Flyer: "Find Your Voice: Empowering Women Through Song"
 Southern A'Chord to present "Find Your Voice: Empowering Women Through Song" A free one-day vocal workshop Saturday, March 7, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Led by a nationally recognized vocal coach Presbyterian Church of Ruston Fellowship Hall, 212 N. Bonner, Ruston, LA Pre-registration by February 28 encouraged; walk-ins welcomed To register, scan the QR code provided in this flier or Click here to open the registration form. For more info about Southern A'Chord and the workshop go to www.southernachordchorus.org. Supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, the Office of Cultural Development, and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. |
"Find Your Voice: Empowering Women Through Song" workshop set for March 7
 Women from across North Louisiana are invited to take part in a free, one-day vocal workshop, "Find Your Voice: Empowering Women Through Song," set for Saturday, March 7, hosted by us - Southern A'Chord!The workshop is made possible through a state arts grant and will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the fellowship hall of the Presbyterian Church of Ruston, located at 212 N. Bonner St. Led by nationally recognized vocal coach Robin Curtis of Texarkana, the event will focus on healthy vocal production, ensemble singing and skill-building for women singers of varying experience levels. The day will include large-group instruction as well as smaller breakout sessions. Cu  rtis has decades of successful vocal coaching in her background and currently teaches voice in Texarkana, where her focus is on pop and pageant preparation. She has also worked with multiple choruses and quartets that have won numerous medals in competition from regional to international levels. One of her most recent accolades is serving as education director for the national women's singing group, TRU Harmony A Cappella."Group singing can have amazing health benefits for all ages, both physical and psychological," Curtis said. "If you can carry a tune, then you can learn new vocal skills to improve and reap those benefits." While the workshop itself is geared toward participants, the public is invited to attend the concluding portion of the day, when singers will share what they have learned during the session through a short performance. Pre-registration by Feb. 28 is encouraged, though walk-ins will be welcomed as space allows. Open to women ages 16 and older, the workshop includes lunch for all participants. To pre-register, go to bit.ly/women-sing. "Even though Southern A'Chord is based in Ruston," said director Candice Bassett, of Grayson, "we consider the community we serve much bigger. We are hoping to reach women who are looking for a way to find their voice, gain confidence and be part of something that can empower them to do even more. Singing together bridges gaps and breaks down barriers, helping us see we are more alike than different." The workshop is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, the Office of Cultural Development, and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional local funding comes from Century Next Bank, Jonesboro State Bank, Origin Bank and the CPA firm of Kenneth D. Folden & Co. in Jonesboro. .png)  |
Rehearsal cancelled Jan. 29 due to weather
 Rehearsal this week is cancelled due to Winter Storm Fern. We plan to resume our normal rehearsal schedule next week. Y'all stay safe! |
'Christmas A'Chording to Us' set for Dec. 11
Christmas A'Chording to Us 7 p.m. - Thursday, December 11 Fellowship Hall, Presbyterian Church of Ruston 212 North Bonner St., Ruston Admission free. Donations accepted Refreshments served afterward Website: www.southernachordchorus.org Facebook: Southern A'Chord Chorus QR code (image) Can't make it but want to support local music? Scan here to help Southern A'Chord grow. |
Chorus to present 2 library Veterans Day performances Nov. 8
| Come on out to one of these Veterans Day performances! Southern A'Chord Presents: "Songs of Honor and Hope" Join us for two special Veterans Day performances celebrating our nation's heroes with a cappella renditions of patriotic, gospel and pop favorites. - Free and open to the public - Saturday, Nov. 8 - 10:30 a.m. Jackson Parish Library - 2 p.m. Bienville Parish Library * Experience uplifting harmony, heartfelt lyrics, and songs that celebrate faith, freedom and community. * Note: Reservations are needed for the Bienville Parish performance due to limited seating.  |
Fourth new member added in three weeks
We sang in our fourth new member in three weeks - a quadruple "yay"!!!! (With four exclamation marks, too!) Last week Kaleigh Brendle officially joined our baritone section, and we're so, so glad to have her in the mix and in our midst. In the first photo, Kaleigh receives her chorus pin from VP/membership chair Sallie Rose Hollis. In the second photo, Director Candice Bassett presents Kaleigh with her membership certificate. |
Two more members added to chorus
