Our MACC experience

What an absolute joy it was to be part of this wonderfully organised day at the Royal Northern College of Music, for the Manchester Amateur Choral Competition (MACC), an annual competition of choirs from several genres of musical ability, from chamber to show choruses. The levels of ability were truly amazing, keeping the audience entertained throughout the day.

We, as a Sweet Adelines chorus, were really looking forward to competition time, with eight new members performing on stage for the very first time, a chance for them to see and feel what it is like, and to appreciate the levels that everyone has to work to, to get peak performance at the right time.

We particularly liked the instant feedback from the judges, and we were praised for interacting with the audience from the moment we stepped on stage – surely this is a must, years of Sweet Adelines drilling came into force here!

Some of the comments coming from our own chorus:

“So much fun, and so inspiring to see such a wide array of choral styles.”
“A truly amazing and uplifting day.”
“It was a fantasy day, the choirs were amazing, such variety and talent.”
“So lucky to have been part of the day, amazing.”

The organisation for the day was faultless, and although some choirs overran their timeslot, all performances were well worth the time.

The hall was full to bursting for the results, and what a difficult job to sieve through all the different choruses and choirs to choose an eventful winner. While we waited for the judges to come to a final conclusion, we were entertained by last years winners, the all-male Meantime Chorus, and what a delight they were.

The MACC 2020 winners were Haraya Choir who brought the jungle alive in one of their songs, and won themselves a standing ovation at the end, the runners up were Surrey Hills Chamber Choir and Rainbow Connection.

What a joyful occasion, and one that I am sure we will visit again in the future.