Competitions

Gem Connection collect another Award

LABBS Convention
Each autumn Ladies British Barbershop Choruses compete at their annual Convention. This is a weekend when singers take over a town such as Harrogate or Bournemouth, booking up all the hotels, filling restaurants and singing at every opportunity!

Choruses work tremendously hard in the months running up to the competition to improve their rankings and, for some, to win a coveted medal. Singing and performance techniques are rehearsed to the highest level possible. Excitement mounts as the weekend gets closer and outfits are packed at the ready.
Two songs are performed by each chorus and we are judged on all aspects of our performance by a panel of trained judges.

After the competition is over it’s show time and time to party and, hopefully, to celebrate successes. Shows include winning choruses and quartets, singing guests from abroad and from our brother organisation, BABS. Parties will usually involve more singing as this is what we love to do.

May 2007, Derby Arts Festival

On May 12th this year Gem were the proud winners of no less than four cups at the Derby Arts Festival.

In the Barbershop class we were awarded the Watkins Harmony Cup and given a distinction by the judge, Julia Dewhurst, who was impressed by our “impact in energy and the smooth roundness of our velvety sound”, She commented that “not only did our vocal performance glitter but the stunning costumes too.”
In the Ladies Choir section we won the May Selby Memorial Cup and were commended for our “professionalism and our sense of total artistic abandon and platform poise from start to finish”.

We were awarded the Miriam Harding Memorial Rose Bowl for our Concert class performance, where we gained 88 marks, putting us once again in the Distinction category. And finally, the Joyce Wardle Memorial Trophy was awarded to us for our ‘outstanding’ category mark of 90, the highest of the day. The judge, who had a good understanding of Barbershop performance, said that we demonstrated “visually and orally impeccable work…and an infectious sense of communication.”

Two of our newest members performed with us for the first time at the festival and were awarded their sparkling GEM brooches, as is our custom. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding day for us all. We look forward to next year, when the festival will be celebrating it’s 100th year!

If you belong to a choir and would like to enter the competition next year you can contact the organiser, Mrs Betty Pyle, on 01332 559482 for further information. She would be delighted to hear from you.

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