"The people are everything at T.C."

The inspiration and motivation behind the chorus music team is the amazingly gifted Judy Olson, who has the talent, tact, and energy to lead and direct a very diverse group of women toward commonly set goals by balancing extreme hard work with loads of humor.

Judy found Sweet Adelines in 1965 and joined the Minneapolis-based City of Lakes Chorus. After several years she moved north and continued her barbershop interest with the Duluth Harbor Chords Chorus. Upon her return to Minneapolis she rejoined the City of Lakes Chorus and became their Assistant Director and Choreographer. She accepted her current position as Director of the award-winning Twin Cities Chorus in 1981 and earned her Master Director designation at Regional Competition in 1998.

Judy is an accomplished choreographer and a member of the Sweet Adelines International Music Faculty. She travels frequently, coaching choruses and quartets in staging, choreography and performance techniques. She has also served as Can-Am Region 6 Director of Musical Activities.

Judy sang lead in the 1981 first place Regional champion quartet, Sunshine Special. Not busy enough, Judy also performs several nights a month as the alto singer with a mixed quartet, the Nostalgics.

This group is an integral part of the local Classic Big Band under the direction of Dan Odegaard. Judy says singing with the band "feeds her soul".
PHOTO LEFT: The Nostalgics top l-r: Joel Kleschold, Pam Parker, Judy Olson, Reeves Cary]

Besides coming from a "theatre family" with a genuine love for anything to do with stagecraft, Judy holds a B.A. in Music Education from North Dakota State University and has taught junior high vocal music in both Osseo and Duluth, Minnesota.

Shots from Judy's 25th Anniversary as Director of TCSC >>

Barb grew up harmonizing with her aunt and cousins around the family piano. She attributes her love of harmony (especially 4-part) to early exposure to a quartet called the Max-i-Moms [all relatives].

Barb joined the Forest Lake Chorus in 1967 [currently Lakes Area Chorus] as a tenor and transferred to the Twin Cities Chorus in 1999 as a baritone. She served as an Assistant Director for the Forest Lake Chorus for almost the entire time as well as serving on her chapter board and the music committee. She became one of Judy's Assistant Directors for T.C. shortly after joining them in 2001 and continues to serve on the Music Team. She says "I'd never want to become the actual director - it's way too much work! [Besides which, I'd become a very nasty person as I don't have the patience it requires to be a good teacher.]" For several short years, she served on the Regional Music Faculty Team and as Regional WebManager from 1999-2007.

Barb is single, a Graphics Designer by trade, and does freelance web design amongst other things in her semi-retirement. She has also sung alto with the Roseville Big Band on ocassion. In high school, the choir director eventually weeded her out of the choir because her voice kept sticking out! She played the pipe organ at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church for several years just after high school.

"Those who knew me as a kid will tell you I was painfully shy. Now I love getting up in front of an audience. Those wonderful ladies in Sweet Adelines have a LOT to answer for!"

"No matter the time and effort I put into this hobby, it continues to give back so much more, especially in the way of some really terrific friends who like the same things I do! Baritone fits me like a glove - I absolutely love the challenge of adding the missing harmony notes. It's the baritone notes that create those fabulous OVERTONES! In my life I've been extremely fortunate to have been able to combine my three great passions - music, art, and theater in my hobby."

"Other things I have learned from Sweet Adelines ...

• That audiences will love you if you love them first (no matter what you look like)
• Love and knowledge is meant to be shared without reservation (and gobs of humor)
• Some people can be dangerous to stand next to on the risers. If you don't sing the right notes, you get an elbow in the ribs!"