Member/ Past Attendee Emeritus Status

The New England Harmony Brigade Board of Directors has created and approved a new, limited Brigade attendee status applicable first to current members. Should spots remain available, then to lapsed members and finally to past attendees. This is in recognition of our aging membership who enjoy learning and singing a repertoire of challenging Gold Medal quartet charts but who find that they are no longer able to prepare all 12 songs to the performance standards of our Harmony Brigade.
 
  • Who can qualify?
Any member in good standing or past member can indicate on his application that he is applying for acceptance under the Emeritus status program. Past NEHB attendees who are not current or former members are welcome to apply as well but will ONLY be considered if vacancies remain once current and past member’s requests have been acted upon.

  • What are the differences between attending as a regular attendee or attending as an Emeritus?
If you are accepted under the Emeritus status program, you will receive all twelve charts and learning tracks. You will need to identify, after a period of time listening and attempting to learn each song, (but no later than 30 days prior to the Brigade) which SIX charts you are committed to learning note and word perfect. You are always welcome to learn more than the six identified charts.
As an Emeritus attendee, you will not be participating in the Saturday morning contest and will not be a performing member of the Saturday evening public show chorus unless you are confident in the lyrics of the other six songs and can perform them at volume zero. Your name will be on the “dance card” and you will enjoy singing any number of your 6 songs with all other attendees during the Brigade weekend.

  • Do I have to go through the regular checking process?  How will it be different?
As is the case with all attendees, you will receive a checking card and will need to go through the checking process so that we know that you are well enough prepared, under this new category, to participate in random quartetting throughout the weekend (and, potentially, participate in the Saturday evening show chorus). The two songs on which you will be assessed will be selected at random from among the SIX you have indicated are the ones you have chosen to prepare.

  • What if I don’t “pass” this checking process?
If it is recognized that you are still having performance challenges and that your errors in notes and words would be distracting to other participants, then your future applications for Brigade participation will not be accepted.

  • Will there be a price reduction if I am in this new category?
No. Since each attendee will be receiving all twelve charts and learning tracks and will be receiving full room and board while attending the Brigade weekend, there will be no reduction in registration fees. 
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  • What if I decide that I no longer need this category? Can I apply the following year as a regular attendee?

As mentioned above, this attendee category is designed for those who no longer can meet the preparation standard involved in learning all 12 challenging charts but suspect that they can do really well if learning 6. That means that you cannot go back-and-forth between attendee categories depending upon whether you may or may not like the song selections or ranginess of certain charts for that year’s Brigade. Once you have been accepted under the Emeritus Attendee Status category, you will henceforth be an attendee under that category.

  • How many applicants will be accepted within this attendee category?
There will be 2 individuals accepted under this category per voice part for the 2025 NEHB for a maximum of 8 attendees. This will be done on a first-come/first serve basis given the following order of preference: a) NEHB Members in Good Standing b) Past Members of NEHB.  In the rare event that not all spots have been filled, Past Attendees who are not current or former members of NEHB and who have requested this designation will be eligible for attendance under this category.

  • What if there are more applicants who indicate they want to attend under this category than there are spots available?
The first 2 applicants per voice part who request this category will be accepted under the terms found above. There will be a waiting list developed should there be an accepted individual (under this category) who later withdraws his application or determines that he cannot attend the weekend.