Author: Cavan Potee

Join the Alexandria Harmonizers for a show 75 years in the making. This show will highlight the musical excellence which has propelled the Harmonizers to win twenty medals at international competitions, including four first-place gold medals, as well as the 2018 Greater D.C. Area Choral Excellence “Ovation” award for Best A Cappella Ensemble. The show will feature some chorus favorites, but will also feature some new, custom arrangements.  It will be an evening to the legacy of the wonderful singers who have gone before us and to look forward to amazing things that are coming.

We are also pleased to welcome to the stage our newest ensemble, Metro Voices, as well as gold medal winning quartets Max Q and Ringmasters! Come and celebrate Barbershop at its best!

This is Why We Sing: A 75th Anniversary Celebration

September 9, 2023, 7:00 pm

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall
4915 East Campus Drive
Alexandria VA, 22311

Buy your tickets for this show today!

The Heart of Maryland Chorus (Patapsco Valley, MD chapter) is having a guest night on Tuesday, June 13, and we want you to join us as we showcase our current repertoire, sing tags, and have a grand evening in fellowship followed by an afterglow at Jennings Café!

The Heart of Maryland Chorus rehearses at 7:30pm every Tuesday evening at Salem Lutheran Church, located 905 Frederick Rd, Catonsville, MD 21228.

Hello M-AD Members!

As we solidly head into the “Midwinter” timeframe, I’m looking forward to Spring and along with it our Spring conventions! I am excited to confirm full details on registration, housing, and venues are available on the M-AD website (links below). I’ve also called out a few specific updates as we continue to update our events to be more sustainable and even more enjoyable.

Central/Southern Division (York, PA)
Northern Division (Nazareth, PA)

Ticket Information:

• The registration cost for our Spring conventions have been increased based on the realities of our financial situation and to ensure we can continue to provide the convention experience. Ticket pricing is now as follows:
  • Early Bird – All Events: $47
  • Online Regular – All Events: $57
  • At the Door – All Events: $60
  • At the Door – Single Event: $35
  • Youth (under 18): Free (available at the door only)
• Convention tickets can only be purchased online through the M-AD website or at the door. Direct links are also here:
  • Central/Southern
  • Northern
• Everyone competing must have an all-events ticket (not a single-event ticket).
• The last day for Early Bird ticket sales will be 3/4 (Central/Southern) and 3/25 (Northern). The last day for Online ticket sales will be  3/18 (Central/Southern) and 4/8 (Northern).

• All tickets will be General Admission with no specific assigned seating within the theaters.
• Tickets will be picked up at Will Call in front of the theater. We will have the list of pre-purchased tickets by purchaser name – you can also show your receipt either on your phone or with a printout.

Housing Information:

• Available housing options are available on the M-AD website with the first option listed as the designated “Headquarters.” We are looking to hold some additional programs at the hotel, however, all official contest sessions will take place at the school venues.
• Deadlines are coming up quickly for the housing blocks so please book soon. The faster our rooms book up, the easier it will be to increase our block or secure additional housing options.
  • Please Note: Our room blocks for the Central/Southern hotel locations have booked faster than anticipated. Please book ASAP and we will work in parallel to increase the block size and add additional hotel options as needed.

Other Items: 

• We will be continuing our “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. Learn it as we will be singing it as part of the weekend’s activities!
• We are seeking to foster tag singing opportunities, if you are interested in serving as a designated “Tag Master/Coordinator” at either or both Spring events, please reach out to me directly.
• Program Ads are available once again, please see further details here and reach out to confirm placement.

I hope to see you all soon at the Spring events! I’m always open to feedback – if you have any suggestions or would like to support the events team, please reach out to me at braden.lynk@gmail.com.

In harmony,

Braden Lynk

VP Events

Everything you need to know about Prelim and Division convention registration, ticket sales, and accommodations may be found at http://midatlanticdistrict.com/?Code=ConvInfo

As we look forward to our upcoming Spring conventions, MAD leadership and our advisors revisited our safety protocols, deciding to drop all vaccination mandates. The updated protocols are as follows:

Updated COVID Protocols:

• The MAD will not require attendees to be vaccinated.
• Masking is optional, and the MAD recommends that individuals follow their local county guidelines based on CDC recommendation (CDC COVID by County).
• All members should respect the wishes of others as to their own desire to mask or not to mask. This is consistent with (and required by) BHS Code of Ethics precept #5: “We shall exhibit a spirit of good fellowship toward all members and strive to resolve any conflicts with civility and respect.”
• Quartets participating in evaluations should be expected to be in close quarters with the judging community. If either entity (quartet or judge) requests that you mask, please respect that request.
• In deciding to attend the event, each attendee must understand the risks of contracting COVID-19, and should make that decision based on their understanding of their own risk factors and risk tolerance, in light of the protocols described above.
• If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, or were in close contact with someone who has tested positive in the week leading up to the event, please DO NOT attend the event, out of consideration for your fellow barbershoppers and our audience. For more information, here is a link to CDC guidelines for testing and avoidance: CDC COVID Prevention.

We look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming Spring conventions.

Thanks,
Steve Kirsch
Mid-Atlantic District President

Want to give back to the barbershop community in a way that doesn’t require a lot of time and will help you meet and make new friends? Be a chapter Advocate!

Valentine’s Day is coming up and will be here before you know it. Is your chapter planning to offer Singing Valentines? Do you sometimes receive orders for Singing Valentines just outside what would normally be your coverage area? Want to know if there may be other chapters nearby who are also offering Singing Valentines? We have a Singing Valentines Tracker!

Just follow this link to open our Singing Valentines Tracker page with a google map that has pins for all the chapters we know are offering Singing Valentines this year!

Want your chapter to be on it too? Email us or reach out to us on Facebook and we’ll be happy to add a pin for your chapter!