What A Sweet Sound

WALLA WALLA - When about 20 women take the stage in harmony the sound sure is sweet. The Blue Mountain Chorus Sweet Adelines have been hitting the high and low notes since 1975 and have several awards to prove their musical chops. Just this year the group placed third for small chorus at the annual contest the group participates in.

The Sweet Adelines proved their musical skills to the community in their recent Broadway music con- cert last weekend in Walla Walla. Chorus member and Waitsburg resident Marilyn Johnson said as always, there were little bloopers during the two shows last weekend, but the show had a lot of energy and it was fun to get some new faces up onstage to sing.

The chorus has been as small as 14 members and as large as 50 members, said Waitsburg resident Barb Knopp, who has been part of the chorus for 22 years.

Knopp started in the Sweet Adelines in its Colville chapter in 1991. She said her husband Russ Knopp was the principal at Kettle Falls and when they moved to Waitsburg, she transferred to the Blue Mountain chorus. She said she has been singing since she was 2 years old and sang "Froggy Went A-Courtin'" at her uncle's eighth grade graduation.

Knopp said there are "zillions" of Sweet Adelines choruses all over the world. All of them sing barbershop music, which really emphasizes harmonies. Knopp said she has heard the Japanese and Swedish Sweet Adelines perform, which they all per- form in English to maintain the harmonies and the special sound the music has.

The music is perfect for Knopp because she says she loves to harmonize. In the chorus, Knopp sings baritone and loves to sing notes all over the range, the high notes and the low notes.

"I've had to learn to make my range wider," she said.

Singing baritone rather than the lead melody is more intriguing to her, she said, because she often varies from the melody.

Johnson said she had learned to sing in school and was invited to attend a Sweet Adelines show. She remem- bers thinking to herself that singing barbershop is something she really could do and has been part of the group for about four years. And Johnson even got her daughter, Vanessa Leamy, involved in the Sweet Ade- lines.

Johnson has three daughters and when the girls were young, they would gather around the piano and sing together at home. Johnson said she would drag Leamy to chorus rehearsal and then one day Leamy actually joined. At the concert last weekend, Leamy had a spe- cial solo where she actually showed off an unusual talent - singing like a chipmunk.

"I continue singing with Sweet Adelines because I love to sing," Leamy said. "It provides a really good challenge as far as bettering myself."

Leamy also likes that she gets to meet new peo- ple through the group. The Sweet Adelines currently have 17 members from all over the Walla Walla Valley and of all ages. Twenty-six performed in the shows last weekend. They rehearse every Monday at the Walla Walla airport at the Unity Church of Peace. Director Darlene Filla said she is very appreciative of the church for letting them practice there.

The chorus takes all kinds of singers - even those who cannot read music, Knopp said. The group al- lows members to purchase learning CDs to use to learn the parts of the songs if they need to.

"It's very easy for a per- son who doesn't read mu- sic," Knopp said.

For the one big show a year, those who can sew are also useful on the costume committee. The committee repairs costumes from past years and helps make Filla's vision for the show a real- ity. Costumes are typically black pants and fun jackets and tops with sparkles and stripes.

Admission is charged at the big annual concert and the members do pay dues ev- ery month to buy music and fund the group's performing needs like renting venues and buying props for the stage. Sometimes the group even has fundraisers to keep the group going.

About three years ago, Knopp said the numbers in the chorus really started dwindling. Today, she's one of six baritones. Three years ago, she was the only one. But, she believes the charter members of the chorus, like Filla, will never let the Blue Mountain Sweet Adelines peter out.

"I think the veterans love it too much to let it die," Knopp said.

Members are constantly inviting friends to join and Filla said getting younger people to join has brought new energy to the group.

On Jan. 14, Filla said the annual open house will begin. The open house is a four-week series of vocal lessons and one month of paid membership for those interested in trying the art of barbershop singing. Filla is very proud that like jazz mu- sic, barbershop is one of the original art forms conceived in the United States.

Filla encouraged community members to visit the group during the open house.

"Maybe they can be on stage next year," she said.

And it sounds like many of the veterans will be hang- ing around for a while because of the close connection and great friendships the members obtain.

"All of us love to sing," Johnson said. "It's a sister- hood and a group of people who genuinely care for one another."

And her daughter feels the same way.

"As long as I am able to sing I would love to be part of Sweet Adelines," Leamy said.

For more information about the Blue Mountain Chorus Sweet Adelines, vis- it www.sweetadelinesww.com or call Filla at 509-520- 0675.