Capital Region Performance Gallery

by Dick Frantzreb

The Sacramento Valley Chorus is celebrating its 40th year as a chartered member of Sweet Adelines International, the women’s barbershop organization. And a great way for them to celebrate this anniversary year is by having the opportunity to compete in Sweet Adelines’ 73rd Annual International Convention and Competition coming up September 16-21 (2019) in New Orleans. It was their success in competitions last year that earned the Sacramento Valley Chorus (SVC), under the leadership of Master Director Dede Nibler, the invitation to compete at International this year ― an honor they had in 2015 and 2017, as well.

As you become familiar with barbershop organizations, you quickly learn that barbershop choruses (and quartets, for that matter) are all about competition. Of course, there’s also the joy of singing, the camaraderie, and the thrill of performing. But barbershoppers ― at least at the highest levels where the Sacramento Valley Chorus currently resides ― embrace competition as a way to refine their art and pursue new paths of creativity.

A week or two before major competitions, SVC has put on a “Friends and Family Show.” It’s an opportunity to show off for their biggest fans, most of whom won’t be able to follow them to a distant city for the actual competition. More importantly, though, this special show gives the chorus an opportunity to test themselves against a live audience, and discover last-minute ways to refine their performance.

This time, the “Fall Festival Friends and Family Show” took place on a Saturday afternoon at Sacramento’s Arena Christian Center. Chorus member, Becky Garcia, served as emcee and welcomed the several hundred audience members.  She went on to explain a bit about SVC’s history and let us know that in the presentation of their “package,” we would be getting a “taste of what it would be like to be at International.” As Garcia was speaking, the 84 members of the chorus entered in a single line from stage right in their attractive new costumes (below). Those at the front of the line stopped after filling the stage, facing stage left, and they presented cover for the rest of the chorus as they took to the risers behind them. As I watched these 15 or so ladies, with stage make-up, carefully coiffed and with a pose that reflected discipline and confidence, their smiles reminded me of the way synchronized swimmers present themselves before entering the water.

With the chorus assembled on the risers, Garcia added a bit of realism by intoning, “We are now ready for the next contestant, number 25, representing Pacific Shores, Region 12 ― the Sacramento Valley Chorus.” Then with a breath that was as coordinated as the music to follow, the chorus began to sing “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.” The blend was simply beautiful. As I scanned the risers, each singer was disciplined, but expressive. Their movements were subtle, and it seemed that the group pulsed like a single living organism, as each committed singer caressed the song. And as lulling as this music was for the most part, the first fortissimo was thrilling.

For “Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!” the first 2 rows came out from the risers to make room for the choreography that was to accompany this song. As for the rest of the chorus, it’s better to call what they did “choralography” because most of the elaborate and varied hand-arm-body movements were performed from each person’s place in the risers. Whatever you call it, it was captivating, full of energy and joy ― and lots of smiles. I wish I could have seen the audience from the chorus’s point of view. I bet they were all smiles ― I was, anyway. And anyone who wasn’t smiling by the end of this number should have had their pulse checked to confirm they were alive.

These first two pieces were SVC’s “competition package” for the semi-finals in New Orleans ― their one opportunity to score points with the judges for the criteria of “sound, music, expression, and showmanship” and earn the right to be one of the 10 finalist choruses. But for us in this audience, the show was far from over. Garcia explained that they now wanted to “show the different musical facets and colors that the chorus has to offer.”

With that, we got an engaging performance of “Pure Imagination” from Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. As I listened to the variety of expression, tempo and harmony they put into this song, I thought surely this piece was also competition-worthy. Then they presented the Van Morrison song, “Moondance,” another song that was full of expressive choralography. And toward the end, it seemed like each singer was letting the music guide her own movements. In my notes, I wrote that for this piece, they really “got down.” (I guess you have to be of a certain age to know what I mean by that.)

John Lennon’s “Imagine” was next, and as SVC performed this piece, I reflected on how well they were working as an ensemble: blend, balance, movement, attack, cut-off. They checked all those boxes, but then I came to the ultimate question: How well do they convey the joy of what they’re doing? And I have to say, for all the melancholy introspection of “Imagine,” I could feel the joy flowing from these singers.

That joy was really amped up in Michael Bublé’s “Everything” with a return to the free, expressive movement we had seen in “Moondance.” I focused on one singer after another, and there was no question they were having a great time ― and of course I was, too.

