Lots of Love,
The Girl Who Had A Coughing Attack At The Beginning of Hostias During Prelims.
aka:Allie
<3
Thank you for being an intelligent performer and leaving the stage when that occurred! I saw it... and I have had that happen to me before. It is sooo distracting... (especially in the ballad), but you handled it like a pro. Kudos to you and I hope your throat is feeling better!
thank you to everyone who has said such kind things about our set. it is truly touching. i am so glad that we were able to put on a show that everyone could enjoy, and enjoy performing it ourselves. New York was an amazing experience I will not soon forget. I look forward to seeing you all at some point in the future. Congratulations to everyone on their INCREDIBLE performances, you all truly made it worth the long flight from Burbank.
Lots of Love,
The Girl Who Had A Coughing Attack At The Beginning of Hostias During Prelims.
aka:Allie
<3
P.S. Häakon, it was nice to finally get to meet you in person. And have random dinner conversation about choir. lol
i just wanna say to everyone there on saturday competing that this was one of the best experiences of my life.
NC, i love you guys and your show, u guys are awesome!!!!
being as this was my first time in NY, on a plane, or on vacation, it was definitely worth the time change's making us lose sleep, walking everywhere, etc.
but seriously, congrats to all the groups; you all made my first nationals something i will remember for the rest of my life.
I just wanted 2 say as a member of counterpoints I was honored 2 compete with powerhouse. Although I didn't see the prelims performance you guys were absolutely incredible in finals. A lot of my friends including myself were in absolute awe after your performance because it was that incredible. You guys were really great and I met some really nice people from your school. I hope you guys have a great end to your season and it was fun meeting/competing with u guys!
I want to thank everyone for their kind words about our shows this year. We felt extremely honored to compete with all the groups at FAME NY and I thoroughly enjoyed every single show I saw (as many as I could manage with two groups competing!).
I want to give a special congratulations to the North Central Counterpoints. I think their vocals on Saturday were some of the best I've ever heard in show choir. We were also talking about how difficult it is to do musical theater songs out of context, but their version of 96,000 from In the Heights was truly fantastic (and all of Burroughs had just seen the show on Thursday night). Overall the show was as impressive as it was entertaining.
Hopefully we'll get to see many of these groups again in the future. We definitely had a great time in NY!
FAME New York was so awesome, thanks for putting on such a wonderful event! There were just so many fun things about it, so I'll only go into detail about a few.
Of all the competitions I've attended, I felt like this one had the classiest of groups.
-The Findlay people seemed to be everywhere, and they were always pleasant and polite. Very professional
-Homewood, I love you! Not only are you wonderful people, but it was funny to learn that some of you knew my grandparents from your neighborhood!
-The camaraderie between the Cali groups was nothing less than touching. As Chula Vista was receiving the FAME award, after not making finals, the whole Burroughs section was cheering "Chula ! Chula! Chula!"
Although FAME Chicago last year was fun, this competition was definitely leagues above in every aspect. The hall, the bigger homerooms, and the organization were all great. It seems they got all the judging/scoring issues from last year settled, too. No complaints here!
Burroughs: You all are amazing! Both groups!
-I was able to catch the girls group during prelims, and I must say, you are awesome! Come out to Indy sometime to compete with our Descants, and I know you'll beat your Burbank rivals sometime soon!
-Powerhouse has to be my favorite non-North Central group. As a couple of friends put it right after your finals performance, "Wow. This is a choir I wouldn't mind losing to." Not only are you an ENTERTAINING, well-excecuted, musical group, but off the stage you're wonderful people. It was fun to run into one of your members putting on makeup in the bathroom before finals. Congratulations on your well-deserved win!
This was probably the best-feeling 1RU trophy that we've ever received, although it didn't hurt to win the FAME Concert Choir cup the next morning ;) Again, thanks for such a wonderful time!
People who have not seen the show live and just watch it on YouTube just can’t get it. Yes… it is still awesome… but it just isn’t anything like sitting there having your face rocked off. You can’t feel what kind of magical energy Powerhouse conjures up. They pull you in. My body literally was on the edge of the seat waiting to be sucked into the world they created for me.
