Mary Ann Cantwell Dottie Debretsky Joy George LuJo Karkovice A member since Sisters' inception, Diane graciously relocated from singing lead to lend her voice to a struggling bass section. Not only does this housewife and mother of three - Ashley, Ryan and Timmy - possess great vocal range, she shares her talents by supplying musical study tapes to Sisters needing extra help. Married to Lee, Diane acknowledges that "relationships are very important to me." She has a terrific relationship with animals too, especially her pups Chelsea and Cinnamon. She hails from Santa Monica, CA. and moved to FL in 1998. This self-described "artsy-craftsy" gal is putting together the chapter's first scrapbook and is on the costume committee. Imelda Sowers Rebecca Roberson
Mary Ann is truly a neophyte when it comes to singing 'Barbershop.' She has been singing in church choirs since she was a teenager but has no experience with a cappella close harmonies. As a tenor with Sisters of Sound, Mary Ann is grateful for section-mate Becky's assistance and director Shannon's patience and instruction. Mary Ann lives in Clermont with her wonderful husband, Gene. She is a retired nurse who enjoys travel, the great outdoors, and spending time with family – especially her grandchildren.
Frances (Fran) Louise Ball Clark
Polyps on her vocal chords darned near cost us the singing voice of Frances, long before we even met this 1999 Adeline of the Year award winner. Originally from Kalamazoo, Mi., Frances "always liked to sing" in choirs and choruses until "too many cigarettes" robbed her of her voice for seven years. Then in 1984 her voice returned and she joined the Sweet Adelines. This mother of four children seems to have done it all including getting top honors for her tennis and golf prowess. Now retired this former lead, sings baritone with Sisters and is also one of the Kings Ridge Singers. Widowed after 64-years of marriage to Jerry, Fran says "keeping busy and enjoying new friends" helps her live up to her nickname "Smiley."
Dottie gets the award for the longest drive. She hitches in each week with her husband, John, who sings with Vocal Express. Dottie is a lead with another Area 6 Harmony, Inc. chorus, Harmony Sound Waves, and has been a solid addition to the Sisters as we have been working to get up to speed on a host of new music. She has probably not turned in her bio because she doesn't want her Harmony Sound Wave friends to think she is showing off.
Becky Elswick
Becky is relatively new to ensemble a cappella singing, at least as a performer. She has been around barbershop for more than 25 years as a dedicated and supportive spouse to a rather obsessive husband. In addition, two of her three sons also sing barbershop. The four of them have been known to sing a tag or two while waiting in line at one or more Orlando area attractions. Becky sings tenor in Sisters and is working behind the scenes to get a new quartet started. Aside from singing, she is a guardian ad litem, Junior Achievement volunteer and part time sales associate at Coldwater Creek.
Betty Fillmore
Joy is a new bass and has become a solid addition to the section. We can't remember if we even told her about needing a bio for the web site so we aren't going to pick on her, at least not just yet.
Judy Goodgame
Judy is one of the few ladies in our new chorus with experience singing barbershop style a cappella harmony. She is a former Sweet Adeline and has recently been elected to be part of the Sisters' Executive Committee. As a talented keyboard player and musician, she tries to keep our director honest when he tries to change the key in one of our songs. Judy is being lobbied by her husband, Ray, to refrain from submitting a bio so we won't print on our web site the fact Ray is a member of Clermont City Council. Oops!
Pearl Hall
Pearl is a lead and member of the infamous Kings Ridge Clan. She brings sunlight into a rainy day with her smile and sure seems to enjoy her singing. She is in training these days to compete in the Summer Olympics as a 100 meter platform diver (or something like that ... we don't have her bio yet so we are not completely sure).
