LiveWire brings you a quick read of current and upcoming activities and programs of the Barbershop Harmony Society. We hope you’ll share this information with your chapter, quartet and district to help all Barbershoppers get the most from the barbershop hobby.
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In this issue
- Singing for Life
- Survey for Singing
- Society Welcomes Oak Ridge Boys
- 2008 Int'l Quartet Draw
- Webcast Commentators 2008
- Illnois Quartet Workshops
- Memorial Day PSAs
- Canadian Exchange Rate
- Convention Hours
- New Staff Members
- A reminder: Convention hours have changed
Singing for Life
The Urgent Need for Blood Touches One of Our Own . . .
Cindy Hansen (Henderson, CO), one of our Society’s most well-known and much loved performance coaches and choreographers, needs blood platelets immediately for a rare blood disorder and is waiting to see if she needs yet another transfusion this week. She had a recent relapse of her condition and is making a personal plea to all our chapters to PLEASE give blood on May 10, and to recruit as many donors as possible from friends and family members. She must have a particular mapping number (match) and the more donors, the better chance that she’ll receive the blood platelets she needs – and many others like her with blood diseases.
When your chorus or quartet is serenading the donors this Saturday, think of Cindy and how all your efforts will literally save her life and others across North America! She hasn’t missed an International Convention in 32 consecutive years (she’s currently coaching 8 choruses and 14 quartets), and we hope to have her in Nashville next month - please keep her in your prayers.
Survey for Singing
Please Have Your Chapter Take Our ‘Singing for Life’ Survey
In order for our marketing/PR team to evaluate the success of our “Singing for Life” North American Blood Drive initiative, please have a member of your chapter answer our online survey – even those chapters who did not participate in the blood drive this year. We are looking at making this an annual event, and your feedback matters greatly. If you chapter did not participate, please tell us what we can do differently to encourage your participation and support.
To take the survey, please go here:
Singing for Life Survey
Society Welcomes Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys, who have one of the most recognizable four-part harmonies in country music history, will become Honorary Life Members of the Barbershop Harmony Society on Wednesday evening, July 2 at the Sommet Center in Nashville. The superstar quartet will accept its honorary membership prior to the Barbershop Harmony Society’s quartet quarterfinals competition during the Society’s 70th Annual International Convention.
“To be recognized among the greatest harmony singers in the world is a huge honor,” said Duane Allen, lead singer of the Oak Ridge Boys. “After all, the Barbershop Harmony Society is all about harmonizing, and the Oak Ridge Boys have always said, ‘Singing in harmony is great, living in harmony is even better.’”
The Oak Ridge Boys have a long, illustrious musical history that dates back to 1943, when they were known as the Oak Ridge Quartet. The Knoxville, Tennessee-based group performed country and gospel music in nearby Oak Ridge, where the atomic bomb was being developed. Time magazine featured the Quartet as one of the top-drawing gospel acts in the nation during the mid-‘50s. The group has had a continuously revolving lineup of innovative singers and a dynamic stage show.
The current lineup includes lead singer Duane Allen, tenor Jon Bonsall, baritone William Lee Golden and bass Richard Sterban. Their upbeat musical performances and infectious harmonies have made them a consistent favorite on the country charts and on tour, with a string of hits including the pop chart-topper "Elvira," as well as "Bobbie Sue," "Dream On," "Thank God For Kids," "American Made," "I Guess It Never Hurts To Hurt Sometimes," "Fancy Free," and "Gonna Take a Lot of River."
The Oaks join legendary artists such as Gordon Lightfoot, the Osmond Brothers, Irving Berlin, Dick Van Dyke, Meredith Willson (author and composer of “The Music Man”), Mitch Miller, Bill Gaither and many more who have been extended HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP by the Barbershop Harmony Society. To see past recipients receive their honor, go here:
Honorary Members of the Society -- www.barbershop/cb_00229
“We join with the Barbershop Harmony Society in supporting music education in our schools and communities,” Allen said. “Music soothes the soul; music in harmony soothes several souls at once.”
2008 Int'l Quartet Draw
Quartet Draw Announced for 70th International Convention
A total of 54 quartets (50 Society quartets plus 4 Affiliate quartets) have earned the chance to compete in this year’s international competition, to take place at the Sommet Center in Nashville.
