Astrid Hillebrand of Nottuln.
It was also the year the Arts Council officially presented an international award to both men and women. Chris Ullman, Washington, D.C., won the male Grand Championship, and Mary Frances Herndon, Sedalia, Missouri, won the female Grand Championship. Second-place for the men was Steve Herbst, New York City, and second-place for the women was Laura Loftsgaarden from Los Angeles, California. The Teenage Grand Champion was Marco Gualtieri from Dollard Des Ormeaux, Quebec, Canada, and second-place was Steven Floyd from Louisburg, North Carolina. The National Children’s Champion was Kirsten Davis from Franklinton, North Carolina. The duet winners were Elaine Clark from Sterling, Colorado, and her daughter Claudia Hutcheon from Spring Lake, North Carolina. The Canadian Championship award went to Tanguay Desgagne from Sherbrooke, Quebec, and second-place to Michael Cooney from Edmonton, Alberta Canada.
MC for the Convention was Roy Thoreson, the Carson City Whistle-Off international champion four times, a world record. The 1996 Hall of Fame Award honored Mitch Hider (who could not attend), who had been the 1982 International Grand Champion in Carson City and who from 1979 to 1984 directed a whistler’s festival “Holiday for Lips” in his home state of Oregon. The Lillian Williams Award honored Fred Newman of New York City for his many years as a national entertainer and host of the Disney Channel for top-rated comedy/variety shows. He is author of MouthSounds and a children’s book Zounds, and host of CBS’s Livewire.
International Male and Female Winners
In 1997, Joel Brandon, internationally known whistler from Chicago, and former grand champion in 1986 and 1987 of the national Whistlers Convention, was back in Louisburg to receive the Convention’s highest award, the Hall of Fame Award in the vocal art of whistling. In 1988 he was among the Convention’s guests of honor. | | Tanguay Desgagne of Sherbooke, Quebec, Canada, won first-place in the International Whistling Grand Championship for men. His winning songs were Samba and Hungarian Dance, by Brahms. He has also won the Grand Championhip in 1993 and 1995. The first place in the International Whistling Grand Championship for women was Mary Frances Herndon of Sedalia, Missouri. Her winning songs were Kiss of Fire Tango,and Symphony #9 From the New World by Dvorak. She also won the 1996 championship. Second-place in the top honors were Michael Cooney of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and Madeleine Deslisle of Quebec, Canada. The International Grand Championship awards for teenagers in first-place went to Tony Woodward, Louisburg, North Carolina, and second-place to Spencer Wright, Southampton, New York. Firstplace Grand Championship awards for children went to Michael Barimo of Winter Haven, Florida, and second-place went to Angelica Barker of Franklinton, North Carolina. In Allied Arts, awards for firstplace were Michael Barimo in children’s category, and Roy Thoreson from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in the adult category.
The Lillian Williams Award (highest entertainment award in arts associated with the vocal art of whistling) went to Greg Smith of Raleigh, North Carolina. Ruth Olley, a female contestant from Essex, England, received a special award from the Louisburg Chamber of Commerce for having traveled the farthest to attend the Convention. In 1997, Mitch Hider from Monroe, Oregon, was the Convention’s Musician-in-Residence for the Franklin County Elementary School classes in a project for “Musical Enrichment for Children.” He and Mary Frances Herndon directed the International School for Whistlers. The Jim Marshall Chorale of Raleigh, North Carolina, presented a concert of international music, and the Master of Ceremonies for the competition sessions was Dick Shaw from Apopka, Florida. | |
