Musical Director

Patty Hawley Pennycook

2009 - present Musical Director of Pacific Empire Chorus
2013 Regional Mid-Sized chorus champions
2012 Harmony Classic 2nd Place International Mid-Sized Chorus
2003 Baritone in Swinglish Mix - International Quartet Champions
Vice President, Sweet Adelines International Coronet Club

Patty has 25 years experience in Sweet Adelines as a singer, front row dancer, music team leader and assistant director. In 2009, Patty became the Musical Director for Pacific Empire Chorus and her passionate, heartfelt love for our craft has guided our chorus forward by leaps and bounds in our quest for excellence in performance art.

PEC has continued to achieve the highest honors in our division each regional contest since she took the helm in 2009. In 2012 we placed 2nd on the international stage in Denver in the Sweet Adleines International Harmony Classic Competition. Patty Pennycook grew up a barbershop brat in Kentucky. She always attended barbershop rehearsals and conventions with her father, Charlie Hawley, a member of the 7-time International men’s chorus champions, The Louisville Thoroughbreds. Louisville also had many men’s championship quartets, so she feels she got her barbershop “chops” singing tags with the guys from quartets like Bluegrass Student Union, Second Edition, Interstate Rivals, Revival, The Harrington Brothers, Michigan Jake and Gas House Gang.

A Sweet Adeline Mom introduced Patty to her son, they eventually married and Patty now lives in Napa with her fun wine salesman husband David Pennycook and sweet daughter Carly, who recently joined the chorus at age 14.

Patty joined Sweet Adelines to sing with women in the early 80’s and her wholehearted participation has brought her on a long journey through success and vocal excellence to her position now as our director. Along the road the four girls of Swinglish Mix found each other and started singing together in 1995. They have happily performed all over the United States plus Canada, Sweden, and New Zealand for the last 15 years. Between the four of them, not only did they compete for six years and win the International Quartet competition in 2003, they also had ten children and released two CD’s during their time singing together, all while living on two different continents. More information about Swinglish Mix may be found at www.swinglishmix.com.

For the past 7 years, Patty has served as the Marketing and PR Chair for the Coronet Club, an elite group of international quartet winners in our organization; as such she managed the art and advertising for the annual Coronet Club show at the annual SAI competition. Since 2012 she has served as the Coronet Club Vice President. As Vice President, she assists the President in all club needs, including planning all the events, receptions, rehearsal spaces and needs during the annual international competition. Patty has sung in four different choruses, Derby City Chorus, Pride of Kentucky Chorus, Verdugo Hills Chorus in L.A., and Pacific Empire for the last eleven years. Patty says she "is enjoying the love and thrill of teaching and performing barbershop music along with these Northern California girls in such a fabulous International level chorus".

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