023.
19-21 MAY - IBOD Mid-Year meeting, place TBD
12-13 AUGUST - IBOD Q3 meeting, time TBD, via Zoom.
6-8 NOVEMBER - IBOD Annual Meeting, Grand Rapids, Michigan
The next issue of the HI Note comes to your inbox February 5, What would YOU like to read about in that issue? Share your thoughts with editor@harmonyinc.org by January 28.
See you in a couple weeks!
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Copyright © 2023 Harmony, Inc., All rights reserved.
As a member of Harmony, Inc. you are entitled to all communication from Harmony, Inc.
Our mailing address is:
Harmony, Inc.
Corporate Office
9466 Pleasant Level Rd
Mechanicsville, VA 23116
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