BRINGING BARBERSHOP HARMONY TO LIFE • MAY/JUNE 2019
AT THE
GRAND OLE OPRY HOUSE SPOTLIGHT WESTCHESTER CHORDSMEN: FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS
NOTEWORTHY COMFORT AFTER TRAGEDY SALT LAKE CITY PREVIEW
TIP SHEET EVERYONE IN HARMONY: TWO REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES
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In This Issue MAY/JUNE 2019 • VOLUME LXXVIV • NUMBER 3
In Every Issue 4 Starting Pitch + Feedback
A board that can disagree without being disagreeable
8 Noteworthy
Get ready for a great week in Salt Lake City Quartet grants one woman's dying wish
33 Chapter Eternal
Reported March 1-May 1, 2019
24 Features
Departments
At ground zero for country music, there was not a guitar in sight as a record-setting crowd celebrated the origins of barbershop, the senior elite, and the Next Generation of singers.
The Kanawha Valley, W.V. Chapter and the Barbary Coast, Calif. Chapter show how to have both an all-male chorus and a female or mixed chorus under a single chapter umbrella.
24 The Sound of Music
16 Spotlight
After years on the contest stage, After Hours looked like a potential future medalist. Suddenly, an all-new After Hours stormed the stage in 2017–a clear future champion. What happened?
Where to find answers
36 The Tag
Buzz Haeger's "I Love You Truly"
14 Tip Sheet
The Westchester Chordsmen have to be doing something right ... or actually, a lot of things right. They're growing quickly and having a lot of fun, and it all starts with its culture and atmosphere.
16
On the cover: The Fairfield Four and Crossroads quartet at 2019 Midwinter Photo by Read Photography
Connect with us barbershop.org 2 | The Harmonizer | May/June 2019 | barbershop.org
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READ PHOTOGRAPHY, CONNIE DELEHANTY
18 Midwinter at the Opry
34 Member Services Directory
GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE/EDITORIAL harmonizer@barbershop.org EDITOR Lorin May
OUR VISION Everyone in Harmony OUR MISSION To bring people together in harmony and fellowship to enrich lives through singing. OUR PURPOSES To perpetuate the old American institution: the barbershop quartet and barbershop harmony To promote appreciation of barbershop harmony To initiate and maintain a broad program of musical education, contests, and appreciation in support of barbershop harmony and the allied arts To establish and maintain foundations that support our vision To initiate, promote and participate in charitable projects that support our vision The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (DBA Barbershop Harmony Society) is a non-profit organization operating in the United States and Canada. May/June 2019 Volume LXXIV Number 3 Complete contact info: pages 34-35 The Harmonizer (ISSN 0017-7849) (USPS 577700) is published bimonthly by the Barbershop Harmony Society, 110 7th Ave N, Nashville TN 37203-3704.Periodicals Postage Paid at Nashville TN and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Harmonizer, 110 7th Ave N, Nashville TN 37203-3704.
Advertising rates available upon request at harmonizer@barbershop.org. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.
Postmaster: send address changes to editorial offices of The Harmonizer, 110 7th Ave N, Nashville TN 37203-3704 at least 30 days before the next publication date. (Publications Agreement No. 40886012. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor ON N9A 6J5. Email: cpcreturns@wdsmail.com) A portion of each member’s dues is allocated to cover the magazine’s subscription price. Subscription price to non-members is $25 yearly or $5 per issue; foreign subscriptions are $35 yearly or $7 per issue (U.S. funds only). © 2019 The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. dba The Barbershop Harmony Society. Printed in the USA
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STARTING PITCH
A conversation with our President and CEO
A board that can disagree without being disagreeable How does a group of leaders from a wide range of barbershop experiences wrangle big ideas into a clear and achievable vision for the future? No surprise: it starts with listening, embracing disagreement and committing to the good of the whole over the agendas of individuals.
Dick Marty
MARTY: Everyone’s got a voice and that voice is unique, and it should be heard. People like barbershop, they want to barbershop, and we shouldn’t limit that to little boxes. We could all be really happy if we removed any pseudo restrictions and allowed the music to thrive. DICK: It may come as a surprise, but the Society Board is not in the business of compelling people to do things—we seek ways to make it possible for more people to enjoy more barbershop in the ways that are most pleasing to them. If the Board all went away tomorrow, would anything change? In terms of the weekly experience of our members, would people still gather on Tuesday nights to sing barbershop?
Would they still go out and deliver Singing Valentines? Would they still form quartets? Well, sure they would! So if what we’re doing is not making it easier, removing barriers, removing the impediment for more people to have more fun singing more barbershop, then why are we here? MARTY: My co-workers tell me that members sometimes will start pitching an idea by saying, “The Society would never let me do this, but ...” But in fact, eight out of ten, nine out of ten times,
Get in Touch Dick Powell, Society President leadsingerdpowell@gmail.com Marty Monson, CEO/Executive Director CEO@barbershop.org
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the answer will be, “You should totally go ahead and try that!” People should do things that work for them. DICK: If it’s not illegal, immoral, or unethical ... let’s see what happens! If it’s a good idea, it’ll succeed and we’ll share it and other people will learn from it, and you’ll be a great example. It’s so important to have a marketplace of ideas, where ideas compete with each other in the open. You need people who have the intellectual honesty and integrity to be able to say, “Oh, I think you may be right, I’d like to change my view on this.” One of the characteristics of a successful board member is the ability to disagree without being disagreeable, to accept that everybody in the room has the same objective, not only the survival, but the thriving of the Barbershop Harmony Society for generations to come.
MARTY: We think about this flexibility, this openness to new ideas a lot as a Board. It’s possible because we’ve been building a Board culture that is strategic and long-range in its thinking. The emphasis of skills in the Society Board is forward thinking, future planning, strategic thinking. DICK: All operations are assigned to the CEO and his staff. The Board doesn’t have to set prices, or the number of quartets that sing at International contests, or the operational details of the organization. And importantly, Board members don’t represent single constituencies, we represent the entirety of the Society and its members, and strive to do what’s best, not only for today’s environment but for tomorrow’s environment. That’s why we’ve been evolving the way we recruit nominees for the Board. MARTY: But we do need to find people different from ourselves. DICK: [Immediate Past President] Skipp Kropp set up a task force of younger BHS members and started out by saying, “Guys, we’re charged with setting the future directions of the Society. Look around the room. We see people who look and think the same way as we do. This is not a good thing. We need to have diversity in our thinking; not diversity in our commitment to
Society Board meeting Dick & Marty, May 19 (Above) In their "Race and #RealTalk" workshops, HALO quartet describes the barbershop art form as a model of the type of communication that can bring peace to this world.
HFI Trustees meeting Marty, June 7-8 Americans for the Arts Marty, June 13-16
the future, not diversity in our willingness to work together. But certainly diversity in our perspectives, because it is through diversity that we are likely to make better choices, and develop better strategies going forward.”
Chorus America Conf. Marty, June 26-27
MARTY: I learned a lot from HALO Quartet, who use a powerful metaphor in their "Race and #RealTalk" workshops. They describe the barbershop art form as modeling a type of communication that can bring peace to this world. When you are having a meaningful conversation, you need people in the room who are capable leaders of a conversation—musically, these would be the melody singers. But you also need people who are the basses, who love singing those roots and fifths. They keep driving the conversation forward, because they’re always propelling us around the circle of fifths. And then you have the baritones. They have all that knowledge to be able to fill in the gaps of data. The tenors? They’re mostly in the tall grass, right? (I’m a tenor!) But we tenors will add that element to create overtones that bring it all together. You need all of it to create harmony, and you need it to be synchronized to
Perform with Showtime Singers Dick, Elliott City Center, May 18
BHS International June 29-July 7, Salt Lake
Sing National Anthem Dick, Orioles, May 20 MAD So. Div Contests Dick, May 31-June 1 Harmony College East Dick, June 14, Baltimore Marty is listening to Everyone in Harmony Chorus learning tracks Marty is reading Open Garden Organization, Amith Nagarajan
LORIN MAY
"NEVER THINK, 'THE SOCIETY WOULD NEVER LET ME DO THIS ...' EIGHT OUT OF TEN TIMES THE ANSWER WILL BE, 'YOU SHOULD TOTALLY GO AHEAD AND TRY THAT!'”
Ev Nau memorial Marty, May 3, Des Moines
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STARTING PITCH
A conversation with our President and CEO
"WE NEED TO HAVE DIVERSITY IN OUR THINKING; NOT DIVERSITY IN OUR COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE, NOT DIVERSITY IN OUR WILLINGNESS TO WORK TOGETHER."
Reader Feedback
Let us know what’s on your mind: Harmonizer@barbershop.org
Harmony University
create overtones, which then makes us not just four notes, but five or six or more overtones. A great Board aspires to be a team that has a good balance of all of that, just like a good quartet or a good barbershop chorus. We need to fill the seats at the table with those different experiences, and then we must come together to create the harmony. If not, it’s just a bunch of independent opinions that don’t progress. DICK: We challenged the nominating committee this year to be intentional in recruiting diverse candidates based on age, gender, and experience. We further challenged all the members of the District Presidents Council to provide us with nominees to recruit potential candidates. We didn’t just assume that somebody would respond to an ad posted in the Harmonizer, or on the website. We went to people who are already in leadership positions and said, “Part of your job is making sure we have your successors.” As a result, I’ll be very surprised if there isn’t some degree of diversity in that class. I suspect they’re going to be pretty darn impressive. And I suspect that some of them are going to find themselves serving on the board. If some people consider that when looking at the board, it looks different, then that will be a sign of progress. n
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Regarding general conversations I've had regarding my article on mixed harmony, it seems there is more of a need for accessible mixed music and arrangements that generally avoid a low lead line or super high baritone line (the greatest challenge for mixed quartets). Kimberly Newcomb Indianapolis, Indiana
And now the rest of the story ...
