Nearly 100 barbershoppers gathered at Geneva Park in Orillia earlier this month for an educational celebration of barbershop harmony at the 2019 Ontario District Leadership Academy.
A slate of eleven faculty members led classes for 86 participants on a wide range of topics, including leadership skills, membership growth, chapter administration, musicianship, performance, and directing. Event participants included not just members of Ontario District, but also members of both Sweet Adelines International and Harmony Inc., as well as a school choir leader. Sessions rooms buzzed with new ideas and collaborative sharing between chapter leaders and members, and the conversation and singing continued late into Saturday night. Ontario District President Ken Fisher served as dean for the event, which also welcomed guest faculty members Doug Carnes (former director of the Great Northern Union chorus) and Steve Denino (Interational medalist bass and Society board member). Denino’s keynote session and Q&A served as a great opportunity for attendees to hear news from and provide feedback to the Society Board on the latest Everyone In Harmony announcement and other topics of interest.
In a survey of attendees there was an overwhelming support for the decision to return to Geneva Park, which had long hosted previous COTS (Chapter Officers Traning Schools) and Leadership Academies going back many decades until the early 2010’s when the venue changed. The feedback from both season Leadership Academy veterans newbies to the event was extremely positive, with 92% of respondents rating the sessions between 7 and 10 on a rating of satisfaction of the class sessions.
We hope you can join us next year as we work to make Leadership Academy even better!