This Sunday, December 4th, we'll be singing at Radio Disney's Festival of Giving at Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton. We're very proud to be a part of this event, which is a one-stop-drop for holiday donations of food, clothing, toys, and even pet supplies. It's a great opportunity to spread some holiday cheer and make the season brighter for all. We go on at 1pm, and would love to see you there!

Click here to download a list of the participating organizations and their donation guidelines. So many great ways to give!

Last Saturday night, our chorus had a fun night out in support of our good friends, Portland State University a cappella group The Green Note. We went to see their Fall Concert, and the show was extra special because it was The Green Note's first time hosting a concert of their own since their inception last year.  They invited some great groups to share the stage with them: Mind The Gap from the University of Oregon, Willamette University's HeadBand, and The Portland Timbre, a new all-male cappella group that is independent of any university.

It was, in a word, FANTASTIC. I was thoroughly entertained and impressed, and every time I looked over at the faces of our Shine singers, I could tell that they were having a GREAT time! There were lots of songs that they knew, (and even a song that we do in our group!), and the songs ran a wonderful range from serious and heartfelt to tongue-in-cheek and hilarious. The singers took home inspiration and new impressions about choreography, group unity, blending, emotional expression, dynamics, confidence, and so much more. It was an invaluable experience for them.

Our relationship with The Green Note began last year, when I invited them to visit one of our rehearsals. I got the idea because I sang with an a cappella group myself when I was in college at Boston University (it was called In Achord), and was also a Girl Scout leader at the time for a troop of Junior Girl Scouts (who are similar in age to our Shine singers). I can remember arranging for my Girl Scouts to come and see one of our shows, and I will never forget how excited and inspired they were by the performance. I just knew that my Shine singers would love to hear and meet a college a cappella group, and The Green Note was the most local co-ed one I could find. I sent them an e-mail, their super-nice manager responded, and soon our two singing groups were sharing homemade soup and rice crispy treats, talking about our favorite songs and artists, singing for each other (of course!), and playing games. I even ran out of scrap paper that night because so many of my kids wanted to get The Green Note singers' autographs!

Lucky for us, we will have a chance to hear The Green Note once more this season, when they perform at our own Winter Concert as our guest group! We are SO HAPPY that they will be joining us. I know it means so much to our kids, and they look up to The Green Note so much. And with good reason: they are INCREDIBLE!

Please come out to hear them at our Winter Concert on December 11th! You will be very glad you came!

We celebrated Halloween with a costumed rehearsal and Halloween Party on Sunday night. Everyone came dressed up, and the costumes were so creative and fun! Here are some photos and a video snippet of the festivities: