(status March 2012, see more recent news letters for actual
information)
Welcome to the European Barbershop Convention 2013
European Convention 2009 was a thrilling event and a great
success due to the support of all the participating barbershop
organizations. Originally, the intention was that it would be a
rotating event, in turn organized by one of the European
Barbershop Organizations. However, it proved to be too much of a
financial risk to organize a European convention that is not connected
to a national convention. The question has been put to Holland
Harmony if we could organize it once more, as we have the
experience and the perfect venue for it. We have agreed to
organize the European Convention one more time. Next time it
will be most likely in the United Kingdom.
So we proudly announce the European Barbershop Convention
2013
Dates: Thursday March 14 until Sunday March 17, 2013 Location: The Koningshof in Veldhoven, The Netherlands
(same location as in 2009).
Contests and Judging
The contest for men and women will be judged separately,
in other words we will not have men and women competing
against each other.
Simultaneously the national Holland Harmony contest will
take place, and will be judged by the same panels as
indicated below
There will be 4 panels: one from Sweet Adelines, with
judges who have been judging according to BHS rules before
and 3 other panels, consisting of LABBS, BABS and BHS
judges.
All 4 panels will judge according to BHS rules and they
will judge all contests, men and women, choruses and
quartets, comparable with Internationals in the US.
The contest rules for the 2013 International Convention
are based on these rules and
are available
(revised May 9,
2012).
The draw for the national and European contests will be
done during the annual Holland Harmony membership meeting in
April 2012. We will base the draw upon 3 choruses and 3
quartets from each organization, and in addition the current
European Champions.
We will make the draw for the following contests:
- Holland Harmony (female) quartet contest
- Holland Harmony (female) chorus contest
- European female quartet contest
- European male quartet contest
- European female chorus contest
- European male chorus contest
- European mixed quartet contest
A very preliminary order of appearance will be announced in
April, the definite order will be published on November 15,
when the contest registration closes for the last two organizations.
Please note that the quartet contests are on
Thursday and the chorus contests on both Friday
and Saturday. All choruses need to be prepared to be
there on Thursday or very early Friday morning, in case they
are competing on Friday.
On Thursday we also will have a 'European mixed
quartet contest' for mixed quartets who are officially
representing one or more European barbershop organization(s).
Who qualifies to participate in the European Convention
2013?
The top 3 choruses and 3 quartets from each European
barbershop organization.
In case of mixed organizations (like BinG!), 3 female choruses
and quartets and 3 male choruses and quartets.
In case the organization cannot send the top 3, then they are
free to choose 3 out of the top 5.
Organizations that have a yearly convention and the rule that a
winning chorus or quartet cannot compete the next year, can send
the champion chorus and quartet from 2011 as well as the top 2
choruses and quartets from 2012 or out of the best 5.
The European Champion comes on top of that.
For example: LABBS can send the 2011 winner, which are the White
Rosettes. As they are also the current European champions. LABBS
can then choose to send the White Rosettes as well as their top
3 from 2012 or 3 out of the top 5. In total 4 choruses.
Qualification for the European mixed quartet
contest: the quartet must officially represent at least one of
the European barbershop organizations. These organizations can
set their own qualification requirements. Every organization can
sent a maximum of three mixed quartets.
The current European Champions 2009 are:
Men
chorus: Zero8 (SNOBS)
quartet: Ringmasters (SNOBS)
Women
chorus: The White Rosettes (LABBS)
quartet: Remix quartet (SAI Nordic Light Region)
Preliminary programme
Arrival of the participants will be possible from Wednesday
March 13.
The quartet contests start early on Thursday March 14 and
will take all day.
The chorus contests start early Friday March 15 until
late afternoon Saturday March 16.
Shows will be planned on Friday evening, Saturday evening and Sunday
afternoon.
Accommodation
Location will be hotel & conference center 'The Koningshof in
Veldhoven', the same location as the 2009 convention. That way
we'll have an excellent competition area as well as excellent
food and lodgings.
The Koningshof cannot offer accommodation to all participants.
Therefore we will make a list of other hotels and give you
booking codes in order to get the convention special prices.
Different from 2009 is, that all participants and visitors will
have to book their own accommodation directly with De Koningshof
or any other hotel on our list of hotels.
Costs
Registration is compulsory for all singers who will be on
stage any time during a show or contest. This includes MD's and
mike warmers/coolers.
The costs for registration are € 110 per person. This includes
free access to all contests and all three shows during 4
days.
Visitors can order a passe-partout for € 85 or separate tickets
for the individual contests/shows.
Time line
April 2012: contest rules will be available on the
Holland Harmony website
April 2012: Draw for contests, followed by a
preliminary order of appearance. All potential contestants
will be part of the draw.
=> result of
the draw
May 15: Start of chorus/quartet contest registration
June 15: Deadline for all choruses and quartets to
register for the European contest (except for mixed quartets
and for LABBS and DABS
as their convention will take place in October 2012)
June 15 (delayed until end July): start of individual registration of the
chorus/quartet members (via the chorus/quartet contact
person)
September 15: Start date for booking hotels. If you want
to stay at the Koningshof, you better book early...
October 15: Deadline to register individual chorus
members and quartet members
November 15: Announcement of definite order of
appearance during the different contests
November 15: Deadline for DABS and LABBS to register
their choruses/quartets for the contest as well as the
registration of the individual members of
these choruses and quartets.
November 15: Deadline to register mixed quartets.
December 1: Deadline for payments of the individual
registration costs (110 euro / person)
March 14-17: European Barbershop Convention
Why do registration payments need to come in so early?
We have a contract with De Koningshof and in order to get the
reductions on their regular prices, we need to pay the costs of
all the halls and rooms we rent by December 1. Therefore we need
your payments for registrations by this date as well.
By the end of April we will start sending newsletters to
regularly update you on the European Barbershop Convention 2013.
They will be sent (in Dutch) to the contact persons of the Dutch
choruses/quartets and (in English) to the contact persons of all
European barbershop organizations.
If like your to receive your English personal copy directly
please click this link
Holland Harmony members: click here
to subscribe to the Dutch newsletter.
Of course, all updates will appear on our convention website
=> www.hollandharmony.dse.nl/conv2013/
and will also be announced our
official convention facebook page
=> www.facebook.com/ebc2013.
![[logo ebc2013: design by Anna Rosenberg]](logo/European-BC-2013-logo-final-w251.jpg){kind=logo}
