Summer 2012

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Portland: P as in Perfection! Mother Nature, singing, ambiance all contribute to a glorious 74th annual international convention by Craig Rigg “Squirrel!” For the past couple of years, this Lunch Break meme has been bandied about wherever barbershoppers assemble. From the Portland Convention, courtesy of the Salem, Ore. Sen-ateAires comes the new meme “UGH!” More about that later. For newly three decades in the Illinois District, our conven-tions were held in Peoria. The Barbershop Harmony Society could take a cue from us and hold all future international conventions in Portland, Oregon. It was that cool — literally! While the rest of the country suffered through wildfires, droughts, and thunderstorms, those of us fortunate to make the trip to the Pacific Northwest basked in some of the most glorious weather we’re likely to see this year. With cool breezes, pleasantly warm sunshine, and clear air (and no rain!), Portland’s branch of Mother Nature put on a spectacular dis-play. And if it’s possible, the singing competition was even more glo-rious. Let’s start with transportation. Those of us with hotels on the east side of the Willamette River reveled in the short walks to the Rose Garden Arena contest venue. But even those staying in down-town Portland had easy, if not crowded, access by means of Portland’s MAX lightrail system. With speedy, frequent, and FREE trains, few could complain about mobility throughout the Portland metropolitan area. Then there’s the hospitality. I’m not much of a traveler, but my wife and I have never been so cor-dially treated in an urban setting — from the hotel staff to restaurant workers to store clerks to ordinary citizens. Despite all the Portlandia and Leverage swipes at the area, the city and the state have a lot going for them. There’s no sales tax (except on your hotel room!); gas station attendants are required by law to pump gas for you; Mt. Hood shimmers at sunrise and basks in a golden glow at sunset; drive a few miles out of town and you’ll find yourself in near wilderness areas, especially if you dare traverse some of the off-road trails. In fact, from Portland, one could go surfing in the Pacific in the morning, skiing (in July!) on Mt. Hood at noon, and finish up windsurfing on the Columbia River in the afternoon. But enough of the amenities. What about the singing? From the opening rounds of the College Quartet contest to the final chords of the Quartet Contest, the singing was intense, eclectic, and evenly matched. Yes, a couple of groups stood out from the others,

CRigg photo

but most people could have penciled in 40 quartets into the top 20 , and a dozen choruses could easily have bat-tled it out for spots six through 10. Everyone probably had the St. Charles Ambassadors of Harmony locking up the chorus championship, but the top 20 choruses (out of 28) all scored at the “A” level. Perhaps an occasional cho-rus champion has scored higher in previous contests, but the parity among performers provided for com-pelling competitions all-around. In 2008, Ringmasters won the College Quartet Competition with an average score of 83.2. Five years later, they captured the gold with an average score of 91.7. Complete with their

own upper deck cheering section, responsible for most of the “wave” action in the arena, this Swedish foursome brings youth, intricate arrangements, and energy to become the first non-continental quartet to be crowned champion. Say what you will about their “new age” approach to barbershop a cappella, Ringmasters scored their highest totals of the week with the old barbershop chestnut “Love Me and the World Is Mine.” Not to be outdone, the Swedish invasion continued with the uniquely named Lemon Squeezy and their capture of the College Quartet Competi-tion. They also competed in the regular competi-tion and finished in 19th place singing with the big boys. Even the Stockholm Chorus zero8, under the direction of David Harrington (a former Louisville Thoroughbred who has found a new mu-sic career in Scandinavia), wasn’t a surprise fourth place medalists in the chorus competition, the highest finish by any non-continental competing chorus. And they did it with only 34 men, even though it helps to have an international champion quartet and a col-

lege quartet champion making up 25 percent of your group. Two years ago in Philadel-phia, Ringmasters and the New Zea-land quartet Musical Island Boys fin-ished third and fourth respectively. Ringmasters sat out 2011's competi-tion while MIB competed in Kansas City and finished second. Thus, the showdown in Portland. Odds were that a non-continent quartet was going to win the 2012 quartet crown. The MIB boys have fol-lowed a typical barbershop career path. They won the College Quartet Competition in 2006 and have been steadily refining their sound while

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Ringmasters — 2012 Interna onal Champions 

Musical Island Boys — 2012 Silver Medalist 

Ambassadors of Harmony — Chorus Champions 

All photos this page

courtesy of Lorin May

and BHS

also pushing the envelope of the barbershop style, as witnessed by their rousing version of Marvin Gaye’s R&B “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” semifinal song. (Has anyone investigated where these guys get their arrangements and coaching way down there in the Antipodes?). Though we didn’t know it at the time, they were in third place after the first round (primarily due to a killer ballad performance by Masterpiece on “Where’ve You Been?”) but rebounded for a solid se-cond place after the semi-finals. Therefore, everyone was pumped for the finals, with MIB singing first. Un-fortunately, their final set wasn’t as strong as their pre-vious sets, and they ended up with the silver. Nothing wrong with that — just ask Max Q and Old School. One aspect of medals-level singing that we mere mortals often forget is that quartetting is like run-ning a marathon: quarter-finals on Wednesday, semi-finals on Thursday, finals on Saturday interlaced with a performance for World Harmony Jamboree (especially if you’re from Sweden or New Zealand) and numerous other impromptu “performances,” coaching sessions, and, oh yeah, chorus competition preparation. For our overseas competitors, factor in 14-hour/7,000 mile flights and accompanying jet lag. The process can be exhausting, and to more than one observer, MIB just didn’t seem to have the pop, the sizzle, the intensity for their last two songs on stage. They averaged 88.6 in this set, seven-tenths less than their 89.3 average in the other two sets. In fact, this set finished fifth Saturday evening. Was fatigue a factor? It certainly seemed so. Clearly, Ringmasters earned their gold and are a most worthy champion. The fact that both of our top quartets are from overseas, both are former college quartet champions, and both are young, handsome, and charismatic speaks volumes for the image of our Socie-ty. While the majority of us can only dream of singing and performing like these guys, one can only hope that they and the Society will be able to handle marketing sufficient to appeal to 21st Century barbershoppers. Too bad that each lives half-way around the world, thus making quartet appearances in Illinois unlikely.

