The Alexandria Harmonizers and Miss America joined forces to lead Fourth of July ceremonies at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. With a statue of Thomas Jefferson and a large replica of the Declaration of Independence as backdrop, Virginia and Pennsylvania were joined once again in a full-voice Celebration of Freedom.
Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, a former Miss Virginia and Miss Arlington, performed the National Anthem. The Alexandria Harmonizers, fresh from their 5th place win at the International Chorus Contest of the Barbershop Harmony Society, sang "The Stars and Stripes Forever" to begin the day’s televised festivities that featured dignitaries, military units, and youth performers. The popular Independence Day parade followed, winding through Philadelphia’s historic district.
Under Master Director Joe Cerutti, the 100-man Alexandria Harmonizers Chorus won their bronze medal in competition among 27 groups from the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. With a total of 16 international contest medals including four gold medals, the Harmonizers have taken the name of Alexandria well beyond the city limits in landmark performances in the Nation’s Capital, Carnegie Hall, Disneyland, and Canada, on the Internet, and in television broadcasts for the Kennedy Center Honors, Wolf Trap Galas, and America’s Got Talent.
Chartered in 1948, the Alexandria, Virginia Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (SPEBSQSA, Inc) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization supported in part by the City of Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities and by the Alexandria Commission for the Arts. For more information, visit the online web site www.harmonizers.org.