Mary Duncan, a first-year biology education major at KU, is an inspired, passionate individual who has a very pointed interest in “making a difference in the future of our society and making meaningful connections with people.” Because of this, it comes as no surprise that she is already intensely involved within the KU and Lawrence communities, citing involvement in the Honors Program Student Council, MEDLife KU and elementary school tutoring in the Lawrence community and expressing interest in becoming involved with WeTeach and the National Science Teachers Association. Aside from her involvement with community betterment, Duncan has an interesting passion that sets her apart from anyone else I’ve run across. Duncan is part of an international women’s barbershop organization called Sweet Adelines.
Can you tell me more about Sweet Adelines?
We specialize in four-part a capella harmony from countries all over the world including Canada, Sweden, Australia, England and Germany. The organization, comprised of thousands of women, just celebrated its 70th anniversary at the annual International contest in Las Vegas, Nevada. I competed at this contest with my quartet and chorus.
How and when did you get involved with Sweet Adelines?
I began in Sweet Adelines in 2010, at the age of 13. However, I had grown up around barbershop music and its culture because my mom joined the organization at a young age. Families of singers are a very common occurrence in Sweet Adelines! For example, three out of the four of us in my quartet are third or even fourth generation barbershoppers. It is fun to carry on the legacy.
Apart from being around barbershop from the time I was born, I fell in love with the organization as I became more involved. The purpose of Sweet Adelines is all about musical education and lasting friendships. In addition, the competition aspect is very stimulating as well. It satisfies the driven and competitive nature of my personality while allowing me to maintain amazing friendships and support systems.
What kinds of things have you accomplished with Sweet Adelines?
When I joined the organization in 2010, I immediately auditioned to be a member of the Kansas City Chorus. While singing with them, I earned 3 Regional first place medals. By winning regional, the chorus qualifies to compete at International, and each year, we have placed in the top 20. Though I love singing in the chorus, my main passion is in quartet singing. Within a year of joining the chorus, I formed a quartet to compete at Regional. I have placed sixth, fifth, second and first at Regional and qualified for International three times. In a quartet I was in called Legacy, I placed 16th in Hawaii and 22nd in Baltimore. I then formed a youth quartet to compete at Rising Star, which is a youth contest held each year for anyone under the age of 26. The quartet I put together, named ClassRing, won the Rising Star contest in Boston in 2014. We chose to compete at Regional the next year and qualified for International. At the International competition this year in Las Vegas, we placed eighth, which excuses us from needing to go back to Regional in the spring.
Do you get to meet a lot of cool people through this program?
I have met so many amazing people! Being an international organization, I have met people from all over the United States and the World. For example, I know people from each of the 50 states (including Hawaii and Alaska), Canada, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and England. However, I must say I find my friends from Sweden very cool. It has been so fun to learn about different cultures and languages by sharing the love of music.
Do you hope to continue participating in Sweet Adelines?
I do hope to continue in Sweet Adelines because it has been such a positive influence in my life so far. It is a great creative and emotional outlet when things get stressful.
Do you have any cool stories about your experiences?
I have too many amazing stories to talk about! Through Sweet Adelines and ClassRing, I have traveled to so many cool places. Just this year, I have been to Florida a couple times, Ohio several times, St. Louis, Nashville, Baltimore, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Las Vegas, and Pennsylvania. And we already have trips being planned for next year as well. I will say, one of the coolest experiences I have had so far was singing at Carnegie Hall in New York City. ClassRing gave a performance there in the spring, and it was awe inspiring to walk down the halls and see pictures of incredible singers who have gone down in infamy. A similar experience occurred while backstage at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
How have your experiences with this activity influenced your outlooks on life or shaped your goals?
My experiences in Sweet Adelines have taught me many lessons that affect how I live my life. I have learned how to manage large groups of people and speak with professionals at all different levels on an organization. In addition, the friendships and deep connections I have made through Sweet Adelines shape how I view the world. When I was younger, I was much more focused on a singular goal to succeed. Though ambitious goals are not always a bad thing, I found that I would often overlook other important aspects of the journey to success. My participation in Sweet Adelines has taught me to appreciate the hard work and dedication that is put into achieving each goal. But most importantly, my involvement in barbershop has taught me that having deep and healthy relationships with those around you is what truly matters in life.
What are some of your goals for the future?
As I mentioned earlier, my quartet, ClassRing, has been exempt from competing at Regional in the spring due to our placement at International. That being said, we will be doing a few youth harmony festivals coming up where we travel to schools around the country and teach youth about Barbershop singing. In addition, learning new music is a huge goal for this year to prepare for International next fall. Ultimately, our goal is to win International and be crowned International Queens of Harmony. That takes years of work and dedication, so we always want to be taking steps to move forward.
Any interesting facts about you or your experiences?
Fun fact: My mom, a past international champion quartetter, is now competing in a new quartet, and they placed seventh at International, just one placement higher than my quartet! We are the first mother-daughter pair from the same region to make it into the top 10 in different quartets.
Mary Duncan is a woman to be reckoned with, a powerful performer and an involved student and community member. A rising star and a champion for change.
(These photos are courtesy of Mary, who can be found on the far left in each photo. And you can watch a performance of her quartet here.)