Award-winning quartet will
head for music fest in Russia
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Members of the award-winning quartet Debut! are making themselves known beyond the borders of the United States.
One member of the group, Susan Jane Story, is a resident of Freehold Township.
Debut!, a two-time regional champion group, will be traveling to St. Petersburg, Russia, on Aug. 16 for a 10-day tour on an invitation from Dr. Greg Lyne, artistic director of the Society For the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA).
The International Fine Art Institute (IFAI) will host the Festival of American Music.
Also invited were the Millstone Valley Chorus (another women’s group) and two groups from California, the Pacific Sounds of Harmony Chorus, and Revival, the 1998 men’s international champion. The four units will represent the United States at the music festival, which will feature women’s and men’s quartets and choruses.
Debut! received the invitation in October. IFAI organized its first American men’s group to go to Russia in 1998. Debut! will become the first women’s group to perform at the Festival of Amer-ican Music.
Joining Story in Debut! are Stephanie Brictson of Quakertown, Pa., Katie Pinto of Hamilton Township, and Sharon Vitkovsky of Woodbridge. Story is the bass, Brictson is the tenor, Pinto sings lead and Vitkovsky is the baritone.
Debut! has been together for eight years and competes in the Sweet Adelines Greater New York Region 15 district, Story said.
Sweet Adelines is a women’s competition. The men’s competition is SPEBSQSA.
Story, a corporate travel manager, lives in the township with her husband, Larry. In addition to her singing, Story trains rookie firefighters at the Monmouth County Fire Academy, Howell. She is an active member of the Ramapo Valley Chorus, which is a three-time international champion. Story holds one of those gold medals.
Debut! is a two-time regional champion which has represented its region by singing in Orlando, Fla., and Atlanta in international competitions.
"All we do is Sweet Adelines," Story said. "In the past we have competed in Philadelphia for our region."
Debut! is no stranger to victories, placing first on two occasions, second on one occasion and third on two occasions in Sweet Adelines competitions at the regional level.
Brictson is the musical director of the Jersey Sound Chorus in Cherry Hill. She is also a coach for Sweet Adelines and SPEBSQSA quartets and choruses.
Pinto is extremely active in the Sweet Adelines community. She holds the title of Region 15 champion in 1993 and 1994 and is also a five-time international competitor.
Vitkovsky became an international quartet champion in 1992 when her quartet City Lights won the title of Sweet Adelines Queen of Harmony. In addition to singing with Debut!, Vitkovsky is a coach for other quartets and choruses. She currently holds the position of education coordinator for Region 15. She is an elementary school music teacher.
In a conversation with the News Transcript, Story explained the difference between each singing role in the group.
"The lead is the melody, the tenor sings high harmony, the bass sings low harmony and the baritone intertwines between high and low harmony depending on the melody from the lead," she said. "The ultimate goal is to win the competition and move to the international level."