There seemed to be a little confusion at this point in the show: I’m guessing that the next “act” (see below) was not quite ready. So they took the opportunity to rerun the two pieces of the semi-finals competition package. As they did so, Master Director Dede Nibler took the opportunity to make numerous adjustments. Watching these two pieces performed again, I got to thinking that there is an enormous amount of energy in each of these singers ― energy that’s being held back and let out only in a controlled way for each color of the emotional rainbow inherent in each song.

At this point Becky Garcia had something she wanted us in the audience to understand: “This is not a hobby for us; it’s a passion, and this next song is from our heart to yours.” And with that, this part of the show concluded with “What Would I Do Without My Music?” ― a song that is a sentimental favorite of many choruses and that SVC performed with great sincerity.

As the singers filed off the risers, we were promised that SVC would return. But they needed more than the planned 15-minute intermission to be ready to perform the last part of this show. Accordingly, we were introduced to another group who would sing for us ― Encore. This is a women’s octet of experienced barbershop singers, but since one of their members is in SVC, they appeared as an “octet minus one.” I won’t comment on their performance except to say that it was a nearly half-hour of pleasant, entertaining music, punctuated by a few excellent jokes. Their 6-song set included: Hit Me with a Hot Note, Tuxedo Junction, Home on the Range/Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie, I Don’t Know Why (I Love You Like I Do), Sentimental Journey, and Lazy Day.

After the intermission raffle results were announced, the Sacramento Valley Chorus reentered the room ― this time without any particular organization ― and dressed in the most outrageous costumes I’ve ever seen on a chorus. It was Halloween 7 weeks early. Each costume was totally different from the rest, and if there was any unifying theme, they were all made up to be monsters. Some were recognizable characters, but most were not, and there were quite a few zombies. Many had done elaborate face-painting, and there were wild wigs and hats, along with other costume items. As the audience began to take in the scene, there was pandemonium in the room ― shrieks of surprise and laughter.

The ensuing performance was built around a skit that included an abbreviated reading of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (better known as “The Night Before Christmas”). During this brief skit, the two “children” complained about seeing monsters. And the chorus members, who had their backs to the audience, turned and acted menacingly whenever the word “monster” was spoken.

The first song was Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” which was accompanied by impromptu screams and a lot of choralography. It was brilliant! Next was a surprisingly dear song titled “Why Doesn’t Santa Claus Go Next Door?” in which a little child, overwhelmed with too many Christmas gifts, suggests that the poor boy next door has been overlooked by Santa Claus. I have to say that the sweetness of the sentiment in this piece presented a stark contrast to the costumes of the singers.

“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” (from the animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas) was next. As it was sung, a chorus member dressed as The Grinch cavorted around the stage, singing and interacting with others on the risers. Then came “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Disney’s Toy Story franchise ― another song that belied the frightful costumes.

To conclude the performance, Becky Garcia invited the Sweet Adelines in the audience to come up on stage and sing “How We Sang Today” with the chorus. It’s a song that all Sweet Adelines know, and a way that SVC traditionally ends its shows and meetings. It was obviously an emotional experience for all involved.

By the way, those 4 pieces (“Thriller” through “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”) constitute SVC’s finals competition package ― which they’ll get to perform in New Orleans only if they are one of the 10 choruses that survive the semi-finals. Considering all the work ― and amazing costuming ― that has gone into this wonderfully entertaining finals competition package, one’s first thought is that it would be a terrible disappointment if SVC didn’t get to be one of those final 10 choruses. However… one can’t help but notice the Christmas pieces in the finals package. And the Sacramento Valley Chorus has a Christmas concert coming up on December 7. So make your plans now, and you’ll probably get to hear the wonderful barbershop harmonies and see the showmanship that I and the other family members and friends saw and heard on this afternoon. Here’s something else to consider: these “Friends and Family” shows aren’t just limited to those categories of people ― the public is welcome, and if you come, you’ll get to experience the highly polished presentation that comes in anticipation of an imminent competition.

If you’re reading this before the week of September 17-21, 2019, you can watch the activities of the Sweet Adelines International Competition in New Orleans on a free, live webcast. Follow this link for details: https://sweetadelines.com/neworleans/webcast.

And to keep up with the Sacramento Valley Chorus, be sure to visit their website at this link.