Dressed in many-colored glittering silk shirts, the members of Poughkeepsie's award-
winning Evergreen Chorus performed their annual show at M. Clifford Miller Middle School in the Town of Ulster on Sunday, singing spirited hits from Elvis Presley and Gloria Estefan to Nat King Cole and EIton John. Evergreen Chorus is Hudson Valley's chapter of Sweet Adelines International, an organization of female acapella groups who sing barbershop music. Sweet Adelines has over 26,000 members in chapters throughout the United States and in countries all over the world, including Australia, Sweden and Israel, said Evergreen Chorus director Carole Argulewicz, who by day is a special education teacher in the Kingston City School District.
      Argulewicz said that barbershop music, which she called "the only true American art form," is by definition a four-part acapella harmony with bass, baritone, tenor and lead line, and it gets its name from the simple way in which the movement was created. According to Argulewicz, groups of men—supposedly while waiting at the barbershop to get their haircuts — began singing acapella and soon formed an official organization. Women soon followed suit and the first Sweet Adelines chapter was formed by a group of women in Tulsa Oklahoma in the mid 1940s.
      Today there are so many Sweet Adelines chapters in America that they are divided into geographical regions. Throughout the year the Evergreen Chorus competes in national musical tournaments, and this spring, the chorus won second place in their Northeast Region 15 tournament in Philadelphia. As much as they enjoy the excitement of travel and competition, however, that's not what the Evergreen Chorus is all about.
      "It's a community organization," said Argulewicz, "and it's our job to go out and perform for the community." Several members of the group said that their favorite event of the year is the annual Hudson Valley show. "It brings such joy when we sing and entertain/' said Tern Hein, Evergreen's assistant director and a 17-year-member of the chorus.
      The theme at this years performance — the radio — was emceed by Joe Daily, the host of 92.1 and 99.3 LiteFM. Hanging from the ceiling above the stage and the four-tiered singers' platform were several colorful radio station banners. The Evergreen Chorus, in traditional barbershop acapella, sang a variety of songs from several musical genres including rockabilly, jazz and blues, as Daily narrated between numbers from a nearby spot-lit podium.
      During the Bobby Day chestnut "Rockin' Robin" and an Elvis medley that included Hound Dog and Heartbreak Hotel, audience members sang along with the smiling, enthusiastic chorus members, led by director Argulewicz, who swayed and swung her arms to the music.
      Argulewicz has been a member of the group for 25 years and the director for the past seven. "I think that this is the best thing. I love to be on stage", said Argulewicz, who studied music in college before returning to live in the Hudson Valley. "This is a great, great hobby for anyone and it's more than just a hobby; its part of who I am."
      Many of the women in Evergreen, like Argulewicz, have been with the chorus for decades. During intermission, two veteran chorus members, 45-year member Ruth Martin and 38-year member Jennie Madison, stood in the elementary school hallway catching a breather before the second act. As part of the Evergreen Chorus, "you make a lot of new friends and you get to perform. It's really enjoyable," said Martin, explaining the reasons why she has stayed with the chorus for so long. Madison agreed.
She said that she enjoys performing and the sense of community that the chorus members share. "I love to sing," said Madison. "It's good for the soul."

Daniel Bush