Jersey Harmony Chorus
A competitive, 4-part harmony, a cappella chorus
"I love being part of of the Jersey Harmony Chorus community and find that no matter how tired I feel, singing with friends who feel like family energizes me." Caryn Speizer, Bass
Singing at a Strawberry Festival
Peddler's Village invited us to sing at their annual Strawberry Festival. We sang five songs When I am 64 (Beetles), True Colors (Cyndi Lauper), Mermaid (Disney Little Mermaid Medley), Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper), and Dancing Queen (ABBA).
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There were crowds and crowds of people milling about at this particular Peddler's Village event - more people than usual. Adults and children danced and sang along with us at times which was fun to watch. We received a lot of positive feedback this time too. A great day for a strolling gig!
Competing in Albany, NY
This year, we chose to sing an uptune, The Moment I Saw Your Eyes, and a ballad, As Long As You Need Me. In the group photo with us in our red, sparkling tops, we are acting surprised at the good roll of the dice. One of the fun things about singing barbershop is the performance aspect. We never simply stand on stage with our heads in our sheet music. We use expression and body language to tell the story of the song.
The photo of us on the bus was taken before we performed. The bus took us from the hotel to the performance hall. We will be singing on stage very soon!
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After everyone is done competing, we gather in the evening for a buffet dinner and are entertained by the winning choruses and quartets. It's a fun weekend of singing and camaraderie.
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Two Days of Coaching by the
Talented Jack Pinto
We were lucky to have Jack Pinto coach us over a two day period this week to help us prepare for competition in Albany, NY this March. Jack has been a lifelong musician and has both sung in and directed award winning quartets and choruses. Currently, he is the director of the Sweet Adelines (SAI) Harmony Celebration Chorus.
Each year Jersey Harmony Chorus invites at least one outside coach to help us improve our singing craft so that we can perform our best when we compete alongside other SAI Region 15 choruses in the spring each year.
Happy Birthday to our Fabulous Director, Kat Britt!
Our chorus is extremely lucky to have Kat Britt as our director. She brings a vast amount of expertise to each rehearsal and always creates a positive, fun, upbeat environment that is supportive and conducive to learning and growing as singers. She is very dedicated and always gives her heart and soul to our chorus.
This year, we wished her a happy birthday by writing up news stories for the front page of a mock newspaper. We focused on all the things that make her special. If you are considering joining our chorus, please know that you will be in good hands with her as your director.
We're Having a Ball! at Our Annual Show
Wow! What fun to perform for about 100 attendees at our annual show this year at the cozy Byron Barn in Plainsboro, NJ. This was the year we sang our regular repertoire which included a variety of pop songs by artists like Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, The Beetles, Eurythmics, among others.
Notice that we aren't holding sheet music. We memorize our music which frees us up to express and connect with the audience easily.
Happy Holidays!
Bringing Holiday Cheer to
Palmer Square in Princeton, NJ
We have so much fun singing Christams Carols and other holiday songs around Palmer Square in Princeton, NJ each December. The town is decorated with lights, ribbons, wreaths, and Christmas trees. Often we meet up with Santa as he makes the rounds. Many of the shops welcome us to sing inside to their patrons. At Lindt chocolate we get a truffle before heading back out to sing again under the various arches and nooks.
This is such a fun gig, and it always gets our members and the shoppers passing by into the holiday spirit.
A Spooktacular Rehearsal for Halloween!
Singing with Jersey Harmony Chorus isn't just about creating a wonderful sound with our voices, we also take the time to have a little extra fun. To celebrate Halloween many of us dressed up to mark the spooky season. We came as hot dogs, cows, police, and witches to name a few.​
A Big Welcome to Our Newest
Members!
It's always exciting to welcome new members to our chorus. They hear about us from our social media efforts, through our Meetup correspondence, and by word of mouth. Each new voice adds to the beauty and richness of our sound.