Wow, what a night. I'm still buzzing about the other night. 12 hours of sitting in an airplane has maybe dulled the buzz a LITTLE bit (I hate JFK Airport.. just throwing that out there) but.. wow. I could go on and talk about everybody's performances, but since everyone has done that already, I would like to address something else. There is an awesome sense of community in show choir that ceases to amaze me. I come from a marching band background, where each band is divided into competition circuits, divisions and many other things. Because of this, we tend to be.. not so nice.. to the opponent. Two years ago (I saw two years because that is when our band program was worth something and we actually had made a name for ourselves in SCSBOA.. it has since devolved into a smoldering pile of ash) I would not expect someone from, lets say for example.. Hart Regiment (our biggest competition two years ago) to come up to our group and tell us how much they loved our show. That is totally unthinkable. Absolutely inconceivable. Now, what I observed from the choirs this past Saturday is straight-up remarkable in my mind. As Powerhouse started to trickled back into the ballroom after our performance, about 10 or so kids from North-Central made their way over to our area and just poured praise upon us all. That is amazing to me. After two years of observing how competitive show choir is and then seeing this.. I can't even explain how it makes me feel to see our (arguably) toughest competitor come up to us and tell us how much they loved it. Of course there are some cases where this isn't true (Burroughs-Burbank? I'd like to think its because of that stupid cross town rivalry crap the adults ingrain in our heads so early on) but for the most part there is a great sense of kinship.
P.S: JBHS has the best combo in all the land, not to toot my own horn (..stupid puns lol)
i was one of those ten people!
you were all amazing and gave a damn good show.
you deserved all the praise that was given and i feel honored to have met some of you and to have watched your show.
congratulations on your win!
an amazing performance was given :]
Agreed. Two years in a row now they've blown past mixed groups on a national level. They're quite the group of young women!
It was fantastic getting to talk with you too, Dan. See you next year, somewhere!
As a member of JBHS Sound Sensations for the past two years, I am so proud of us. We came into the competition knowing that we were the only girls group and we were ready. Not a lot of people thought we would beat ONE mixed group let alone make it into finals. We went on stage focused and ready to give one hell of a show and we gave it our all. I had a BLAST in New York, it was so nice meeting everyone. :D
Wow, what a night. I'm still buzzing about the other night. 12 hours of sitting in an airplane has maybe dulled the buzz a LITTLE bit (I hate JFK Airport.. just throwing that out there) but.. wow. I could go on and talk about everybody's performances, but since everyone has done that already, I would like to address something else. There is an awesome sense of community in show choir that ceases to amaze me. I come from a marching band background, where each band is divided into competition circuits, divisions and many other things. Because of this, we tend to be.. not so nice.. to the opponent. Two years ago (I saw two years because that is when our band program was worth something and we actually had made a name for ourselves in SCSBOA.. it has since devolved into a smoldering pile of ash) I would not expect someone from, lets say for example.. Hart Regiment (our biggest competition two years ago) to come up to our group and tell us how much they loved our show. That is totally unthinkable. Absolutely inconceivable. Now, what I observed from the choirs this past Saturday is straight-up remarkable in my mind. As Powerhouse started to trickled back into the ballroom after our performance, about 10 or so kids from North-Central made their way over to our area and just poured praise upon us all. That is amazing to me. After two years of observing how competitive show choir is and then seeing this.. I can't even explain how it makes me feel to see our (arguably) toughest competitor come up to us and tell us how much they loved it. Of course there are some cases where this isn't true (Burroughs-Burbank? I'd like to think its because of that stupid cross town rivalry crap the adults ingrain in our heads so early on) but for the most part there is a great sense of kinship.
P.S: JBHS has the best combo in all the land, not to toot my own horn (..stupid puns lol)
That comment was made before he saw John Burrough's "Sound Sensations" live- so please don't parade it over him after the fact. He knows what happened, he was there.
