tidelanders HISTORY
2000 - 2009
Buckeye Invitational Contest
The Annual Spring Show, “Alex in Wonderland”, was again held at the Wortham. In August 2000, the Tidelanders made their first visit to the Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio and finished 1st in the Men’s Division of the chorus contest. At the 2000 SWD Contest in Little Rock, the Tidelanders once again placed 3rd after winning the Division Contest.
Member Growth
Active membership on the risers increased to 80 in October 2000, the highest number since the 1996 International Contest in Salt Lake City. Another successful Christmas Show was held at the Wortham and the Tidelanders released their second CD, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
Public Shows
The Tides won the Division contest at Baton Rouge in March. The Annual show was moved to August because of venue availability. That show, entitled “Frog Kissin’ “, featured a new Matinee performance. With coaching assistance from Brian Beck and Cindy Hansen, Roy Prichard led the Tidelanders to the 2001 SWD Chorus Championship in Little Rock, scoring significantly higher our previous efforts. The Christmas Show, “A Grinchy Kind of Christmas”, again held at the Wortham, included both Matinee and Evening performances. A highlight of 2001 was the Chapter’s receiving a significant financial grant from the Cultural Art Council of Houston Harris County, CACHH, as a result of Ron White’s efforts. Such funding has continued through 2013, at least, as a result of White’s, Klingensmith’s and Fly’s efforts.
More Contesting
Eighty-eight Tidelanders competed at International in Portland, Oregon. We earned 9th place honors with a 84.3 score. The August Show, “A Show of Champions”, moved to the Wortham Brown Theatre for the first time. In October, the Tides finished 2nd to the VOCAL MAJORITY at the SWD Contest in Little Rock and were invited to the 2003 International contest in Montreal as a “Wildcard”.
Clear Lake Show
During the year, the Tidelanders performed at the Veteran’s Hospital, Pasadena United Methodist Church, St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Clear Lake, Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, the Wortham Christmas Tree Lighting and held a Good Time Show at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Clear Lake. The year concluded with our annual caroling in the halls of the M. D. Anderson Hospital cancer wards.
A Lot of Activity!
Highlights of 2003 included extension of the annual Clear Lake Good Time Show to three performances, including a special matinee for seniors, and hosting the Division Contest at the Grand Opera House in Galveston. In July, 82 Tidelanders traveled to the International competition in Montreal and earned an A-level score of 85.6, placing 8th. The Tidelanders again won the SWD Chorus Championship in Corpus Christi and earned the right to represent the SWD in Louisville at the 2004 International Convention. The chorus performed in churches, hospitals, and performance halls. The annual Christmas Show at the Wortham was extended from two to three separate performances for the first time, due to patron demand. A third Tides’ CD, STEPPIN OUT, was released.
Shows + Youth In Harmony
We continued our successful Singing Valentines program. The Clear Lake Good Time Show was moved to St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church. Nearly 80 Tides traveled to Louisville for the International competition where we finished 11th overall with an 83.7 score. The August Show, “TIDELANDER REALITY”, was once again held at the Wortham, with an added Sunday Matinee for the first time in many years. At District competition in Dallas, the Tidelanders finished a close 2nd to Heart of Texas and accepted a Wildcard bid to compete at the 2005 International Contest in Salt Lake City. The chorus was active during the year, again doing a Good Time Show in Clear Lake and performing at Pasadena Memorial High School and Holy Spirit Episcopal Church. We held a successful Youth In Harmony (YIH) Workshop at Spring ISD’s Westfield High School. Approximately 50 students participated in the afternoon-evening event. The year ended with another Wortham Christmas Show, “Christmas in Limerick“, and caroling at M. D. Anderson Hospital.
Public Relations
In an effort to compensate for declining Show ticket sales revenue, increased emphasis was placed on public relations, community outreach and grant solicitation activities. We broadened the scope of our Youth In Harmony (YIH) Workshop effort, inviting schools from the Greater Houston area to each event, rather than limiting participation to individual schools or school districts. Workshops were held in West Houston, Pearland and Katy. Approximately 200 students from nearly 20 schools participated in these programs.
Fund Raising
The Board hired a fund-raising group to spearhead our grant solicitation efforts. Unfortunately, two Category 4 hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, hit the Gulf coast at the same time this program was initiated. Local grant funding was diverted from performing arts groups to hurricane relief. Our results didn’t meet expectations although we did receive our first-ever grant from Houston Endowment Inc. This Houston Endowment grant funding, accompanied by HAA grants, continued through 2013.
Christmas and GTS
Both our August and Christmas Shows, “FORE PART HARMONY” and “A GIFT FOR CHRISTMAS”, were held at the Wortham. METROPOLIS was the August headliner quartet and the Houston BoyChoir joined the Tides for the Christmas performances. We also performed at the Clear Lake GTS, Pasadena Memorial High School, the Bayou City Arts Festival, Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, St. Timothy Church and M. D. Anderson Hospital.