So what about the Illinois representatives? Well, we didn’t have anyone entered in the college quartet competi-tion, a situation that might be considered an embarrass-ment. Our version of Ringmasters and Musical Island Boys — After Hours — again wowed the audiences for their quarter-final and semifinal sets. While we are definitely prejudiced, the crowd response for Tim, Ben, Kevin, and Dan was as enthusiastic as for any group. They ended up in 16th place, again, but with their highest scores ever — 41 points higher than last year. One can only hope that the pressures of youth, jobs, and family don’t interfere with their movement upward. One bit of trivia concerning After Hours. They were the third quartet out on Thursday morning, sand-wiched between Main Street (ultimately fifth place), and

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A Mighty Wind 

Masterpiece 

Main Street 

All photos this page

courtesy of Lorin May

and BHS

A er Hours 

Ringmasters (winners) followed by Musical Island Boys (second), and Lemon Squeezy (college quar-tet champs). As if that weren’t pressure enough, the airlines “misplaced” their luggage, so they had no quartet outfits for their first appearance! As is usually the case, innovation and camaraderie saved the day. They had their jeans, they bought four light gray shirts, and they borrowed Vocal Spectrum’s jackets. Oh, did we say that Vocal Spectrum was the mike-tester quartet that morning, about 20 minutes before After Dark’s scheduled slot? And none of us in the audience were the wiser. Other notable quartet tidbits: A Mighty Wind finished in third place, which might have been a bit of a surprise given the (too?) dominant lead voice of Tim Brooks. AMW also features Clay Hine (former baritone in FRED and son of former Illinois quartet man Thom Hine). Last year’s surprise fifth place winners Main Street, straight out of DisneyWorld, again finished fifth out “old schooling” Old School. With solid traditional barbershopping befitting the influence of the Disney brand and slick tap dancing, they have brought a delightful new approach to our contests. Recent clinicians at the Illinois District IDAH last spring, the Cardinal District’s Fore-front belted out some of the smoothest blend heard throughout the quartet contest. As Tom Woodall remarked, the bass-lead match of Kevin Hughes and Brian O’Dell was rock sol-id. How these guys ended up in seventh place is beyond me. The quartet will be appearing on the Coles County Chorus’s show next June. Masterpiece keeps getting better with young lead Patrick Haedtler holding his own against the booming bass voice of Brett Little-field, along with Rob Menaker and Alan Gor-den former members of international champi-ons Nightlife and Gothca! respectively. Quite a pedigree! Two quartets bring back former inter-national champion singers: Throwback, with Sean Devine singing lead, and Via Voice, fea-turing brothers Tom and Mark Metzer, former-ly of Realtime. Several Barbershop Harmony Society staff members made the top twenty: TNS, with Rick Spencer, Ryan Killeen, and Dusty Schlei-er; and Contingency Plan with Eddie Holt, James Estes, and Adam Scott. Throw in Lunch Break, who sadly chose to sit out this contest, and just about every male listed as a contact at Society

The “other” choruses in the contest: (top) Hilltop, Minn., Great Northern Union; (middle) Elizabethtown, Ken. Kentucky vocal Union; (bottom) Stockholm, Sweden zero8 (photos courtesy Lorin May and BHS)

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headquarters might have appeared in a quartet. Now you know what goes on during the day on Sev-enth Avenue in Nashville — quartet practice! Rocky Mountain District’s Ignition! continues to amaze and amuse with the dry wit of former quar-tet bass champion Denny Malone (whose quartet bio indicates that he got his start at Southern Illinois University with the Little

Egypt Chorus in Herrin, Illinois.) New York City’s Round Midnight (a recent guest quartet for Bloomington’s chapter show) hasn’t given up on the hip, urban style that has formed their distinctive style, thanks to lead Wayne Grimmer. Former Central States quartet Three Men and a Tenor regrouped with a new name — Pinnacle — along with a new tenor. Another previous Bloomington guest quartet Hot Air Buffoons, crafted come clever parodies playing upon the quartet’s sizable proportions and even made the top twenty, much to the delight of the audience. Even so, some of their lyrical whimsy created a few uncomfortable groans. And Wheelhouse staged a return to wrestle away the finals mike-tester role from Lunch Break. Though no scores were assigned, their “tester” set was the strongest of their total package and worthy of being in the top ten by itself. While I’m sure I’ll miss someone, several former Illinoisians competed in either the quartet or chorus con-tests: former Champaign-Urbana quartetter Andy Isbell appeared with the Central States quartet Full Effect; former Quincy quartetter Bryan Jones appeared with the Evergreen quartet Quadrophonics; former Illinois District quartet champion Scott Kizmiller’s sons appeared in the college quartet Instant Classic, where they finished second. District quartet champions singers, Bob Cearnal, Vern Knapp, Mark Keever, and most likely several other Illinois singers were among the 145 men who made up this year’s verison of the Ambassadors of Harmony, thus earning gold medals. On the chorus side, Bloom-ington’s Sound of Illinois also ended up in 16th place, down one spot from their 15th place KC showing but 20 points higher in overall score. They reprised their “Just a Kid Named Joe” and “Oliver Medley” from last year, but a different “kid” fronted the cho-rus. For the last couple of years, After Hours Ben Harding has played the role, but this year a younger lad — Hugo Fuegen’s son Christiann — poignantly reinforced the story of the song. Several other shows are

