Summer Holidays For All

July finds Outburst quartet cast in all directions on a well deserved break from rehearsals and learning music.

Nancy went off on an Alaskan cruise with her sisters (actually that was in June). Sailing out of Vancouver, she had a fabulous time with the girls on their week-long excursion! She also stopped in Calgary on her way home to visit son Matthew and his wife Sarah.

Santina and her family are off to Virginia Beach soon for a couple weeks to relax and enjoy the sand and surf. We all envy her that little get-away!

Carol is spending a couple weeks showing her daughters a grand time traveling about to Canada's Wonderland, Parc Omega, and Ontario Place, just to name a few! Lucky girls!

Debbie will be heading out to BC shortly with husband Frank. They will be visiting their mothers and indulging in a weekend alone in Vancouver taking in a BC Lions football game. Two weeks in BC....hoping for sunshine and warm weather while they're there!

Outburst is also on summer break from rehearsals with Canadian Showtime Chorus. Chorus rehearsals resume on July 21st. When everyone returns the end of July quartet rehearsals will resume in earnest! Lots of preparation is necessary if Regional Competition is indeed in their future! But, the girls are top ten material, so they'll be up for it!

OUTBURST Places 10th at Regional

After months of hard work and determination, OUTBURST made it into the Top Ten at Region Competition in Syracuse last Friday.

The day was jam-packed with non-stop excitement starting with the Chorus mic testing and rehearsal at the Civic Center at 8:30am. Quartets had a brief chance to stand at the mics and get a feel for the stage. A short time later the "Quartet Walk Through" took place, where each of the 17 competing quartets got the chance to hear themselves be announced, walk on, do a few intros and tags at the mic and then walk off. It may have only been 2 minutes of practice but it was very interesting to see the theatre and hear the sound the four voices made on the big stage. Everyone was able to ask questions and become as comfortable as possible with the process.

Then it was back to the hotel for a bit of lunch before make-up and costuming. By 3:30 OUTBURST was dressed and ready to go. The group met in Santina and Carol's room to go over intros and tags, intros and tags, intros and tags...before they knew it, it was time to head downstairs for the "Competing Quartets Only" bus! One stop at the Renaissance Hotel for photographs and then on to the Auditorium. The quartet was met in the Mirror Room by their Coach, Sandie Nason, who was also the emcee of the competition. Luck would have it that OUTBURST would be the first quartet after a 40 minute intermission, so Sandie was able to spend some time with them before returning to her emcee duties. She helped them focus on the task before them, encouraged them to do what they knew to be true, and just go out and have fun! In the blink of an eye it was all over and OUTBURST was drinking champagne in the Celebration Room, not knowing until much later that they would be 10th, a goal each of them feared might be unattainable. In the end, when the judges comments were read in Sandie's room that night, they were ecstatic with their results.

OUTBURST was in good company that day in Syracuse. Canadian Showtime Chorus's own Uptown Jazzin' came 5th, High Definition came 7th, and Roundabout placed 12th. The quartet competition mic testers, Snap, also from CSC, sang for Evaluation only.

OUTBURST would like to thank everyone for their support, good wishes, gifts and love. It was all so very much appreciated. They would especially like to thank their coaches Sandie Nason and Aileen Carney for their knowledge, encouragement, and guidance. Without these two, OUTBURST would not be who they are today.

Santina Scalzo, Nancy Mantle and Debbie Pinkney would also like to thank their brand, spanking new Bass, Carol Dubue, who hit the contest stage for the very first time! Her hard work, determination and dedication was made evident in the final contest results. She made everyone sit up and take notice of what a wonderful voice she has brought to this foursome.

OUTBURST is excited to start learning new music and getting out to entertain in the near future...after a short but much deserved break that is.

Until next time....OUTBURST...OUT!

OUTBURST Makes Their First Trip To Regional Contest!!

Stand by everyone...OUTBURST is heading off to Syracuse on Thursday, April 23rd and are scheduled to hit the contest stage at 5:40pm on Friday, April 24th. The trip will take most of the day on Thursday...the normal 3 hour drive being extended by large amounts of shopping for various quartet goodies, and arriving in Syracuse for some relaxation before making their way to the Quartet Briefing that evening.

Friday morning will consist of a sound check with Canadian Showtime Chorus, outgoing Region 16 Champions. Then it will be time to concentrate on the performance of a lifetime! Six minutes on the best stage there is...Sweet Adelines Region 16 Quartet Competition, Emceed by none other than our very own Sandie Nason...best Coach on earth!!

