Month: September 2022

Hello, Mid-Atlantic District! I hope you are as excited as I am for our Fall Convention in just two weeks!

Hotels: new block of available rooms at the Lancaster Wyndham

We are thrilled and grateful for the positive attendance response we’ve seen so far. In fact, we’ve already managed to sell out our hotel block at the Lancaster Marriott! This is in part due to it being an extremely busy autumn weekend in Lancaster. Many of you have likely seen this reflected in the limited availability and overall high prices of hotels in the area. 

Fortunately, we have been able to secure an additional hotel block! This additional block is at the Lancaster Wyndham (2300 Lincoln Highway East), which is about a 10 drive to the convention venue. Please act quickly as the block of rooms will only be available until Friday, September 30th! You can reserve a room at this link, or by calling 1-800-233-0121 (or 717-299-5500) and mentioning you’re with the BHS Convention when making the reservation.

As is the case for any hotel block the District reserves, there is financial liability if we do not utilize the block we have set aside, so we ask that you please reserve a room in the block if you have not already secured lodging at the Marriott. 

“Song of the Convention” Program 

(“In the Glow” Sheet Music and Learning Materials)

As you saw in Ig’s note this week, we are working to evolve our conventions and add more engaging, fun activities in a financially sustainable approach. At this fall’s District Convention, we are launching one of our first new programs called “Song of the Convention!” This initiative  will encourage bespoke song compositions and arrangements in SATB voicing with free learning materials so we can all sing together throughout the weekend on our own unique M-AD song each convention! 

This year’s song is called “In The Glow,” and sheet music and tracks are available here. Special thanks to our all-volunteer artistic team: Zachary Zimmerman (Team Lead and Co-Songwriter), Jay Alan Zimmerman (Co-Songwriter), Adam Bock (Arranger), and Alexander Ronneburg (Learning Track Engineer). See a note below from our Team Lead Zachary Zimmerman about the original song:

In writing this song, I wanted to draw from the sense of belonging that I feel from the barbershop community. One of the greatest qualities of barbershoppers is our welcoming nature. When new folks show interest, we are excited to include them and share our passion for harmony singing with them. The energy and ideas they bring move our art form forward. At the same time, there’s a deep sense of tradition and stability that roots us and provides comfort that we can count on singing together for years and years to come. 

Thank you all for your continued support and contributions to what is sure to be a fun and fulfilling weekend. We hope you enjoy learning the convention song and look forward to seeing you–and singing with you!–in Lancaster!

In Harmony,

Braden Lynk
Mid-Atlantic District – VP of Events
Barbershop Harmony Society

Over the last couple months, I have hosted three Zoom sessions where I shared information about our finances as they relate to our conventions. I invited all chorus Directors, Presidents, and Chapter Delegates and encouraged them to invite others. Here is a summary of what was discussed.

Spring conventions qualify quartets to compete at the fall convention, summer international, and senior’s mid-winter. Choruses qualify to compete at the fall convention. Over the last 10 years, the number of people attending our Spring conventions declined from about 2000 down to about 750 this past Spring. Our costs, if anything, have risen like everything else, but it’s clear that our attendance at conventions is at an all-time low. The District convention has not escaped the same trajectory.

Historically, we made enough money at the fall convention to make up for any losses from the Spring, however, with an overall decrease in attendance, that has no longer been true.

We discussed several ways to raise income and brainstormed ideas to reduce expenses. I also received input about how to increase attendance. All of this will be taken into consideration as we move into 2023. We are already introducing some new programs at this fall’s convention to continue to improve the attendee experience:

• Master Classes by both Pratt Street Power and Alexandria Harmonizers Saturday afternoon
• A “Song of the Convention” – In the Glow: a song written and arranged especially for M-AD to sing all weekend with other attendees. Sheet music and learning materials are here.

On the cost and income side, we are actively looking at our event model including venue types and staff structure. We can use all of your help with either time or material donations to bolster our margins.

There is also some “low-hanging fruit” that we may choose to pick in consultation with the M-AD Board of Directors and House of Delegates. For example, the average cost of an all events ticket in M-AD is about $40 while the average ticket cost across all the other districts is $60. Additionally, it costs us about $1,000 to have risers available in the ready room at every contest which should also be evaluated. There are many other levers to consider on both the cost and income side and we’ll do our best to maintain the experience you are used to while making our approach sustainable for the long-term.

If you have any ideas or would like to support future conventions, please reach out to Braden Lynk, our new VP of Events, at braden.lynk@gmail.com.

Contributed by Ig Jakovac, 2022 M-AD President