Nova Scotia a cappella group wins gold at international competition in Ireland

Seaside A Capella from Bridgewater, Nova Scotia earns gold at a competition in Ireland.

An a cappella chorus from Bridgewater, N.S., recently came in first place at the Irish Association of Barbershop Singers international contest in Killarney, Ireland.

Seaside A Cappella is part of Harmony Inc., an international organization with more than 2,000 members across North America. The Bridgewater chapter has 65 members in its all-female chorus.

The singers just returned home from Ireland, where they were the first Canadians to compete in the competition.

They scored top marks in the international chorus contest for their renditions of “If You Love Me, Really Love Me” and “Top of the World.”

“It couldn’t have been any better because we came home with these beautiful gold medals. We scored higher than we have ever scored before. So, in terms of evaluating the process that we have been making as a chorus, it was an absolutely great new benchmark, and we are thrilled about that,” said chorus director Judy Comeau.

“We have an eight-year-old and we have a 93-year-old. We heard this is the youngest and the oldest members who have achieved a gold medal on their contest stage.”

Comeau said the performance consisted of the group’s most complex choreography.

“We started with just teaching the members to move with good facial and body language, and now they are doing something like ‘Broadway in Bridgewater.’”

“They were just absolutely wonderful students. They retain well, they learn well. Very positive spirits and they developed a really strong sisterhood. I could not be prouder to say that the judges recognized that and awarded us with the gold medals.”

The competition took place on Oct. 11 and 12.

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