Oh, I think a little gentle parading might not be inappropriate, considering SS got literally no love in anyone's predictions, even after making finals last year in Chicago. I'm not saying it was terribly unreasonable to leave them out of predictions (based on my admittedly incomplete knowledge of the groups, I thought they'd have a tough battle too), but it certainly wouldn't have been unreasonable to predict them MAKING the finals either, and nobody did. I'd say her comment was more an expression of vindication against the whole body of you "predicters", though it happened to be a response to one in particular.
Anyway, I know the girls very well, and they would like nothing better than to have more girls' groups to compete against when they go out of state; from their point of view it's a very daunting task to try to beat top-shelf mixed choirs, and it's not easy for judges to adjudicate them fairly. In the meantime, maybe they've proven that they deserve to be in the discussion when they compete against mixed groups.
BTW, it was delightful meeting all of you showchoir.com folks, and I look forward to seeing you in the future.
(from left to right SCC names- osumusic, Jorge, I Sing Lower, I Got Rhythm, BeninChoraliers07, Häakon, johnsaloser, Addicted2Swingers, Yuri, ccy2k6)
Here are my thoughts on FAME New York 2009-
My prelims scores (as Taylor posted for me while I was at the competition) were-
1st- North Central (Vocals & Choreography)
2nd- John Burroughs
3rd- Findlay
4th- Wheaton Warrenville
5th- John Burroughs (girls)
6th- Greece Athena *TIE
6th- Chula Vista *TIE
8th- Homewood
The top five were definite finalists in my book. The sixth spot between Greece Athena and Chula Vista was a difficult one for me to choose- so difficult, I ended up not choosing. I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear or not hear either name called. I loathed Greece Athena after the day mainly because of their show design, repertoire, minimal choreography, and odd vocal techniques. Chula didn’t really stand out for me due to their early performance time and a show that just didn’t have much of an impact.
Wheaton’s prelims performance was LOUD! Very loud- the loudest of the entire day. I’ve never heard them produce that quantity of sound and quite honestly it wasn’t always good. It was so pushed and really made the overall tone and intonation suffer. The choreography wasn’t as tight as I would have imagined it being at this late of the game either. The band however was on fire!
Findlay’s prelims performance was fantastic- a wonderful package right up until the closer. The closer really threw off their entire show. The choreography looked unnatural being performed by the students and the vocals just sounded tired and panty. The blocking got really messy, and overall it really hurt this wonderful image they had just created with the first four songs.
John Burroughs’s prelims performance was plagued with issues mostly out of their control. The mics were all over the place. Some soloists were never heard, and honestly, it didn’t sound like any of the overall choir microphones were on due to the fact that all the other groups were louder than them (even their girls group- which from what some of the Burroughs staff said, doesn’t happen). The performance just didn’t really pack a punch. It seemed like the performers were still struggling to deal with the time adjustment as well. The show was great once it got past the first few songs… but as from the prelims scores said, it was beatable. Still- even being a bit lackluster, one could feel that finals for them would be something extraordinary.
North Central knocked it out of the ball park with their performance. I have no doubt in my mind that they are the best show choir in Indiana if not the best in the Midwest. I was not a fan of the choreography much last year but what a difference a year makes! The choreo was insanely tight, energetic, appropriate to the music, difficult, and FUN! Major props to Woody (it was nice meeting you at “Shrek”). The vocals were just drop dead gorgeous in the day. The captions for choreography and vocals that you received at night for the PRELIMS scores were appropriate (even though I DON’T support FAME in using those scores as the final say to award the entire competition’s captions). I’m stunned at the caliber that you all executed the song “96,000” at. It was insane. It’s a testament to what kind of leadership and talent you have. I really enjoyed the entire show. A lot of people weren’t so certain about the first two songs, but I felt they complimented the entire flow of show quite well.
For my final results, I had-
Grand Champion- John Burroughs (miles above everyone else)
1st Runner Up- North Central
2nd Runner Up- Wheaton Warrenville
3rd Runner Up- Findlay
4th Runner Up- Greece Athena
5th Runner Up- John Burroughs
Best Vocals- John Burroughs
Best Choreography- John Burroughs
Best Band- North Central
Best Show Design- John Burroughs
At night- I felt Wheaton Warrenville, Greece Athena (especially), and John Burroughs each gave a much more improved performance. The other groups just kind of stayed at the same prelims performance level.
