Going Out On a High Note!

A special final contest for Vocal Zone Quartet

I sing bass for Vocal Zone Quartet, along with Dorothy Main (lead), Gwen Topp (baritone), and Val Muir (tenor). When we won the Most Improved Quartet Award at Region 31 contest in 2022, we were over the moon.

Vocal Zone had competed successfully for many years and had decided that, after 20 years singing together, this would be our last contest, although we would continue singing as a quartet and with the Aberdeen Chorus in Scotland. Our aim for our final contest was to sing as well as we could, and our dream was to win the Region 31 Diamond Quartet Award (for quartets with all members aged 55 and older) and the Nicky Salt Coaching Bursary for Most Improved Quartet.

Nicky Salt sang bass in the international top ten quartet Finesse and was recently appointed to the Sweet Adelines International Faculty. In 2016, she decided that she wanted to give something back to Region 31, and the Nicky Salt Coaching Bursary began as a joint award with the Regional Management Team. The award is given to the quartet with the most improved score since the previous contest. The winning quartet receives eight hours of coaching with Nicky, as well as all meals for two days and two nights' accommodation. In 2022, Vocal Zone was delighted to improve by 34 points, to place 6th at the Region 31 contest, and to achieve our goal of winning the Diamond Quartet Award and the Nicky Salt Coaching Bursary!

We were excited at how much we could learn from this excellent coach, and the time we spent with Nicky exceeded all our expectations. We had a plan to work on four of our repertoire songs, and Nicky quickly identified how each could be improved vocally, visually, and emotionally. She has a real flair for tailoring her coaching to the group she is working with—in our case, four singers who have sung together for many years.

We had chosen a variety of songs—one with a tenor melody, one with a bass melody, and two songs arranged by Gwen, our baritone. The difference after the coaching sessions was amazing. We could not believe how much we achieved in such a short time. And the food! Nicky is a talented cook and prepared the most delicious meals for us in her beautiful home, accompanied, of course, by wine and much laughter! It is no surprise to us that Nicky is in such demand as a coach by choruses and quartets in and outside the UK and the Netherlands.

We have just returned from the 2023 Region 31 convention, and we congratulate Fifth & Madison on being awarded this year’s bursary for Most Improved Quartet. We know they will enjoy Nicky’s coaching as much as we did. Vocal Zone looks forward to singing together and performing for many years to come, and we thank Nicky and the Regional Management Team for being so forward-thinking in awarding this wonderful prize!

Anne Cargill sings bass for Vocal Zone Quartet and in Aberdeen Chorus (Region #31).