To both follow up and to correct the record on the performance by Marco Gonzalez at his own funeral service. [Thanks to input from his mother, Gladys Gonzalez.] That performance took place not in Alabama (Marco’s final resting place) but a week later in a separate service in Albuquerque, where Marco lived for decades and where his quartet mates in The Summit still live. The three had flown to Huntsville to be with him when he was hospitalized, and two were in the room when he passed away. Also of note: Marco’s brothers in the Music City Chorus dedicated a performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” to him at the Dixie District Spring Convention, with Marco’s family in attendance. n
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Want to build leadership skills? Want to learn how to lead YOUR organization forward? Want to learn more about Everyone in Harmony and how YOU can help grow the Barbershop Harmony Society to millions?
Leadership Summit is a 4-day interactive immersion at Belmont University where you will: •Meet new leaders •Develop and enhance leadership skills •Prepare for the future of the Society and your role in it Leadership Summit attendees will also be able to take advantage of concurrent Harmony University programming, including general sessions, ice cream socials, master classes, and two terrific shows!
CHAPTER CHALLENGE Harmony Foundation has launched a new giving participation and recognition initiative. The top 5 chapters with the highest percentage of participation in giving will be recognized on the Midwinter Jacksonville 2020 stage with a G O L D , S I LV E R , O R B R O N Z E level of recognition.
PA R T I C I PAT I O N I S K E Y Participation means just that…participation at any gift size you are able to contribute. The most meaningful financial gifts are those that take some thought and sacrifice to accomplish, no matter how large or modest it may seem. By participating at any meaningful level, we are able to combine those efforts with thousands of others and collectively make a really big impact!
WAY S T O G I V E BY PHONE: TOLL FREE (866) 706-8021 O N L I N E: H A R M O N Y F O U N DAT I O N.O R G B Y M A I L : 1 1 0 S E V E N T H AV E N O R T H , S U I T E 2 0 0 NASHVILLE, TN 37203 M O R E I N F O A N D C U R R E N T S TA N D I N G S AT H A R M O N Y F O U N D AT I O N.O R G /C H A P T E R-C H A L L E N G E
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NOTEWORTHY
The latest in the world of Barbershop.
2019 CONVENTION
Get ready for a great week in Salt Lake City
Artistic License (85.4%), 'Round Midnight (84.4%) and Trocadero (84.2%). Like last year, the quartet quarterfinals will be split into three rounds and begin on Tuesday morning.
Pre-contest favorites Signature and Throwback are among three Florida quartets showing up with championship-level qualifying scores ... as usual, the outcome is anybody's guess
CHORUS CONTEST Since the mid 2000s, the Ambassadors of Harmony (94.4%) and Westminster Chorus (94.0%) have won either gold or silver each time they've competed on the international stage. (Four gold and three silver for Ambassadors, three of each for Westminster.) However, both head-to-head contests between the two choruses have ended with Westminster gold, and the Ambassadors hope to shake up that pattern. Past silver medalist Central Standard (92.1%) and past bronze medalists zero8 (91.9%) and Sound of the Rockies (91.5%) are working hard to break that pattern as well, each hoping to leave Salt Lake City with a new color of hardware.
June 30 - July 7, 2019
A
ttendees loved the jaw-dropping venue and free light rail when we last visited Salt Lake City in 2005. The city has added some great new surprises since then, and so have we! QUARTET CONTEST Signature (91.8%) and Throwback (90.7%) were favorites even before the spring qualifying rounds, having taken silver and bronze in 2018 with championship-level performances. So far, every quartet to post a 90%+ qualifying score has eventually won a championship, an elite few that includes 2016 silver medalist Lemon Squeezy, which has not retired but will be skipping its third straight international. (Also skipping Salt Lake are their Swedish brethren, 2018 bronze medalist Stockholm Syndrome.) That said, a top qualifier has only won once since 2014, and the dynamic
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There's still plenty of room to join us in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, widely regarded as one of our best-ever venues. If not, you can watch the major events live for as little as $29.99 through FloVoice. Instructions below.
NEXT GENERATION VARSITY CONTESTS You'll see many of tomorrow's stars on Wednesday evening. We saw the Junior competitors (18 and under) at Midwinter. The Varsity (18-25) Quartet and Chorus contests will share the same Wednesday p.m. stage and time slot.
crooners of Rooftop Records (89.8%) have made a huge leap from last year to the near 90% mark. Quorum (89.7%), and Category 4 (89.0%) are also within historical gold striking distance. Included in the medalist hunt are NYC-based quartet Midtown (with an auspicious 88.4% debut qualifying score), The Newfangled Four (87.7%),
EDUCATION, SHOWS, AND MORE! Enjoy close to 100 Harmony University courses throughout the week, tag zones, the AIC Show, the World Harmony Showcase, and Saturday Night Spectacular. Stay Sunday morning for The Vocal Majority singing with the Tabernacle Choir on Music and the Spoken Word. See you in Salt Lake City!
WATCH LIVE ONLY Go to barbershop.org/saltlake to connect with FloVoice on desktop, mobile, and devices like Roku and Apple TV. Single-month subscriptions start at $29.99 for a single channel (FloVoice) or $150 for an annual subscription to the entire FloSports network.
Quartet grants one woman's dying wish Wide media exposure on National Barbershop Quartet Day After Hours made it on The Today Show, and Tom Shillue killed it with his regular quartet, Scollay Square. See a round-up of great performances online. Link at www.barbershop.org/harmonizer.
Any Barbershopper can tell you that it's not every day that one of our nursing home performances gets covered on TV. But one such performance by Relative Harmony quartet (Macomb, Ill. Chapter) showed up in the Joplin, Mo. paper and on the evening news. They were there for hospice patient Judy Stanton, who had told one of the nurses she hoped to see a barbershop quartet live before she died. The nurse found them on Facebook, and the quartet agreed to make the nearly 200 mile round trip to Joplin—they're Barbershoppers, after all. This is what we do. And even if the media is rarely there to appreciate it, the smiles—like Judy's—are usually payment enough.
Relative Harmony: Bill & Joe Butcher, Curt & Craig Rigg
VIEW ONLINE Link to the news and TV coverage at barbershop.org/harmonizer.
A PIECE OF BARBERSHOP HARMORY
AFTER DECADES OF NEGLECT BIRTHPLACE OF BHS RESTORED After decades in disrepair, the location of O.C. Cash and Rupert Hall's first barbershop gatherings, the historic Tulsa Club building has been brought back to life in a breathtaking restoration. Reborn as the Hilton Curio Hotel, it was on the building's roof top garden that 26 men held the first official meeting of the Barbershop Harmony Society on April 11, 1938. Tulsa's Founders Chorus and quartets (including Tulsa Tradition) have been invited to perform at a future open house. They have also offered their services to perform at the Tulsa Club when needed. – Grady Kerr
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NOTEWORTHY
The latest in the world of Barbershop.
A LIFE REMEMBERED
Remembering the inimitable Ev Nau The retired staffer, coach, judge, showman, and author shone in the limelight and behind the scenes, with boundless wit, passion, and formidable powers of persuasion and intellect.
E
Crossroads wins two CARA awards The annual Contemporary A cappella Recording Awards (CARA) recognize the best of recorded a cappella music. Winners in the barbershop category: Best Barbershop Album How Can I Keep from Singing, Crossroads Runner-up: Midnight Croon, Midnight Croon Best Barbershop Song "Not Like This," Crossroads Runner-up: "Summer Wind," Midnight Croon
his storehouse of limericks, “Downeast Maine” stories and infinite supply of jokes could keep the after-after-afterglow party laughing raucously. Ev held strong opinions on everything, which he eagerly shared, and was always ready to saddle up for a good crusade; but friends and opponents alike learned they merely had to be as smart and passionate as Ev to gain his ear and occasionally even persuade him. Ev and his supremely patient wife Mary relocated to Des Moines upon his retirement from Harmony Foundation International, to be closer to son E.J. and his wife Deb and the three grandkids, on whom he lavished love and attention. He preferred to keep private his struggle with illness, and kept active as a writer (see his autobiography on Amazon), continuing to judge and coach. – Brian Lynch
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Quartet spotlight Tour du Four (Ottawa, Ont. Chapter) warmed up hearts as they sang Happy birthday at the ice huts at Petrie Island, in Orleans, ON, on Mar 9, 2019.The ice was still four feet thick, so no chance of their sweet tones melting that! Pictured: Phil Glover, Rod McKenzie, Rod McGillivray, Bill Hawkin.
Making the most of two ACDA slots Earning a coveted performance slot at the bi-annual ACDA National Conference is a BIG deal, and two of our choruses rose to the top of the blind audition process. Westminster Chorus and Central Standard each earned huge ovations from the professional choral directors in attendance, followed by a well attended afterglow and reception with performers and BHS staff.
