GCC About Us

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History

Founded 1986

In 1986, the Greater Cleveland Chorus (GCC) was formed as a result of the merger of three local choruses-Cleveland East Suburban, Cuyahoga Valley and West Towns. The combined chorus numbered over 100 and rehearsed in a number of venues in the Cleveland area, currently at the United Methodist Church in Independence.

Sweet Adelines Region 17

The Greater Cleveland Chorus, whose 70 current members range in age from 30-85, is a member of Sweet Adelines International and is part of Region 17 which represents choruses from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

Regional Competition

Each spring, the choruses within a region gather to compete for the first place chorus in the region, which then allows that chorus to compete at the International Convention the following year. The choruses are judged on 4 categories-sound, music, expression and showmanship. Points are awarded in each of those categories and the winning chorus scores the highest number of points.

Awards

During the chorus’ first fifteen years, Greater Cleveland has received many awards including numerous second and third place medals for achievements at Regional Chorus competitions. In 2000, by virtue of our second place medal in regional competition, GCC was invited to compete in the Buckeye Invitational Competition, a competition comprised of men’s and women’s barbershop choruses and quartets from around the United States. At that competition in Columbus Ohio, we were awarded First place chorus and Best in Competition honors. In 2001, the chorus was awarded the first of its four consecutive first place regional chorus championship medals which made us eligible to compete against all other championship choruses throughout the world. Since the formation of the Greater Cleveland Chorus, we have also had within our membership a number of first place regional quartets most recently TGIF our current Region 17 champions, and B.L.A.K. Velvet who placed 11th in the world at the Sweet Adelines International Competition in Las Vegas in 2006. Both of these quartets will again be representing Region 17 at the International Competition in Calgary later this year.

Jean Flinn-Master Director

The Greater Cleveland Chorus is fortunate to have as its director, Jean Flinn. Jean is a barbershop brat, having grown up in a family of barbershoppers-herself having joined Sweet Adelines in 1974. Possessing a great barbershop voice, she sang lead in her first barbershop quartet in the second grade-but her true love is directing and arranging. By virtue of our score achieved at our 2001 regional competition, our director Jean Flinn was elevated to the title of Master Director. Her keen ear for music has served her well as she is a Sweet Adelines’ approved candidate judge in the music category. In addition, she is a certified music arranger and has blessed our chorus with a number of her arrangements. As if all those achievements do not keep her busy enough, for 21 years, she has also been a music educator in the Akron school district. We would love to have Jean step forward and receive your applause, but she is not here this evening. As a member of the International Faculty for Sweet Adelines, she once again is part of the teaching faculty at IES, an annual educational retreat and competition which is currently being held in San Antonio, Texas. A sought after coach to quartets and choruses across the United States, her direction and skills guided us to our most recent first place win at Regional Competition in 2007, where we again achieved our highest score.

2008 International Competition-Honolulu, Hawaii

Our recent regional win in the spring of this year has made us eligible to again compete on the international level and we will be traveling to Hawaii for this competition in 2008. At competition, choruses sing an up tune-traditionally a high spirited number accompanied by choreography, as well as a ballad which showcases the chorus in a more emotional and controlled setting. We’d now like to share with you our 2007 competition songs-How Many Hearts Have You Broken, and Oh How I Miss You Tonight.

The History of Sweet Adelines International - Take a brief look back to the beginning of Sweet Adelines International.

The Brief History of Barbershop - Get a brief glimpse into the history of barbershop.