The Neanderthals from the SenateAires (Salem, Ore.) providing the —UGH! —  finale to the chorus contest 

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All photos this page

courtesy of Lorin May

and BHS

Bloomington No. 1  Sound of Illinois 

staged during the convention week: the Good News! gospel sing on Thursday morning, the Association of International Champions (AIC) Thursday evening, the World Harmony Jambo-ree last Wednesday afternoon, and the Harmo-ny Foundation show on Saturday afternoon. Only the gospel sing is “free.” Frankly, trying to take in all of the events, especially the ones with extra charges for admission, can get quite costly. The AIC show was everything anyone would hope for — a stellar choral performance by the com-bined champions and all-too-brief performanc-es by Old School, Storm Front, Crossroads, O.C. Times, Max Q, and Vocal Spectrum, and a special

appearance by Interstate Rivals on the 25th anni-versary of their winning gold. Whether it was Joe Connelly and Kipp Buckner appearing twice, our own Joe Krones acting beastly, Storm Front acting like, well, Storm Front, complete with a “kiss camera,” Tony DeRosa and Jeff Oxley’s mutual admira-tion society (not to mention Max Q’s self-deprecating charm), the continued innovation of O.C. Times (new album coming soon!), the power of Crossroads, or the stratospheric sound of Vocal Spectrum, the AIC show continues to be the one performance that salutes the best of the best. What about the other shows? Well, if you’ve got an extra couple of hundred dollars

lying around, you could have taken in the Harmony Foundation show or the World Jamboree show. We didn’t, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather to see the Portland sights and sample some of the local cuisine. We heard from our seat mates — Don and Joan Thom-son of Manhattan, Kansas — that the Harmony Foundation show was exciting, with performances by former collegiate quartet champions, a reunion of 1996 college champions Four Voices, (2002 international champs) and a special performance by 139th Street Quartet, whose Peter Neuschul and Jim Kline were instrumental in forming the college quar-tet contest concept. According to Don, word was that the guys in Four Voices, though spread throughout the country, might be joining forces again for a second go-round as a quartet. About the World Harmony Jamboree, we have no word, but given the SNOBS, the BABS, the NZABS, and even the Canadians, the event surely was a festival of traditional barbershop along with some songs native to eachss ethnic culture. The Gospel Sing (free) has become such a tradition that no convention would seem complete without it — all thanks to the ef-forts of Happiness Emporium AKA Good News! This long-lived quartet had done so much to bring inspirational music into the barbershop canon. They’re now on their 12th album/folio of songs, recordings, and learning materials. Check them out at www.HappinessEmporium.com

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All photos this page by CRigg

This year, the gospel sing was held at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Portland. Though not as well attended as gospel fests in previous conventions, Jim Shisler (The Ritz), James Estes (Society member services), and Bill Rashleigh (former Society music specialist) combined to lead the assembled in three traditional gospel songs. Also assisting in the musical elements was gospel pianist and barbershopper Paul Engel. However, the star of the show was the Benson Family Singers, featuring Pete Bensen (director of the second place Great Northern Union chorus), his wife Rachelle, and two young sons — David (11) and Aaron (9). On a couple of songs, a third son — Luke (7) — joined in for some five-part harmony. By the way, there’s a fourth son — Paul (1-1/2) — waiting in the wings. Don’t be surprised if these “kids” end up on the contest stage in 2020. With tight, high harmonies that only the ge-netics of family can produce (think Osmonds or SIX/Knudtson Brothers or even Schmidtt Brothers and the Brooks Brothers), they thrilled the crowd with their composure and message in song. Check them out at www.bensonfamilymusic.com Admittedly, in the past, we’ve snuck out of the chorus competition for a couple of the performances, but this year, if we had done that, we’d have missed something worthwhile. There were no weak performances, no sing-ing or staging that didn’t feature something unique. Even the last place chorus — Research Triangle Park’s General Assembly chorus — produced a hilarious spoof of uptunes. Chorus after chorus thoroughly entertained. Following are a few highlights: While we’ve already mentioned Sweden’s zero8 fourth place finish, just ahead of them was the highly innovative and envelope-pushing Kentucky Vocal Union from Elizabethtown, Ken. Lots of credit is being given to Aaron Dale for his arrangements and choreography plans, but he’s got a heck of a group of singers down them to work with. This year the KVU opened with the Police hit “Every Breath You Take” and then followed it up with a rousing “Footloose” worthy of the Broadway stage. This is not your father’s barbershop! As luck would have it, the one time my wife and I got to sit in at the Chorditorium in the headquarters hotel, the KVU made an appearance and performed three songs — two of them their contest set — on a tiny stage. Totally awe-some! Greendale’s Midwest Vocal Express can always be counted on for something innovative, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. With scenes out of a Smurf movie, this group outdid their little green soldiers and Nemo sets from previous contests. A kaleidoscope of color, textures, shapes, and images bombarded the audience, all playing off the theme of stolen gnomes — you know, those lawn ornament trolls. They even got the audience involved in performing the chicken dance. Have we mentioned ero8? Their take on Billy Preston and Dennis Wilson’s (Beach Boys) hit “You Are So Beautiful” (made popular by Joe Cocker) clearly demonstrated this group’s singing talent. They followed up with an energetic rendition of teen heartthrob’s Bobby Vee’s “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.” If you think that a couple of simple hand gestures don’t make an awesome staging spectacle or that chorus positioning as the curtain closes can’t be effective, then you’re going to have to get the DVD of the competition to see for yourself. With a little more time to devote to chorus preparation, Joe Connelly had the Southern Gateway Chorus hop-ping with songs straight out of West Side Story. Complete with a rumble between the Sharks and the Jets, the chorus concluded with a combination “Maria” and “Somewhere” medley. Sporting the largest chorus, the Ambassadors of Harmony lived up to expectation with a version of the Jo Staf-ford tune “No Other Love” followed by a truly foot-stompin’ “Step in Time.” You can bet that arranger non-pareil David Wright had a hand in preparing the songs and challenging the chorus. (How does this guy ever find the time to maintain his math professorship?). With a high-stepping’ front line, a quartet showdown between Crossroads and Vocal Spectrum, and some amazing tumbling flips by Crossroads’s Fred Farrell (Yeah, really! Well, maybe!) the AoH danced and sang their way to a second consecutive championship. You’d think the evening would be pretty much over by the time the St. Charles singers rocked the stage, but Bill Rashleigh’s General Assembly Chorus brought the comedy as did Clay Hine’s Atlanta Vocal Project a few choruses later. It was a bit of a surprise to see Justin Miller, who directed the Westminster Chorus to their stunning victory in Philadelphia, directing the Big Apple Chorus. Borrowing from the hit Broadway revival of “How to Succeed in Busi-ness Without Really Trying,” the chorus resurrected the tunes “Brotherhood of Men” and “I Believe in You,” often flashing moments of the Broadway show’s choreography. Next, Alliance (Greater Central Ohio) staged a recreation of the Peter Pan musical with “You Can Fly” and “The Second Star to the Right.” All throughout the week, members of the Great Northern Union (Hilltop, Minn.) sported neon-green shirts emblazoned with an enigmatic number — 12,368. Turns out this referred to the number of LED lights on the vests and props featured in their two-number set. And every single light flashed right on cue! Combine about a half-dozen vest changes in the first minute with a bunch of cute dancing and singing kids (remember the Benson family?) along with singing that nearly matched the Ambassadors, then no wonder they finished a solid second. Again, their presentation defies explanation — you’ll just have to get the DVD. Their second number — “It’s One of Those Songs” medley combined a mind-boggling compilation of songs that you just couldn’t get out of your mind. Their