Here they are, in order of appearance: (drum roll please!)
SESSION ONE
Singing Order
Quartet
District
Average
Score
1
Chameleon
ONT
77.3
2
OC Times
FWD
88.1
3
Crossroads
CSD
85.2
4
Ringers
MAD
82.0
5
Last Kids Picked
MAD
77.0
6
Crush, The
FWD
77.4
7
Absolut
SNOBS
77.3
8
VocalEase
FWD
79.5
9
Stardust
FWD
78.0
10
Storm Front
RMD
84.4
11
Allies, The
JAD
83.7
12
Wheelhouse
MAD
83.9
13
Four Aces
MAD
80.2
14
Redline
DIX
87.3
15
Inflagranti
BinG!
70.2
16
Old School
MAD
85.6
17
Q.E.D.
BABS
76.4
18
Wildcard
PIO
72.3
19
Ringmasters
JAD
76.9
20
3 Outa Four
EVG
78.5
21
Metropolis
FWD
85.5
22
Speakeasy
SWD
80.2
23
On Demand
SUN
78.3
24
Jet Set
EVG
76.7
25
Voce
ILL
79.0
26
SEP
SWD
81.3
27
The Great Nashville Singout
DIX
78.6
28
Late Show
FWD
80.9
29
Hot Air Buffoons
JAD
81.5
30
Vocality
LOL
77.2
31
Audacity
FWD
76.4
32
3 Men & A Melody
CSD
82.5
33
High Definition
CSD
81.0
34
NeXus
RMD
81.4
35
Men In Black
NED
83.2
36
After Midnight
LOL
78.5
37
Sterling
SWD
81.5
38
ThunderBox
RMD
76.2
39
Lunch Break
DIX
78.4
40
State Line Grocery
DIX
87.5
41
TKO
JAD
77.6
42
Rounders
SUN
84.1
43
Main Street Station
LOL
76.6
44
Reveille
MAD
79.7
45
Ringmasters
SNOBS
78.2
46
Glory Days
SWD
85.1
47
HotShots
SUN
78.0
48
Pinstripe
DIX
79.7
49
Wise Guys
SUN
78.1
50
Past 'n' Present
CAR
71.5
51
Revolution
RMD
77.7
52
Foreign Agreement
SLD
76.2
53
Ignition!
RMD
81.7
54
Rush Street
ILL
78.4
Webcast Commentators 2008
Meet Our 2008 Int’l Convention Webcast Commentators
The 70th Annual International Convention will be here before we know it. If you can’t be there in person, you can still enjoy the excitement of all the major shows, events, and competitions by subscribing to the 2008 webcast – it’s the next best thing to being there! This year’s broadcast will include the AIC show, “A Tribute to American Music.” Performing quartets and the year they received gold medals are: Max Q (2007) Vocal Spectrum (2006), Realtime (2005), Gotcha! (2004), Four Voices (2002), and FRED (1999).
We have a talented team of commentators lined up to keep you abreast of all the unforgettable highlights during our week-long festival in Music City. The final details are forthcoming, but in the meantime, say hello to our dynamic Webcast team:
Mike Maino
Mike Maino joined the Barbershop Harmony Society at the age of 10, and by 18 had held every major chapter office. His NED championship quartets include: The Four Scores, Great Chord Conspiracy, Grandstand Vocal Band, Prime Alliance, and Road Show. His newest quartet, Jones & Co., will be vying for a NED title this fall. Mike also has three NED Senior Championships with RING! He has competed at International Conventions in 21 quartet contests, 11 chorus contests with the Narragansett Bay Chorus, and has not missed a Division, Prelim, District, or International since 1963. He has MC’ed for hundreds of chapter shows, district, and international contests. Mike’s annual MC work for the Sweet Adeline’s Coronet Club has earned him the nickname, “Voice of Sweet Adelines.” He has hosted the video webcast of the Society’s International Convention for the past three years. In his professional life, Mike is an announcer on classical radio WCRI, and hosts a weekly show called “Conducting Conversations.” You can find him residing at the historic Music Mansion in Providence, RI, with his wife, Master Director and choreographer Gail Jencik.
