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Sugartones adapt to performing in challenging times

February 3, 2022   ·   0 Comments

If you have been to a festival or event in New Tecumseth, there’s a good chance you have seen, or at least heard, the Sugartones performing.

The Sugartones are a local women’s acapella singing group who perform in “barbershop” style with four-part harmony. They currently have around 25 members in the group.

During the pandemic, many performing groups have been forced to curtail their activities and some have disbanded altogether. If you are a performer but don’t have an audience to perform for, it can be a challenge to keep practising if you know you won’t be on stage any time soon. 

The Sugartones have adapted to the times and continue to perform, although practising can be difficult when the group can’t get together.

They normally practise at Kingsmere Retirement home in Alliston.

The group has continued to perform through the pandemic at mostly outdoor venues like street festivals.

“We perform wherever we can,” explained Sugartones Performance Manager Tracie Kennedy. “We get requests for private and public events – to sing at outdoor festivals or fundraisers in the community. We’ve done birthday parties. Before the pandemic we were putting on a show every year, which was our biggest fundraiser and a lot of fun. We do a little bit of everything. Wherever we are requested, we try to be there.”

The group adheres to all pandemic protocols when performing. 

Rehearsing has been difficult, but they have managed to get by using Zoom. 

“We’ve been very fortunate that we have adapted, and fortunate that we have been able to continue to sing as much as we could, given the conditions,” Ms. Kennedy explained. “We very quickly went to Zoom rehearsals, which is not ideal. There’s a lag time on some of the rural internet connections. But it does keep us active and we’ve made a number virtual videos. We got better with the technology and recording ourselves and we now have a YouTube channel that has several of our videos. We decided to do some outdoor rehearsals in August and September. We practised at Riverdale Park in Alliston. We moved indoors. We felt that we could do it safely, as long as everyone was vaccinated, we could safely wear masks and keep a distance. We did that for two months and it was so nice to get back together and hear everyone’s voices and harmonize together.”

The Sugartones are part of a larger network of acapella groups called Harmony Incorporated. There are 15 chapters in Ontario. The network hosts a convention and contest every year.

The Sugartones are always looking for new members. 

“It’s a group that encourages everyone to try,” Ms. Kennedy said. “We’re a group that wants to empower women through singing and friendship. We invite anybody to come in. No matter where they’re starting, people can improve with coaching and vocal exercises. We have had members that came in and felt a little shaky and nervous and found their singing improved as they went along.”

The Sugartones plan to continue performing wherever then can and as long as it is safe to do so.

By Brian Lockhart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter


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