Wheaton floored me during finals. Their “loudness” was balanced out and fixed. Their vocals were gorgeous. Their ballad was the best of any of the shows performed at the Manhattan Center. It got a standing ovation from our row of show choir aficionados and many others around the hall. They brought an energy and excitement to the stage that NO other show choir brought... A sort of- “Hey… we’re here to perform; we could care less about how we place because we just LOVE doing this.” It left all audience members feeling good and extremely happy to have seen their awesome show.
North Central’s finals performance for me was a small step down from their stellar prelims performance. It just didn’t really go anywhere. Everything was fantastic, but I felt like I was getting the same exact show I did in prelims. “96,000” once again was great, but even the climax portions in it just didn’t quite get to the top.
John Burroughs did something in finals that I will never forget for the rest of my life. They literally left their hearts and souls on that stage. They gave EVERYTHING. I’ve never had a show choir captivate me like “Powerhouse” did Saturday night. Compared to the prelims performance, it was like a brand new show. It is pointless to even really talk about the vocals or choreography because they were at a level of awesomeness that I don’t think words quite express. I was blown away by the individual choices that all of the performers picked- the smallest little choices in a movement or a facial that completely resounded across the room. Those kids don’t just go on stage and put on a happy or sad face- each emotion is a specific one, so specific and focused you would think they had professional training in acting and the art of body language. I’m still in awe of the performance that I was lucky enough to witness. I just can’t get over it. The creativity in that show alone far surpasses any show I have seen all season. It tops last years Burrough’s show by a mile in my book as well. People who have not seen the show live and just watch it on YouTube just can’t get it. Yes… it is still awesome… but it just isn’t anything like sitting there having your face rocked off. You can’t feel what kind of magical energy Powerhouse conjures up. They pull you in. My body literally was on the edge of the seat waiting to be sucked into the world they created for me.
Thank you thank you thank you to the staff of John Burrough’s for delivering something unforgettable and completely different than every other group out there. You are the reason for Powerhouse’s success from year to year. Jen Oundjian- your name alone will go into the history books as being the person to recreate and innovate the show choir world.
To the students- you are otherworldly on stage. You send a message to people that you love what you are doing. You love your show, show choir, school, and most of all you are passionate about performing. Thank you for making my trip to New York worth it. I make a vow from now on to at least catch you live once in a season… because missing your shows anymore just isn’t an option.
They are the best, folks. This season and show proves that.
That comment was made before he saw John Burrough's "Sound Sensations" live- so please don't parade it over him after the fact. He knows what happened, he was there.
Words can't describe how freaking awesome the competition was on saturday night! I got to see and meet some of the most amazing people in the show choir world. All the choirs treated us with the upmost respect and I just want to thank everyone for that. Big congratulations to NC for music and show! You guys were great, along with all of the other choirs performing! SS, I'm SO proud of you guys!! I knew that your hard work and determination would do great things for you this trip. Best I've ever seen you guys [from side stage] most definitely! And I can't wait to host the amazing MA on saturday! I know you're going to prove FAME wrong at showcase. Great job to everyone, and have an awesome rest of the show choir season! :D
p.s. - we were in a plane for twelve hours tonight -_________________________-
Okay well, I am on my phone at my hotel and I just have to say that of every show choir I have ever seen, john Burroughs was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. Simply incredible. Words cannot describe that performance. Wow, wow, wow!!!!
I also need to say that Wheaton warrenville is my favorite show choir! They have so much passion on stage. Genuine passion. Not many groups last night had that. I have never ever got choked up over show choir. But after wheatons passionate performance of their ballad I was almost in tears. Wow.
In prelims I had:
Findlay
NC
Wheaton
John Burroughs
John Burroughs girls
Greece Athena
Homewood
Chula
At night I had:
John Burroughs (by a giant margin)
Wheaton Warrenville
NC
Findlay
John Burroughs girls
Greece Athena
When I get back to la crosse tomorrow I will post my thoughts on every group!
FAME New York 2009
