Singing Out Loud: The Grand Traverse Show Chorus

Oct. 7, 2016

Barbershop quartets and choruses have long had one thing in common: The members are usually male. The Sweet Adelines seek to change that. Boasting more than 500 choruses and quartets, Sweet Adelines International showcases only female vocalists singing a cappella, four-part harmony, and barbershop-style music around the world. And a branch of that group, called the Grand Traverse Show Chorus (GTSC), is singing out loud right here in Traverse City.

“Our group was one of the first choirs in the Sweet Adelines organization,” explained GTSC Director Jill Watson. “Our chapter started in 1954 — and it was actually a man, Mel Gee, who started it, along with a group of determined women who wanted to bring female barbershop singing to our region.” The Sweet Adelines — named after the popular barbershop quartet song “You’re the Flower of My Heart, Sweet Adeline” — promotes the advancement of this singing art form through education and performances.

The GTSC performs regularly on a regional basis, and it also competes once a year in Sweet Adelines’ own regional/international competition event. “Our region is most of Michigan and part of Southern Ontario,” Watson said. “We went to Dearborn to compete this past April and won first place for regional small chorus. This means we’re seeded first place to go into the international competition in 2017. The top five choruses go to Las Vegas next October to compete, and we’re going to be one of them!” That success was a result of the GTSC members’ dedication. They get together every Thursday for rehearsals and focus on keeping their vocal parts sharp, precise, and emotive. The current group is comprised of 38 members. Ideally, Watson said, the group would like to have 45 to 50 vocalists.

Can you sing? The GTSC is always recruiting, said Watson. “What we encourage people to do if they want to be part of our group is come to three or four rehearsals,” Watson said. “We’ll give you music and learning tracks to listen to — you don’t need to actually read music — then you audition by singing the song you’ve learned, which also has to be memorized, as we memorize all of our music.”

Be prepared to do more than just singing if you get accepted as part of the chorus; GTSC performers incorporate dancing and other movement to add to their showmanship. “We dress up in great costumes — we like things sparkly, with lots of rhinestones! And we really get into the lyrics and the characters of the songs,” Watson said. “At competitions, you’re judged not just on singing but also on showmanship, and part of that is how much you engage with the song and with the audience.”

Originally, the GTSC did all traditional barbershop/Sweet Adelines material, which was mostly tunes from the ’40s and ’50s. “The Adelines and the Barbershop [Harmony] Society have their own special arrangers. The songs are carefully selected, and the music is arranged in a certain way for a cappella singing, so it keeps those tight harmonies and that feeling of an audio freight train heading your way!” Watson said.

But the Traverse City group also has managed to find some more contemporary songs that can lend themselves to the a cappella/barbershop style. “We do some really fun ones that are more current,” Watson said. “Garth Brooks’ ‘The River’; Beatles songs like ‘All My Lovin’’; and Alison Krauss’ ‘When You Say Nothing at All’ — that’s one of our favorites to perform!” Watson, who’s been with the group for 10 years (the past five as director and conductor), said that no matter what the song, the music itself is what ‘feeds the soul,’ and keeps this gathering of talented and focused ladies together. In addition to the charitable works that the group supports, the music itself gives back in a myriad of ways. “It’s just so rewarding,” she said. “I love standing in front of these women and hearing the sound of their singing come back to me. Music is the best, whether you’re singing it or just listening to it. Either way, people love it.”

To find out more about the Grand Traverse Show Chorus, its upcoming performance schedule, and how you can join, visit grandtraverseshowchorus.org or call 231-933-0729. Guests are welcome to attend a rehearsal any time.