Kay Hill
Kay sings baritone in Sisters, which is a change of pace given her long career as an alto. Her musical experience dates back to junior high where she decided to branch out from the vocal world and try her hand at clarinet. Kay went on to become a member of the famous Ohio University Marching Band, 110 strong, and enjoyed traveling around the country playing at various shows, and, of course, OU football games. She currently sings alto in the Kings Ridge chorus and the Chancel Choir at First United Methodist Church Clermont. She has the same enthusiasm for golf as she does for music. She encourages everyone who has an interest in singing to get involved. "It is rewarding and a lot of fun, not to mention an opportunity to meet a lot of new friends."
Carol Jackson
Carol sang in another a cappella group of 200 women in Maine, featuring soul music and foreign language songs. She decided, after hearing of Sisters, to give it a try with the lead section. Her family and church are her priorities and she dedicates a lot of her time to both, singing in the choir, and serving as a Lay Leader and Sunday school teacher. Carol has a home-based business sewing and doing alterations. Wed 49 years ago, she moved here with Bill in 1998 to consider retiring. They have three children, five adult grandchildren and a great grandson. Besides Sisters she loves golf, bowling and sewing.
Marcia Julian
Born in Saginaw, Mi., this lead in Sisters moved to Clermont in 1992 from Illinois. A lifelong singer she directs her Children and Cherubs church choirs. Along with working as a chiropractor's assistant, she is studying for a position as a parish nurse because "nursing is my first profession and first love." Married 28-years ago to her "beloved Frankie" she refers to their marriage as "blended" with five grown children, seven grandchildren and a great grandson. Singing weekly with her newfound Sisters, entertaining, and competing keep her focused toward the future.
One of 11 children, Florida born Louise Josephine quickly embraced the moniker LuJo. Although separated from hero and hubby John, it is only by distance. He will retire here from NJ in late 2009. LuJo is mom to three, and having a ball grand-parenting Kristopfer, 14, and Tiana, seven. Along with bass section ventures, LuJo is active in Beta Sigma Phi sorority, fitness, and passionately volunteers for Relay for Life. Her freelancing skills include police news reporting, focusing on medical and senior crimes. Those coupled with more than 40 years of licensed care-giving have led to her being Operations Manager for Visiting Angels, a senior home care service. LuJo has "always loved singing, but is just learning how under the understanding, compassionate tutelage of Shannon and Sisters."
Nancy Lamba
Nancy is a true sister of Imelda Sowers. They joined the chorus together and have been welcome additions to the bass section. She hasn't submitted her bio yet but, as best we can tell, Nancy and her sister are mystery shoppers and writers for cruise magazines. They seem to take their work very seriously.
Liz Martinez
Liz is another dependable and valued member of the lead section. Liz joined Sisters several months after we started and is another one of the King's Ridge Mob. She works as a top fashion model and travels all over the world doing photo shoots (or that's what someone said, we're not sure because we don't have her bio yet).
Linda McMoran
Linda believes she was "born singing" in Miami, Oklahoma. Her singing debut was in church when she performed a solo at 19 months old, and continued as a member of various choirs. She moved around some in the Midwest, landing in Midwest City, OK., where she started high school and began competition singing . After marrying Scott, she lived in Fairbanks Alaska, then worked her way east through many states and finally settled in Clermont. Mostly Linda was wife and mother, however she also enjoyed desktop publishing, sewing and cake decorating, as well as volunteering in her church's office and at school when her children were young. In the forefront of her life, are her children, grandchildren and a new great-grandchild. She is looking forward to "getting back into the competition world" with Sisters.
Mary Peterson
Mary sings lead in Sisters as well as one of those "other" choruses (Plantation, we think). She travels during the summer drag racing motorcycles and works as a part-time tattoo artist when she is not busy updating her bio for our website.
Sally Reece
Sally is one of our Sassy Basses. She is generally regarded to have the lowest voice of all the Sisters (we have clocked her all the way down to a low b natural so far). She is the next door/across the street neighbor of Rebecca Roberson (but we try not to hold that against her). In her free time, she is a ghost writer for Poltergeist Magazine, collects european paper clips and works on completing her bio for the website.