HARPER LEVY BUMAN
ven in a Society filled with colorful characters, the tribute that “They don’t make ’em like him anymore” applies to no one more accurately than Everett Nau, who passed away in April after a battle with leukemia. A towering figure physically and in achievement, Ev stood alone, even if only for the breadth of his service to the Society. His Rolodex runneth over: as a staff member of the Barbershop Harmony Society and Harmony Foundation International across three decades, Ev visited hundreds of chapters and seemed to know by name every second assistant costume chair of every small chorus in the Society. Ev’s signature achievement as Director of Membership, Operation Harold Hill, triggered three consecutive years of growth in an era of declining membership; and while Ev was always quick to spread recognition to the entire team, close observers knew that it was largely his sheer force of personality and endless phone calls to dozens of chapter leaders that brought about the change. As a quartet man (most famously the Awesome Knights of Harmony and G. Whillikers), coach, judge, and scriptwriter, Ev powerfully advocated for quality, audience-focused performance and G-rated stage material—even as in private,
Quick Takes
ASK A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP
Where are the DVDs? HOW CAN I PURCHASE THE LATEST TOP-20 QUARTET DVD/CD? The 2015 convention was the last year in which contest performance media had to be purchased. That year, fewer than 2% of Society members purchased a quartet DVD, and even fewer ordered chorus DVDs. Since then, contest performances have instead been available for free on the BHS YouTube channel—with immediate access that can be watched, shared, and enjoyed by millions! Go to YouTube.com or open your device's YouTube app and enter "Barber-
IN THE MIX
SUN HARBOR CHORUS JOINS WITH 1,000 VOICES The San Diego Sun Harbor Chorus performed with 22 diverse choral ensembles (totaling over 1,000 singers) from the San Diego County area on March 23, 2019, at the San Diego Sings! Festival. The chorus created a Barbershop Harmony Society one-stop booth where other singers could learn more about our organization. www.facebook.com/sunharborchorus
THE BARITONE GETS THE GIRL? (NOTE: IT'S FICTION)
shop Harmony Society" in the search bar. Performances are conveniently grouped by contest and session. Click "Subscribe" and you'll be alerted to new BHS content when you visit YouTube. We encourage all to share these performances on social media, embed them on your websites, and show them in classrooms, seminars, or rehearsals. (Copyright tip: when in doubt, ask!) It's fully legal, copyright holders are compensated, and what was once a money-losing drain on BHS resources has instead become millions of online viewers experiencing barbershop harmony every year! – Danny Becker, customerservice@barbershop.org
HARMONY FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL
PAYING IT FORWARD FOR "THAT OLD QUARTET OF MINE" Terry Ermoian joined SPEBSQSA in 1966 and strongly believes the future of the Society depends heavily on the involvement of youth today. Recently, Terry made a donation to Harmony Foundation International in honor of his now-retired quartet, The Brazos Knights, because of one of the focus areas of Harmony Foundation specifically funding youth singing programs. The Brazos Knights formed in 1992 and sang for 27 consecutive years, being quite possibly one of the longest running active quartets in the Southwestern District. Throughout all those years, Terry was the quartet's one and only lead alongside Art Reinking, the one and only tenor, creating harmony for thousands of people all over the Centroplex area of Texas with two other basses and four other baritones. Always known for being lighthearted and entertaining, this quartet certainly used their talents to enrich as many lives as possible, and for Terry, his generosity continues by "paying it forward" for others to have a similar opportunity. Congratulations on such a long-running barbershop career and thank you for making an investment into future singers with your gift in honor of The Brazos Knights to Harmony Foundation International. – Jim Johnson, HF Director of Communications
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NOTEWORTHY
The latest in the world of Barbershop.
SINGING CHANGES LIVES
Lif ting the wounded A small cultural exchange concert with a New Zealand choir became a rally for unity and understanding after a mass shooting at Christchurch mosques shook the world
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New Zealand's Vocal Collective joined the Alexandria Harmonizers and the Alexandria Singers for what evolved into a benefit concert for New Zealand mosque shooting victims. Imam Zia and Ms. Fatimah Popal expressed appreciation on behalf of the D.C.-metro Muslim community.
who lost their lives in Christchurch mosques. After the Alexandria Harmonizers and the Alexandria Singers mixed chorus performed, the 40 singers from Christchurch took the stage, with a crowd cheering and waving New Zealand flags. A globe-spanning quartet of David Merriman and Ed Dempsey from Vocal Collective, Bill Colosimo from the Singers, and Andrew Havens from the Harmonizers sang the beloved “Now Is the Hour”
READ ONLINE The full version of this article, along with many other valuable articles, can be found at barbershop.org/news/blog. A direct link to this article is at barbershop.org/harmonizer.
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in multiple languages. About 200 singers combined for the finale! The Harmonizers and Vocal Collective sang Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” then the Alexandria Singers joined the stage for all three groups to sing Joe Liles’ original song and SATB arrangement of “Let There Be Music! Let There Be Love!” NBC and Fox affiliates covered the event. A huge afterglow lasted until 3:00 am. The next day, Vocal Collective moved on to New York with their hearts a bit soothed. Fatimah Popal later invited the combined groups to Friday prayer, saying, “We had a very moving and uplifting evening yesterday ... The message of harmony and love was very evident. ... It was truly therapeutic for me—I couldn’t stop crying.”
ROB LANGSTON
ocal Collective had planned its U.S. tour for months. The 42-voice mixed chorus from Christchurch, New Zealand, had booked a performance with the Alexandria Harmonizers and Alexandria Singers en route to New York City and Carnegie Hall. But what had been planned as a small concert welcoming offshore guests became an evening of healing and unity in the face of horror. Just days before they were to depart came a mass shooting at a mosque in their hometown of Christchurch. With heavy hearts and only a day to choose whether to cancel plans, they decided to proceed. Their barbershop hosts in Alexandria transformed the event into a benefit concert. In addition to being an emotionally life-changing evening, the performers donated all proceeds to the New Zealand Support fund, the venue waived its fee, and attendees raised an additional $10,000. New Zealand Ambassador to the U.S. Rosemary Banks thanked a sold-out grand auditorium in the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, saying that the evening would be “unity and love exemplified by music.” Imam Zia and Ms. Fatimah Popal, co-founders of Makespace American Muslim Community, expressed appreciation for early responders and the outpouring of support for those
What’s Happening 2020 Midwinter January 7-12 Jacksonville, Fla. Both Junior and Seniors quartets and choruses compete, plus even more of the year’s best shows! • www.barbershop.org/events
BHNZ Convention Sept. 13-15 Christchurch, New Zealand
International Convention June 30-July 7 Salt Lake City Get your registrations and reserve your hotel! A great destination city, and contests and shows in the amazing Conference Center • www.barbershop.org/slc
BHA Convention Sept. 18-22 Hobart, Tasmania Holland Harmony International Barbershop Festival Sept. 27-28 's-Hertogenbosch, Holland IABS Convention Oct. 3-6 Killarney, Ireland
Harmony University July 21-28 Belmont U, Nashville Spend a life-changing week learning from barbershop’s best coaches and instructors • www.barbershop.org/hu
2020 International June 28-July 5 Los Angeles 2021 Midwinter NYC 2021 International Cleveland
BABS Convention and 45th Anniversary May 24-27 Bournemouth, UK
2022 International Charlotte 2023 International Louisville
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE
Lights go out, but the show goes on All those little lights brightening up the darkness made for one of the best examples of [insert your favorite metaphor here] that we've seen in a while
T
opening number, "Go Down Moses," the space suddenly went completely dark. The audience applauded as the chorus sang in total darkness for several seconds, unable to see the director, Jim Henry. Then, one by one, audience members turned on their cell phone flashlights and pointed
them pointed toward the stage. The dim light was enough to get to the tag before the lights came on. n VIEW ONLINE See a portion of the performance at www.facebook.com/aohchorus
MARIE ELLIS
he house lights went out—and stayed out—in the middle of the Ambassadors of Harmony performance. What happened next was a perfect example of, well ... what? A thousand points of light? The power of music to unite? The ubiquity of smartphone technology? A diverse audience had already raved for The Recruits youth chorus and two gospel choirs at Greater Grace church, a huge predominantly African-American church in St. Louis. During the Ambassadors'
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TIP SHEET
James Pennington, Chapter Success Manager jpennington@barbershop.org
Exploring new options for your chapter Everyone in Harmony is about giving chapters the freedom to enjoy barbershop harmony however they want—here are two real-world approaches
W
hat does the Society’s strategic vision, Everyone in Harmony, mean to your chapter? It means you can sing however you want to sing. If your chapter wants to try something new, get creative and be bold! Gone are the days when the Society’s governance and technical infrastructure will limit your chapter to offer one kind of experience to your members. From my position as Chapter Success Manager, that’s what I love about Everyone in Harmony. I understand that may also be one of the primary challenges this bold strategic vision presents. Gone are the days when the Society will prescribe to your chapter how you must sing with those in your community. We want chapters to reflect how people in your community want to sing together. Each unique community represents one tile in the Everyone in Harmony mosaic. Zoom out far enough, and every single community forms a comprehensive image of a diverse, inclusive Barbershop Harmony Society that reflects countless ways that people are singing together. What I am eager to do, however, is highlight what chapters are already doing with the newfound freedom Everyone in Harmony provides. Perhaps the thought and action happening in these communities may spark an idea or reaffirm action you are already taking in your community, helping home in on how your tile in this mosaic-in-progress may look moving forward.
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HARMONY RECHOIRED
For the Greater Kanawha Valley, W.V. Chapter, the idea of forming or supporting a mixed harmony chorus in addition to the all-male Kanawha Kordsmen predates Everyone in Harmony. The Kordsmen have always had a healthy, collaborative relationship with the nearby Sweet Adelines International chorus, and occasional joint performances never sparked thoughts of forming a permanent ensemble in which the two would combine to form a new chorus. Yet Kanawha Kordsmen director Ted Rose had a large circle of singers—some affiliated with an existing barbershop chorus, many not—and was surprised after he informally began bringing up an idea he had to start a new chorus with no gender restrictions.
Fog City Harmonia (women) and Fog City Singers (men) are separate choruses that both operate under the umbrella of the Barbary Coast, Calif. Chapter.