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well-earned second-place finish bodes well for Toronto if one considers the choruses that might be appearing: West-minster, Denver Sound of the Rockies, Toronto Northern Lights, perhaps Vocal Majority, not to mention reappearances by Great Northern Union and Kentucky Vocal Union, and, well, you get the idea. However, nothing in recent memory can top what came last. From the moment the curtain opened, you just knew that you were in for a treat. And for the next 20 minutes or so, 52 grunting Neanderthals (AKA the Sen-ateAires) “UGHed” their way to put on a show unlike any you’ll ever see. Odds are this was a once-in-a-lifetime per-formance. Even though the audience had sat through a full day of chorus singing, not a single person wanted the performance to end. With walk-on appearances by some of the front row “steppers” from the Westminster Chorus, from Jeff Oxley, and from Jim Henry (who ended up as dinosaur food), the audience could only sit in stunned amazement at how this group of guys could coordinate the cameos and envision such a jaw-dropping, surreal “contest” performance. The judging administration panel even gave up trying to categorize their songs, labeling both sets on the score sheet as “The Caveman Package.” The judges must have had no qualms about the SenateAires conforming to the current standards of the “barbershop style” because the chorus ended up medaling in fifth place. As we’ve said before, you’ll have to see the DVD to believe it, but it won’t do the SenateAires’s performance justice. Thanks to the diligence of Tom Woodall, who knows everyone and can be in a dozen places at the same time, we learned the following through his timely email reporting: “Dorothy Graham (widow of Jim Graham, former Illinois District President and tireless promoter of bar-bershopping) attended her 46th consecutive International Convention in Portland. “While in Portland, Mike Bagby (Illinois District President) and brother Jim Bagby (former quartet champ with the Rural Route 4 [1986]) learned of the sudden death of their mother, certainly causing some sobering moments in an otherwise joyful time. “Bob Cearnal (he must have done this at least a dozen times) was the “Presenter” for the quartet semifinal session and did his usual great job in stirring up the audience. “One of the agenda items at the annual meeting [of judges] is the presentation of service awards, based on the years of judging service provided. Three men with Coles County ties, between them, have 85 years in the pits. Wayne Wright (Presentation) 25 years - started barbershopping with the CCC in the early 1970, then moved north to live and work in Sterling, Ill., where he has spent many years directing their chorus. He has often been an Illinois District officer (including President) and currently continues to be the Vice President for Contest and Judging. Tom Woodall (Singing) 40 years - founded the CCC (late 1960s), directs, sings in quartets and has judged more than 150 official contests in more than 100 different cities. Jim Bagby (Presentation) 20 years - was so busy singing with his Rural Route 4 quartet and directing the Kansas City Chorus that he got a late start in judging. He has frequently coached the CCC and we all love his tag teaching. “Mark Hale received the Joe Liles Lifetime Achievement Award. His Michigan Jake quartet won the Interna-tional title in 2001, and he brought his youthful Louisville Times chorus to the international on four occasions. His Masters of Harmony Chorus has won the international each of the last four times they were eligible to compete. Mark is retiring from directing, at least for now.” Other items: Special recognition was given to the Class of 2012 Hall of Fame inductees. Making the roster for this year were Illinoisian Jay Giallombardo and former Illinoisian Drayton Justus. Also inducted were the Bludgrass Student Union, Rudy Hart, and Lou Laurel. [See page 17 for more details] Judd Orff from Land o’ Lakes received the Dave LaBar award for his skills as a Master of Ceremonies and Tom Gentil received the Joe Liles Lifetime Achievement Award. This year marked the 50th Anniversary of the quartet champion The Gala Lads, who were presented in anoth-er one of Grady Kerr’s excellent tribute videos. As mentioned earlier, The Interstate Rivals were recognized for their 25th anniversary as champions. Side note: next year in Toronto at the 75th Anniversary of the Society, Illinois’s own Chiefs of Staff ought to be on tap to honor their upcoming 25th championship anniversary. When I’ve had the chance to attend international conventions and report in this publication my reactions, I’ve usually found a couple of issues upon which to chew. This time, I have only one: the intrusive boom cam that sweeps the stage for those dramatic video pans of the competitors. For those unfortunate enough to sit stage left (which we did for the AIC show), the boom cam was a constant annoyance, often completely obscuring the upper torsos of the quartets. I suppose those in control assumed all of us would be watching the big screens anyway, but some of us occasionally like to view the whole scene of quartets and choruses rather than artsy closeups. (That’s why Fred Astaire always insisted that every one of his film dance scenes be shot single camera/full frame with no cuts so that viewers could see the whole performance.) Word of advice: if you buy advanced tickets for any future international contest sessions or shows, don’t get any seats stage left. Even with the 75th Anniversary wingding coming up in Toronto, that city will be hard-pressed to host a bet-ter convention than this year’s in Portland. We all know that the singing will be out of this world, so let’s look for-

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After Hours hosted pre-contest concert So many factors go into creating a top-notch barbershop quartet. First, there’s assembling the right talent, a stumbling block for 90 percent of all Society quartets. Then, there’s the near impos-sible task of four guys finding a way to juggle fami-ly and job responsibilities as well as musical philos-ophy. That removes another nine percent. So, we’re down to the one percent of barbershopping — an international level competing quartet. So how does an After Hours, four young guys still working on their careers and families, manage to compete at this level? Obviously, they`ve got the talent, and they appear to have the motivation and the philosophy, but, doggone it, galavanting all across the country to compete at international conventions gets expensive. To ease that burden, every competing quar-tet hopes to garner a few chapter show gigs. But After Hours took it a step further by providing a June 2 benefit concert at the Redeemer Presbyteri-an Church west of Peoria, with a little help from their Bloomington and Coles County friends. The sanctuary was packed as Brett Mulford, Blooming-ton`s chapter president, served as master of cere-monies. First to perform was Bloomington`s Har-mony Guaranteed. They were followed by Coles County`s Ringtime. The headliner quartet, of course, was After Hours. They took full advantage of an appreciative audience to perform their set of international competition songs. Clearly, the quar-tet sound is getting tighter and fuller, and their staging demonstrates the 5 P’s: poise, presence, practice, precision, and preparation. Afterwards, all of the quartetting families served light refreshments in the basement.

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Don’t forget! The Illinois District Traveling Convention and Contest Extrava-ganza pulls in to downtown Springfield at the Prairie Community Convention Center (PCCC) September 28-30. Once again, we’ll be selecting a new district quartet cham-pion and witnessing a showdown between a few top-notch choruses to represent the

district at the 75th Annual International Convention in Toronto next July. Watch your in-box for details about registration and housing as well as for a schedule of

events. Come enjoy a new convention venue at the capital city!

A er Hours 

Ring me 

Harmony Guaranteed 

Platinum Jubilee in Bloomington — a sendoff international competitors June 26, Bloomington`s Sound of Illinois chorus hosted a sendoff concert — the “Platinum Jubilee” — for international at the Calvary United Methodist Church in north Bloomington. Five quartets, in addi-tion to the SOI entertained a large audience, with Jim Stahly acting as master of ceremonies. The chorus, directed by Terry Ludwig, opened the performance, each member clad in a vibrant tie-dye t-shirt, a hold-over from their February concert featuring tunes by the Beatles. They performed a cou-ple of these tunes, including “Oo-bla-di” and “Eleanor Rigby.” Then in succession came the following quartets: Harmony Guaranteed, The Committee, Ringtime, Sound Opportunity. Our quartet representative to international — After Hours — then presented a short concert featuring the planned repertoire for the contest stage. After the quartets had performed, the Sound of Illinois, in costume, performed their Oliver! two-song set that would be featured in Portland. In the past, After Hours Ben Harding played the part of the down-on-his-luck newsboy in the song “Just a Kid Named Joe.” Whether Ben has gotten a little too big for the role or his academic load and quartetting duties has taken too much of his time, perhaps the moment was opportune for a new newsboy. Up steps Hugo Fuegen’s son Christiann to take on the role. Ludwig ad-mitted that the chorus would not be able to field a full contingent of performers. They’ve appeared in five consecutive international contests, a taxing demand on the finances of the chapter and on the members as well as a time demand every first of July for family and vacations. While numbers help, Terry will be the first to tell you that quality singing trumps numbers on the risers any time.