Double the joy, double the harmony!  We were delighted to welcome TWO new members to our chorus family at this week's rehearsal - Elaine Thompson, lead, and Charlene Martin, baritone. Their presence adds heart and harmony to our growing chorus, and we’re eager to see where the music takes us next.  Here, Elaine and Charlene receive their membership certificates from Candice Bassett, director, and Sallie Rose Hollis, VP and membership chair. |
New baritone joins chorus
We sang in a brand-new voice at our Oct. 9 rehearsal - welcome, welcome, welcome to Lindsey Desidere! 🎶 She’s bringing her voice to the baritone section, and the entire chorus is thrilled to have her harmony in the mix. Can’t wait to share the stage together soon! 🌟These photos show baritone section leader Sallie Rose Hollis presenting Lindsey with her chorus pin and Director Candice Bassett presenting her with her chorus certificate.  |
Four singers pass audition
Yes, it was smiles all around at last week's after-rehearsal trip to Dairy Queen Grill & Chill for our Blizzard Blitz. And that merriment was for far more than the tasty ice cream. Among these women are four - count 'em! - four singers who passed their Southern A'Chord audition! Congratulations to Charlene Martin, Kaleigh Brendle, Lindsey Desidere and Elaine Thompson - three new baritones and one new lead! We're looking forward to making beautiful music together!!! |
Second week of Membership Drive still rocking
 We’re grateful for our wonderful guests who continue to join us during our 2025 Membership Drive! It’s such a joy to share music and camaraderie with them.This past rehearsal, we had four returning visitors from the first night of the drive - and one new guest as well! (One person had to leave early, so unfortunately she missed this photo op.) Several are planning to become part of the chorus. More visitors are expected to attend in the weeks to come. If you're a female singer in North Louisiana and are still pondering about this, take your cue from these women. It's great, great fun and very rewarding!  |
Membership Drive a success - and is ongoing
So far during our 2025 Membership Drive we have welcomed seven fantastic guests (along with two of their moms who were in from out of town and just observing). There is fabulous talent in this group, and we are looking forward to several of them becoming members. For those interested singers who were unable to attend last week's rehearsal, the door to harmony is still open! Please come visit us during another rehearsal in the upcoming weeks. |
Southern A'Chord offers fall membership drive - Ruston Living clipping
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Chorus to hold Membership Drive
North Louisiana women who love to sing … |
Invitation to sing with us!
Our first community performance is in the books!
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Ruston Daily Leader spotlights our first local performance
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Southern A'Chord: Songs of Summer - A Community Performance
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No rehearsal on July 3
 No rehearsal this week due to Fourth of July celebrations. Happy Independence Day! |
Chorus welcomes new officers, board members
 The newly elected board of directors for Southern A'Chord Chorus are (from left) Judy Sisson, president; Sallie Rose Hollis, vice president; Jan Lenard, secretary; Tina Allen, treasurer; and Kesha Jean Batiste and Anne Garay, board members. Southern A'Chord welcomes new officers, board members Southern A'Chord Chorus is entering into its first full year with a new slate of officers that was installed in May. Heading up the slate is Judy Sisson as president, with Sallie Rose Hollis as vice president, Tina Allen as treasurer and Jan Lenard as secretary. Additional board members are Anne Garay and Kesha Jean Batiste. Southern A'Chord made its debut last fall as a new women's community chorus that currently draws members from Lincoln, Ouachita and Caldwell parishes. Sisson said the chorus is experiencing steady growth, with one of the aims being to deliver more area performances in the near future. "This year, our goal is to add voices, build connections and share the joy that singing brings," Sisson said. "Our main purpose is to bring harmony and inspiration to more audiences across the region. So, ladies, if you'd like to have great musical fun while giving back to the community, come join us." Since last fall's launch, four new members have been added to the chorus roster: RozAnne Bell, Rachel Grider, Rebekah Heiden and Megan Smith. In addition to the incoming board, charter members include Candice Bassett, director; Lynette Murphy, assistant director for musical expression; and singers Kim Gronewold, Michelle Jones, Rebecca McNeill and Mary Helen Tschabold. Southern A'Chord sings four-part a cappella harmony. The chorus meets at 6 p.m. Thursdays in the fellowship hall of the Presbyterian Church of Ruston, 212 N. Bonner. For more information, contact Hollis at sallierose@mail.com. |
Second new member in two months!
| Left photo: Director Candice Bassett (left) and Sallie Rose Hollis, vice president/membership chair, present Megan Smith with her member certificate and gift bag. Right photo: Sponsor Michelle Jones places a chorus pin on Megan's shirt during the sing-in celebration.  
