~ AC&C 2026 ~
Harmony, Inc.
Area 2 Convention & Contests
April 23 - 26, 2026
Framingham, Massachusetts
Area 2's AC&C Convention Team and
Host Chapter, Sounds of the Seacoast
Welcome you to
Contest Results
Area 2 Quartet Champions
Intonations
New England Voices in Harmony, Nashua, NH & Women of Note, Hudson, MA
Qualifiers to International: High Gear, Intonations, SweetLife
Rae Borror Award (most improved) & Voices of Experience (seniors champs): The Cat's Meow
Celia Landry From the Heart Award (most improved Performance score): Intonations
The Ones To Watch Award (youth quartet champs): 4-Get Me Nots
Area 2 Novice Quartet Award: Not Four Minors
Area 2 Chorus Champions
New England Voices in Harmony, Nashua, NH
Guiding Hands Award: Renée Tramack
Qualifiers to International: Barre-Tones, Inc., Harmony Heritage, New England Voices in Harmony, Silk'n Sounds, Sounds of the Seacoast, Women of Note
Betty Costellow Small Chorus Award & Rising Star Award (most improved): Maine-ly Harmony
Sandi White Membership Award: Harmony Heritage
Convention Hotel
Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center
1657 Worcester Road (Route 9)
Framingham, Massachusetts 01701
[ Text before reservation instructions and links are ready: Reservation information and further details will be posted at a later date. ]
Reservation information and further details may be found here.
Venue
Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center
1657 Worcester Road
Framingham, Massachusetts 01701
The contests will be held in the Grand Ballroom at the Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center, which is on the Main Level.
(For specific details see the General Contestant Information page.)
All-Events Passes & Registration
All-Events Passes (AEP) include admission to All Events, Education Classes, and Saturday Night Banquet and Showcase. Individual event tickets are available for the Quartet Contest and the Chorus Contest. A limited number of separate Saturday night banquet tickets are also available.
Safety Protocols for AC&C 2024
Harmony, Inc. and Area 2 are committed to offering a safe, accessible event, as we are committed to the health and safety of our convention attendees. Along with continually seeking guidance from our COVID-19 Team and some medical professionals, we are closely monitoring COVID-19 data and following the ongoing evolution of event safety protocols.
For details on the guidelines and safety measures in place for the convention, please see the Safety Protocols page.
Volunteers
“One of the greatest gifts you can give is your time.”
Act as if what you do makes a difference…it really does!
It takes many dedicated individuals to put on an event of this size and without you, it will not be a success. We are asking that you set aside part of your weekend to help out in the Hospitality Room, with Education Classes, door monitoring the contests or even helping with the pattern during the contests. Sign up by entering your information on the SignUp Genius poll.
We thank you in advance for donating your time and helping out!
If you have questions or prefer to sign up directly by email, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Linda Briggs at volunteers@area2harmony.org. Your help will be very much appreciated.
Education Classes
For those of you interested in attending education classes, they are currently in the planning stages. Classes will be held on Thursday from 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. and on Friday from 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. They will be held in the conference rooms of the Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center in the Meeting Space – Lower Level.
Check back here at a later date for the schedule, class descriptions, and instructor biographies.
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To download the schedule, descriptions, or instructor biographies, please click here.
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Tag Contest
For the first time at Area 2 AC&C we will be hosting a TAG CONTEST on Thursday night at 9:30 p.m. Tag Contests were successfully held at Harmony Fest West 2025 and IC&C 2025, and we'd like to start a new tradition in Area 2.
So, start thinking about organizing a quartet and picking a tag. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 quartets.
Details are in progress and will be available soon!
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Quartets can pre-register by contacting our Tag Contest Coordinator, David Patterson at tagcontest@area2harmony.org.
Details are available here.
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Livestream
Not able to attend in person? Bring your Area Contest into the living rooms, work cubicles, and onto the streaming devices of those who cannot be there in person!
Click here for more information.
Program Ads
We will be offering Chapters, Quartets, and individuals the availability to purchase PROGRAM ADS. Anyone who wishes to send congratulations or good luck wishes to contestants in a program ad, please click here for details...
Photography & Videography
Photographs will be taken of each contestant and will be available for purchase. Details will be provided at a later date.
Video thumb drives will also be created and one copy will be available for purchase by each contestant. Details will be provided at a later date.
