The female grand champion was Sandra Henzler of Fort Collins, Colorado. Her classical song was “LaTraviata Forte” by Verdi and her popular piece was “Wishing You Were Somehow Here.” Teenage grand champions were: Cal Fenwick of Kirkfield, Ontario, Canada, whose winning songs were “Blue Danube Waltz” by Strauss and “Over the Rainbow;” and Malia French of West Jordan, Utah, whose winning songs were “Gira Con Me Questa Notte” by Quaranotto, and “I Dreamed a Dream.” Second place male and female adult champions were Steven Herbst of New York City, and Carole Anne Kaufman of Pasadena, California. Second place for teenagers were Todd Dickerson of Hickory, North Carolina, and Casey Aycock of Louisburg, North Carolina. Winners in the childrens' division were Emily Edwards, first place, from Louisburg, North Carolina, and Queena Stewart of Ithaca, New York.
Winners of the Lillian Williams (Entertainer of the Year) Award were Steven Herbst of New York City and Carole Skinner from Miller, South Dakota. The Hall of Fame Award, the highest award of the Convention, went to Patty Ediger of Dayton, Oregon.
The Capacity Year
The year of 2005 (April 21-24) will be remembered as the capacity year. Both contestants and whistling students for the school reached the limits of time and space. Contestants and visitors were from China, Japan,Thailand, India, Canada, Brazil, The Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Mexico. Thirty-two states were represented.
Among the highlights of the Convention was the North Carolina premiere of "Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling" in the Norris Theatre on the Louisburg College Campus. Hall of Fame Award went to Barry Rector of Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. The Entertainer of the Year Awards (honoring Lillian Williams) were Steve Herbst of New York City, NY, and Phyllis Heil of Hickory, NC. Male first place grand champion was Geert Chatrou from Mierlo, The Netherlands, whose winning music was "Fete de la Belle" and "Concerto in C Major;" and female champion was Sandra Henzler from Fort Collins, Colorado, with "Poor Wandering One" and "Queen of the Night Revenge Aria." The teenage champion was Todd Dickerson of Hickory, NC.His song was "Air des Bijoux," and the children's champion was Emily Edwards of Louisburg, NC, with "Battle Hymn of the Republic."
| | After the 2005 Convention, the Franklin County Arts Council, sponsors of the Convention, realized that the council had to reorganize for improved service to the Convention's participants, plan for additional space for the school, increase the hours of renting and leasing the auditorium and facilities, receive additional financial support, and acquire additional volunteer help from the Louisburg community. But the delay did not prevent the awarding of two Entertainers of the Year, Geert Chatrou of The Netherlands and Phyllis Heil of Hickory, NC, USA: and the Hall of Fame Award to Mimi Drummond of Horsham, PA, USA on April 17, 2006. With more time to plan, the regular Convention will be held again on April 18-22, 2007.
The Record Attendance Year
The 2007 IWC set a record of attendance from whistlers and visitors to Louisburg. Part of the reason was the two-year wait and the changes in planning of events. For the latter, the Grand Opening Concert of choirs and soloists singing and whistling increased attendance, both from whistlers and vistors and from residents of the Louisburg area. There would have been more attending the school and competition if the IWC volunteers had more time and financial support to accommodate those on a waiting list. Changes in 2007 included location of the school to the downtown Training Center, more lodging in private homes, national anthems before each whistler performed from each nation, and a Saturday night reunion honoring whistlers who had not attended for a few years. Top championships for children and teenagers and the female adult were from Japan, more than ever from another nation. Steven Herbst, from New York City, received the Hall of Fame Award. Phyllis Heil from Hickory, NC and Tom Bryant from Saint Petersburg, FL received Entertainers of the Year Awards.
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