A Report On The Barbershop Society's International Convention in Philadelphia
A Report On The Barbershop Society's 2010 International Convention in Philadelphia
by
Paul Barrett, Vice President for Music
The last four International Barbershop Harmony Conventions have seen new trends in both the Chorus Competition and the Quartet Competition. It is getting to the point where you have to be an gymnast was well as a good singer to compete in the barbershop world. Another trend that has become prevailent is low volume vocal dynamics.
This year in Philadelphia the two top chorus' Westminster and Vocal Majority were only 19 points apart scoring 2932 and 2913 out of a possible 3000 points. There was some conjecture that if it was real close the judges might give first place to the Vocal Majority because it was the last competition for their long time director, Jim Clancy. In the end it was the superior athleticism of the young Westminster front row that made the difference.
This year most of the choruses included some form of physical gyrations by their front row ranging from tumbling, flips, dancing to formation movements with walkers, that's right walkers.
The chorus who placed #6, "The Greater Central Ohio Chorus" did not have a young front row so they used their ageing members in a hilarious skit with walkers normally used by handicapped folks. They moved around the stage in formations, did walker calesthetics and had the house in stitches laughing at their antics. They're a small chorus but apparently the judges liked it to give them sixth place among the much larger chorus'.
The Alexandria Harmonizers came in #5 with a score of 2580. Their repertoire consisted of "I Get Along Without You Very Well" and "Hello My Babe". The vocal dymanics of the first song were so low at times that it was hard to hear in the extremely large convention center auditorium where the ambient noise was high. They did not get the exuberant, standing ovation that Vocal Majority and The Winstminster chorus' did.
I couldn't help but think what it would be like to try and get our aged chorus to do some extreme choreography while singing which is now required to compete successfully. There would no doubt be many casualties as a result.
The trend to put together a quartet containing either past gold medal winners or members of top ten quartets continues. The winning quartet, "Storm Front" consisted of 2 singers who have 2 gold medals and the other two singers each have one gold medal. Last years winners, Crossroads comprised of four singers, from different parts of the country each with at least one gold medal. The trend is - do whatever you have to do to increase your medal count. There doesn't appear to be any loyalty to stay with your original quartet.
The migration of singers to different groups to gain gold medals is not limited to quartets. I was talking with the director of the "Masters of Harmony" chorus who was lamenting the fact that they had less than 100 singers on the risers. He complained that a group of his young singers left to joing the Westminster chorus that is only 17 miles "up the road". They had earned a metal while singing with the "Masters of Harmony" and now they have earned another metal for singing with the "Westminster Chorus."
The normal process before the beginning of a final competitive segment is to have the 11th place chorus or quartet sing for the "mike test." For the quartet finals that "mike test" quartet was "Lunch Break". They sang their first song and as they started singing the second song the quartet who finished 12th came on stage, pushed "Lunch Break" away from the mike and sang a few bars of their song. "Lunch Break" then pushed them off the mike and picked up their song where they were pushed off. That continued with each consecutive quartet until all 9 quartets, #13-#20 had entered the stage, pushed "Lunch Break" off the mike, sang a few bars of their song before "Lunch Break" pushed them away from the mike also. It was bedlam on the stage and the audience was hysterical laughing. I don't know who's idea that was but it sure was popular with the 8000 people in the audience.
Speaking of 8000 people in the audience. Until you have heard that many barbershoppers singing "The Star Spangled Banner" in four parts, you can only imagine how spine tingling it is. WOW - what an experience!
The winning quartet this year is "Storm Front" dressed in lime green suits they put on a comedic skit that was very, very funny. The lead, Drew Ellis, is a born stand up comic with facial expressions that rival Red Skelton's. The other members of the quartet are: Jeff Selano, tenor from Colorado Springs Pikes Peak, CO; Jim clark bass from Denver, CO; and Si Libsack from Hilltop MN. There was no doubt who was going to win the quartet competition once you heard them sing and enjoyed their antics.
It was interesting to note that the quartet "Old School" sang two simple songs, one being a polecat song with a slight change in the arrangement came in second in the quartet competition. Again, this quartet consisted of gold medal winners from different quartets and chorus'. Jim Butner, Chicago; Joe Connelly from Hamilton Square NJ; Joe Pinto, St Charles, MO and Joe Krones, Cincinnati, OH. All previous gold medal winners.
I am amazed that four experienced guys who live in different corners of the country can pick new musical arrangements and new interpretations, learn the music separately, practice a few times together, and be good enough to make the Top Ten out of 50 quartets at their first competition.
I could not find a picture of the winning collegiate quartet, "Swedish Match." Following them by 2 points was the quartet "Prestige". Can you imaging, only two points difference 988 vs 986 out of possible 1000. "Spanglish," "Go Fish," and "Expedition" rounded out the top five collegate quartets. Some of their arrangements were extremely complex to the extent you had to concentrate to determine what song they were singing. It would appear that complex arrangements are also going to be a new trend in the barbershop competitions.
For all of you who have never been to one of these International Conventions or a District competition you are missing a wonderful, musical experience. The music is awesome, the choreography is amazing and the enthusiasm is infectous. There are small pockets of men singing everywhere in the hotel and surroundings. I met one elderly gentleman wearing a vest covered with International Patches complaining that he had only slept 5 hours. When I asked him "if he had been partying" he said "not really." "We were singing in the lobby after midnight and they asked us to please be quiet so we went out into the street to sing some more." That will give you some idea of the desire to make music at these events.
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