White Rosettes clinch 15th gold medal at national championships
PRESS RELEASE: For immediate release
15th gold medal in 2015!
2 November 2015, LEEDS: Yorkshire-based all-female barbershop chorus, The White Rosettes, last weekend claimed the gold medal at the Ladies’ Association of British Barbershop Singers’ (LABBS) National Convention, held at the Bournemouth International Centre. This is 15th time the chorus has won the title.
The 64 performers, who rehearse once a week in a school gym in north Leeds, beat 30 other barbershop choruses from across the UK in an extremely tough competition. They sang the wartime ballad You'll never know, previously recorded by artists including Vera Lynn, Frank Sintara and Michael Buble, and the Irving Berlin classic Puttin' on the Ritz complete with Fred Astaire style dance moves. This is the eighth time the chorus has won under the direction of Sally McLean, who has recently appeared as a judge on the BBC show, the naked choir.
Sally McLean says:
"I am thrilled and overwhelmed to have achieved our 15th national championship! Competition from the other choruses was fierce this year which made winning even more exciting. Achieving the title is validation of the hard work and commitment of the dedicated women in our chorus. This year was particularly special because we welcomed 16 new members on to the convention stage with us. The proportion of new members on stage with us was unprecedented but they blended with the rest of the chorus fantastically.
One of the newest members of the chorus, Alison Crutchley, says this about her first barbershop convention:
"Convention was a rollercoaster of friendship, laughter, thrills, tears, and singing in the bar ‘til the small hours. Sally and the White Rosettes put a lot of faith in me and in the other new members: there are sixteen of us, so we made up a quarter of the chorus at competition. But they make you feel like anything is possible; their dedication inspires you to work really hard and make them proud. Coming away with a gold medal is the best feeling in the world, and I couldn’t be happier to be a member of this terrific chorus and sing among these marvellous women every week."
The weather was glorious in the seaside resort of Bournemouth which reflected the sparkle of the gold medals, Sally McLean said:
"Bournemouth is a long way from home but it holds a special place in the hearts of the chorus who won their 11th gold medal there in 2007. Wherever we are in the country, the competition weekend is a wonderful opportunity to meet other singers and share in the sense of camaraderie among the 31 choruses in the association."
Once the celebrations are over the chorus will be rehearsing for their next performances in Bingley on November 28th and Ashville College in Harrogate on December 12th. The December show will be particularly exciting as the chorus will be joined by fellow gold medal winners Hannah and the Hurricanes who won their second gold in the national mixed quartet competition in Bournemouth this weekend. Sally will also be directing her male barbershop chorus, Spirit of Harmony. And male bronze medal winning quartet Finest Hour will complete the line-up.
The chorus will then begin preparations for their trip to Munich in March 2016 to perform at the Barbershop in Germany festival. They are also promoting their latest CD The Wicked Rosettes.
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Tickets for the Harrogate show can be bought from: www.ticketsource.co.uk/ashvilleacapella
Interest in joining the White Rosettes? Check out the information on our 'Sing with us' page http://www.whiterosettes.org.uk/sing-with-us or call Jan Spencer on 07852 210640.
For more information
Contact Rebekah Olive on 07729 191379 or email pro@whiterosettes.org.uk