“The first meeting, a large group of us invited any singer we knew who we thought might be interested,” Rose said. “Twenty-six people showed up from various backgrounds: BHS and SAI members, local theater performers, local church singers, local chorale singers, a few unaffiliated vocal music lovers. We sat together and we decided who we wanted to be. We wanted to be explicitly non-gender-based. We don’t care who sings what part as long as they do it well and enjoy it.” As the new unaffiliated group
refined what it wanted to be, some of those 26 were lost to attrition. Others hopped on board. All of this was happening organically and independent of any legal structure or affiliation with a larger organization. But when the Society Board of Directors announced in June 2018 that all people were now welcome as Society members? “We pulled a bunch of triggers at about the same time,” Rose said. The Greater Kanawha Valley chapter elected to sponsor and govern the new ensemble under its existing chapter charter. They may eventually split into entirely separate legal entities while maintaining a sibling-chorus relationship, but the chapter determined their support and guidance would go a long way, especially in the first year. The new ensemble chose a name: Harmony ReChoired. The new chorus has established a separate rehearsal space from the Kanawha Kordsmen. Of Harmony ReChoired’s 15 members as of this publication, only five were also members of another barbershop chorus. “This trial year is all about navigating the circumstances,” Rose said. “It’s been almost entirely positive as all of the members of both choruses (in the chapter) are learning to be flexible, talk openly about their feelings and preferences, and trust our leadership to be transparent and
GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN THE SOCIETY’S INFRASTRUCTURE WILL LIMIT YOUR CHAPTER TO OFFER ONE KIND OF EXPERIENCE. THAT MAY ALSO BE ONE OF THE PRIMARY CHALLENGES. keep the best in mind for all involved. There have been bumps and snags. There have been huge joys and a few sorrows. There have been more questions than answers.” Rose’s final emphasis via email that the struggles thus far have been worth it could not be contained to lower-case letters. “But, most importantly, there has been A LOT OF SINGING AND HARMONIZING.”
FOG CITY HARMONIA
The men’s chorus of the Barbary Coast, Calif. Chapter is still only a few years old, but even in its relative infancy, its leaders decided that their Everyone in Harmony journey would not make fundamental changes to its all-male chorus, Fog City Singers.
That said, the chapter was interested in conducting a trial. In February, Fog City Harmonia kicked off its trial run as a women’s chorus under the Barbary Coast’s chapter umbrella. The idea to pilot Fog City Harmonia was simple. A founding team of a handful of Bay Area barbershoppers would create an ensemble to rehearse three times and then host its debut performance in April. That’s pretty much it. Fog City Harmonia nor the Barbary Coast chapter planned too far beyond the debut performance; rather, they decided to put their energy into those three rehearsals and the performance, then they would move forward afterward. The initial Fog City Harmonia roster for the trial phase was curated by the leadership team; once the first performance was out of the way and interest could be generated, they would open the group to auditions. How did that debut performance go, according to Barbary Coast secretary Ben Porter? “Pretty dang awesome!”
YOUR CHAPTER HERE
The Greater Kanawha and Barbary Coast chapters are just two chapters of the hundreds in the Society trying new ideas in their communities to get more people singing. No matter what your chapter is doing to get more people singing—whether it’s adding something new or using its single, men's chorus to reach out and share the joy of singing together—let us know at chapters@barbershop.org. n
Harmony ReChoired is a mixed chorus that is part of the Greater Kanawha Valley, W.V. Chapter, which includes a separate men's chorus, the Kanawha Kordsmen. Harmony ReChoired is one of several choruses known to have begun operations before the Society announced that membership would become open to everyone.
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SPOTLIGHT
Stephen Bartell, Westchester, NY Chapter SJBartell@msn.com
You may not have seen the Westchester Chordsmen on the international stage lately, but if you're looking for a group that's growing bigger–and which has been firing on all cylinders for a long, long time–check out the culture of the Westchester, N.Y. Chapter
W
e must be doing something(s) right! The Westchester Chordsmen have had a growing membership, stable finances, an active and varied schedule of performances, a dedicated fan base, extensive community outreach programs, an active quartetting program and high musical standards and goals. When other chapters ask how we do it, we usually say, “First and foremost, have fun! Enjoy singing with your pals and the rest kind of takes care of itself.” Clearly, that’s a bit over-simplified, but our secret sauce truly is based on a combination of our culture mixed in with hard work. OUR CULTURE. I believe our guys (and their spouses) go beyond “camaraderie." Our welcoming atmosphere is probably our defining feature. Coming from every walk of life doesn’t matter when we hit the risers. Many of our friendly, caring, and contributing members have been with us for decades. Members old and new tell us that our happy environment was the reason they joined, and that joining changed their lives for the better as they gained 70 new brothers. We believe in good riser discipline, but we have a few “comedians” who just can’t withhold their occasional READ MORE ONLINE Link to Ready? Set, Sing! program information at www.barbershop.org/harmonizer.
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one-liners. Good spirits are a factor in our choral cohesion. Contest is a fabulous incentive to hone our skills and gauge our competence, but a high score is not essential to our mission. We know that obsessing over high scores can lead to reduced morale and even defections. We do not ask members to leave or sit out just for the sake of a higher score. We value the participation of all members. This helps maintain our culture of fun, friendliness and mutual support. We are an entertainment-focused chorus and enjoy our craft while giving the audience a great experience. We always strive for a standing O! CULTURE OF LEADERSHIP. Finding the right leaders is critical and we are blessed to have dedicated and talented leaders at the helm. This starts with our exceptionally talented director, Keith Harris, and our four assistant directors. Keith is a tremendous draw: to our audience, our members, and our recruiting efforts.
We are also fortunate to have a very active and qualified Board and many members who contribute their time and energy to keeping us going strong. It’s a lot of work, but very rewarding for those in leadership positions. Finally, we have some extraordinary talent within the chorus, including several arrangers and a very special composer/arranger (thanks, Steve Delehanty), a few music educators, a Tony nominee and our own learning track man—Scott Kruse—who enables us to learn the original compositions in our repertoire. PROUD HISTORY. The Westchester Chordsmen, founded in 1953, is the only BHS chapter in Westchester County, N.Y., with 70 active members. In our 66 years, we have been fortunate enough to travel the world: England, Ireland, Italy, Russia, and China (twice). We’ve also sung at the White House, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and were mic testers at International Convention in Toronto. We have a long and proud tradition of comedic presentations of original material at contests. One of our members has published a history of The Westchester Chordsmen and we encourage our The chapter has grown rapidly through a semiannual Ready? Set, Sing! program. The chapter's last six-week program has just ended, and more than 28 current chapter members (and about a dozen soon-to be members) joined via the program.
PHOTOS PAGES 16-17: CONNIE DELEHANTY
High on barbershop– high on each other!
Singers audition in but do not audition out of the Westchester Chordsmen. Several men have been chapter members for more than 50 years, and their contributions to the chapter and its culture extend far beyond their performing experience. Director Keith Harris, a baritone soloist with the New York Metropolitan Opera, keeps the chorus in top form.
members to appreciate our legacy. COMMUNITY OUTREACH. We are constantly expanding our community awareness with our outreach programs. In addition to our annual holiday sing-outs at 11 senior care facilities, we’re preparing for our sixth annual Youth Festival and the eighth edition of our Ready? Set, Sing! program. We are most proud of the Youth Festival. Every year we invite 9-10 high school a cappella groups to perform in a free concert sponsored by us and a local high school partner. The students (120 of them!) get an opportunity to perform before an enthusiastic audience, and to experience their peers in a non-competitive environment. There’s a brief performance by the Chordsmen, and then all of the singers join us on stage for a song they have learned. The singers consider this a highlight of their year, and so do we! We also sponsor a scholarship for a graduating high school senior who plans to study voice in college. Since 2016, we’ve run two Ready? Set, Sing! programs per year. Each sixweek program of free singing lessons increases our profile in the community and 28 new members joined. To succeed requires buy-in from all our members as mentors for the participants—truly a team effort. PERFORMANCES. In addition to our sing-outs, contests, and the Youth Festival, we schedule a scripted show in the Spring, and a holiday concert in the fall. We have four standing quartets in the chorus, and more pick-up quartets. Six quartets delivered Singing
Valentines this year. Our quartets perform at our shows, and at gigs. FUND RAISING. Like all chapters, we have expenses and only a small part is covered by the chapter portion of our dues. Instead of selling ads for each of our shows, we now publish an annual magazine, OVERTONES, full of photos and editorial content on barbershopping and our chorus. We’ve now published five profitable editions, and it’s our largest source of income. All our members are asked to sell ads for OVERTONES, Singing Valentines and tickets to our Spring and Holiday shows. Selling is hard and requires a lot of encouragement. Consistent with our culture, we do not impose any minimum requirements for sales; we just ask members to do their best. MEDIA. I’d be negligent if (as VP of PR) I didn’t mention the importance of developing a media list (e-mails for local and regional news outlets—papers, on-line news sites, etc.). Press releases with pictures may be tough to get published but can have a very big impact. Our website is also extremely important as an open door to the public for inquiries, tickets and to post our latest accomplishments. Facebook is important too. GOALS. One of our primary goals is to continue to grow our membership. “New Blood” has so much impact on the chorus, bringing their curiosity, enthusiasm (and audience members!). We also hope to continue perform-
ing bigger and better shows, while ensuring that our guys continue to be enthusiastic about the chapter and have fun in the process. I’ll close with an echo (maybe better called an overtone!) of HAVE FUN, first and foremost. This is an amazing hobby with wonderful people involved. Enjoy them and yourself. Keep the Whole World Singing! n
The Westchester Chordsmen may be the only chapter to publish its own annual magazine. In addition to building community visibility in an area saturated with other performing groups, advertising sales make it a major source of chapter income. On the cover: the chapter invests much of its budget in outreach activities.
OVERTONES READ ABOUT OUR OUTREACH PROGRAMS, THE CHORUS, QUARTETS, YOUTH A CAPELLA FESTIVAL AND MORE! A PUBLICATION OF THE WESTCHESTER CHORDSMEN
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THURSDAY NIGHT SHOW. Fisk Jub Grammy-winning gospel quartet Halo, After Hours (2018 champ), C Champ), Signature (2018 silver m
AT THE
GRAND OLE OPRY HOUSE
All Midwinter and International competitors will appear in the new BHS Yearbook, to be released along with the Nov/Dec 2019 issue. 18 | The Harmonizer | May/June 2019 | barbershop.org
See all Midwinter performers at youtube.com/ barbershopharmony38.