Competition Format
The Society adopted a new International Chorus Competition format for the 2005 event in Salt Lake City. More Wildcard chorus entries than usual, including the Tides, were invited and those groups competed in a preliminary round for the opportunity to compete in the final contest. We failed to qualify for the finals even though our contest score (80.8) would have given us an 18th place had the traditional format been followed. Afterward, the Music Team and Board jointly decided that because our members had competed at four consecutive International events, a significant financial and emotional drain on everyone, we would drop out of the competition cycle in 2005. The Tides did not participate in October’s District competition, as a result.
60th Anniversary
In 2006, the 60th Anniversary year of the Tidelanders, we successfully repeated our Singing Valentines program and Clear Lake GTS in February. In March, together with the Lake Jackson chapter, we hosted the SWD Southeast Division Convention. The Tides won that chorus competition with a solid A-level score (83.7), the highest we achieved in several years. The Tides later qualified to compete at the 2007 International Convention in Denver. We continued our YIH community outreach effort with a Workshop at Pearland’s Glenda Dawson HS and continued to receive significant grant monies from Houston Arts Alliance (formerly CACHH). The chorus performed at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Holy Spirit Episcopal Church and Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church and continued its August (“BEST OF BARBERSHOP”) and Christmas (“A SANTA CLARA CHRISTMAS”) Shows at the Wortham Center. As in 2005, the Houston BoyChoir joined the Tides for the Christmas Show. The Tides’ 60th Anniversary was celebrated with a banquet in October and the release of an anniversary CD, CELEBRATE! Caroling at M.D. Anderson continued.
Shows Galore!
In 2007 in addition to continuing the Singing Valentines program and the Clear Lake GTS, a second GTS was successfully started at Lakewood United Methodist Church. As part of an effort to familiarize the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music with the Tides, we invited their Men’s Chorus to perform at the Clear Lake GTS. YIH Workshops were held at the Glenda Dawson HS in Pearland and the Seven Lakes HS in Katy. The chorus traveled by bus to Shreveport to perform at the SWD Spring Convention. In addition, we performed at a Jewish Family Services event in the Galleria, North Shore HS in Galena Park and Holy Spirit Episcopal Church. After qualifying for the 2008 International Convention in Nashville, the Tides placed 21st in Denver with a score of 80.2. August (“VARIATIONS ON A THEME”) and Christmas (“HOLIDAY HARMONY”) shows were again held at the Wortham. Former International Quartet Champions, GOTCHA, were the August headliners and they were joined by the HOUSTON HORIZON chorus. The year ended with our usual performance at M. D. Anderson hospital.
Charles Shedd became the 2008 President. After Roy Prichard’s resignation, the Search Committee named Jeffrey Delman as Musical Director. After completing the Singing Valentines program, we again held the long-running Clear Lake GTS with the University of Houston Men’s Chorus on board. Like 2007, a second successful GTS was held at the Lakewood United Methodist Church. YIH Workshops were held at Glenda Dawson HS in Pearland and Cypress Ridge HS in Northwest Houston. Mike O’Neill from the BHS headquarters staff, served as Clinician for the Cy-Ridge event. The chorus performed at The Houstonian, St. Timothy Lutheran Church and, as usual, at M. D. Anderson. At the International Convention in Nashville, the Tides placed 16th with a score of 80.1. Both the August (“THE TIDELANDERS GO WEST”) and the Christmas (“THE SECRET OF CHRISTMAS”) shows were held at the Wortham’s Cullen Theatre. MAX Q, another former International Quartet Champion, was the August headliner. Because of declining ticket revenue and increasing cost of performing in downtown Houston, the Board decided to hold 2009 shows at Houston Baptist University’s Linda and Archie Dunham auditorium. That venue is very attractive, with excellent no-cost parking and substantially lower overhead cost than downtown sites.
In 2009, Klingensmith was elected President for the fourth time. Jeffrey Delman continued as Musical Director. We continued to do the Singing Valentines program plus two Good Times Shows – Clear Lake (Southeast Houston) and Lakewood United Methodist Church (Northwest Houston). Two YIH Workshops were scheduled. The first, at J. F. Dobie HS in May had to be canceled because of a flu epidemic which forced schools to eliminate large gatherings. We did successfully hold a second Workshop at Cypress Lakes HS. Another CD, WE’RE ON OUR WAY, was recorded. We held both the August Show (“CURSES! FOILED AGAIN!”) and the Christmas Show (“CHRISTMAS TREASURES”) at HBU. EUREKA, a SWD Senior Quartet champion, headlined the August Show. Musical programming for the year concluded with the annual M. D. Anderson performance.
In September, 2009, Delman resigned as Musical Director to pursue other activities, including his Masters Degree. His duties were assumed by various members of the Music Committee until a suitable replacement could be found. By October, Klingensmith’s work-related travel schedule was such that he was forced to delegate most of his duties to the 2010 President-elect, Larry Fly.