The Pitch Pipe - October 2008 - (Page 17) Ten years? Already? Did it really go by that quickly? How did it happen? How did the International Education Symposium go from vision to completion in the blink of an eye? Pretty simple, really. With great love. When Dr. Jim Henry delivered his inspiring opening-night address, he charged each participant with one great task — whatever you do, base it on love. The thought is far from original and Henry attributed his inspiration to the woman who said it first, missionary Mother Teresa of Calcutta. But placed in the context of a Sweet Adelines seminar, the words rang a different chord: “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.” Love. The very thought, its simple elegance, pulsed throughout the auditorium. There it was, the fiber that runs through every performance and rehearsal, the thread that new members see glistening and reach towards, the strand that binds us one to another. In the complex and ever-evolving tapestry represented by 63 years of Sweet Adelines, the most basic element remains unchanged. We are tied together by love. Henry’s theme was very familiar to Master Director Mo Field and the members of Stockholm City Voices from Sweden. The Harmony Classic Division A champion chorus does more than embrace the concept, it lives it. “We practice that as part of our rehearsal,” Mo said. “It is part of our vision. We focus on the small things we can control.” In San Antonio, Stockholm City Voices presented a package based upon the pioneering American aviator Amelia Earhart, who disappeared in the South Pacific in 1937 as she attempted to become the first woman to complete an around-theworld flight. Like Earhart, who kept her craft as unadorned as possible to maximize its potential for success, Mo and the chorus kept things simple. Clad in aviator-style khaki trousers, light blue shirts, white silk scarves and leather hats with goggles, the women inhabited their inspiration. Clay Hine’s arrangement of Over The Rainbow was exquisitely delivered, Continued on next page October 2008 17
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