Capital Harmony Chorus in full song

Capital Harmony Chorus presents a fashion show, featuring new season’s fashions

from Jackie’s Fashions.

Monday 31st October, 8pm, Churton Park School Hall, 90 Churton Drive, Churton Park.

Entertainment by Capital Harmony Chorus.Supper/raffles/lucky door prize

Tickets available from chorus members for $10, may also be available at the door. Any questions phone Margaret 479-6675, email contactus@capitalharmony.org.nz

Contest, Wellington May 2011

Capital Harmony Chorus competing in Wellington, May 2011.

Here are some photos:

The Capital Harmony contingent

The girls get ready for performing with the He Tangata Chorus

The He Tangata show included some props and some very obliging husbands to don them!

The big kiwi needed some extra (wo)man-handling through doorways.

Wellington City Chorus rehearse at the ballroom of the Moana Surfrider. This is where the sold-out He Tangata show was held.

But it wasn’t all about Sweet Adelines. There was a spot of tourism too:

Christine & Robin enjoy Waikiki Beach

Christine enjoying the tropical weather

Robin makes a new friend on the trolley bus to Hilo Hatties

The girls check out Hilo Hatties Christmas store

Look – fish! I’ll have mine battered with some chips!

At the Ocenarium restaurant. It was a very serious business trying to decide what drink to order!

Lois orders a smoking pineapple

Mary, Christine & Robin

John checks out the flora and fauna

A montage of scenes.

The view from Jo’s penthouse suite. Anonymous person in jacuzzi.

Typical Waikiki beach scene.

Regional contest 2008 was especially exciting for Capital Harmony, not only because we were competing with two brand new songs!

Preparation for the event had included a coaching weekend with Barbara Smith in February, work in front of the mirrors at the Tawa ballet school (thanks Hayley) and the creation of new chorus trousers during several working bees organised and run by the hardworking and multi-talented Pat Hammond. We’d also run a dress rehearsal concert at the Cashmere School Hall shortly before contest date. We’d even purloined a tenor from Wellington City Chorus for the occasion (thanks Veronica!)

Director Joanne and board member Christine flew up to Hamilton on Thursday. On Friday morning Hamilton was positively buried under a thick blanket of fog as Joanne walked up to the Founders Theatre for the briefing and text messages starting coming in just as thickly to say that the rest of the chorus were on later flights or coming via Rotorua.

The group carrying the chorus banner took a minibus from Rotorua to Hamilton in an effort to make it to the opening ceremony, calling Joanne mid drive to prove they were rehearsing enroute. They made a grand entrance; just as the banner parade was ending, running down the aisles with banner held aloft. Check out the photo on http://www.sweetadelines.co.nz/html/Convention08candidphotos.htm .

By the end of the quartet competition on Friday we were still short quite a few members but eventually everyone made it in time for riser rehearsal later that night (phew).

Saturday was much clearer and brighter and as we rehearsed at our motel we had some wellwishers visit and some interest from the RSA group also staying there. See below for the “before makeup” and “after makeup” photos of each section.

The bus got us to the Founders Theatre in good time but the contest was running late so we ended up sitting on the back stairs for a while – it did give us a chance to wish good luck to over chorus friends the Manawatu Overtones, competing before us.

Finally we were on the stage and off again, in a blur of sequins. (See our competition photos on http://www.phoenixphotography.co.nz/chorus.php and http://www.phoenixphotography.co.nz/chorus2.php .).

By the end of the afternoon we had our scores and were happy to be back in the C-Cplus area again, particularly in our sound score. Many of the chorus attended the evening function with a funky live band and a wide array of costumes from the seventies were on show! (photos on the same pagelink as above).

Sunday activities included Music in the Morning, regional meeting and the closing ceremony, followed by He Tangata rehearsal for some members and Directors Course for Mary, Lois and Joanne. Capital Harmony was well represented at all these functions although Joanne decided to have a little nap and miss the Closing Ceremony….so she wasn’t there when WE won the Regional prize for most improved chorus (we didn’t win the international prize because we didn’t contest last year). Texts once again flew around the country and we became the holders of the , ah, magnificent trophy.

Although the Chorus has decided to take a break from contest in 2009, as  many  members were singing with either He Tangata or Wellington City at International in Hawaii in November 2008, we are gearing up to compete and win that trophy again in 2010, when regional contest is here in Wellington.

PHOTOS from Hamilton

The “before make up” shots

The Baritone Section show us their jazz hands

The Three Tenors (have something on their hands too!)

The beautiful bass section invite you to join them

The melodious leads

(They seem to have something stuck on their hands as well!)

The Lead section practice their chereo for “I’m a little teapot”

The “after make-up” shots

The Tenors in full regalia

The Baris in contest mode

The Basses glam it up

The Leads looking shimmery

And here is the whole Chorus ready to compete!

“Down the Hall on Saturday Night” had something for everyone.

Capital Harmony Chorus revived the days of the dance hall in a show that truly had something for everyone.

Bishop Viard College, Porirua, became the Whykickamoocow Village Hall on Saturday, 3 November.

The large and enthusiastic audience was treated to acappella singing, award winning country music, Kiwiana skit with sing-along and the chance to dance to a jazz band.

Capital Harmony Chorus performed love songs, kiwi sing-along songs and traditional Maori songs, followed by items from two quartets from within the chorus. He Tangata national chorus also sang impressively, as part of their weekend workshop.

The audience also loved award winning country singers the Miti Family and the evening concluded with dancing to the grooves of jazz band Wellington Heads who performed their own New Zealand flavoured material.

The supper was impressively catered and the decorations – including giant jandals – helped set the scene.

The work put in to the show really paid off with a great night for performers and audience alike.

Photo 1: The Capital Harmony ladies in their “Down the Hall” glad rags

Photo 2: Side by Side Quartet feel the love

Photo 3: When the Cat’s Intact Quartet get their claws out

Photo 4: Ches ‘n Dale take time out from down on the farm

Photo 5: The Chorus gets a Kiwiana makeover

Photo 6: He Tangata Chorus wow the audience

Photo 7: Check out the giant jandals!

Photo 8: The audience got to boogie on down to the Wellington Heads band

But we also had a lot of fun. Saturday night’s theme was “kiwi cowgirls” and everyone proved they’re closet country girls, dressing to the theme in style. We had a great evening, concluding with attempts to line-dance to video tapes!

It was a great weekend to get to know each other (including newer members) and to improve chorus cohesion.

PHOTOS…

Side by Side quartet show they’re friends off-stage as well: (left to right) Janet and Margaret share a drink, while Pat and Lois look on.

(Left to right, front row) Lois, Raewyn, Robin show hats are in style while Wendy takes the prize for her quarter-pounder!

The whole crew. Coach Jill Rodgers (left front) gets down, alongside Lynne

Pipe Major Stewart McKenzie demonstrates his craft (and a fine set of knees):

Capital Harmony Chorus strut their stuff:

The gals have a nasty fright…

Mau Rakau demo:

Vox Serbicus brought us the sounds of Serbia:

Phoenix quartet had us bewitched and bothered:

We even had a guest appearance from Turner Tina:

And to cap it all off, the finale was left to our special guests, the Niji Choir: