Flawless harmonies and jazzy interpretation propelled After Hours to the pinnacle of a cappella singing, as it captured the 2018 international quartet championship of the Barbershop Harmony Society on Saturday, July 7 in Orlando.
Singing a range of songs from Broadway including “Butter Outta Cream” from Catch Me If You Can, “The Next Ten Minutes” from The Last Five Years, and classics like “Honeysuckle Rose,” the quartet posted the highest winning score in the history of the annual competition, now in its 80th year.
The quartet edged out strong challenges from the silver medalist Signature, who brought smoky intensity to blues-tinged numbers like Ray Charles’ “Hard Times (No One Knows Better than I)” and the pop/country stylings of Throwback.
The top five finishers were:
- After Hours, 8523 points, 94.7%
- Signature, 8442 points, 93.8%
- Throwback, 8205 points, 91.2%
- Quorum, 8115 points, 90.2%
- Stockholm Syndrome, 8093, 89.9%
The members of After Hours are:
- Tim Beutel, tenor — Tremont, Illinois
- Drew Ochoa, lead — Windermere, Florida
- Bryan Ziegler, bari — Madison, Wisconsin
- Dan Wessler, bass — Freeport, Illinois
The international quartet contest included 50 quartets representing the US, Canada, Sweden, Great Britain, and New Zealand. For full scores, see www.barbershop.org/orlando.