Tammy Ragsdale, Director of Verdugo Hills Chorus, is truly a "musical" director! She is a 43-year member of Sweet Adelines International (and that's a lot of singing!), and has passed the Director Certification Program through Sweet Adelines International. She achieved the prestigious level of Master Director in the 2015 Regional Contest, with a chorus score of 600! Tammy also sings tenor with the highly talented quartets, Eclectic Mix and Precious Gems.
But there's so much more to Tammy than her history! When she was asked what's important to her as the chorus moves ahead in our journey together, she stated:
"The Chorus has done a lot of growing and learning over these past few years. We've focused heavily on the Contest aspect of the hobby and done well in that arena. We came back from Regional Contest this year and as is our tradition, we had a party to celebrate a wonderful season and talk about what to do next.
Although barbershop is one of the oldest American art forms, don't be fooled into thinking it's old-fashioned! Sweet Adelines is an innovative organization focused on competition, performance, and education. The Verdugo Hills Chorus excels at this in every respect. In addition to singing classics from the American Songbook, we're also applying our unique style to songs like the Eurhythmics' "Sweet Dreams" and more. We create a feeling like no other when our voices join together in song and ring those awesome chords. It's something a musical instrument simply can't do!
We're working toward taking our show on the road. We all joined to sing and to perform. We're actively seeking opportunities to perform in our communities, and possibly with other Sweet Adeline and Barbershop Choruses. We're getting creative with ways to encourage new membership. There are so many singers out there with no place to sing. It's our job to find them and give them the opportunity to sing!"
We learn a lot from Tammy, but we love her for her wonderful warmth and great sense of humor. She makes our rehearsals fun!