Look for an OUTBURST Blog update next week!!

Ciao Baby!

Fundraiser to Benefit Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation

On Sunday, February 1st, a fundraiser was held in honour of a dear friend. Allen Gilby, a.k.a. Vicki Lawsuit, succumbed to his battle with cancer in December of 2008 at just 40 years of age. Allen and Carol Dubue of OUTBURST were best friends since childhood and it was a very difficult loss for Carol. Growing up together in Ottawa, they were inseparable and as the years passed their friendship held fast. On December 19th Carol received the phone call she had been dreading...Allen had passed away. To honour her long-time friend and raise funds for the Ottawa Cancer Foundation, Carol took on the daunting task of single-handedly organizing this very special event. But there is another side to this fundraising event...Carol is a member of Canadian Showtime Chorus who will be competing in the Sweet Adeline's International Convention in Nashville this October. Now just being a member of the chorus can be bit of an expensive venture, but when you factor in the added expense of travel, lodgings, and meals for 5 days in Tennessee, it really ups the ante. So, Carol decided this would be a two-part fundraiser...of the monies raised, Carol herself would receive 20% to offset the cost of the trip...but it wasn't that easy...in return Carol would have her head shaved. Ottawa's favorite Weatherman, J.J. Clark was the emcee for the afternoon performances by Canadian Showtime Chorus, Shockwave Quartet, and OUTBURST. There were door prizes and a 50/50 draw (won by Carol's Mom, who then donated it back the the Cancer Foundation). But the main event took place when Mario Scalzo, who owns and operates a hair salon in L'Eslanade Laurier, and husband of OUTBURST's very own lead, Santina, picked up his tools and went to work. After the snipping and clipping, brushing and buffing, it was obvious to everyone what a truely special person Carol Dubue is, with or without hair, she is beautiful, inside and out. As a surprise to Carol, her father also collected money and had his head shaved, along with Carol's partner Jeff Pinhey of Shockwave.

At last tally Carol has surpassed her goal of $1500 and is quickly approaching the $2200 mark. And she is still collecting! Once people see the results of what Carol has done, they digging even deeper into their pockets. "The response has been overwhelming", says Carol. For Carol the head shaving is "no big deal". In fact, its the second time she's done this to raise money for the Cancer Foundation. But there are many women out there who would not go so boldly where Carol has gone. She is an inspiration to all of us and OUTBURST is proud to be able to call her their own.

For anyone wishing to donate to Carol's fundraiser, or if you'd like more information about Mario's salon, Shockwave and their "Singing Valentine's, or OUTBURST, please contact Carol, Santina, Nancy, or Debbie at Outburst@canadianshowtimechorus.com .

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

OUTBURST rang in the New Year at the Mantle residence, as Nancy and Jim graciously opened their home for the occasion. Carol's daughters Montana and Madison, along with former quartet-mate Heather Walsh and her son Jamie, were in attendance for this very special evening. With a rip-roaring game of Battle of the Sexes, lots of laughter, some singing, and a few drinks, the last hours of 2008 passed almost unnoticed. But at the stroke of midnight, as Dick Clark welcomed 2009, so did the members of OUTBURST and their loved ones. With glasses raised in a toast to the New Year the warmth and love for one another filled the air and hugs and kisses went 'round the room. Excitement mounted as the Midnight Buffet was presented...ham, mashed potato casserole, sweet potatoes, chicken & mushroom pie, rolls, veggies and dip, and of course Carol's world renowned Toblerone Cheesecake...yum! It was a feast fit for a king...or even Ivan the Terrible! (Sorry, inside joke) Musical Crackers were opened and tunes were gleefully tooted with no great satisfaction as the horns were obviously faulty! But an honest effort was given before defeat was admitted..."these horns don't work!" Some tidying-up took place and the real singing began...ABBA Song Star! (or something like that). Maddie and Montana started things rolling and did a really fantastic job! There was minimal arguing over who got to hold the mics next...but Heather and Debbie won the honor! They tried a group-sing after that with two and three to a mic but that proved a bit challenging...at any rate, ABBA would have been proud as the gang sang themselves silly until nearly 3am. It was a night to remember, one for the journals, and one that will be cherished.

OUTBURST would like to wish a Happy New Year to everyone who reads this, and hopes that the year ahead holds nothing but wonderful things for all. They thank their 'Better Halves" for their continued and loving support...they couldn't do it without their men at their sides...or at least in the audience!

HAPPY NEW YEAR,

WITH LOVE,

from OUTBURST