Toast of Tampa Show Chorus

History

Toast of Tampa was founded in 1987 as a vehicle for women to sing in four part harmony and express their love of music. The mission of the chorus is commitment to "musical excellence while promoting barbershop harmony, friendship, education, self-esteem and a sense of belonging among women of all ages, races, creeds or ethnicities."

Chorus Overview

Originally the group was composed of stay-at-home-mothers, career women and retirees. Today there are also students,and although musical training is not a pre-requisite, auditions are required to join.

While the entire chorus sings and dances together, there are also several quartets performing within the group, including Touche' (Sweet Adelines International 2013 Champions). On Valentine's Day, many of the quartets deliver singing telegrams.

The group's current director is Tony DeRosa, a former two-time gold medalist who sang baritone with 1992 champions Keepsake and 2000 champions Platinum. He is also director for the Big Orange Chorus and the Heralds of Harmony, and in 2013 was named a level Master 700 Director in the Director Certification Program (DCP) of Sweet Adelines.

Rehearsals are held in Tampa, however chorus members come from all over the state.

In October, 2014, several chorus members joined fellow singers from the Big Orange Chorus, and Heralds of Harmony, on a trip to Great Britain where they performed at the Bath Abby, Cambridge University, and numerous other churches.

Awards