Velvet Swing

   
 

Velvet Swing has been singing together since 2008.  Our lead is Char Rathburn, our baritone is Christi Shea, and our bass is Betty Hamzy.  In July 2011, we lost our tenor Christy Grisler (to the East Coast) and replaced her immediately with our new tenor, Rhonda Amerine!  We formed with the express intent of entertaining and have yet to compete. Singing with Velvet Swing has been very satisfying and we have often been asked to do repeat performances. When we select the songs for our repertoire, it is with good entertainment value in mind.

 

Rhonda Amerine grew up in Chicago, studying piano at the Chicago Conservatory and Interlochen. Born a baritone and having also sung bass, she has been a member of Sweet Adelines for about 15 years, and is currently a member of both Sacramento Valley Chorus and Mission Valley Chorus. She is also studying at University of Phoenix, trying to decide what she wants to be when she grows up. In her spare time, if she had any, she would enjoy playing Scrabble, doing jigsaw puzzles, and playing or watching various trivia games.

 

Char Rathburn has been singing since she was a little girl. She began dueting with her mother around the age of six. She taught Char to carry her own part, whether singing melody or tenor or alto. She began singing at church in duets and trios, and in glee club in high school. She married, raised a family and was introduced to Sweet Adelines in 1989. She has been in several quartets and, enjoyed them all! Now with Velvet Swing, she is having a ball!  Just can’t get enough harmonizing!

 

Christi Shea comes from a very musical family, with brothers and nephews in the business. She learned to love harmony from her mother and joined Sweet Adelines in 2003. When she is not singing, Christi works as a mortgage advisor for Stanford Mortgage.

 

Betty Hamzy grew up in the Midwest singing with her sister as well as in church choirs, school choruses, madrigals and sextets. She was introduced to Sweet Adelines in 2000. Her sister, Judy, is a Lead with the Spirit of Spokane Chorus.  Betty’s main interest at this point in her life, is singing with the Sacramento Valley Chorus and with Velvet Swing. She's an avid reader and enjoys dancing and swimming, crosswords, Sudoku and trivia games.

 

If you are interested in contacting Velvet Swing

email Christi.