{"id":618,"date":"2025-11-06T19:30:46","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T23:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hkn.b42.myftpupload.com\/?p=618"},"modified":"2025-11-06T19:30:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T23:30:46","slug":"seaside-a-cappella-chorus-brings-home-gold-from-ireland-by-sharon-jessup-joyce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/?p=618","title":{"rendered":"Seaside A Cappella chorus brings home gold from Ireland By Sharon Jessup Joyce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When the South Shore\u2019s Seaside A Cappella chorus went to Ireland last month, as the only Canadians to compete in the International Association of Barbershop Singers Convention and Contest in Killarney, Ireland, they won gold\u2014and an avalanche of well-deserved acclaim.
But despite all the hard work it took to achieve that win, and the justifiable delight the 65 members take in it, they will tell you that\u2019s not the most valuable thing they get from being part of their women\u2019s chorus.
The thing they most value, says Judy Comeau, the group\u2019s founder and director, is \u201cbeing part of such
an incredible sisterhood.\u201d After 58 years in four-part barbershop genre music\u2014 singing, directing, teaching and coaching, and founding five choruses\u2014Comeau says Seaside A Cappella, which she founded in 2017, is the \u201cmost extraordinary\u201dgroup she\u2019s ever been part of. She says the members\u2019 work ethic, willingness to take direction, and devotion to music and each other are the keys.
Yvonne Rafuse, the group\u2019s first elected president and head of the visual presentation team, says the
members \u201call join because they love to sing,\u201d but the performance aspect is often a challenge: \u201cWe
watch videos, practice in the mirror, perform for one another\u2014 and kindly critique each other.\u201d
That focus on constantly refining performance through practice, goal setting, and high- level coaching from Comeau and the rest of the team doesn\u2019t just improve the chorus\u2019 musical performance, the members say, but also carries over into other things.
\u201cIt has given me an extra measure of confidence,\u201d says Heather Lockhart. Barbara Pate agrees: \u201cAlong
with the joy of singing, this chorus offers leadership development.\u201d Above all else, the women
agree, Seaside A Cappella is about being part of a team, because singing well in four-part harmony
demands teamwork at the highest level.
Michelle Tipert, who selects a member for the group\u2019s annual Spirit Award, says that kind of high-level teamwork requires everyone to bring their best: \u201cI was writing down who stood out in different ways\u2014and I had something written down beside every single name.\u201d
\u201cThe members pour everything into the group,\u201d says newcomer Leslie Haughn, who is just about to become a full member. \u201cAnd everyone gets so much back from that.\u201d
Betty Rhodenizer, at 93 the oldest member of the group, agrees. \u201cThis group has changed my
life,\u201d she says. \u201cAs our director, Judy expects perfection, and I love her for it\u2014and she is the
most perfect director.\u201d
Comeau says the chrous is her passion. \u201cI want to give people the same opportunity to grow that
this type of music has given me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Seaside A Cappella in their winning performance in Ireland.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chorus competition doesn\u2019t come cheap
In addition to dedication and teamwork, a competitive chorus needs cash.
\u201cWith the rights to use the music and buy learning tracks, every one song costs just over
$500,\u201d says Judy Comeau, Seaside A Cappella’s founder and director.
Add in the cost of guest coaches, other development, clothing, registration in competitions,
and travel, and the expenses really add up. In addition to business donations, grants and
personal donations\u2014for which tax receipts can be issued\u2014the group fundraises all year
round through paid performances, custom birthday greetings on video, craft and bake
sales, and more.
One of the most important fundraisers is their popular annual show, this year on
November 16 at the Park View Education Centre in Bridgewater. Tickets are available at
seasideacappella.com.
There is also a four-session workshop on singing holiday music. For more information,
email jcomeau2000@gmail.com.
Judy Comeau and Yvonne Rafuse stress that these costs are essential to being able
to develop and maintain a high-level competitive chorus. Without those investments, \u201cwe
wouldn\u2019t have brought home a gold medal from Ireland,\u201d says Comeau.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the South Shore\u2019s Seaside A Cappella chorus went to Ireland last month, as the only Canadians to compete in the International Association of Barbershop Singers Convention and Contest in Killarney, Ireland, they won gold\u2014and an avalanche of well-deserved acclaim.But despite all the hard work it took to achieve that win, and the justifiable delight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[151,152],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cappella","category-singing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/independent-white-fish.learmonthmarketing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}