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Are you interested in Ladies’
Barbershop Singing?
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The advert in ‘The Scotsman’ caught the eye of two Edinburgh ladies, June Thomson and Lorna Ramage, who went along to investigate one night in August 1987. A total of eight ladies turned up and that night Forth Valley Chorus was born.
Over the intervening years, under the leadership of three inspiring Directors – Morag Sherriffs, Maggie Wood and David Sangster – we have met regularly on Thursday nights and have grown tenfold in numbers becoming a force to be reckoned with in the British barbershop scene.
In 1988 we joined the Sweet Adelines organisation, based in Tulsa, which allowed us to compete against other Choruses in our region (covering Britain and the Netherlands). Winning gold would mean we could represent our Region the following year in International Competition.
Over the next few years we continued to work on our barbershop sound and showmanship and this paid off in the mid 1990s when we were absolutely thrilled to win two gold medals and made the journey to Reno, USA, to compete in International. We continue to be placed in the medals each year and are hoping that our next gold medal is just around the corner. The standard in our Region is reaching new heights and our medal winners are amongst the best in the world.
Another facet of our chorus is the creation of quartets and we have nurtured two gold medal winners – Spinning Jenny (featuring June Thomson as Lead) and Sound Sensation (now renamed The Swingettes). We have had numerous quartets over the years and at present ‘Mac 4’and ‘Rouge’ are carrying the flag for Forth Valley. For those who don’t have the confidence to sing in quartet, some small groups of 8 or 10 have formed to sing both for pleasure and for the public. Current small groups are ‘Tonic’ and ‘Dynamix’.
While learning the techniques of singing four part harmony barbershop style and perfecting choreography, we also have a lot of fun at rehearsals. But what we enjoy most is performing in public. We have sung in a huge variety of venues - from Hopetoun House to bowling clubs, from the Ross Bandstand to churches, from coffee mornings to the Assembly Rooms – we’re game for any venue!
As for our members, we range in age from early 20s to the 70s; we are a mini United Nations with members originating from Europe, Scandinavia, America and Canada; we have teachers, lawyers, mums, grannies, nurses, accountants, lawyers and bankers.
But on Thursday nights or on the contest stage we’re all Sweet Adelines. Why not come and join us? You’re sure to fit in!