THROUGH PAGE 17: PHOTOS BY READ PHOTOGRAPHY, LORIN MAY, CONNIE DELEHANTY
Rowdy Rhythm
The Dixie Seniors Chorus topped five others in International Seniors Chorus Invitational.
T
bilee Singers®, t The Fairfield Four, Crossroads (2009 medalist).
Georgia Spirit
The King's Crooners
A polar vortex of cool weather and surprising pleasures greeted a record 2,800 attendees and performers at this January’s Midwinter Convention. Despite the chill, harmony lovers bathed in the shade of palm trees in the massive sunny atriums of the Gaylord Opryland’s “great indoors.” Thursday afternoon demonstrated why our artform continues to thrive among young singers in our first-ever Next Generation Barbershop Junior Quartet Contest. That evening, in country music’s pinnacle venue, the Grand Ole Opry, not a guitar was in sight as musically and ethnically diverse a cappella performers celebrated the African-American origins of the barbershop style.
DoubleDouble
On Friday, the Seniors Chorus Invitational choruses shared the same Opry stage mixed among the nearly 900 singers of the Next Generation Barbershop Chorus Invitational. Their score sheets may have been different, but their performance level was not, as Senior groups matched the energy of many younger groups. Meanwhile, younger singers enjoyed four days of confirmation that their weekend of joyful singing could become a life-long journey. On Saturday we crowned new seniors quartet champions while celebrating past champs, followed by a spectacular Saturday Night Show. Add in 24 different Harmony University classes, a lot of down time and tagging with friends, and it was a pinnacle weekend for all! barbershop.org | May/June 2019 | The Harmonizer | 19
The Aristocratic roots of DoubleDouble “A medium doubledouble please.” It means two cream and two sugars, and it’s how millions of Canadians ask for coffee at thousands of Tim Hortons donut shops. The members of DoubleDouble (it’s pronounced as a single word, just like the coffee order) are all long-time singers with the Toronto Northern Lights Chorus, but the roots of the quartet go back to 2014, with The Aristocrats quartet. Tenor Bobby Gibson, lead John Mallett, and bass Dave Feltrin were motivated by the chance to sing at the Grand Ole Opry, and when The Aristocrats realized that they were one 60-yearold away from being an eligible Seniors Quartet, all eyes turned to Boy Baritone Darryl Marchant. Darryl happily gave his blessing, and when the resulting search led to TNL front row guy Perry Wildfong, DoubleDouble was born! Fresh comedic material is hard to come by, but thankfully John had a parody of the nifty uptune “South” ready to go. He’d written “North” in 2005, based on Clay Hine’s arrangement, and had unsuccessfully tried to fob it off on several groups since. But out of desperation comes expedience, so if comedy was needed, “North” was in; and the nationality gags it featured became the germ of the all-Canadian concept for this contest package. Tom Gentry’s arrangement of “Green Green Grass of Home,” with a surprise twist (torn from today’s headlines!), made an excellent pairing. The Aristocrats are grateful to have patient and supportive wives, and the eight of us get along famously. When the family expanded to include Perry and Faye Wildfong in DoubleDouble, the fit was perfect. Vivian Gibson, upon hearing the shortlist of baritone candidates, said, “If you don’t choose Perry, can we still have Faye?” Vivian, Faye, Carol Mallett, and Cynthia Feltrin were all with us in Nashville to share the experience, along with a large and loud Ontario contingent. The hall was buzzing with Canadian excitement! (Is that even a thing?) Many special people have helped us along the way, including the aristocratic coach Steve Armstrong, and our wizard of a voice teacher and acting coach Vinnie Sestito. Greg Mallett also provided valuable musical advice and arrangement help. The list of quartet champions from Canada is pretty short, so we’re extra proud to have subtly played up our nationality in our choice of songs, our red and white outfits, and our name. Life’s good, eh? – John Mallett, lead
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HARMONY UNIVERSITY: Barbershop educators, leaders, and other experts led 24 classes.
Let's Sing!
Why should the older kids have all the fun? Family ties—and a virtual three-way tie for first place—marked the inaugural Junior Quartet Contest, with all singers under the age of 18. A large and wildly enthusiastic audience cheered on the 15 quartets for the late Thursday afternoon contest. THE ALL-CHAPTER CHORUS. Under director Greg Clancy of The Vocal Majority.
Hurricane of Harmony
Town halls promoted wideopen dialog with Society leaders.
AISQC: The Association of Seniors Quartet Champions show hosted an entire show between the Seniors contest and the medals announcement.
The champion Quin-Tones finished one point (yes, one point!) ahead of second and third place. They are: Tommy Hunter (Br). Chris Crawford (Bs), Julian LeFlore (L) and Jake Lapp (T). (Of note: Jake is likely the first blind singer to win a Society-wide quartet contest.) Younger than many of the quartets, the young men were among the most experienced barbershop singers as part of John Wernega’s remarkable program at Quinton Township School, where each sings with the Wildcat Harmonizers boys chorus. Eight singers, three surnames Two sets of twins and one set of quadruplets made up the second and third-place quartets. Both quartets finished one point behind the Quin-Tones, with the Singing score for Singing Double winning the tie-breaker. A women’s quartet from Gaither High School in Tampa, their selection, “Two Of A Kind,” was filled with twin jokes. They are: Krystal Majid (T), Emma Paschal (L), Hannah Pascal (Bs), Kelly Majid (Br). Vintage Mix are quadruplets who attend Waukesha West High (Wis.). A very experienced quartet, they sang “When You Wish Upon A Star.” They are Julia (T), Anika (L), Ian (Bs), and Kelsey Shoppach (Br).
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It wasn't barbershop that she hated after all As the emcee announced the next Youth Chorus, Here Comes Treble, from Burlington, Wis., I couldn’t help but feel pride. Not only were these amazing young women from my own backyard, but 35 years ago, their director and I had been the kids standing side by side in a college choir. Music brought us together then and music brings us back together now. Once upon a time, Penny Yanke was a serious music education student, and I was a goofball who had recently discovered barbershop singing. Now, a lifetime later, she is enjoying her 32nd year as a teacher and I am celebrating my 35th year as a Barbershopper. After not seeing each other for decades, here we both were at Midwinter doing the barbershop thing! Here's the thing: Penny had never wanted anything to do with barbershop. Back in the day, if my quartet was singing at one end of the hall, she was probably at the opposite end complaining about it. As it turns out, over the years, Penny has encouraged her students to sing in quartets, she visited BHS booths at education conferences, she often watches our YouTube channel, and just last summer she attended Harmony University on an educator scholarship. Just a few months ago, in the spirit of Everyone in Harmony, she became a member of BHS. Knowing our distant past, I couldn’t help wonder about her 180 degree turnaround on barbershop. I met Penny in the hall after Here Comes Treble’s outstanding Midwinter performance. She and her 47 students were on a chord high. I gave her a big hug and her students giggled. I told them all how wonderful they were and that I was proud of them and as they headed into the auditorium I finally asked Penny the question I had wanted to ask all these years: “Why would a musician who hates barbershop put together a barbershop chorus at her school, teach them three songs and the style, and then bring them to a barbershop convention 600 miles away from home?” Penny looked confused and asked “Why would you think I hated Barbershop?” I reminded her of how she avoided my college quartet like the plague when we were in school, and, after a brief pause, Penny smiled, looked me in the eye, and said, “I didn’t hate barbershop when we were in college. I hated you.” “Oh! That makes more sense,” I replied, then added, “I was afraid you hated barbershop!” – John Donehower, BHS Board of Directors
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Wildcat Chord Ringers
The 852 singers of the Next Generation Junior Chorus Invitational had a life-changing week. The young men and women each performed on the Saturday Night Show, separately and combined. OUTREACH: Hot Pursuit at the first-ever blood drive, which drew enough donors to save as many as 54 lives. After Hours, Throwback, Hot Pursuit, and Frontier all participated in Nashville community outreach performances.
SATURDAY NIGHT SHOW. After Hours, Signature, and Throwback (2018 international gold, silver, bronze medalists), All Chapter Chorus, DoubleDouble, Frontier (2018 Varsity Quartet champ), Hall Sisters, Hot Pursuit (2018 Sweet Adelines Rising Star champion), Hurricane of Harmony (Audience Favorite), Mass Choir (all performers), Quin-Tones (2019 Junior Quartet champ).
