CONTESTS |
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February Contest
- Live Show Description -
The winner has been announced! John Olson is the clear winner with 23 of the 35 votes.
He will receive Solana's special cookie recipe!
Stay tuned for the next contest.
He will receive Solana's special cookie recipe!
Stay tuned for the next contest.
John Olson:
Any show by The Gothard Sisters is joyous and memorable and I loved all nine shows I saw in 2012. Their first Christmas show a week earlier in Seattle was beautiful and wonderful in every way and would otherwise be my entry. However, though essentially the same show, the Celtic Christmas Concert in Carnation, WA on December 14th was extra special. This concert was on a day that will live in American history. Earlier that morning the lives of twenty precious children and six brave educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, as well as the mother of the shooter and the shooter himself were tragically lost. The spirits of people arriving for this concert were saddened and we needed to be uplifted. We had come to the right place. The venue, the Tolt Congregational United Church of Christ, resembled a rugged stone Celtic chapel with its arching outside bell tower, stunning stained glass windows, and an ornately carved wooden altarpiece. A month earlier the Gothards filmed their music video Greensleeves / What Child is This? at this church and they were invited back to entertain for the church’s Good Neighbor Fund. The audience - largely a mix of townspeople and church members - were there to support their community and to enjoy Christmas music with Celtic energy. While the performance area was tiny and the lighting was dim compared to some of their venues, the girls lovingly choreographed every detail perfectly and made the small church glow like a warm blazing fireplace.
Fittingly, the program began with a time of silence and prayer for the Newtown victims followed by the lighting of a Candle of Peace. Then Willow, Solana, and Greta took the floor. And, quicker than a broken shoelace, their opening fiddle number, Jeannette, and Irish dancing to Greta’s exuberant Celebration Reel moved us from sadness to happiness. The joy kept rolling in with Silver Bells, Ballybrolly, David’s Jig, and the most spirited version of Hark the Herald Angels you will ever hear. Treble Jig showcased their amazing competition-level footwork. Next were their arrangements of Midsummer Jigs and the old Christmas songs, Pat-a-Pan and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Then Solana and Willow thundered away delightfully on Double Drums and danced us off to intermission with Christmas Reel. The chatter at break had a warm community feel to it - friends greeting friends; introductions being made; home baked goodies being sampled; and many remarking about the lovely Gothard sisters and all their talents . . . and about how nice it was to be there after the bad news of the day. At least two people talked reflectively about these three young ladies being the same age as the Newtown children when they began violin training.
The concert resumed with the girls adding white satin skirts for their performances of Carol of the Bells; Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Trepak, and The Friendly Beasts. Then it was back to their blue, gold, and red costumes for Here We Come a Caroling ending with Solana doing a yellow ribbon slip dance to Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. Next were the lively Coventry, A Capella, Willow’s Fairy Dance Jig and Music for a Found Harmonium and a lovely version of O Holy Night.Then Solana sang a lovely rendition of Silent Night. When Solana concluded the last phrases of the song; “Sleep in Heavenly peace. Sleep in Heavenly peace.” she stood peacefully and motionless for several moments with a loving empathetic expression on her face. Suddenly, for those of us there, these words about the wish of rest for newborn Jesus seemed to transform into a prayer of Heavenly peace for the victims in Newtown. We could not have a more comforting and sweet message and tears came.
Willow introduced the finale song with “Merry Christmas and good night. Good night and Joy be to you all” and the girls sweetly harmonized the chorus from the Celtic song Parting Joy. On this particular night it was more like a benediction of peace and consolation for an evening of togetherness that we all needed. We did, indeed, feel joy. As I drove home in the thick fog that night I thought how much the world would be missing if Greta, Willow, and Solana had missed their chance to grow up and to bloom into talented performers and, more importantly, wonderful role models of good behavior and joy.
Any show by The Gothard Sisters is joyous and memorable and I loved all nine shows I saw in 2012. Their first Christmas show a week earlier in Seattle was beautiful and wonderful in every way and would otherwise be my entry. However, though essentially the same show, the Celtic Christmas Concert in Carnation, WA on December 14th was extra special. This concert was on a day that will live in American history. Earlier that morning the lives of twenty precious children and six brave educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, as well as the mother of the shooter and the shooter himself were tragically lost. The spirits of people arriving for this concert were saddened and we needed to be uplifted. We had come to the right place. The venue, the Tolt Congregational United Church of Christ, resembled a rugged stone Celtic chapel with its arching outside bell tower, stunning stained glass windows, and an ornately carved wooden altarpiece. A month earlier the Gothards filmed their music video Greensleeves / What Child is This? at this church and they were invited back to entertain for the church’s Good Neighbor Fund. The audience - largely a mix of townspeople and church members - were there to support their community and to enjoy Christmas music with Celtic energy. While the performance area was tiny and the lighting was dim compared to some of their venues, the girls lovingly choreographed every detail perfectly and made the small church glow like a warm blazing fireplace.
