Chorus leaps to 2nd place with song made famous by a frog

A song made famous in a Bugs Bunny cartoon animated the members of Northern Blend Chorus to their highest score at an international competition earlier this month.

Northern Blend came in second at the 50th annual Harmony Inc. International Contest and Convention held Nov. 11 to 14 in Providence, R.I. Northern Blend lost out to a group from Chicago that has won 18 consecutive championships.

The group has invited area women to join it for its annual ChristmaSing! Rehearsals began Monday and continue at 7 p.m. Mondays, Dec. 7 and 14 at Emmanuel Congregational Church, 119 S. Hamilton St. The concert is at 8 p.m. Dec. 21 at the church.

The 27 members of Northern Blend were invited to the international contest, consisting of teams from the U.S. and Canada, after winning a Harmony Inc. regional contest in May in Batavia. Twenty-six choruses competed in Providence.

"We had our highest score ever, at 80.1," said Northern Blend co-director Katie Taylor, Redwood.

Harmony Inc. gives final letter grades, with anything above a score of 80 earning an A.

For its first song in Providence, Northern Blend sang "What Kind of Fool Am I?" which was originally made popular in the 1962 Broadway musical "Stop the World — I Want To Get Off."

Members then sang "Hello! Ma Baby!" The 1899 song was written by Joseph Howard and Ida Emerson. It's best known for its rendition by a frog, formally known as Michigan J. Frog, which he "sang" in a 1955 Bugs Bunny cartoon.

"Being sung by women, we were able to make it flirty and fun," Mrs. Taylor said. "We weren't being froggy."

The last time Northern Blend placed second at the international competition was in 2001. Mrs. Taylor said the group has regularly come in third and fourth.

Northern Blend plans to start working on its first CD this winter for a scheduled spring release.

Harmony Inc. is made up of more than 80 chapters and 2,000 singers across the United States and Canada. The all-women's a cappella organization is dedicated to preserving the art form of barbershop music.