Sing2026 — some personal highlights
I just got home from the BABS Sing2026 convention, and it was an extremely excellent weekend on several fronts. I wanted to share a few personal highlights.
First to my friends in Hallmark of Harmony — the chorus I grew up in — who posted a massive score improvement and came home with a Silver Medal in the Male Chorus Contest. It's their first contest medal under their new MD Rob Stonewood, and they sang two new arrangements: one arranged by Sam Hubbard, and the other by my younger brother Nick Bryant. Very proud all round!
Second to Somewhat Original, who I worked with a little bit in the run-up to the contest. Their goal was to get a score of 70%, which they thoroughly overachieved on. They came home with Bronze medals in the Youth Quartet contest, and a score of 72.3%. They executed a lot of the new stuff we were working on, and got a great response from the audience. Again, very proud!
Third, I'm very excited that my quartet (Limelight) successfully achieved a qualifying score to compete at the BHS International! We got an 82.4% — our highest score to date and our first time qualifying since the score threshold was increased to 81%. We are thrilled to have the chance to compete at International again, and very happy that our hard work is paying off! It really felt like we had found our mojo again this weekend. Congratulations also to The Emerald Guard, Fifth Element, and Overtime, all of whom also achieved a qualifying score.
A final highlight for me was the induction of The Emerald Guard into the BABS Hall of Fame. They are only the second quartet to be inducted, and they are thoroughly deserving of this honour. They've been singing together for 14 years and continue to push themselves and our art form to new places. The work they've done to inspire singers across the country — including me — is huge. Very proud to know them and call them friends.