On Wednesday night Surrey Harmony was very fortunate to welcome a special guest director, in the form of Joan Boutilier.
Joan is an accomplished Sweet Adeline director. She has directed the Choral-Aires Chorus in Region 3 since 1996. Choral-Aires consistently places in the Top 10 when they compete in Sweet Adelines International competitions. She became a Master Director in 1997. She also directs River City Sound and, excitingly, sings tenor with the Four Bettys, the 2008 Sweet Adeline International Quartet Champions.
Her degree in Music Education from the University of New Mexico has been a springboard for her many accomplishments in the Sweet Adeline organisation: Sound Judge, Quartet and Chorus Coach, and a member of the Directors Education Committee.
Joan worked with us on our competition package and it was exciting to hear the improvements she made in just one evening. The smiles on all of our faces at the end of the night and positive vibe in the room, were testament to how much we all got from her input. Now the hard work starts, as we strive to keep her suggestions in place and build on them over the next few weeks in preparation for Regional Convention at the Sage, Newcastle in May 2013.