Fittingly, the program began with a time of silence and prayer for the Newtown victims followed by the lighting of a Candle of Peace. Then Willow, Solana, and Greta took the floor. And, quicker than a broken shoelace, their opening fiddle number, Jeannette, and Irish dancing to Greta’s exuberant Celebration Reel moved us from sadness to happiness. The joy kept rolling in with Silver Bells, Ballybrolly, David’s Jig, and the most spirited version of Hark the Herald Angels you will ever hear. Treble Jig showcased their amazing competition-level footwork. Next were their arrangements of Midsummer Jigs and the old Christmas songs, Pat-a-Pan and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Then Solana and Willow thundered away delightfully on Double Drums and danced us off to intermission with Christmas Reel. The chatter at break had a warm community feel to it - friends greeting friends; introductions being made; home baked goodies being sampled; and many remarking about the lovely Gothard sisters and all their talents . . . and about how nice it was to be there after the bad news of the day. At least two people talked reflectively about these three young ladies being the same age as the Newtown children when they began violin training.
The concert resumed with the girls adding white satin skirts for their performances of Carol of the Bells; Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Trepak, and The Friendly Beasts. Then it was back to their blue, gold, and red costumes for Here We Come a Caroling ending with Solana doing a yellow ribbon slip dance to Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. Next were the lively Coventry, A Capella, Willow’s Fairy Dance Jig and Music for a Found Harmonium and a lovely version of O Holy Night.Then Solana sang a lovely rendition of Silent Night. When Solana concluded the last phrases of the song; “Sleep in Heavenly peace. Sleep in Heavenly peace.” she stood peacefully and motionless for several moments with a loving empathetic expression on her face. Suddenly, for those of us there, these words about the wish of rest for newborn Jesus seemed to transform into a prayer of Heavenly peace for the victims in Newtown. We could not have a more comforting and sweet message and tears came.
Willow introduced the finale song with “Merry Christmas and good night. Good night and Joy be to you all” and the girls sweetly harmonized the chorus from the Celtic song Parting Joy. On this particular night it was more like a benediction of peace and consolation for an evening of togetherness that we all needed. We did, indeed, feel joy. As I drove home in the thick fog that night I thought how much the world would be missing if Greta, Willow, and Solana had missed their chance to grow up and to bloom into talented performers and, more importantly, wonderful role models of good behavior and joy.
Final voting results (based on fan voting):
John Olson: 23 Votes
Robert Albanese: 7 Votes
Joseph Couples: 5 Votes
The runners up:
John Olson: 23 Votes
Robert Albanese: 7 Votes
Joseph Couples: 5 Votes
The runners up:
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Joseph Couples:
Late Summers in Western Washington can be quite warm, and September 7th 2012 was such a day at the Puyallup Fair. The Gothard Sisters always draw large crowds, people of all ages, and words for the wise are to arrive early if you want a good view and so I did! Since I was there early, I got to watch the girls prep for the show and came to truly appreciate how committed Greta, Willow and Solana are to every detail, and all so that we in the audience can enjoy the moment! Now to the moment... Greta introduces herself, her sisters, and too, a bit of story behind the music and video. Greta shares these short vignettes, drawing we in the stands ever closer to the lives of the three sisters. One becomes engrossed in the stories, and captivated by the dancing and music and this is my only excuse for missing the name of the performance that enjoyed the most that day. I recall Greta describing the challenging dance to come in her preamble, and with my minds eye I still can see the concentration in Greta's eyes as she observed the intensity in the black shoed feet of Willow and Solana as they danced in perfectly choreographed synchronicity. I wasn't sure if Greta was watching with the eyes of an elder sisters' love or from the discerning eye of an instructor. In any case she seemed pleased with the performance and the fans even more so as we applauded! That was my day of watching three young, exciting and talented sisters in their performance in Puyallup. |
Robert Albanese:
I was at the Dec 9 Christmas Show in Seattle. It was a crowded day and many miles of driving getting there, but all worth it. Running late, so we had to skip visiting King Tut at the museum. There were a lot of really decent looking people milling about at Lake City Presbyterian Church, upon arrival, and I thought, 'What a great fan base.' Out loud, I said, 'It's gonna be a full house'. We were treated to music and dances performed at the highest level. The girls had brought their violins along and piped up in song. The audience was glowing. Lots of classic Christmas tunes including 'What Child Is This' and, for good measure, the pixies even tossed in some surf music! I just couldn't believe it and sat there thinking that, 1200 years ago, great armies would go to battle over these princesses. |
October Contest
- Live Show Photography -
This month's contest was for the best live show photograph from one of the Gothard Sisters' shows! We got eight great entries. Based on all the votes from you guys, the winner of the contest is.... Tommy Gleason! Congratulations to him, he will get the first copy of the 2013 Gothard Sisters calendar, and his winning photograph (see below!) will be featured in the calendar as well.
