Competitions Blogs
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Competitions
With Sing2023 (the British Association of Barbershop Singers 49th Convention at Bournemouth) now only a couple of weeks away, the Kingsmen are putting the finishing touches to their two competition songs and getting ‘stage ready’ for their performance on Saturday 27th May.
The Kingsmen added to their trophy cabinet for the second time in as many months following a fantastic performance at the Torbay and South West of England Music Festival on 3 rd March 2023.
2023 got off to a winning start for the Kingsmen with a fabulous performance at the Saltash Music, Speech and Drama Festival. Singing two wonderful songs – The Way You Look Tonight and I Believe, the Chorus came away with a mark of 88, a Distinction, ‘An excellent performance technically and artistically’.
The Kingsmen under the direction of new Music Director Gary Rowe won two trophies at the Torbay Music Festival held in Paignton Festival Hall. Gary was immensely pleased with the choruses performance in both the male barbershop competition and the male choir category obtaining a distinction and commendation respectively. And this was his son Freddie’s (12yrs) first competition. And he performed like a real trouper. So well done to him.
'Enigma' Quartet comprising Peter Goodliffe (tenor), Gary Rowe (lead), Barrington Sowden (bass) and Dave Griffiths (baritone) travelled to St Austell in Cornwall to perform in the annual music festival.
The Kingsmen entered the choir category and came first with a great score of 86% singing 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do' and 'We'll Meet Again'; they also entered the barbershop category singing 'May I Never Love Again' and 'Taking A Chance On Love' and came first again but with a score of 87% and a distinction. The adjudicator Penelope Rice Jones said this was a thoroughly enjoyable performance by an experienced choir.
A small group (named K2) of twenty Kingsmen directed by Kingsmen Deputy Music Director Gary Rowe competed in the annual Saltash Music Festival and came away again with the trophy for the fourth year in succession with a distinction, a mark of 87% and glowing comments from the adjudicator Jeffrey Wynn Davies quote:
I joined The Kingsmen Barbershop Harmony Club at the end of a very enjoyable Learn To Sing Course they ran in early 2016.
LATEST FROM THE BLOG
After a great summer with performances at South Pool's "Up The Creek" event and the August Bank Holiday "Hope Cove Weekend" we are pleased to announce that we will be soon performing at Malborough Village Hall. Please come and join us on Friday 9th October when we perform at the Rotary Charity Concert supporting Kingsbridge in Bloom, a local charity whose volunteers work tirelessly to enhance the natural beauty of Kingsbridge. For ticket details please use the following link: www.estuaryrotary.org.uk , or for more information please click on the image below. Hope to see you there.
It's difficult to think of a better way to spend an evening than with the joy and harmony of song; enriched by the camaraderie, fun and friendship associated with being a member of a Chorus; and blessed by the sharing of precious moments with family and friends - all gathering to celebrate success; recognise and reward achievement; and mark significant milestones. But this is what the Kingsmen Barbershop Harmony Chorus https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/ has just done; and done in style. On display to greet attendees at the Awards Evening were items from the Club's archives, including an array of scrap books containing photographs and articles telling the story of the Club from the very first rehearsal attended by 12 guys at the Crabshell Pub in Kingsbridge in the Autumn of 1991; through tours (including 3 to the USA); results from competitions; and money (well over £100k) raised for various Charities. And inevitably, the page turning led to the sharing of stories, laughter and the recollection of happy memories. Chairman Paul Harvey opened proceedings with a warm Kingsmen welcome and handed over to Stu Newberry who took on the role as Master of Ceremonies. Stu guided attendees through the presentation and award of: the Harmony Award (recipient Kevin Hamer); the Jack Nation Trophy (recipient Chris Lambart); the Director's Award (recipient Ian Wooler); and the Barbershopper of the Year Award (recipient Kevin Hamer). Several Kingsmen also received Long Service Awards (the Club is a Member of the British Association of Barbershop Singers - https://www.singbarbershop.com/ ). 10 Year Badges were presented to Jim Stewart, Terry Weeks; Kevin Hamer and Ian Wooler (and will be to Charles Harrington, Geoff Sharps and Shaun Fewtrell - all of whom were unable to attend the event); a 20 Year Badge was presented to Gary Rowe; and 30 Year Badges were presented to Tim Wyatt and Steve Hancock. The evening culminated with the presentation by Chairman Paul Harvey of a special award - to Roy Hann, who founded the Chorus back in 1991 and who was the Musical Director for 30 years. The award was a glass trophy engraved with the words 'From your Brothers in Harmony. In celebration of your unwavering dedication, musical passion, and your 35 year milestone in founding the Chorus'. And you've guessed it - the celebrations continued at an Afterglow at a local pub, where more singing, fun and friendship was in abundance. Fancy having a go at singing? Want to join in the fun? If so, why not come along to one of our Rehearsals? You'll be guaranteed of receiving a big, warm Kingsmen welcome - and who knows, this time next year, you could be an award winner! For further information about the Kingsmen and Membership check out the following links: https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/become-a-member and https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/
Serene, Scenic, Spectacular
Howdy....
It's been Kingsbridge Fair Week recently and it was a joy to help kick things off to a great musical start. Dressed in our best and brightest Hawaiian shirts, the Kingsmen sang and entertained a lively audience from the Bandstand in the Town Square on an afternoon and evening of local entertainment, which ended with a firework display. If you were one of the men in the audience who enjoyed our performance and you like singing, then why not come along and visit us on a rehearsal night and join in the fun and camaraderie https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/become-a-member Kingsbridge is the hometown of the Kingsmen and we are celebrating our 35 anniversary this year. We like nothing better than supporting local events and charities; so keep an eye on the Upcoming Events link on our website to find out where we are singing and performing over the coming weeks and months. Hope to see you there! https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/ With thanks to Rebecca Rowe for taking these photos.
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