We're happy to announce that we have sung in new member Megan Smith, who is joining our lead section. This is the second addition to our ranks within two months!
Megan, we're so glad to have you as our Singing Sister. Welcome, welcome, welcome! We look forward to making beautiful music - and great memories - together! |
No rehearsal this week, April 17, 2025
We'll be back next week, April 24! Happy Easter!!!
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We've sung in another new member!
 We sang in new member Rebekah Heiden during the April 3 rehearsal. Rebekah, we're so glad to have you as our Singing Sister! Welcome, welcome, welcome!
Rebekah is a wonderful addition to our lead section. We look forward to making beautiful music together in the future! Oh ... and this was the first time we used our new sing-in song, "Consider Yourself." Plus, we had our April birthday celebration that night So there were THREE majorly fun things that happened at that rehearsal! Rebekah is shown here with Michelle Jones, who is her friend and mentor and who invited her to visit Southern A'Chord during our Welcome Night last September. |
April 17 rehearsal canceled
 Our April 17 rehearsal is canceled due to scheduling conflicts regarding events at our rehearsal hall and also because of Easter-related activities among chorus members. We'll be back in the swing of things April 24! |
Rehearsal time changed to 6 p.m. Thursdays
 Starting this week (Feb.ruary 6), our rehearsals will begin at 6 p.m. instead of 6:30, while still ending around 8:30. This extra 30 minutes will give us more time to refine our sound and prepare for upcoming performances. Thanks for adjusting. See you at 6! |
A good day in El Dorado in spite of the rain
Our El Dorado performance set for Dec. 14 fell victim to that day's rain; however, we still managed to have a good time. #2: Around the table at Larry's Pizza. From left: RozAnne Bell, Kesha Jean Batiste, Sallie Rose Hollis, Candice Bassett, Rachel Grider, Michelle Jones, Judy Sisson, Jan Lenard, Kim Gronewold and Anne Garay. |
From left: Anne Garay, Kesha Jean Batiste, Judy Sisson, Jan Lenard, Tina Allen, Candice Bassett, Michelle Jones, RozAnne Bell, Sallie Rose Hollis, Rachel Grider and Kim Gronewold.
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Two new members added to chorus
| As a result of our Welcome Night in the fall, Southern A'Chord has added two new members: Rachel Grider, tenor, and RozAnne Bell, lead. We are SO happy to add them to our roster and welcome them as our newest singing sisters!
Left photo: President Lynette Murphy pins Rachel during her Welcome Celebration. Right photo: Director Candice Bassett presents RozAnne with her membership certificate.  |
Butter Braid Bread - another fundraising success thanks to our supporters!
Our Butter Braid bread was delivered today. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and it was a resounding success. We raised over $1,400! |
Southern A'Chord Blizzard Blitz set for Oct. 10
Update: We earned over $250 through our Blizzard Blitz! Thanks to all who came out and supported us. Here's a shot of several of us who went to Dairy Queen after rehearsal that night. Food, fun and fellowship - can't be beat! From left: Jan Lenard, RozAnne Bell, Anne Garay, Sallie Rose Hollis and Candice Bassett.
-------------------------------  Southern A'Chord will sponsor a Blizzard Blitz at the Ruston Dairy Queen's Cooktown Road location all day Thursday, Oct. 10. For every Blizzard purchased, the chorus will receive $1. Funds will go toward laying the foundation for our new women's community a cappella chorus. Several chorus members will be there after rehearsal around 9 p.m. if you would like to join us. |
A wonderful Welcome Night
 We had 11 visitors attend our Welcome Night on Sept. 12. Yay! The sound was incredible as we blended all our voices. Thanks so much to all who attended; we hope you return in the future. Anyone out there who may have had time conflicts, please plan to attend an upcoming rehearsal; they're always open to visitors. "There's a new chorus in town" - and it's gathering momentum. (One visitor had to leave early, so the bottom pic contains only 10 people.) |
New women's chorus launches in Ruston
Latest news soon to come .... stay tuned!
| Southern A'Chord is getting ready to join the North Louisiana arts scene very soon! We're excited about it!!! Hope to see many of you at our recruitment event in the near future. |