Tommy Gleason - First Place
Final voting results (based on fan voting):
Tommy Gleason: 106 Votes
Amy Wakefield: 30 Votes
John Olson: 25 Votes
Ruth Vanden Bos: 11 Votes
The runners up:
Tommy Gleason: 106 Votes
Amy Wakefield: 30 Votes
John Olson: 25 Votes
Ruth Vanden Bos: 11 Votes
The runners up:
Amy Wakefield - First Runner Up
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John Olson - Second Runner Up
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Ruth Vanden Bos - Third Runner Up
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August Contest
- Artwork and Drawing -
- Artwork and Drawing -
This month's contest was to draw a picture of the Gothard Sisters! We got four great entries. Based on all the votes from you guys, the winner of the contest is.... Darla! Congratulations to her, she will get a brand new Gothard Sisters Coloring Book as a prize!! Here is her winning drawing:
Final voting results (based on fan voting):
Darla: 22 Votes
Kaley: 7 Votes
Nicholas: 4 Votes
Hudson: 2 Votes
The entries:
Darla: 22 Votes
Kaley: 7 Votes
Nicholas: 4 Votes
Hudson: 2 Votes
The entries:
Name: Kaley
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Name: Darla
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Name: Hudson
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Name: Nicholas
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July Contest
- Your Creative Collection -
This month's contest was all about creativity.
The winner is Amy Wakefield from Ohio, with her very creative pictures of her entire Gothard Sisters collection in a tree.
Amy will receive a special prize. Here is her winning entry!
The winner is Amy Wakefield from Ohio, with her very creative pictures of her entire Gothard Sisters collection in a tree.
Amy will receive a special prize. Here is her winning entry!
Final voting results (based on fan voting):
Amy: 14 Votes
Kieran: 9 Votes
John: 6 Votes
Greg: 2 Votes
The entries:
Amy: 14 Votes
Kieran: 9 Votes
John: 6 Votes
Greg: 2 Votes
The entries:
June Contest
- Gothard Sisters Dance Choreography -
- Gothard Sisters Dance Choreography -
We have a winner! Stephen, Moses and Judah from Pennsylvania, USA won the June contest with their awesome entry - a music video set to Willow's Waltz. They will be getting a signed Story Girl CD/DVD set.
The challenge was to choreograph a dance to a Gothard Sisters song, being as creative as possible. You can see their winning video below!
Final voting results (based on fan voting):
Willow's Waltz video: 42 Votes
Three Coins video: 10 Votes
The entries:
The challenge was to choreograph a dance to a Gothard Sisters song, being as creative as possible. You can see their winning video below!
Final voting results (based on fan voting):
Willow's Waltz video: 42 Votes
Three Coins video: 10 Votes
The entries:
Willow's Waltz
The Three Coins
February's fan contest will be announced on Thursday, February 7th!
Monthly contests will be held here on the website for different prizes! These contests are free and open to everyone. They are also fan-voted, so make sure to return and vote for your favorite contest entries!
New contests will be announced on the first Thursday of every month - the winners will be announced on the last Saturday of every month.
New contests will be announced on the first Thursday of every month - the winners will be announced on the last Saturday of every month.
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Booking Phone: (615) 414-3498 Email: gregorytalent2@aol.com or thegothardsisters@hotmail.com Mail: PO Box 6002 Edmonds WA 98026