Kirk Young directs Saturday's Night's Grand Finale Harmony Explosion Chorus
Next Generation Barbershop Junior Chorus Invitational is changing lives– and educators are spreading the word Many youth choruses would never have come to a barbershop convention without the support of donors to Harmony Foundation International. The middle and high school programs that came to Nashville universally lauded an experience that not only hooked the singers on barbershop, but which has profoundly affected students’ attitudes toward music—and towards themselves. I cannot tell you how many of my students have described this experience as life-changing or incredible. One of the best-kept secrets in music education offerings—I hope we can change that soon! – Jacob Ritter, Harmony Explosion Chorus This was an absolute mountaintop experience for myself and my students. We come from one of the poorest counties in the nation. All of my students are Hispanic and most are first-generation high school students. Suffice it to say ... barbershop
is nonexistent here, When our small but but not anymore! mighty program The BHS music was started community really in 2016, most fostered a sense students didn’t of community know how to that can be read music, found among match pitch, or barbershoppers. produce a healthy We would probably tone. The next year not have made the we attended the 2018 A CAPPELLA! trip without Harmony Midwinter Festival, Foundation. It made our and our students were hometown so proud of our kids and blown away by the other groups' students. They carry their heads talent, which motivated them to be high now. I am also hoping that our better. The progress we made this year, success and enjoyment will encourage advancing from the low end of Good other groups around us to consider to the Middle of the Excellent tier, giving barbershop a try. was all due to the goals placed for our – Jason Whitney, UPBEAT! Midwinter set. When we returned from Midwinter both this year and last year, our This Invitational stands out rehearsals were more focused, we among others because of the staff, accommodations, and the venue. No were able to learn music faster, and other choral festival has provided us the students were all eager to motivate each other. You’ve made a tremendous the opportunity to work with one of impact on our small town choir. n the judges after the performance. – Cody Duff, Intermezzo – Daniel Rohovit, Anna Coyotes
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The Sound To become a transformational quartet, After Hours needed a transformation of its own
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d of Music Had the 2009 Illinois District contest been more than five minutes away from Bradley University in Peoria, we may have never seen the champion’s love letter all week in Orlando that established a quartet scoring record. Fortunately, we have a story of perseverance, growth, and four men who found their authentic voice and let that inform everything about their performances. BEGINNINGS High school freshman and future After Hours tenor Tim Beutel decided he’d rather shoot hoops than attend a nearby barbershop show with his parents. But when the elder Beutels returned with two CDs from The Gas House Gang (1993 champ), Tim listened and was smitten. He started a quartet, and throughout high school recruited others to every GHG show within a five-hour drive. At Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., he convinced fellow Bradley Chorale member and future After Hours bass Dan Wessler to perform a barbershop song for a fundraiser. With classmates Joel Cox on bari and Chris Delbridge on lead, the schtick-filled performance included a barber chair and jokes, and the crowd went wild. “Where has barbershop been all my life?” Dan remembers thinking. “I thought, ‘My voice was meant for this style.’” The quartet got other Bradley kids ooing and aahing over Vocal Spectrum (2006 champ) videos, and later traveled 50 miles to see the quartet headline a Sound of Illinois show in Bloomington—and to tag with VS bari Jonny Moroni. By 2009, Bradley students Kevin McClelland and Ben Harding had taken over in the quartet. The four are not sure they would have attended the 2009 Illinois District collegiate qualifying contest had it not been five minutes away. [Note to readers: offer rides to eager singers of any age!]
Mike Lietke is a Performance judge, a coach, a quartet singer, and a 30year member of Midwest Vocal Express, staging the Fish and Green Army sets. mikelietke@hotmail.com.
LORIN MAY
LEARNING TO SING WITH “THE BIG BOYS” Fortunately, the four quick learners did compete, and in the 2010 International College
Quartet contest scored 78% and took sixth, behind fifth place medalist Expedition (featuring future After Hours baritone Bryan Ziegler) and behind second place Prestige, which sported a lead named Drew Ochoa. They were practicing three times a week by the time they won the 2010 Illinois District title and medaled in the 2011 College contest (Prestige 1st, After Hours 3rd, Expedition 4th). At the same convention, they pulled a stunner by making the Top 20 of the main contest and placing 16th, a position they matched in the 2012 contest. Bryan Ziegler replaced bari Kevin McClelland for the 2013 campaign in Toronto. A chart arranged for them by Steve Tramack, “Come What May,” was a revelation—a contender for song of the contest. Nobody ever goes from 14th place in the quarterfinals and then moves up seven spots in one night. The set earned the third highest score of the semifinals—and proved to the quartet that they could sing with the big boys, and more importantly, had something to say. After Hours was on the rise. They looked forward to coming back strong in Las Vegas—but then Bryan and Lauren Ziegler learned they were expecting a baby around International contest time. For Bryan
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THEIR SINGLE-MINDED FOCUS ON CONTEST PLACEMENT HAD BECOME CORROSIVE. BUT THIS DISSATISFACTION BECAME THE CATALYST FOR GREAT THINGS TO COME. and the two other fathers in the group, the choice was not really a choice. The quartet sat out the 2014 campaign. Then in the lead-up to Pittsburgh, lead Ben Harding made the difficult family decision to step out of the quartet, leaving Bryan and the other two original members, Dan and Tim, to sort out their future. Well, there was that lead of Prestige ... Drew Ochoa had by then moved to Chicago, closer than most prospects. Drew joined the quartet—and immediately told them that he might be moving to Orlando to sing for Disney. The move indeed happened, during what was already a critical period in preparing for Pittsburgh. Despite the late switch—and arrangements befitting a different lead—they were encouraged when they held ground with another 8th place finish. Now they could find songs arranged not for Ben’s powerhouse instrument but for Drew’s nuanced and character-driven vocals. They finished 6th in Nashville. If the 2016 Nashville audience enjoyed this re-tooled After Hours, the quartet only remembers an unenjoyable, pressure-filled week. Their single-minded focus on contest placement had become, in Drew’s words, “corrosive.” But this dissatisfaction became the catalyst for great things to come. A TURNING POINT I asked each man separately to explain the huge leap in performance
quality between 2016 and 2017. The answers were nearly unanimous. (Except for Bryan, who replied: “I learned not to sing so loud.” Baritones … [sniff ]). In some variation, the other three cited the quartet’s difficult but deliberate transition away from focusing on what would
score better in contest. They forced themselves to focus only on habits and artistic elements that would gain them more shows. In short, they focused on entertaining and connecting with audiences. Tim said they tried to recapture the pure enjoyment of music for its
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73rd Annual Convention and Competition Sept. 16-21, 2019 Smoothie King Center • New Orleans, La., USA Visit www.sweetadelines.com/neworleans for registration and event information.
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Custom-made suits, shirts, vests, and waistcoats for your men’s and women’s quartets and choruses! Visit us online at MyCustomTailor.com : 646.257.5886 : customerservice@MyCustomTailor.com 28 | The Harmonizer | May/June 2019 | barbershop.org
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READ PHOTOGRAPHY
own sake that they had each experienced in college groups, bringing that into their barbershop lives. Collectively, they took the foot off the competition intensity pedal and looked for ways to bring their authentic selves to the stage. Easy to say; hard to do. But the results are hard to argue. Vegas 2017 brought Dan’s arrangement of “Butter Outta Cream,” a previously shelved show song retooled to become contestable. It was a massive opening salvo, announcing a new After Hours that had finally discovered its personality. Riding three exceptionally clean and entertaining sets, the quartet was suddenly in the championship conversation. They took third in a very competitive contest, which encouraged them to move even more forcefully in the same direction. Throwback’s Alex Rubin suggested a little-known Sinatra movie tune, “The Coffee Song.” Dan arranged it to display their warmth and likeability
Tim Beutel (BITE L) dropped his engineering major three weeks into college to turn to music. He has a bachelor’s from Bradley University and master’s from Illinois State University (both in music education) and is choir director at Morton (Ill.) Junior High and assistant director of Sound of Illinois chorus. Tim and his wife, Melissa, have two kids: Lincoln, 7, and Gwen, 4. Tim’s passion for the Chicago Cubs borders on unhealthy obsession, and he ensures his children share it.
Yeah, I always work the week of International, don’t you? Wave this in front of anyone claiming vocal fatigue close to a contest. Here’s Drew Ochoa’s Disney work schedule on contest week: Sunday, 7 sets at Epcot; Monday, 6 a.m. call time for four-hour practice; Tuesday; 6 a.m. call time for 1.5 hours practice (competed with After Hours in the p.m.); Wednesday, Five July 4th shows.
A young fan at Epcot joins Drew Ochoa (center) and fellow Voices of Liberty singers (as well as fellow Barbershoppers) Myron Whittlesey and Karl Hudson. onstage. They also decided to accept the risks of returning to a texturally and emotionally challenging song that had met with some ambivalence in Vegas—Theo Hicks’ chart of “The Next Ten Minutes.” When they sang it the next summer in Orlando, in ways Drew stated were “bigger and smaller and quieter and louder than any other time we had sung it,” it laid
Drew Ochoa (Oh CHOH ah) had Randy Baughman (Yesteryear, 1997) as his high school choir teacher and received his onstage gold medal from a coworker–fellow Walt Disney World vocal performer Tony De Rosa (Main Street, 2017). He holds a bachelor’s degree in choral music education from Bowling Green State University and a master’s in voice performance from Roosevelt University. His girlfriend, Alexandra Hauger, sings lead with trendsetting GQ quartet.
You broke what now? Tim Beutel’s ASCAP trophy stayed in one piece for 20 minutes, by his estimate. Early in the post-contest hospitality room shuffle, one well-wisher asked to see Tim’s trophy, and while lifting it, one handle caught on his pants pocket and neatly separated from the rest of the trophy. AIC host Chad Guyton, whose one job was to lead the group around for the night while suffering the least amount of injury, gently asked Tim what had just occurred. Tim believes Chad’s direct quote was, “What the #@%^# did you just do?!?!” solid claim as the ballad of the contest. Same song—very different lead.
Bryan Ziegler (ZEEG lur) earned a bachelor’s in music from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, with additional graduate work in music theory. The son of two Barbershoppers, Bryan was born on the very day that the chapter he directs–Midwest Vocal Express–was chartered. Bryan and his wife, Lauren, are parents to Hank, 5; Aiden, 3; and Jackie, 1. He is committed to improving the world around him as general manager of a Mod Pizza franchise (look up the company’s mission).
Dan Wessler (WESS lur) comes from a family of musicians, and earned a bachelor’s in music education from Bradley and a master’s in choral conducting from Western Illinois. He is music director of Freeport (Ill.) High School and the storied New Tradition Chorus. During his high school’s production of The Music Man, Dan noticed a certain cute girl that would “Cheep, Cheep, Cheep. Talk a Lot … Pick a little more.” Eventually, he convinced Molly “It’s You.”
barbershop.org | May/June 2019 | The Harmonizer | 29
What was behind the utter transformation of After Hours in 2017? Three of After Hours’ coaches explain how an all-new quartet seemed to show up in Las Vegas–one year before their win and eight years into the quartet’s tenure. Each independently called out a particular quartet member as barbershop’s biggest vocal freak.
