The Sweet Adelines International Region 23 quartets will compete on Friday at 3 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium. The winner of the regional contest will earn the right to compete with other top quartets from around the world in the international quartet contest in Seattle.
The choruses will hit the Auditorium stage with four-part a cappella harmonies on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The winning chorus will compete in the 2011 Sweet Adelines International contest which will be held in Houston, Tx.
Sweet Adelines International is the women’s counterpart of the men’s Barbershop Harmony Society. Membership includes almost 30,000 women, all singing in English.
They represent choruses in most of the 50 United States as well as in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, Wales and the Netherlands. There are also prospective choruses in Denmark, Greece and United Arab Emirates.
This a cappella event begins with the Rising Star Contest held in the Convention Center, Plaza Ballroom. This contest features quartets of young women 25 years old and younger, and the winning quartet will compete in the International Rising Star contest held in Seattle, Wa. in October.
Members of Sweet Adelines Region 23 will be traveling to the convention from Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia and the panhandle of Florida. A mass sing will be held in the Marriott lobby at noon on Friday.
Chattanooga residents are welcome at the contest performances. “First time visitors are often amazed at the variety of songs that are performed in the barbershop style,” said Ms. Allen, “The women work all year for this opportunity, and, I have to say, we put on a great show.”
Tickets are $20 for each show and will be available at the Memorial Auditorium box office one hour before each performance.