All,
This years BABS convention in Scarborough is being hailed by many as one of the best yet, and this sentiment is certainly carried through to the members of the National Barbershop Youth Chorus, as we feel that the weekend signalled that the chorus is definitely here to stay.
Firstly, the quartet competition had a huge stream of youth singers running through it, definitely the most I have remembered in my lifetime. All four of the youth quartets placed in top 10, with Rough Cut reaching the finals on their first time out, This Way Up getting their first medal, and Cadence winning the hearts of most of the audience by winning both the Young Quartet Award and the Novice Quartet Award.
Although the Chorus was not present in its entirety (we now have nearly forty members), we were really pleased with our performances over the course of the weekend. In the competition we scored a fraction shy of 70%, which as you can imagine, we are over the moon about, particularly as we had none of our ‘mentors’ on stage with us (even though they helped us no-end in the run up to convention). We also sang at every opportunity we could find over the weekend, in afterglows, corridors and toilets, and our performance on the Sunday night (along with Tim and John from Realtime) was a particular highlight.
A few people came up to us over the weekend and commented upon the number of young people at the convention being the highest they can remember. Whether this is fact or just because we were loud and outgoing I am unsure, however I hope that you are in agreement with me that this is a positive step in the right direction for the Association. I hope that we proved to you that not all young people are thugs, and that when a group of young guys get together with the right thing in mind, great things can happen.
As is traditional, I am left with a few people to thank. Obviously, Timm Barkworth and his team of Rob Barber, Dunc Whinyates and Andy Foster have been instrumental in setting up the chorus and helping them grow (and hopefully continue to grow) into what they are now. These guys were only appointed two years ago and look what’s happened! Also, Bill Harvey, Alan Goldsmith and the legend that is Mike Lofthouse for all their continued support. You may have noticed our new uniforms over the weekend, and this was mainly down to the generosity of Mike and his team. On the subject of uniforms, we should thank our ‘Chorus Mother’, Shirley Course, who worked incredibly hard to get us looking so spick and span. Also, Phil Mobsby and Mike Abbott have continued to work hard for us behind the scenes. Similar thanks go to the countless people who have coached us over our lifetime as a chorus.
A massive thank you goes to the Association, who without the financial support of the membership via the Harmony Foundation, the chorus would simply not exist. In a similar vein, we would like to thank you all for you support and encouragement over the weekend and any other appearances we have made as chorus. Without this, I doubt whether the members would have the tremendous commitment which they show.
On a personal note, and I hope that BABS will support me on this one, I would like to thank all of my friends in the chorus, who are committed, friendly, and mature beyond their years. Like I said, we are showing what can be done when a group of like-minded individuals get together with the right thing in mind, and I hope that we all did you proud over the weekend, and, with your continued support (and permission), we can continue to do you proud long into the future.
Yours sincerely,
Alan Hughes,
Chairman, NBYC