Mike Lietke. I’d heard they didn’t like too much high-level, conceptual performance coaching–they craved specifics to work on. So in our first-ever session together (post Nashville), I gave each man a short list of things to STOP doing–specific body habits that distracted. While I never coached them with Theo Hicks in the room, we were basically helping each man quiet down and find his inner Theo. All four are amazing singers, but Bryan Ziegler is just a monster and Drew Ochoa is a machine. It’s crazy how consistent Drew is, from the first time he does something to the 114th time. It’s always the exact same way, and it serves the song completely.
2017
Theo Hicks. First off, (former lead) Ben Harding has a fantastic, powerful voice but a completely different lead sound. Drew is so elegant, and the others needed time to dial into that different style. Bryan Zeigler is an absolute vocal freak and prodigy–he changed his entire vocal production to a perfect match with Drew. Second: An unbelievable work ethic. In coaching, they are sponges and they work incredibly hard individually. Third: Between Nashville and Las Vegas they had stopped thinking about the score or about who else had shown up to the party. Fourth: Their new repertoire helped a lot. – Lorin May
Drew was so emboldened by the quartet’s choices on that stage that he was allowed to show more vulnerability in the song’s character than
virtually any song contested … ever. It was exquisite and bullet-proof— and turned out to be the highest scoring quartet chart of 2018.
HISTORY WILL WITNESS, ALONG WITH THE LONG, PASSIONATE OVATION AFTER THE SONG, THAT THIS MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED A THOUSANDFOLD.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC But After Hours’ pace-setting song for Orlando was a new arrangement that closed the quartet's quarterfinals set. Months earlier, Bryan had pitched “The Sound of Music”—even though it seemed more a chorus vehicle. Dan immediately saw the song as a potential magnum opus far outside the mold of a typical contest love ballad. Tim and Drew were more
30 | The Harmonizer | May/June 2019 | barbershop.org
2016
difficult to convert, but the group eventually agreed that this was to be a love song to music itself—especially barbershop music—which had let them share so much with so many. They called the man they knew could deliver on the arrangement. After convincing David Wright to arrange it (he also arranged the quartet’s “Honeysuckle Rose”), he indeed delivered perhaps the most ambitiously orchestral work ever seen on the quartet stage. This left After Hours to imbue every sung echo, sweep, swell, oooh and ahhh with the meaning—that love letter
PAGES 30-31: LORIN MAY
Tim Waurick. Barbershop is much more of a mental game than anyone gives credit. In Nashville (2016), they were trying too hard to prove that they were great. If you’re trying to be perfect, your chances of being perfect go down. By Vegas (2017), they were so much more relaxed and picked songs that really worked for them. Performance-wise, Mike Lietke took them to the next level–I noticed it instantly. From a singing standpoint they were always just freaks–and Bryan Ziegler (bari) is probably barbershop’s biggest freak of nature. So in addition to their hard work, it was a matter of just performing together to refine things they had worked on for years.
to the hobby—that they longed to convey. “The first part of the song speaks to how this ‘music thing’ is something that we do to fulfill our souls,” said Dan. “But in the last verse, the lyric speaks to how this music is our gift to the world.” History will witness, along with the long, passionate ovation after the song, that this message was received by the audience a thousandfold. By caring less about placement and winning, After Hours shared more, and gained more than they could have ever imagined when they joined a local barbershop quartet contest on a whim. For the quartet, the contest faded into the background as they shared the beauty of music. This is your 2018 Barbershop Harmony Society champion, After Hours. n
DoppleRINGer... Separated at birth? Experts opine
"Tim reminds me of that guy in high school who was everybody's friend. He's always so nice." Sean Devine
"Drew's lead stylings remind me of Eric Dalbey of Vocal Spectrum fame." John Miller
"Dan makes me think of Rick Staab of the fabulous Bluegrass Student Union." David Wright
"Bryan reminds me of the great Harlan Wilson of the Suntones." Kevin Keller
"Drew reminds me "Definitely Axl Rose from Guns N "Tim reminds me of of Doris Day from "Tennessee Ernie Freddie Mercury." The Girl Next Door." Ford from 16 Tons." Roses." Alan Gordon Alan Gordon Alan Gordon Alan Gordon
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32 | The Harmonizer | May/June 2019 | barbershop.org
DIRECTORS WANTED Need a director? First 50 words are free for BHS chapters. marketing@barbershop.org. See the most current postings at barbershop.org/directorsearch.
DIRECTOR WANTED Land of Legend Chorus (Newark, OH) is a small non-competing chapter that does one annual show each spring at the Midland theatre in downtown Newark that draws around 700. We also do singouts in the community including Memorial Day, Flag Day and a local summer church choir replacement. We are looking for someone who can work with the music team and show committee on music for our annual show. Contact landoflegendchorus@ gmail.com or 614-961-0219 for more information. Singnewark.org.
Palm Beach County Coastmen (Boynton Beach, Fla.) seek a director for weekly rehearsals, Sunshine District competition, and local community performances. Requirements: experience directing a cappella music, positive communication skills, and ability to create an enjoyable environment working to achieve excellence in singing and performance. Contact Chuck Swenson; coastalswede@comcast.net.
Gulf Coast Harmonizers (Cape Coral, Fla., Chapter) seeking enthusiastic, positive, energetic director, growing 50-man chorus with good work ethic. Goal is to be on the international stage. Monday rehearsals, 10 performances per year. Jim Burg, djburgwi@aol.com or 262408-8151. Land of the Sky Chorus (Asheville, NC) seeks experienced director for our 30+ member men’s chorus. We’re on a journey to excel! Rehearsals Tuesdays, with 10-15 performances per year, including contests. Starts mid-2019. 828-782-7720, www.ashevillebarbershop.com.
The An-0-Chords (Anacortes, Wash.), active since 1955, is a small but enthusiastic group who will lose our director in June. Contact chorus manager Charlie Ryder at cdlryder@yahoo.com.
CHAPTER ETERNAL Members reported as deceased between March 1 and May 1, 2019. Send updates to membership@barbershop.org CARDINAL James Brady Columbia City, IN Arriola Foster Terre Haute, IN CENTRAL STATES Francis Gangel Kansas City, MO Robert Jones Olathe, KS Arden Koelling Ord, NE DIXIE Gordon Limburg Frank Thorne Charles Pettis Atlanta Metro, GA Marietta, GA EVERGREEN Harvey Clark Salem, OR Portland Metro, OR Donald Craig Calgary, AB Calgary Foothills, AB Red Deer, AB Spruce Grove, AB
Mike Gibbs Victoria, BC Nanaimo, BC Stephen Mondau Tacoma, WA Theodore Strang Salem, OR FAR WESTERN Robert Barry Sacramento, CA South Orange County, CA Stephen Diamond Laguna Hills, CA South Orange County, CA Raymond Kahler Greater Phoenix, AZ Mesa, AZ Central Arizona Sun Cities, AZ Kevin Price Santa Fe Springs, CA Inland Empire, CA Louis Tedesco Santa Fe Springs, CA H David Taylor South Bay, CA
Gordon Limburg Frank Thorne Carleton Truman Las Vegas, NV Reno, NV (Far Western), Denis Van Dam Monterey Peninsula, CA Douglas Ward San Fernando Valley, CA Michael Werner Fullerton, CA Santa Fe Springs, CA South Orange County, CA Orange Quartet ILLINOIS Richard Anthoney Chicago No. 1 Chicagoland West Suburban, IL Paul Cook Will-Cook, IL Thomas Taden Kankakee, IL Kenneth Vonderohe Chicagoland West Suburban, IL
Wesley Willard Northbrook, IL JOHNNY APPLESEED Mark Dumbauld Frank Thorne Duane Forlow Grand Lake, OH Robert Hambach Warren, OH James Mally Akron, OH John Nelson Northcoast, OH Raymond Pelyhes Warren, OH Brian Phillips Miami-Shelby, OH LAND O’ LAKES George Frye Madison, WI Roger Langseth Fargo-Moorhead, ND Albert Martin Madison, WI MID-ATLANTIC Robert Casey Roanoke Valley, VA
Raymond Kahler Alexandria, VA Martin Manning Prince William, VA David McConagha Dundalk, MD Paul Schuler Tunkhannock, PA George Watson South Coastal, DE NORTHEASTERN John Braden Concord, MA Fred Cote Central, CT Bill McIvor Worcester, MA Carter Stratton Bangor, ME ONTARIO Terry Aylsworth East York, ON Stanley Liebau St. Catharines, ON PIONEER Robert Legato Pontiac-Waterford, MI
Donald Myers Sault Ste Marie, ON Dennis Popilek Gratiot County, MI Donald Turner Hillsdale, MI Dale Wells Flint, MI Saginaw Bay, MI ROCKY MOUNTAIN Mark Armbrust Boulder, CO Joseph Arnold Boulder, CO Francis Gangel Pueblo, CO Miles Marsh Billings, MT Russell MacCachran Denver Mile High, CO George Smith Santa Fe, NM SENECA LAND Wayne Bailey Hornell, NY Mark Twain, NY Painted Post, NY
Ken Woodall New Bethlehem, PA SOUTHWESTERN Paul Cauthron Houston, TX Howard Tuggey Dallas Metro, TX SUNSHINE John Braden Cape Coral, FL Rexford Darrow Miami, FL Sarasota, FL Sebring, FL Sunrise, FL Robert Lau Jacksonville Big O Bill McIvor Englewood, FL Charles Pettis Tampa, FL Dennis Roussey Everglades, FL Naples/Fort Myers, FL Paul Tsark Melbourne, FL
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MEMBER SERVICES DIRECTORY How can we help you barbershop today? Get answers from the staff at Harmony Hall
