Crystal Connection
Crystal Connection, together since 1997, is composed of 4 section leaders, 1 Associate Director, 2 certified directors, 2 retirees, 1 seamstress, 1 dog owner, 3 grandmothers, 1 choir director, 1 bowler, 2 NCAA Big-10 Football fans, and 4 women who love making harmony together. Their joy in producing a great barbershop sound, their friendship and occasional craziness, and their dedication to continued learning all contribute to Crystal Connection’s quartet personality.
Gail Dughi, lead, is a retired teacher, a lead section leader and chorus emcee with Spirit of the Lakes Chorus, Region 22, and holds a dual-membership with the Choral-Aires Chorus in Region 3.
Dottie Kaufmann, tenor, is an educational associate at an elementary school in Woodstock, IL, a tenor section leader, associate director with Spirit of the Lakes Chorus, a member of the Spirit Management Team, and is the quartet’s official seamstress.
Cheryl Tweddle, baritone, is a customer service representative for an electronics assembly company in Schaumburg, IL, a certified director, and a member of the Choral-Aires Chorus in Region 3 where she serves as a baritone section leader and member of the Music Team.
Ruth Harte-Grabbe, bass, is a retired banker, a bass section leader with Spirit of the Lakes Chorus, a bowler, an ardent Chicago Cubs fan, and is best known for her entertaining jokes.
Crystal Connection has been singing in the northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin area for the past 10 years and can tailor a performance to suit your needs. For bookings, contact Ruth at 815-385-7833; Dottie at 815-338-2475 or cdkaufmann@sbcglobal.net; or Gail at 815-338-0729 or gdughi@yahoo.com.
Whistle Junction
This foursome got "all dogged up" for this year's Regional Contest!
This Spirit
of the Lakes quartet truly demonstrates the sense of community that is so
strongly felt in our chorus. A nice mix of Wis( consin) and Ill (inois) hence the Wis -ill in their name. These gals
travel a minimum of 45 minutes back and forth across the Wisconsin/Illinois line
to practice and/or perform. Since
“finding each other” in October 2002, they are “honing “a unique
sound and personality”. Elly
Palmer (tenor) hails from Crystal Lake, IL and is a skillful dental technician by
day and the quartet wordsmith by night (there are no lyrics she can’t twist to
accommodate the quartet's needs). Libby
Liberatore (bass) from Rockford, IL gives Whistle Junction its rich southern
feeling and as a dancer at heart she is trying to get this group “movin” and groovin”. Sue Neuls (baritone) from Hainesville, IL is the computer tech
that ably fills organizational needs and tells the best jokes. She wears
many hats as she is also Team Leader of our chorus this year. Dona Button, lead, from Lake Geneva, WI feels up to the challenge of keeping this group
“on task” after spending 34 years teaching first grade. Whistle Junction is
just one hilarious “field trip” for these four.