Penny Robertson
Always fascinated by "Barbershop" and "Doo Wop," Penny, a novice participant will enjoy the challenge of a cappella, but "is in awe of the Sisters and its charismatic, talented director." Her young start singing in school and church choirs continues to date at South Lake Presbyterian Choir. Her high school featured a Singing Christmas Tree with soloist Penny perched atop a tiny platform 14 feet high. Music at that West Virginia Glee Club of the '50s was usually with accompaniment. Some crazy solos-anyone remember Tweedle Dee or Abba Dabba Honeymoon? – afforded her great times in hometown musicals. That fleeting "career" gave way to raising five youngsters. Later nine grandchildren would become her passion. "Surprised, yet excited" Penny will sing and learn in the SOS bass section "with its musically gifted ladies."
Irma Santenelli
Irma has a beautiful voice and is a great addition to our chorus, or will be when she returns from her shoulder surgery. She plays rugby every other weekend with some kids from the local community college and apparently damaged her shoulder in a particularly brutal scrum. We're not actually for sure that is what happened to her but maybe she'll let us know when she returns and brings us her bio.
Imelda is a true sister of Nancy Lamba. They joined the chorus together and have been welcome additions to the bass section. She hasn't submitted her bio yet but, as best we can tell, Imelda and her sister are mystery shoppers and writers for cruise magazines. They seems to take their work very seriously.
Mavis Stephenson
Mavis Stephenson A retired executive secretary and administrative assistant, Mavis' name means songbird…a good name for one who so loves to sing. As a youth, she sang in Sunday school and school choirs and choruses, a path she has continued into her adult life. At present along with Sisters, she sings with the Kings Ridge Singers, a community senior choir performing concerts twice yearly. Mavis also serves as Vice Chair of the Elders Board and teaches a junior Sunday school choir at The Rolling Hills Moravian Church she attends in Longwood. In Sisters of Sound, her first exposure to a cappella singing, Mavis said she "admires the sincerity of the director and enjoys singing with such a committed and friendly group." Although memorizing the songs present a challenge, Mavis senses Shannon's" determination and easy-method teaching" coupled with regular attendance will help her to achieve the goal.
Rebecca is a “switch hitting” Sister, singing Baritone or Bass as the need may be. As long as it’s harmony, she’s happy! Singing is a form of therapy that she just can’t do without; if she doesn't sing enough, she is cranky and out of sorts (so we like for her to sing a lot). A Florida native of Scandinavian descent, Rebecca works as a high school teacher for special needs students. She senses the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees she holds in social work are helpful in many settings – like chorus rehearsals. 8^) Besides singing, her interests vary widely and lead to lots of play time.
Ginger Widican
Ginger, aka "Old Spice" (an alto singer for 18 yrs. in a church choir) encourages other alto choir members to join her in singing the a cappella bass part. What originally seemed impossible is getting more probable at every practice session "especially when our director joins our section to show us how it's done!" Ginger was inspired to try a cappella singing after hearing her husband Bill's fabulous group "Vocal Express". Two passions are especially dear to her: family vacations with daughter and son and their families (just back from being together in North Ga. Mountains and next year Hawaii cruise for 50th wedding anniversary) and a 30 year career of being involved with the custodial care of the elderly.
Earline Valentine
Earline is truly a newcomer to singing Barbershop, although she traveled and sang with a madrigal group throughout college. She is married to Lionel, and the pair has two children and seven grandchildren. She moved to Clermont two and a half years ago to embrace a life of retirement. However, Earline admits "sometimes having fun is much harder than working." She is area coordinator for Stone Croft Ministries, serves on the Neighborhood Accountability Board helping children avoid a life of crime, and is involved in an array of other activities. As a lead in Sisters, she finds "the experience of singing with such a fine group of women, under our fantastic director, Shannon, rewarding and an immeasurable blessing."
