The San Diego Chorus is Competitor #1 in the Sweet Adelines International 2024 SemiFinals on October 31st, 2024 in Kansas City

The San Diego Chorus is traveling to Kansas City, Missouri for the Sweet Adelines International (SAI) 2024 SemiFinals. Currently ranked 5th worldwide, the chorus will take the stage as competitor #1 on Thursday, October 31st at approximately 10 AM Central Time.

Single and All Events Passes are available on site at Registration, and a LiveStream of the competition is also available for purchase.

WATCH VIA LIVESTREAM

The San Diego Chorus performing a number from their 2024 Entertainment Package. Choruses must rank within the top 10 worldwide to perform their entertainment set.

Ranking is based on the results of the Region 21 Golden West 2023 Contest, where the singers placed 2nd with a score of 674. The region, which is largely recognized as one of the most competitive within SAI, encompasses approximately 16 choruses across southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Hawaii. Region 21's Harborlites Chorus under the direction of Pam Pieson will also compete in the Chorus SemiFinals and OC Sound Chorus will compete in the Harmony Classic category for Small to Mid-Sized Choruses under the direction of Bonnie McKibben.

In August of 2023 Master Director Kathleen Hansen accepted a coveted Wild Card invitation on behalf of the San Diego Chorus for the October 2024 contest.

Thirty-two choruses from around the world have qualified for international competition in 2024. Contests are adjudicated by a double panel of eight  judges, each of whom intensively evaluate one of the four categories that comprise the overall score: Sound, Music, Expression and Visual Communication. Every competing organization has the potential to earn 100 points per category per song. The total possible points available for a performance is 800. 

The San Diego Chorus was awarded a score of 674 in the Region 21 2023 Contest, which earned them a coveted Wild Card invitation to International Competition.

The San Diego Chorus rehearsing the night before regional competition.

San Diego Chorus Team Coordinator Pam Murray with Director Kathleen Hansen.

​Choruses that rank within the top 10 earn a chance to present an entertainment package in the Finals for the championship title. The 15-minute Finals package showcases the musical excellence and personality of each chorus, blending a barbershop number with several contemporary a cappella numbers that feature dynamic arrangements complimented by exceptional staging, costumes and scripting.  The finals will take place on Saturday, November 2nd from 11:30 AM until 5:30 PM Central time. At the conclusion the 2024 Chorus Champions will be announced. 

Participation in an SAI Chorus competition entails approximately 18 - 24 months of focused preparation encompassing vocal and visual coaching, weekly rehearsals, sectionals and personal practice. Throughout the course of this competitive cycle, the San Diego Chorus has welcomed esteemed coaches from around the country, including:

• Ryan Heller, Alamo Metro Chorus
• Anne Downton, Westcoast Harmony Chorus
• Judy Pozsgay, Visual Expression Judge
• Lea Beverly, Expression Judge, SAI
• Cy Wood, Performance Judge, BHS
• Dan Wessler, Westminster Chorus, BHS

Chorus members are required to qualify vocally and visually in several phases to participate in regional and international competition. The San Diego Chorus was founded in 1951 and is a two-time International Championship organization, earning the titles in in 1975 and again in 2002, under the direction of Marvin Yerkey and Kim Vaughn respectively.

The 2024 Sweet Adelines International Chorus Judging Panel is as follows:

• Marcia Pinvidic, Panel Chair
• Joan Boutilier and Valerie Taylor, Sound
• Paula Davis and Annette Wallace, Expression
• Sharon Carlson and Jana Gutenson, Music
• Lisa Greenough and Diane Porsch, Visual Communications
• Beth Smith, Resource Judge
• Pattee Bender and Kellie Hinton, Panel Secretaries
• Connie Light, Page
• Sarah Netherton, Sound Trial Scorer
• Jennifer Williams, Visual Communications Trial Scorer

 
The week long competition and convention also features the 2024 Quartet SemiFinals and Finals, when one quartet will be crowned Queen of Harmony. Attendees also have a broad range of options for musical education sessions, coaching-under-glass and more.

The Coronet Club, an exclusive affiliated organization comprised of past Queens of Harmony recipients, presents the crowns, which are unveiled yearly. The nonprofit will also host the Coronet Club Show on Saturday evening following the Finals. The fun-filled evening welcomes the newly crowned Queens of Harmony to the stage via the CHAMPION STRUT. The show continues with performances from past championship quartets. The 2024 event welcomes special guests The Starlettes and 2023 Barbershop Harmony Society's International Champion Quartet, Midtown. Tickets to the Coronet Club Show require a separate, advance purchase. The event may be enjoyed anywhere via live stream.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nicole Knox sings with Nick of Time A Cappella Quartet and is a member of the San Diego Chorus, where she was named the 2023 Sweet Adeline of the Year. A fractional Chief Marketing Officer by trade, she encourages organizations and singers by sharing her time and expertise in support of best-in-class brand, marketing and communications.

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ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO CHORUS
Founded in 1951, the San Diego Chorus of Sweet Adelines International performs award-winning, four-part harmony in the barbershop style. Twice named International Chorus Champion of Women’s Barbershop Harmony, the nonprofit performing arts organization entertains in many musical genres along with its signature vibrant choreography. Led by Master Director and Sweet Adelines International Faculty, Kathleen Hansen, the San Diego Chorus is dedicated to local education, entertainment and competition.

​The Chorus welcomes women and non-binary treble singers who share a love of music and dedication to personal and musical growth regardless of age, race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender expression. Rehearsals are held weekly on Wednesday evenings in Room 207 of the Casa del Prado building in Balboa Park. Additional information can be found on their website at SanDiegoChorus.org.  ​

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ABOUT SWEET ADELINES INTERNATIONAL
Sweet Adelines International is a musical force in the United States and around the world. The organization is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma where it was founded in 1945. This nonprofit music education organization is one of the world's largest singing organizations for women, encompassing more than 25,000 members, 1,200 registered quartets, and 600 choruses in the United States, Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, The Netherlands, and Wales. More information is available on the International Web site by visiting, http://www.sweetadelineintl.org. ​