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Bloomington’s Sound of Illinois 

Harmony Guaranteed  The Commi ee 

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Ring me 

Sound Opportunity 

A er Hours 

Bloomington’s Sound of Illinois 

CDWI Illinois (Chorus Director’s Workshop Intensive) by Tom Woodall In 1995 Society leadership came to realize the value of providing some training for those who directed bar-bershop choruses around the country. Though many were music educators, the vast majority had little or no experi-ence in teaching and directing an a cappella singing group. The Illinois District had CDWI schools in 2003 and 2009, but the most recent was held in Mattoon, lll., on Saturday, May 12, 2012. Tim Woodall has done many things as a 35-year barbershopper (quartet singer, chorus director, certified Singing judge, coach, and excellent tag teacher) but the recent ABE winner took on a new challenge when he agreed to be the VP for Chorus Director Development in Illinois. After months of planning and extensive communication, it was decided that the event would be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Mattoon, IL (site of the Coles County Chorus rehearsals) and two outstanding certified CDWI Trainers were assigned to the event. Jerry Schmidt (New York) and Raisha Quinn (Colorado) each traveled 1,000 miles (from opposite parts of the country) to provide direction for the day. Despite adversity (late and can-celled plane flights) and very little sleep, they guided a unique experience for all. Jerry directed the Binghamton, N.Y. Barbershop Chorus for 25 years and brings a wealth of directing/conducting skills. Raisha currently directs the Bookcliff Chorus (BHS men) in Grand Junction, Colorado, and has spent years in public schools directing orchestra, band and choral groups. Like Jerry, she sing all parts and is an out-going and fun person. The five directors who attended, seeking to improve their skills and/or obtain more information, are all front line directors of Illinois District choruses. Two ladies and three men spent the day talking, listening, and per-forming their directing skills in front of 20 Coles County Chorus members who volunteered to be the practice cho-rus for the directors. Among the directors, there was a wide diversity of backgrounds. Some are directing choruses who have not competed in Illinois District contests for many years, while an-other directs a chorus that competes annually and recently placed second in the district. Though their ages and expe-rience/training levels were markedly different, they all shared one thing in common. Each person is vitally con-cerned and committed to providing the best possible musical experience for those men who sing in their chorus. The unselfishness of the directors was matched only by the giving spirit of the CCC men who sang for them. It was common to see them encouraging and interacting with the directors throughout the day. If there was one central message for the directors, it was “less is more.” In their eagerness to transmit pas-sion and direction to choral singers, many directors try to do “too much,” thereby creating mixed messages for the chorus singers. Reducing and eliminating some of the distractions, such as singing along or mouthing words and vigorously using both arms/hands, allows the singers to perceive and follow the plan much more effectively. Here, in alphabetical order, are the directors who spent the day honing their skills: Nicole Chapin is a 32-year-old mother of three children. She fell in love with a cappella singing while in high school and has sung in Sweet Adeline groups. Her passion for music and desire to contribute has made direct-ing a long time goal. A couple of years ago, she learned that the Aurora Chapter was looking for a director. It was-n’t long before she was commuting 75 miles (each way) to direct the group. Though she now lives closer, directing the small, but improving chorus is very important to her. A video camera was placed on the risers so that all direc-tors were able to review their techniques at the end of each session. Rich Davidson brings a totally different set of credentials. He has been an English teacher in the public schools, but most interesting is his long-time experience as a pianist. He plays a wide variety of music from classical to jazz; however, the fact that he can accompany most any musical effort, he has frequently found himself in a posi-tion of being asked to direct singing groups. With little vocal training, he has done some directing; however his bar-bershop experience only began some six years ago when he joined the South Cook chapter. Now, in order to en-courage men in two small chapters (South Cook and Joliet) Rich has agreed to direct them in combination as they strive to move forward. They competed in the horus contest last March. Dee Ford has so much in the way of musical experience, it would be hard to share all of it. She spent 30 some years as a music educator in public schools with a focus on vocal and choral music. In addition, she has had her share of working with theater and musicals. She spent one of her early years as a singer with a rock band and now she enjoys receiving email and other communications with hundreds of former students who continue to enjoy music in all forms; some have found themselves on “Broadway.” See currently directs the Collinsville and Salem Chapters in southern Illinois.

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Bruce Richardson has been a singer for a long time. He’ll sing most any part and most any time and in recent years has been seen/heard in several Illinois District quartet contests. He is a trained music educator and as a lead singer, his understanding of lyric lines make him a very good interpreter of song messages. Some 40 years ago, Kankakee (Illinois) had a barbershop chapter, but it fell on hard times. When Bruce arrived in the area, he began promoting the start up of another Kankakee chorus. Almost single handedly, he began recruiting singers that he heard in the area and though he would like the group to be larger, he faithfully works at his responsibilities as the director of the Kankakee Chorus. Interestingly, he brought his teenage son to the CDWI and when he knew the songs being sung, he would hop on the risers to lend his voice. Bruce almost always has a smile on his face. Tom Woodall has been a barbershopper for 49 years and a certified judge for 40 of those years. As a founder of the Coles County Chorus (chartered in 1970) he has been waving his arms in front of the chorus for a long time. However, his formal training is not in music. He is now retired after teaching in the Exercise Science area at Eastern Illinois University (Charleston) for 35 years. They say it is hard to teach “old dogs, new tricks,” but that is only true if the old dog doesn’t want to learn any new tricks. Though it was a long day (10 hours for the students and trainers and 6 hours for the chorus members) there were no complaints. It was indeed a learning experience for all, and a good bit of bonding took place among the participants. It didn’t hurt that Jerry Schmidt is a good tag teacher. When there was a slight lull in the action while a video camera issue was corrected, he quickly jumped up and taught five or six tags, much to the delight of the sing-ers who had basically sung BarberPole Cat songs most of the day.

At the end of the day, a group photo was taken with trainers and directors in the center of the CCC volun-teer chorus. Jeff Bowyer (CCC member and Illinois District Executive VP) took the photo since no one else was available. In addition, he provided lodging for the trainers and performed a 250-mile auto trek to Indianapolis to pick up trainer Jerry, whose flight was cancelled on Friday, at the last minute. Tim Woodall (back row center) spent most of the day behind the camera, coordinating the video replays for the students/staff. Hopefully, the next CDWI will be as successful and we’ll see five new people, desiring to gain in their abili-ties to communicate and direct the singers on the risers.

