Buffalo Grove-based chorus wins national competition

The fans have spoken, and Encore!, the Buffalo Grove Park District’s adult chorus, is the grand prize winner of Sing!, a national vocal talent competition.

Encore! won the regional Sing! competition in September at the Deer Park Town Centre. By winning the national competition, Encore! will now get to work with two-time Emmy Award winner Kevin Briody at an upcoming rehearsal. The group also wins $5,000 in DDR MasterCard gift cards and a $20,000 donation will be made in their name to the Lauri S. Bauer Foundation for Sudden Loss, which is Encore’s charity of choice.

The Encore! ensemble has been performing in the Chicago area for 15 years. Music Director Linda Rosen said Encore! has always performed for the love of singing.

“Monetary attachment has never been a factor,” she said. “While I know we have gained recognition through Sing! and will most likely receive more bookings, we are still a group that cares about singing and are singing because we care.”

Regina Verdico, marketing director for Deer Park Town Center, said the Sing! competiion has been terrific for the shopping center.

“The community has been incredibly engaged from the beginning, fully supporting our local performers,” she said. “We are so proud of Encore! and excited to see what they will do next musically.”

“Over the past couple of months I have had the privilege of attending many of the live performances and meeting Sing! musicians across the country,” said Kevin Briody in a news release.

“Sing! provided the talented artists living in our communities a stage to perform and I am very excited to work with our winning group, Encore!, in the coming weeks.”