Our most recent new members are Kathleen Stanish (Bass), Jill Constantine (Bass), and Lindsay Diehl (Lead). We look forward to singing with you!
Front: Kathleen Stanish, Jill Constantine, Carole Auletta
Back Row: Kat Britt, Lindsay Diehl
Singing at Peddler's Village
We went back to Peddler's Village for the first time this year wearing our new Jersey Harmony Chorus T-Shirts and singing a collection of pop favorites like our Little Mermaid Medley, Cyndi Lauper's True Colors, and When I am 64 by the Beetles.
It was a HOT day to sing so there were fewer crowds strolling by than usual, but we had fun. We made sure to sing under trees, and we drank a lot of water. One restaurant manager allowed us to sing indoors where it was air conditioned which was a welcome relief!
Our Director, Kat Britt, Won the Harriette Walters Leadership Award
Every year one Region 15 Sweet Adelines member receives the Harriette Walters Leadership Award. This year it was our amazing Director, Kat Britt!
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To win the award, a member must demonstrate a number of traits including being an enthusiastic, passionate person who can identify great ideas, is dedicated to ongoing growth, knows how to motivate and bring out the best in others and so much more.
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We are lucky to have such a multi-talented director leading us at Jersey Harmony Chorus!
Ringing in the Holidays
at Byron Barn
Our holiday show this year was at the Byron Barn in Plainsboro, NJ. We sang a variety of Christmas carols and other holiday songs mostly in 4-part, a cappella harmony. In addition to the chorus singing, two quartets and other small ensembles sang. There were basket raffles, a 50-50 drawing, and food and drink after the show. It was a fun and festive event.
Our Chorus Family Continues to Grow!
We welcome another new member, Audrey Wells! She is standing to the right along with our Membership Team Leader, Carole Auletta, to the left and our Director, Kat Britt, in the middle. She brings a lot of singing experience with her and will be joining the Tenor section. Her daughter, Robin Lillianthal, sings with us too. They are our second mother daughter singing duo!
Are you interested in singing with us? Contact Carole Auletta at 732-236-6803 or jhc.membership@gmail.com.
Welcome to 6 New Members!
We are so excited to welcome 6 new members to our Jersey Harmony Chorus family! They are Catherine Cummings (Bass), Sarah Waterbury (Baritone), Gillian Schwert (Baritone), Michaela Finan (Bass), Gulnara Latypova (Lead), and Magdalena Montoya (Lead - Not Shown). We are looking forward to singing with them all in the years to come!
Are you interested in singing with us? Contact Carole Auletta at 732-236-6803 or jhc.membership@gmail.com.
Growing as a Singer at VocalFest!
One of the many things that makes being part of Jersey Harmony Chorus so special is the learning opportunities. One of these learning opportunities is VocalFest which is organized by Sweet Adelines International (SAI) Region 15, the region that our chorus belongs to.
This year VocalFest took place over 3 days in Parsippany, NJ, and SAI Region 15 members had many opportunities to learn, sing together, hear the region's top choruses sing, and connect.
In addition, we were lucky to learn from a special guest faculty member, Britt-Heléne Bonnedahl, who led the Rönninge Show Chorus in Sweden to success during international competitions. She shared many of her secrets that helped her chorus win including the importance of mindset.
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Jersey Harmony Chorus members who attended VocalFest 2023. From left to right: Catherine Cummings, Kat Britt, Karen Kumpf, Alice Tempel, Robin Lillianthal, Audrey Wells, Gail Bruno, Sandra Hoedemaker, Carole Auletta, Diane Trampe, Anita Barry
Singing for the Senior Community and Griggstown Reformed Church
We enjoy performing at various venues throughout the year. During the summer this year, we sang at Harbor Chase, an assisted living facility; Hillsborough Chapter A Senior Center; and the Harvest Home Festival organized by Griggstown Reformed Church. We sang songs from our regular repertoire which included pop hits and show tunes.