Being the Director of Hills Are Alive! Chorus really fits the bill for Dondra. She loves music, clothes, shoes, make-up and jewelry. Just the ticket for being a member of Sweet Adelines and especially, the Director. She has been a Sweet Adeline since 1984, when a member of the (then) Highlands Harmony Chorus invited her to a rehearsal.
Dondra is an animal lover, enjoys 50’s and 60’s style music, and enjoys anything outdoors. Especially riding her motorcycle! Dondra, also, sings baritone in The Entertainment Company quartet. One of her best memories of singing with the quartet is when they performed at the Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bush 500.
Dondra takes her job as Director very seriously and works diligently to ensure that each chorus member knows what is expected of her, knows her music and choreography, and has bunches of fun at the same time!!
Jane is a Bristol, VA native and began her love of music by taking piano lessons at age five . She switched to clarinet in her high school years and continued playing clarinet during her college years at Mary Washington College. A couple of years during college she played tenor sax in an All Girl Dance Band. During this time she sang in her church choir but never thought of singing in a chorus.
In 1978 a friend introduced her to Sweet Adelines and she was hooked! She became a member of the Mountain Empire Chorus where she sang lead, tenor and bass. She became Director in 1997 and continued in that role until the Mountain Empire Chorus and Highlands Harmony Chorus merged to become Hills Are Alive! Chorus. Jane is now happily on the risers, singing bass until called upon to step in as Assistant Director!
The Inside Story
The Many Faces of Hlls Are Alive! Chorus
Lee Greenwood Surprises Charter Member on 90th Birthday
In the midst of Jean Miller’s surprise birthday party, Lee Greenwood walked into the yard and joined the party. Mr. Greenwood is spokesperson for Products for Good and had come to present Jean with a framed coin from that organization. Products for Good is an organization which sells un-circulated Iraqi coins -decommissioned by SaddamHussein- initially to rebuild an orphanage in Basra and then to create a plan to donate over $20,000,000 to the families of wounded heroes.
To state the obvious, Jean was surprised twice that June afternoon – first by the gathering of family, friends, and chorus members and then by Mr. Greenwood’s presentation and appearance at her home. Jean is a charter member of Hills Are Alive! Chorus (38 yr.), Blountville, TN. (Region 14). Jean’s daughter, Betts Leach, purchased the coin for Jean and has been a chorus member almost as long as her Mother has.
Happy 90th Birthday Jean!!
Dondra Warden
Jane McKamey
Jean Miller