Steve Stripling
Steve Stripling is an 18-year member with the Anchorage Midnight Sons Chorus and sings bass with his quartet, the Frozen Pipes. A Board member for the Midnight Sons, he is VP of Marketing and PR and often writes their shows scripts. He is also on the Evergreen District Communications team and co-hosted the webcast for the Evergreen District’s 2007 Convention in Bellevue, WA. And it’s a 1,500 mile commute to Seattle! By day, Steve is president of Stripling Advertising, providing services to medium-sized businesses. He produces and co-hosts weekly radio shows including a travel/adventure program, The Big Alaska Show! Steve’s achievements include awards for a number of TV and radio commercials plus awards from the Alaska Broadcast Association for the “2007 Entertaining Radio Show of the Year” and the “2004 Comedy Feature of the Year”- a spoof that ultimately resulted in his brief appearance on the Tonight Show. “The best time to be in Alaska is July – unless it’s to be part of a talented Webcast team during the Grand Opening of the Society’s new headquarters and the 70th Anniversary Convention in Nashville. What an honor!” says Steve. He is married to Amy- an active barbershopper herself who’s been singing with the Sweet Adelines since 1993.
Debbie Connelly
Debbie Connelly grew up harmonizing gospel music with her family, and began singing barbershop in high school. Since that time, she has sung lead in two International champ quartets (Showtime - 1994, the BUZZ - 2005) and was assistant director for the International medalist Toast of Tampa chorus from 2001 to 2005. A high school Choral Director for 22 years, Debbie is a frequent YWIH clinician, on the International Faculty for S.A.I. and a presentation/singing coach for men's and women's quartets and choruses. Debbie enjoyed having both of her kids, Josh and Jenny, as active members of her high school chorus, show choir and barbershop quartets. She helped coach Jenny's quartet BarbieShop to the Rising Star championship in 2003. Debbie is engaged to Brett Cleveland, baritone of Wise Guys quartet, past Sunshine District champs and International competitors. Debbie and Brett will be married in December and make their home in Tampa, FL.
Mike Borts
Michael Borts has been a member of Barbershop Harmony Society for 25 years. In addition to singing with The Vocal Majority since 1989 and the Dallas Knights since 1993, Mike is the current President of the Quartet Champions Association of SWD (QCA), SWD Top Gun School director and a certified Standing Ovation Program reviewer. Mike was honored as SWD “Barbershopper of the Year” in 1999, and his quartets, Inn's-'N-Outt's and Dallas Knights won SWD championships in 1985 and 1994 respectively. Mike has written performance improvement articles for The Harmonizer and the Barbershop.org website; invented the Fantasy International Barbershop game; and runs the annual International Prediction Pool, a 50/50 personal fundraiser that benefits the QCA. Mike has also sung over 500 National Anthems at sporting events for over 20 professional teams in his career. His dad, Lonny Borts, is one of the founders of Big Apple Chorus, while his brother, Andrew, is the lead of Hot Shots, a 2008 International competitor quartet. “What an honor and a thrill to be part of the Webcast team, I can't wait! Hey Dad, make sure you order the full package this year...” A Project Manager with IEX Corporation, Mike recently earned his PMP certification from Project Management Institute (PMI).
Illnois Quartet Workshops
Illinois District to Host Quartetting Workshops
There’s an exciting event happening in the Illinois district this summer! We are hosting the district’s first QUARTET COACHING & PARTS PARTY on Saturday, June 7th in Bloomington, Ill. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
QUARTET COACHING for up to seven quartets (from novice to seasoned veteran) will be conducted by as many experienced quartet coaches throughout the day.
The PARTS PARTY is for men who have questions about and an interest in quartetting, and will be conducted by the Society’s Music Specialist for Quartet Development, Jim DeBusman. You will learn everything from A to Z about quartetting AND have several opportunities to try out different foursomes AND observe actual quartetting coaching sessions. Our goal is to help create more quartets in the district.
This is a wonderful way to immerse yourself in barbershop quartetting at a very reasonable cost at a central location within the Illinois District. The workshop is only $25 per person and that includes a box lunch.