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The award winning Chicago Times senior quartet is still ringing chords and entertaining audi-ences throughout the Midwest. Contact Bob and check out our availability for your next chapter show.

2006 International Senior Quartet Medalist 2006 Illinois District Senior Quartet Champions

The Chicago Times quartet was formed in September of 2005. After just a few short weeks and only 4 rehearsals together, they qualified in October to represent the “Illinois District” of the “Barbershop Harmony Society” at the January 2006 “Seniors International Convention and Com-petition” in Sacramento, California, where they achieved 3 rd Place Medalists status in only their second stage and public appearance. The quartet went on that year to win the Illinois District Sen-ior Quartet Championship.

This quartet of experienced veteran barbershop singers, with their humor, dynamic singing, and entertaining performance will leave no doubt that they are champions in every sense of the word.

“Experience a wide variety of music and comedy designed for your listening pleasure.”

Ray Henders — TENOR Bob Squires — LEAD Dave Cowan — BARITONE Dave Boo — BASS

Contact: Bob Squires 2709 Canyon Drive Plainfield IL 60586

bobsingslead@aol.com (815) 347-2985

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Chicago Times Ray Henders — Tenor Bob Squires — Lead

Dave Boo — Bass Dave Cowan — Baritone

Editor’s note: Recently, Bob Squires forwarded a poignant “obituary” for a man most instrumental in my non-singing barbershop career. Back in the 1970s, Bob Cearnal coaxed me into being a division reporter for Chuck’s Attacks & Releases. In 1976, the bulletin format was changed completely, with the guidance of Chuck and then District President John Mulkin, a journalist in his own right. To-gether, they created the iconic booklet format that made Attacks & Releases one of the Society’s most enduring publications. Shortly after, Joe Shekleton likewise coaxed me into taking over editorship of A&R. During my time as a reporter and during the time of editor-ship transition, Church was a most accommodating and sympathetic trainer. I owe much to the foundation Chuck laid for me and for the publication. Knowing Chuck, he penned his own obituary, so as you read, imagine the mustachioed tenor of Schizo-Phonics giggling as he shaped his parting words.

In Memory of

Charles Edward Nicoloff

March 8, 1924 - June 16, 2012 Charles (Chuck) Nicoloff, 88, of Mesa, Arizona, passed away Saturday, June 16, 2012, in Mesa. He was born in Libertyville, Ill., March 8, 1924. He was a small, handsome, likeable kid much like you know him today. He even graduated from Libertyville High School contrary to his father’s predictions, who called him “Dumb Kid.” He was a classmate of Marlon Brando, but they didn’t get along well and were hauled into the principal’s office for fighting a couple of times. His crowning achievement in high school, besides barely graduating, was being appointed Drum Major of his high school band and getting to travel and mingle with four gorgeous drum majorettes. His four years as a control tower operator in the Air Force probably was most notable for a classic screw-up in his love life. Near the end of the war, he was dating Natalie Patterson, the daughter of Richard Patterson, Ambas-sador to Yugoslavia. Chuck and Natalie were getting along really well; they had dinner at diplomatic and state func-tions. Her parents loved him, and best of all, at the age of 21, she would inherit $1 billion. It all blew up when the “dumb kid” told her she was spoiled and selfish. In the real world, Chuck graduated from DeVry Institute and attended Northwestern University until Chuck knew all there was to learn. Chuck worked for many years in executive positions with Motorola and Raytheon. He started a couple of successful businesses (in spite of what his dad predicted), retired to Arizona, and decided to set the real estate world on fire, and look what he did to that. In retrospect, barbershopping consumed a good part of Chuck’s life since 1957, when he helped charter a new barbershop chapter in Santa Barbara. After becoming their charter president, singing in a couple of mediocre quartets, serving as bulletin editor, and earning the 1958 Barbershopper of the Year (BOTY), he moved to Monte-rey, Calif., in 1961 and started a water conditioning business. He really had it good there because most of the time he was the only ten-or (pity). His business was successful in Monterey until an irate husband literally threw Chuck out of his home for making a much too strong sales close to a newly married couple. Moving right along, Chuck sold the business, got out of Dodge, so to speak, and upgraded his barbershop environment to sing with a big time international chorus competitor in Arlington Heights, Ill. Chuck upgraded his singing and personality a little to help the Arlingtones win three fifth place medals. While there, he edited the Arlingtuner, the chapter bulletin, for nine years, and edited Attacks & Releases (Illinois Dis-trict bulletin) for eight years. 1968 was a big year for Chuck. He was declared the 1968 Illinois District Chapter Bul-letin Editor of the Year (BETY) and the International Bulletin Editor of the Year at the convention in Cincinnati — a pretty lofty atmosphere for the “dumb kid” (Chuck’s dad smiled when he got the news). During the 21 years with the Arlingtones, the barbershopping gods realized he wasn’t as dumb as he looked. Chuck’s quartet, Critic’s Choice, finished second in the 1972 district championship. In 1973, he became a tenor in the Schizo-Phonics. During his 14 years in the popular comedy quartet, they were featured in over 300 chapter shows in 22 states and Canadian prov-inces. Chuck’s proudest achievement in barbershopping is being recipient of the 1983 Illinois District Award for Barbershop Excellence (ABE), the equivalent of the Hall of Fame award used by other districts and the Society. In 1976, Chuck and Jenny were very happily married during the international in San Francisco. They were

An old Schizo business card, with Chuck holding up his own head to the far left.

