Surrey Harmony Women’s Barbershop Chorus

Getting To Know You IE Style

Assistant Director Valerie Taylor and Choreographer Elaine Glover recently went to the Sweet Adelines International Education Symposium held in San Antonio Texas. Read on to find out why they were outshone by a man and the comedy of errors over the bathroom.

Assistant Director Valerie Taylor and Choreographer Elaine Glover at the International Education Symposium
 IES concluded with a toga party

Elaine with Elaine Hamilton from Edinburgh’s Forth Valley Chorus
Elaine with Elaine Hamilton from Edinburgh’s Forth Valley Chorus

Deborah Wheeldon from Lace City Singers, another neighbour with Valerie.
Deborah Wheeldon from Lace City Singers, another neighbour with Valerie.

Renee Porzel (Melodeers) with Topaz Quartet who were placed 7th
Renee Porzel (Melodeers) with Topaz Quartet

This year IES was held at San Antonio’s Trinity University. That meant dormitory style accommodation for the IES “students”. “I kind of felt a bit like Darrell Rivers in Enid Blyton’s Mallory Towers series at this point” says Valerie. “And we were very lucky we knew our neighbours” says Elaine. “We quickly discovered there was no lock on the bathroom door so we had to devise a way of making sure everyone knew when someone else was in the bathroom!” Valerie adds “Sweet Adelines is all about make new friends, but no-one wanted to become THAT friendly they wanted to share bathroom moments”.

As it happens the neighbours were Elaine Hamilton from Edinburgh’s Forth Valley Chorus and Deborah Wheeldon from Lace City Singers.

Valerie was following the workshops for members of Regional Management Teams and Elaine the course for Choreographers. As usual there was a line of up of some of the top names in the Sweet Adelines organisation all ready to impart their wisdom from 8.30 every morning. Valerie says “there were sessions with Dale Syverson (Rich Tones) Jim Arns (Melodeers), Gail Jencik (Coastline Show Chorus) Betty Clipman (Houston Horizon). Everyone was so inspiring”. Elaine meanwhile was soaking up all the Choreography ideas of Renee Porzel (Melodeers) and Lynne Smith who is Choreographer for Harborlites as well as Director of Golden Sands Chorus.

“We worked every day until seven o clock” says Elaine. “We barely saw the sunshine, but now I have lots of ideas to bring to Surrey Harmony over the coming months”.

IES concluded with a toga party. Valerie and Elaine threw themselves wholeheartedly into the theme with togas created by fellow Surrey Harmony member Alison Holdom. But why was no one else around them looking like an extra from the set of Gladiator? It turns out that the rest of the Brits had decided not to go for the laurel wreath and gold sandals look. Shame on them! But lots of other people did and Valerie and Elaine made it through to the semi-finals of the Best Toga competition.

Out of 1000 Sweet Adelines attending IES – would you believe first prize went to a man!