A registration form may be found on the Illinois district website at http://www.harmonize.ws/ILL/QuartetCoachingRegistrationForm.pdf. Your non-refundable payment must be received on or before May 15, 2008.
Please make your check payable to the “Illinois District” and mail it with the registration form to: Ron Rank • Quartet Promotion Chairman • 911 Manchester Circle • Grayslake, IL 60030. Ron may be reached at (847) 341-4376 or sngjudge@sbcglobal.net.
Memorial Day PSAs
Get Radio PSAs for Memorial Day from Our Website
Don’t forget, local Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are a great way to draw attention to your local barbershop chapter and keep your name out there in the community. We have Memorial Day PSAs available for download from our website, and they can be easily customized with your chapter’s information. Contact your local radio stations ASAP, because many need a few weeks lead time to get them on the air. Public radio stations would be a good place to start.
Here’s the link to our Radio Toolkit.
Canadian Exchange Rate
The Society appreciates all our Canadian members for their continued zeal and enthusiasm despite our data difficulties. We apologize for this inconvenience and assure you that you are our highest priority (before the U.S. dollar falls any lower)! Thanks again for your continued patience and encouragement.
We’re very close to the following developments that will be helpful for future renewals and applications:
- Paying any member’s dues… at any time
- Canadian dues checklists and chapter-invoices (for easier, more exact calculations)
- Filling out new member applications and transfers ONLINE
Stay tuned … your cards are on their way and you’ll see these updates soon. Keep on singin’!
Convention Hours
A Reminder: Convention Registration Hours Have Changed
Please note that the Harmony Marketplace/Registration Area/Exhibitor Area will not open until Tuesday, July 1 during Convention Week in Nashville.
Members can sign up for tours of the new Barbershop Harmony Society headquarters by clicking on this link: http://www.barbershop.org/nashville
***Only those members who sign up in advance of the International Convention will be able to tour the headquarters building during the week.
New Staff Members
Say Hello to a Few New Faces Here at HQ!
Michelle Nikolai
Public Relations Manager
Michelle Nikolai joined the staff in April of 2008 and is responsible for raising awareness of the organization, its mission and vision through effective media coverage, and also to assist Society members by keeping them informed about programs and activities to better promote their individual chapters and events. A native of Isle, Minnesota (Pop. 575), Michelle has worked in the Nashville music industry for over 10 years as a journalist and public relations professional. She cut her teeth as a music writer/researcher for www.cmt.com (an MTV Network) and the Gibson Guitar Corp., was director of publicity and radio promotion for Skaggs Family Records (Ricky Skaggs’ record label) and most recently was manager of marketing and publicity for Cumberland House Publishing, representing several entertainment books. Michelle has a Bachelor of Science in mass communication/TV broadcast journalism from St. Cloud State University and is finishing a second degree in music business at Middle Tennessee State. Michelle can be reached at mnikolai@barbershop.org, or 800.876.7464, ext. 4119. .
Jerry Richardson
Administrative Assistant
Jerry C. Richardson joined the Society staff in March of 2008. He assists all departments with general office tasks and special projects as delegated by the Executive Assistant to the CEO. He also provides support with overflow work, including word processing, processing membership dues, assisting with membership renewals, data entry, internet research tasks, and intermediately serves as a receptionist routing high volume incoming calls, announcing visitors and relaying messages. Though Jerry was born in Michigan, he has a Louisiana family background, has lived in Tennessee since 1990, and currently resides in Nashville. His college career has included courses in music, photography, graphic design and theater, and he is currently pursuing a communications degree. While in high school, Jerry was involved in theater, sang in local talent show competitions….and won! Jerry is anxious to serve the Society to the best of his abilities and can be reached at jrichardson@barbershop.org or 800.876.7464, extension 4113.
A reminder: Convention hours have changed
Please note that the Harmony Marketplace/Registration Area/Exhibitor Area will not open until Tuesday, July 1 during Convention Week in Nashville.
Members can sign up for tours of the new Barbershop Harmony Society headquarters by clicking on this link: http://www.sitemason.com/form/g7JU52
***Only those members who sign up in advance of the International Convention will be able to tour the headquarters building during the week.