Let me share a very special part of my life story with you today.

As a young teenager growing up in Langley, B.C. my friends and I would often go to the movie theatre in town on Thursday evenings as some of the group worked there. Once everything was cleaned and locked up, we would wander down Main Street and sometimes land at the pizza place, where every Thursday a local men’s barbershop group would go after practice.

They would break out in song a couple of times a night and I just loved it!

Fast forward a number of years after my family moved to Ontario and settled in Aurora, I took a part time job at the local hotel where I arranged for banquets and room rentals. One day a gal came in to organize what she called an Afterglow for their singing group following a show. I inquired more about the group and was smitten to learn it was essentially a barbershop group for women.

Well, she could see the twinkle in my eyes as a 21 year old and offered to pick me up the following week to visit a rehearsal. Forty one years later, I am still smitten with this hobby and have found my home with the North Metro Chorus of Sweet Adelines.

North Metro Chorus is part of Sweet Adelines International, an International organization with choruses geographically divided into Regions. Choruses and quartets compete annually within their Region and the winners have the opportunity to continue on to the International Competition. Our chorus has been blessed with the hard work and talent of our Director and members to represent our Region numerous times at International. North Metro Chorus was set to compete at the International to be held in the fall of 2020 and you can guess that that one did not take place, nor did the 2021 event.

It took until 2023 for our chorus to be in a position to return to Regional and have the ability to qualify for International in 2024, which we did.

The magical journey to International begins with a dream or a vision by our Director, the incredible Erin Howden. As all creative souls, we are constantly being inspired by people and events around us until the spark of the right vision starts to manifest. Once this happens, Erin can start pulling the music together and the chorus jumps on board.

This year’s International was held in Kansas City, MI from Oct. 29 – Nov.1. Arriving early, my roommates and I explored the city and excitedly greeted other choruses we came across from Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, UK, Canada and many from the USA. We bring a happy and joyful vibe to any city we land in.

Little did I know that Kansas City was also the home and early birthplace of 2 iconic business influencers in the world, Walt Disney and JC Hall of Hallmark Greeting Cards. We toured the Hallmark Visitors Centre and were thrilled to learn of the 100 Years of Disney Exhibit being hosted this year at the historic Union Station. A group of us went one morning and were taken on a magical journey that transcended time.

The 6 of us immediately became kids again and allowed the emotions, playfulness and dreams to come to life as we posed here and there in silly formations and placed one of our gold medals on the hand of the fairy godmother as we placed our wish to have this success once more. It was one of the best visits we could have had to prepare for what we wanted to bring to stage later that week.

One big “ah ha” came when I was reading the philosophies of Walt Disney while developing his company and cross referencing how our director, Erin wove these throughout our journey to Kansas. It touched me so deeply – let me share:

Tell meaningful stories
Creating believable characters
Summoning the spirit of adventure & discovery
Appreciating the wonders of the world around us
Feeling the magic of sound and music
Always experimenting and innovating

For every piece of music we sing on stage, we have been coached to get into the message that the composer wished to convey and bring it to life. That involves telling meaningful stories and becoming a believable character. Some of the pieces this year were indeed about dreams and hopes so bringing the spirit of adventure and discovery were also woven in.

Taking part in this contest and singing for an audience who loves the harmonies and a cappella style allowed us to appreciate the world we have decided to bring to life in music and maybe shift a life or two if only for a few magic moments. When our 120 voices come together with the hours of practice to bring this message across the stage, the feeling of magic of sound and music is an indescribable high. Then of course, Erin has described herself as a; What Else Girl. Trying new ideas with us at every turn.

To wrap up this story, I will say that this was one of my favourite experiences on stage at International. We were all so excited to be there after a seven year hiatus, we were prepared and I felt a calm driven vision that fired me up. I was not alone as we did end up placing first and receiving the Gold Medal. This is my 6th Gold Medal with North Metro Chorus and it does not get old – somehow it becomes even more meaningful.

The official recording of our winning Les Miserables performance will be on YouTube by the end of the month if you search our chorus name – The North Metro Chorus Sweet Adelines. I invite you to decide for yourself if some of the philosophies were brought to life.

For more information about the North Metro Chorus check out: https://www.northmetrochorus.com/

Cheers to living a magical life,
Karen