Hospitality Room
Sounds of the Seacoast invites you to Come Fly With Us on Harmony Airlines! We offer you the most fun traveling you'll ever have. We'll make check-in and security lines as easy as pie. And once on board, our Chief Flight Attendance Mahge and her crew will see to your every need. We can't wait to hear all about your adventures in cities across the globe!
Be sure to stop by the airport lounge (Hospitality Room) to pick up your Boarding Pass (All-Events Pass). There you will also find the popular basket raffle to benefit our Youth Outreach and other programs, interesting items for sale, or just a place to gather and chat with fellow travelers. We will also have some activities to help you pass the time before boarding. The Hospitality Room will be open on Thursday and Friday (not Saturday).
If you would like to sell any merchandise or quartet or chorus CD's in the Hospitality Room, please contact our Vendor Management Chair, Allison Kelley at vendors@area2harmony.org for more information and to make arrangements.
Members of Sounds of the Seacoast will be wearing black with a purple scarf and a Harmony Airlines button, in order for you to recognize us.
Basket Raffle
Yes, it’s that time again to plan what your basket will be like for the Raffle. Chapters, quartets, and individuals have been very generous in past years where the full proceeds were used to fund events for our youth.
No need to worry about matching our theme, let your basket be anything you want it to be! Be creative and have fun! Area 2 will again partner with the Northeastern District of the Barbershop Harmony Society and with Sweet Adelines to support the Harmony Explosion Camp Northeast (HXNE) 2026, along with other Chapter Youth Initiatives and Youth Scholarships during the coming year.
This year, the first $1,500 collected from the basket raffle will fund youth events. The balance over $1,500 will go to the Membership Growth, Education and Support Fund.
Once you've decided on your basket, or if you have questions, please contact our Basket Raffle Coordinator Michelle Dionne, at accraffle@area2harmony.org. Thanks for your support!
50/50 Raffle
In past years, the Chapter Presidents sold 50/50 raffle tickets at the Saturday night banquet. At AC&C 2026, the 50/50 raffle tickets will be sold in the Hospitality Room and at a single location at the banquet. The profits from the 50/50 raffle will be split between the person with the winning ticket and the Membershp Growth, Education and Support Fund.
Grab & Go Lunch Concession
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The hotel will be providing tasty morsels available for sale on Friday (and possibly Saturday) from 11:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Buy your lunch at the concession, and sit in the Chamberlain room to eat and socialize. Menu details to be added here later.
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The hotel will be providing tasty morsels available for sale on Friday (and possibly Saturday) from 11:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Buy your lunch at the concession, and sit in the Chamberlain room to eat and socialize. The menu options are:
- Soup of the day – Chicken Noodle $48
- Garden Salad $8
- Caesar Salad with Chicken $10
- Cold Sandwiches $9 (Chicken Salad, Turkey Club, and Roast Beef)
- Bagged Snacks $4
- Cookies and Brownies $3
- Soda or Water $4
- Coffee or Tea $4
Gluten Free Sandwiches available upon request.
Generations Chorus
It's time to get excited about the Generations Chorus!
The Generations Chorus brings family members of different generations across international boundaries to sing together every spring at the Area 2 Convention & Contests (AC&C). This chorus was created to develop and highlight the Area's youth membership by giving them the ability to sing with a relative, and has since expanded to include any relatives.
This year we will again be including any Associate members, even if they are not related to another Harmony, Inc. member in the Generations Chorus. Youth singers (age 25 or younger) are encouraged to participate in this experience, and they do not have to be a Harmony, Inc. member to participate. Also, these youth singers are not required to have a family member in the chorus in order to participate in the Generations Chorus. The Area will fund any first-time Generations Chorus youth participants. This experience is a wonderful way for mothers to sing with their daughters or granddaughters, without having to worry about membership restrictions.
Stay tuned...more information to come!
Please fill out this interest form by March 1, 2026 if you'd like to participate in the Generations Chorus at AC&C 2026. The song for this year will be TBD, directed by Keara Schmidt.
Links to more details:
General Contestant Information (pattern/schedule, etc.)
AC&C Convention Team:
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Diane Patterson |
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Linda Bober |
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Nancy Fletcher |
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Diane Fagerstrom |
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Karen Hayden |
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TBD |
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Linda Muise |
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Michèle Hansen |
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Stage Manager / Backstage Team |
TBD |
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Camille Duffy |
Can’t wait to have you all Come Fly With Us!
