Visitors
Kathy Shaughnessy has been singing since the beginning of time, or at least since junior and senior high. Wherever she has lived she has managed to find a group in which to indulge her joy of singing. These have ranged from the Arundel Vocal Arts Society in Annapolis, MD, to the Connecticut Choir, to the Monterey Peninsula Choral Society in California. Her experiences have gone as far away as a church choir in Keflavik, Iceland during an assignment in her Navy days. She has also been in numerous musical productions, including “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” (she was Peppermint Patty) and “HMS Pinafore”. She has sung in the ensemble of “Carmen” with the Annapolis Opera and played Sister Gertha in “The Sound of Music”. She has never had any formal music training, and can’t pick out a C on the piano. But she has always loved to sing, to harmonize, and to be on stage. “I just learn the music as I go.”
Just to prove that advertising does, indeed, pay, Kathy found out about to Sweet Adelines through an ad in the newspaper. She auditioned for the chorus last January, just in time to compete! What an amazing first few months!
Although she has a good range and could pretty much sing any part, she has chosen to sing bass. “I love the richness of the female bass sound, and love being the ‘basis’ of the chorus.”
Kathy had a hard time picking out her favorite chorus song; there are so many that she likes. Patriotic songs make her tear up, and “Ain’t-a That Good News” and “River of Dreams” are upbeat and fun songs. But if she had to pick one, it would be “Candle on the Water” because she thinks “we blow people away with that one.”
Kathy originally hails from Indiana, where all her family still lives. She’s a dentist, contracting with the Army at Snyder Dental Clinic at Fort Gordon. Her husband is active duty in the Army so has kept moving the last few years; they moved here from Monterey, CA in April 2002.
She has “two wonderful stepdaughters and four wonderful step-grandchildren. I married Michael, in June, 1998, and he has been God’s greatest blessing of all!” Besides loving the stage and singing, she loves to play golf and ride her 2003 Harley 883 Sportster. She’s a travel bug and has seen many parts of the world.
When asked what her favorite thing about Adelines was, she replied, “The feeling of belonging and the friendships I have formed with the ladies. Also, everyone is serious about doing the best they can to make the chorus a good one.”
Now Kathy is getting ready for her second competition, despite recent leg surgery, and is ready to help us blow the judges away for the second year in a row.