photo by Lilley Photography
Lustre competed in the SAI International Quartet Contest in Honolulu, HI on November 6th and 8th, 2013 and finished in 5th place over all. We are thrilled with our performances and with the outcome!
photo by Lilley Photography
Sweet Adelines International invites 52 quartets from around the world to participate each year in the International Quartet Competition. All of the competitors are the “best of the best” in the Sweet Adelines world, having earned their invitation to this competition due to being either a regional champion, or a high-scoring wildcard invitee, or because of their finish in last year’s International competition in second through fifteenth place.
On Wednesday Nov 6, we performed in the Semi-Finals round of the competition. During this round, all 52 competitors perform two songs, for a total of 4-7 minutes on stage. After a morning of primping and polishing, we gave our performance and felt great! It’s a wonderful feeling to walk on stage feeling prepared, and to walk off stage feeling like we had done our best and had represented ourselves, our choruses and our regions well. To be honest, that’s a feeling we have not always had, and so we’re always grateful when it happens this way. Coming off stage into the embrace of our chorus and regional friends and family in the auditorium (and online!) made the moment even sweeter! At the end of the day, we were so pleased that our name was called as one of the “top ten” competitors who had advanced to the Finals round, and we would be able to sing again on Friday.
photo by Lilley Photography
On Friday Nov 8, we performed our “performance package,” which is a 12-15 minute performance containing two contest songs and other “show” songs, plus the opportunity to have emcee work or other material to entertain the audience. With more time available, we have the chance to sing more varieties of music and have a little fun with a “story line”.
Our time on stage flew by, and before we knew it, we were out in the audience enjoying the rest of the competitors’ performances. Then before too long, we were onstage awaiting the results. What a thrill to stand up there and be part of that ceremony! As the announcements went along, we realized that we had surpassed both last year’s 7th place finish and last year’s score. When they called our name as the 5th Place Medalists, we were absolutely thrilled!
One of the unexpected gifts that one receives being a Top Ten quartet is the opportunity to watch the Quartet Finals announcements from the vantage point of the stage. Standing up there with those talented ladies, with a convention center full of Sweet Adelines, and watching the joy as each quartet receives their award – that feeling is just so priceless! We were so happy to watch our friend and HCMC chorus mate, Sue Taylor, receive 3rd place medal with her quartet, a.k.a. And of course we loved watching the crowning of the 2014 SAI International Quartet Champions, LoveNotes, happen right in front of us!
photo by Claire Gardiner
We’d like to send our congratulations to all of the week’s competitors. Together, we put on one heck of a fantastic contest, and we all have so much to be proud of! We are honored to represent Sweet Adelines International, our regions, and our choruses as the 2014 SAI 5th Place International Medalist Quartet.