Society Headquarters 110 7th Ave N • Nashville, TN 37203-3704 615-823-3993 • fax: 615-313-7615 • info@barbershop.org Office hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Central www.barbershop.org 800-876-7464 (SING)
EXECUTIVE OFFICES Marty Monson Executive Director/CEO Megan Tankersley Executive Assistant to the CEO FINANCE finance@barbershop.org Erik Dove CFO/COO Jama Clinard Controller / Human Resources Nick Anello Finance Administrator CONVENTIONS events@barbershop.org Dusty Schleier Director of Events INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY support@barbershop.org Jaime Man Solutions Architect Sam Hoover Systems Adminstrator HARMONY MARKETPLACE customerservice@ barbershop.org Mark Morgan Director of Marketplace and Retail Ops. Justin Gray Warehouse Manager Krystie Mitchell Warehouse Coordinator STRATEGY strategy@barbershop.org Kevin Lynch Chief Strategy Officer
Executive Vice President John Miller • Westport, CT 203-254-9594 John.Miller@NBCuni.com
MARKETING marketing@barbershop.org Holly J. Kellar Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Brown Marketing Coordinator Jeremy K. Gover Video Production Manager Eddie Holt Graphic Design Manager James Hurlburt Video Production Specialist Brian Lynch PR Manager Jernie Talles Millan Marketing Assistant Amy Rose Social Media Manager
PROGRAMS & IMPACT impact@barbershop.org Erin Harris Chief Program Officer Cassi Costoulas Strategic Initiatives Manager
PARTICIPATION & ENGAGEMENT customerservice@ barbershop.org Caki Gray Director of Membership James Pennington Chapter Success Manager Devin Bradford Community Development Manager
MUSIC EDUCATION harmonyu@barbershop.org Don Rose Director of Music Education Steve Scott Music Education Specialist Brent Suver Education Team Admin. Assistant
CUSTOMER SERVICE customerservice@ barbershop.org Danny Becker Quartet Success Manager/Service Rep. Rich Smith Contact Center Success Manager/ Service Representrative Allison Barrett Service Representative Annie Reynolds Service Representative Douglas Gordon Receptionist/Facilities
34 | The Harmonizer | May/June 2019 | barbershop.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Dick Powell • Crofton, MD 410-451-0694 leadsingerpowell@gmail.com
OUTREACH outreach@barbershop.org Joe Cerutti Director of Outreach Chad Bennett Show Production/Community Engagement Ashley Brown Grant Admin. & Inclusion Coordinator Ashley “Lani” Torroll Outreach Youth Programs Coordinator
MUSIC PUBLICATIONS library@barbershop.org Janice Bane Copyright & Licensing Manager Scott Harris Arranger & Repertoire Manager
Treasurer John Santora • Bel Air, MD 410-937-2611 jsantora@mac.com Immediate Past President Skipp Kropp • Indianapolis, IN 317-946-9882 skipp.kropp@steptoe-johnson.com Executive Director/ Board Secretary Marty Monson • Franklin, TN 800-876-7464 CEO@barbershop.org Dr. Perry White • Nashville, TN (Ex Officio, Harmony Foundation) 615-823-5611 pwhite@harmonyfoundation.org BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE Jeremy Albright • Haslet, Texas 620-249-1605 jeremy.albright@gmail.com Steve Denino • Grove City, Ohio 614-875-7211 steve.denino@gmail.com John Donehower • Monroe, WI 563-599-8565 johndonehower@charter.net David Haedtler • Mountain View, Calif. 650-465-2848 davidhaedtler@gmail.com Randy Loos • Lecanto, Fla. 727-510-5901 RandyLoos@gmail.com Bernard Priceman • Palm Desert, Calif. 818-625-2832 bpriceman@sbcglobal.net
FRIENDS IN HARMONY
• Sing Canada Harmony • SingCanadaHarmony.ca • American Choral Directors Association • acdaonline.org • Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia • sinfonia.org • World Harmony Council • worldbarbershop.org • National Museum for African-American Music • nmaam.org • Sweet Adelines International • sweetadelines.com • Harmony, Incorporated • harmonyinc.org • National Association for Music Education • nafme.org • Chorus America • chorusamerica.org • Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers • labbs.org.uk
110 Seventh Avenue North, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37203 866-706-8021 (toll free),615-823-5611, hf@harmonyfoundation.org STAFF Dr. Perry White ** *** President/CEO pwhite@harmonyfoundation.org Jim Clark Regional Director 3042 • jclark@harmonyfoundation.org Sean Devine Planned Giving Manager 3054 • sdevine@harmonyfoundation.org Carolyn Faulkenberry Chief Financial Officer 3041 • cfaulkenberry@harmonyfoundation.org J.J. Hawkins Donor Care Center Associate 3045 • jhawkins@harmonyfoundation.org Matt Hopper Donor Care Center Associate 3049 • mhopper@harmonyfoundation.org Jim Johnson Director of Communications 3053 • jjohnson@harmonyfoundation.org Brian Nelson Donor Care Center Associate 3051 • bnelson@harmonyfoundation.org Sarah Ogiba Donor Care Center Manager 3040 • ogiba@harmonyfoundation.org Dixie Semich Development Operations Manager 3047 • dsemich@harmonyfoundation.org Kyle Snook Regional Director 3050 • ksnook@harmonyfoundation.org Jan Stinson Financial Associate 3040 • jstinson@harmonyfoundation.org Rick Taylor National Development Manager 3046 • rtaylor@harmonyfoundation.org
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Gary Plaag – Chair 703-868-5152 gplaagbhs@gmail.com Debbie Cleveland – Secretary 813-230-7845 DebbieCsinger@aol.com Don Laursen – Treasurer 559-733-1496 monyman@sbcglobal.net Lynn Weaver – Immediate Past Chair 616-485-3392 rhoda297@aol.com Mike Deputy 801-733-0562 mikedeputy@utility-trailer.com Don Lambert 850-240-5952 lambertDL@cox.net Sherri Matthews 804-938-1611 smattsing@gmail.com Mike Moisio 775-580-7395 mike.moisio@rhacp.com Casey Parsons 614-306-8858 caseyparsons@gmail.com Kendall Williams 206-949-7464 kendall.a.williams@frontier.com Marty Monson Society Executive Director/CEO** Jim Warner*– General Counsel 901-522-9000, Ext. 104 warnerj@martintate.com
*Not board member • **Ex-officio • ***Also trustee
SOCIETY SUBSIDIARIES (PARTIAL LIST) • Association of International Champions • AICGold.com • Association of International Seniors Quartet Champions • aisqc.com • Harmony Brigade • harmonybrigade.org • Barbershop Quartet Preservation Association • bqpa.com • Ancient Harmonious Society of Woodshedders • ahsow.org
OFFICIAL AFFILIATES
• Barbershop Harmony Australia barbershop.org.au • Dan Millgate: dan.millgate@yahoo.com.au • BHNZ (Barbershop Harmony New Zealand) barbershopharmony.nz • John Denton: johnandchrisd@gmail.com • BABS (British Association of Barbershop Singers) singbarbershop.com • Peter Cookson: chairman@singbarbershop.com • BinG! (Barbershop in Germany) barbershop-in-germany.de • Renate Klocke: renate.klocke@gmail.com • Holland Harmony hollandharmony.dse.nl • Nelleke Dorrestijn: nellekedorrestijn@gmail.com • FABS (Finnish Association of Barbershop Singers) fabs.fi • Jan-Erik Krusberg: jan-erik.krusberg@arcada.fi • IABS (Irish Association of Barbershop Singers) irishbarbershop.org • Liz Nolan: iabsexecutive@gmail.com • MBHA (Mixed Barbershop Harmony Assoc.) mixedbarbershop.org • Roxanne Powell: powellrx@gmail.com • SABS (Spanish Association of Barbershop Singers) sabs.es • Lyn Baines: president@sabs.es • SNOBS (Society of Nordic Barbershop Singers) snobs.org • Henrik Rosenberg: henrik@rospart.se • SPATS (Southern Part of Africa Tonsorial Singers) spats.co.za • Mark Jensen van Rensburg: president@spats.co.za
GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE/ EDITORIAL harmonizer@barbershop.org EDITORIAL BOARD Holly J. Kellar, Brian Lynch, Amy Rose, Sarah Brown, Lorin May EDITOR Lorin May ASSOCIATE EDITORS Amy Rose, Brian Lynch
barbershop.org | May/June 2019 | The Harmonizer | 35
THE TAG Joe Liles, Tagmaster
JoeLilesMusic@gmail.com
W
Great man, great Buzz Haeger tag
arren "Buzz" Haeger was a talented saxophonist and arranger for the Halls of Montezuma Marine Corps Band. He also played professionally with stars like Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Bob Hope, Debbie Reynolds, the Alvino Ray Orchestra and Artie Shaw Band. In 1945, he began his 62year Society journey, to be named to the Society Hall of Fame. He was tenor of 1965 champ Four Renegades and arranger of hundreds of songs. Here's a tag he created in 1956. n
I LOVE YOU TRULY
I LOVE for YOU TRULY TAG men's & mixed voices
(1906) Words and Music by for male or mixed voices CARRIE JACOBS-BOND LYRICIST Tenor Lead
bbb 4 1 œ b V 4 œ
œ œ
? b b b 44 œ b œ
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For
Bari Bass
bbb 3 A ˙ b V ˙
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ly.
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4
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love
you
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3 bbb
Ó
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my,
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n œ ∫ œœ œ
you,
n ˙œ
I LOVE YOU TRULY TAG
For
Bari Bass
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n œ˙ bœ
6
dear.
(1906) for female voices
Words and Music by CARRIE JACOBS-BOND LYRICIST Tenor Lead
I
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2
Arrangement by WARREN "BUZZ" HAEGER
˙˙ ˙˙
36 | The Harmonizer | May/June 2019 | barbershop.org
œ œ
I
4
for women's voices
bœ œ
love
Ó w
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love
you
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-
b œœ my,
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you,
n œ˙ bœ
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n ˙œ
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ly,
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Ó
w w
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dear.
Arrangement by WARREN "BUZZ" HAEGER
you
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6
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