bring the group back together spiritually and musically. With half the members they had at their peak, the chorus decided not to try to win back older members but focus on improving what they had and performing a fun new package. In 1995 they went to Miami with a parody package making fun of lawyers and once again wowed the crowd, winning another medal and placing fifth. They slightly modified the package for 1996 and went to Salt Lake City, barely missing the medals and placing sixth. The next few years they hung just out of the reach of the medals, placing seventh in 1997 in Indianapolis, eighth in 1998 in Atlanta, and seventh in 1999 in Anaheim before returning to the top 5 (placing fourth) in 2000 in Kansas City, achieving their highest score and growing to 80 singers. The next two years they placed sixth. In 2002, Williams announced his final retirement. Fall 2002 saw the debut of the chorus's new director, Peter Benson, who moved from North Dakota to take the job. The chorus did not win its district contest for the first time in chapter history, but still won a wild card invitation to Montreal in 2003, where they placed ninth. The following year they again received a wild card to Louisville and rose to seventh. Fall 2004 brought GNU back to the winner's circle in the LOL District, winning the right to compete in Salt Lake City, where they won yet another medal, placing fifth with their second highest score in the chorus's history. In July 2006, the chorus traveled to Indianapolis for their 20th consecutive appearance at the international contest (a Society record). GNU placed eighth in that competition, but continued to hold their ground as one of the top 10 barbershop choruses in the world. Finally breaking their streak of international contest performances, the chorus opted to sit out of the competition in 2007 in Denver and 2008 in Nashville to focus on concerts in the community, a Midwest tour, and recruiting more members. In July 2009, they returned to the international stage in Anaheim and earning a third-place bronze medal, their highest yet ranking, edging out perennial medalist Sound of the Rockies from Denver by a narrow margin. Anaheim also brought GNU its highest average score yet achieved, a 92.1%. After sitting out in 2010, GNU returned to the international stage in