This page is maintained by Tom Arneberg ( toma@arneberg.com)
(Last modified: $Date: 2003/10/23 20:31:41 $)
For more info about MHBQA, email Kim Orloff at korloff@ix.netcom.com
New England & Nova Scotia (Sep 20 - Sep 27)
(Last modified: $Date: 2003/10/23 20:31:41 $)
When the cruise lines finally stopped changing their schedules and ships from port to port, we settled on a fall foliage chorus cruise, up the New England coast from New York, including two stops in Nova Scotia. We sang our way from port to port under the direction of Dave LaBar. Sailing aboard the Carnival cruise ship Victory, our port stops were in Boston, Portland (Maine), Sydney (Nova Scotia) and Halifax (Nova Scotia.)
Most of the singers in the 30-voice mixed chorus were new to our mixed-barberhop style, but included in the chorus were experienced mixed quartetters & MHBQA members Bonnie Cooper Bergeron and Kim Orloff, both singing baritone, and Jerry Orloff, singing bass. Besides the fun rehearsals on board with director Dave LaBar, highlights were the three performances. In Sydney, Nova Scotia, we joined the Sydney SPEBSQSA chapter to put on an hour's show, including an interview on a live local radio broadcast (they also broadcast several of our songs.) In Halifax, Nova Scotia, we put on a joint concert with the band which was also part of our group. It was a band put together from sign-ups of musicians from all over the country, similar to our chorus composition... except that they didn't get music and learning tapes in advance! The band was directed by renowned Air Force Band (and Singing Sergeants) retired director Colonel Arnaud Gabriel.) We joined forces to end the show with Stars & Stripes Forever. The final performance was also a joint show with the band, on board the ship to about 1200 of the ship's passengers. To our delight, many said after the show that it was the best show they'd been to on the whole cruise! Still in our performing shirts as we rushed off to the late seating dinner immediately after the show, it was great fun for all of us to be stopped time and again with enthusiastic comments and compliments. Applause, applause... love it!