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really honored when the fabulous Storm Door and Whale Oil Company serenaded them with “The Hawaiian Wedding Song.” During the ensuing years, people started seeing the vast improvement Jenny made in Chuck’s personality, but hasn’t had much effect on his appearance — yet. In 1978, Chuck sold his company and they moved to Mesa to care for his mother. He joined the Phabulous Phoenicians, and wouldn’t you know, got three more fifth place med-als and finally one fourth place. He also sang in the 1993 Far Western District Senior Champs Shades of Grey, which finished 10th in the international seniors competition in 1994 in Sarasota, Fla. In 2001, Chuck sweet-talked Norm Wolfe to join him and two other losers to win the FWD Super Senior Championship. Chuck claims that they didn’t really need Norm, that any bass would have worked. Chuck’s seven years singing with the Chordsmen, most of whom are younger, has been most rewarding, espe-cially getting involved with so many new members who have never sung barbershop before. As far as 24KO is con-cerned, he feels they need a younger, less talented, better-looking tenor. Chuck is survived by his loving wife of 36 years — Jenny. The following is a list of Chuck’s barbershop accomplishments: 1957-62 charter member, Santa Barbara, Calif. Chapter charter president 1957 show chairman 1960 Barbershopper of the Year (BOTY) 1958 1962-66, member Monterey, Calif. Chapter 1966-87, member Arlington Heights, Ill. Chapter edited Arlingtuner, chapter bulletin 1967-79 Barbershopper of the year (BOTY) 1968 Illinois District Bulletin Editor of the Year (BETY), 1968 International Bulletin Editor of the Year, 1968 Illinois District VP 1974-80 Chapter Officer Training instructor, 1978-80 Editor, Attacks & Releases, Illinois District bulletin 1980-87 Arlington Heights chapter president, 1982-84 Award for Barbershop Excellence (ABE), Illinois District, 1983 Executive VP, Illinois District 1986-87 member, Phoenix Phoenicians Chapter, 1987-2003 member of Arizona Quartet Chapter, 2000 member of Spirit of Phoenix, 2003 member of Leisure World Chordsmen (LWC), chorus president 2011-12 Quartets Harmony Hounds, Santa Barbara, 1957-59 Ho-Beaux, Santa Barbara, 1959-60 Critics Choice, Arlington Heights, (second place district), 1973-75 Schizo-Phonics, Arlington Heights (300 shows, 22 states), 1973-87 Jazz-Bo, Phoenix, 1988-90 Shades of Grey, Phoenix, 1992-93

1993 Far Western District seniors champions 1994 10th place International Senior Champions

Past-Tense, 1999-2002 2001 Far Western District senior champions, Fresno, Calif.

The Lighter Side, Phoenix, 2004-09 24 Karat Old, LWC, 2009-2012 Chorus International Medals three Arlington Heights Arlingtones, fifth place 1973-75 four Phoenix Phoenicians, one fourth and three fifth place

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Two Illinois legends were inducted into the Society’s Hall of Fame at the Portland convention. Following is the text that appeared in the official program.

BARBERSHOP HARMONY SOCIETY  HALL OF FAME — CLASS OF 2012 

Jay Giallombardo  Jay Giallombardo has achieved excellence as musician, arranger, composer, director, educa-tor, coach, and judge. At age 15, he joined the North Shore Chapter in the Chicago area and immediately showed proficiency in arranging and tag singing, starting a barbershop club in his high school. In 1968, he helped form the quartet Grandma's Boys, who sang together for 17 years and won the gold medal in 1979. Jay went on to achieve high recognition as a coach, working with quartets and choruses at all levels, including championship groups in both BHS and SAI. He served as a faculty member at Harmony College and became the first District Music Educator for the Illinois district, later serving the district as VP of Cho-rus Director Development. In 1981, he turned his attention to directing, forming the New Tradition chorus. Buoyed by Jay's musical leadership, the chorus rose quickly and won an unprecedented 19 consecutive medals starting i 1988, including one gold. For many years, Jay has directed the annual show of the AIC Chorus, the showcase of many of his epic com-positions and arrangements, including "Anthems/Ode," "A Tribute to World Peace," and "All Nations Rise." In 1993, Jay was certified in the Music Category, which, along with the entire barbershop community, has been profoundly influenced by his wisdom and insight into the bar-bershop style. We are proud to honor Jay by inducting him into the Hall of Fame.

Dr. Drayton Justus  Dr. Drayton Justus embraced the four-part harmony "way of life" over 50 years ago and has continually excelled musically and administratively. To date, he is only the second man to have won a quartet gold (Gentlemen's Agreement, 1971) and so have served as Society President (2006). During his presidency, Nashville, Tenn., was selected as the new permanent site of Society headquarters. His quartet entertained our troops in Vi-etnam and sang for the United Nations General Assembly. Drayton has won quartet championships in four districts and as lead singer. Throughout the 1980s, he sang lead with the 1961 champions, the Suntones. He has held numerous Society/district/chapter offices, chaired committees, taught classes, coached, directed, emceed, and arranged. He received both chapter and district BOTY awards and is a member of Dixie District's Hall of Fame. A retired university official, Dr. Justus holds degrees in music, human resource management, and education. He and his "Sweet Adeline" Sue Ann reside near their chil-dren in northern Georgia. [He also sang for three years in the Illinois District with the Coles County Chorus while on staff at Eastern Illinois University.] Bob Squires, through the district’s historical committee, has started a campaign to nominate and promote Jack Baird for inclusion in the hallowed Hall. If you have any evidence or anecdotes that might prove useful in making the case, please pass them along to Bob at 2709 Canyon Drive, Plainfield, IL 60586.

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