By Eric Millirons, special correspondent

Going back to my childhood, the one thing that never made sense was why the organist at my church played so loudly that neither the voices of the congregation nor the choir could be heard over the organ. It was ever so moving an experience when a soloist sang “a capella”, that is “without accompaniment”, and in so doing displayed how melodious the human voice can be. If one takes that scenario and increases the number to 70 female voices, then you have a wonderfully enjoyable, understandable, harmonious chorus – in fact, you have the Greater Richmond Chorus of the Sweet Adelines International, who will be traveling to Hawaii to compete at the international level of the Sweet Adelines.

On Monday, August 25, which was a warm summer evening, the residents of Lakewood Manor, in western Henrico County, ventured out and got a sneak peak at why the chorus is headed to the “Aloha State.”
The reason for the Hawaii trip is that in April 2007, the GRC gained the title of Region 14 Champions of the Sweet Adelines International. In November, they will go up against the best in the world from the other 33 regions of the SAI.  Roger Tarpy, Director of the group, when asked how long they had been practicing for the upcoming competition responded with a grin that literally spread from ear to ear: “We’ve been practicing for Hawaii for two years!”

Prior to their performance for the capacity crowd in the Simms Center at Lakewood Manor, some of the residents saw that there is more to a presentation than the singing. Just like athletes, the ladies must get into the proper mindset and proper condition, for not only is there singing, there is also choreography. They first started with stretching exercises and then moved on to vocal ones. If you don’t think choreography on narrow risers requires athletic conditioning, then you don’t remember the narrow seating in the high school basketball gym. As the time for the performance was near, they all quickly exited to put on whatever final touches to makeup or attire were needed.

Chorus members are all about commitment. Besides practicing in Richmond for three hours per week, they also practice for hours at their homes or anywhere else they have an opportunity to do so, and the opportunity arrives every time a practice or scheduled event occurs. For while many of them are from the immediate area, some come from as far away as Virginia Beach, picking up other members as they travel to Richmond. So, if you happen to be traveling on a Monday afternoon and see a carload of women singing their hearts out in a nearby vehicle, you may have just been exposed to some of these performers. There are also about 20 of these women that call Chesterfield County “home”, and they come from all portions of the county. There are members that live in Salisbury, Woodlake, Shenandoah, and near Pocahontas State Park to just name a few. All in all, Chesterfield is well represented in this organization.

While it is undoubtedly about commitment, it is also about having a rewarding personal experience. As Phyllis Quast, who has a total of 21 years with SAI but only five with the GRC put it, “it is something to do for yourself.” Most of then are mothers, performing all the motherly chores. “But on Monday (when we have a practice), I don’t have to do dishes.”

The ladies entered for their presentation wearing bright festive tropical tops and leis to represent their upcoming trip as well as to introduce their program which took all to the earlier days of television with the lyrics of “Gilligan’s Island”.

It is their singing for which they are world-renowned. The songs they presented, in two sets with only a very brief intermission, ran the gamut from gospel to Broadway and each seemed superior to the previous. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” transported those in attendance to that magical kingdom of “Oz”, while “I Can’t Help Falling in Love” brought smiles to the crowd as they remembered their loves of long ago.
Interspersed throughout the concert were vocal presentations by smaller subgroups of the chorus with catchy names like “Incognito”, “Breaking News”, Southern Exposure”, and the “Extension Chords”. This latter group serves as the Chorus’ community outreach and service group. As Jean Roberts noted, “we formed two years ago and have typically given two to three performances a month”. Of course, these outreach events for retirement communities, nursing homes, schools and the like are done without charge; and the group is in such demand that they are more or less booked until 2009.

The Chorus concluded their show with what they billed as a “patriotic medley for all our American heroes”. Tears crept into the audience’s eyes as they sang Lee Greenwood’s “Proud To Be An American”, followed by “This is My Country”, and closed with “This Land is Your Land”.

There are only so many ways that one can say a vocal concert by the Greater Richmond Chorus was excellent or exceptional. The harmony was unbelievable and the sheer beauty of those melodious voices was breathtaking. Words in print could never do justice to such a performance. This is a case of “you would have to see it to believe it”, and fortunately you can. On October 12, the Greater Richmond Chorus will be presenting a concert, which they are calling “Hawaiian Holiday”, at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on Hermitage Road.

The Greater Richmond Chorus has information about the upcoming October concert at its website: http://www.grcsings.com/index.html.