I received the following email a while back from a member, who appears to be concerned about whether a chorus will inevitably decline if they keep the same musical leadership. Here’s his question and here’s my answer. When you’re done reading this, please comment on the following two questions:

• Was my answer correct?
• Was he asking the right question?

First, the question: Read the rest of this entry »

The Society just released the Ambassadors of Harmony’s performance of “76 Trombones” to our YouTube site, youtube.com/barbershopharmony38.  We were able to work out an agreement with the copyright holder to make this happen legally.  AND…we also worked with AOH to make that happen. (Thank you AOH!!!)

It is our intent to upload more performances, starting with some Public Domain songs, but we want your feedback on what else you think absolutely MUST be up there.

And oh by the way, please be realistic.  “Every song from every performer” would cost a fortune.

So what do you think?

The new Society website has an updated look to try and generate a higher level of interest in barbershop harmony and how it can help enrich lives. It represents an effort to increase an “outward” focus to those who have never seen barbershop, and make it easy for them to see, hear, learn about, and find barbershop harmony.

To help serve members and non-members alike, the updated document center is fully-indexed and searchable to help users find exactly what they need with easily navigable Sections and Categories.

A new calendar system allows a month-by-month snapshot of all Barbershop-related events, as well as the option to view lists of various categories, such as Affiliates Conventions, District Competitions, Upcoming Chorus Concerts, etc. Members are invited to contribute information on upcoming performances to help spread the word of their local events to a broader audience.

Tell us what you think

Comments and feedback are welcome! Please visit www.barbershophq.com to leave any questions, comments, concerns, and ideas you may have. The website, as always, is a work in progress and your feedback can help shape the future of our Society’s face to the world.

In Harmony,
Eddie Holt, webmast, BHS

A sensitive topic here, because we don’t need to eulogize people who are still with us! But I need to come out and ask this: Who are some of the barbershop icons that we need to talk to and interview now, just in case we never get the chance again? Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll be working on it soon enough, so I need to know while the memories are still fresh: What do you want to read about in the Sept./Oct. convention issue? What sticks out in your mind? Share your thoughts and you just might see them used in the next photo spread. Read the rest of this entry »

Justin Miller, what have you done? A week after he competed in the collegiate contest in Anaheim, Justin and 35 members of Westminster Chorus took on a bunch of much older directors with much longer resumes and were the overall winners of prestigious Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod 2009. About 4,000 singers and dancers from 50 nations competed. Watch the announcement of their win here and see their winning set here. The festival message board is here. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s answer some frequently asked questions about The Harmonizer:

When am I getting my next edition of The Harmonizer?

It’s in the mail. (I finished it earlier in the week while we were in Ahaheim, so unfortunately, the staff didn’t have time to copy edit a couple of sections!) You’ll probably have it sometime this week, unless you’re in Canada, in which case you’re getting it when Canada’s post office is good and ready to deliver it! (We’re working on that, but a lot of this is unfortunately out of our hands!)

What’s in the upcoming issue?

The cover story is about a barbershopper who is little known outside the Rocky Mountain District, but is representative of some of the other great barbershoppers you’ve never heard of. Phil Ricks — remember that name, but if you’ve never met the guy, you’re not going to. He died a few weeks before I traveled to Rexburg, Idaho to photograph and research the story. He was not known for his singing, but few barbershoppers have brought so much harmony to so many people in so little time.

We also have an interview with Mark Hale where he discusses 14 things any quartet can learn from OC Times, even if they have no competitive ambitions. And we have a recap of the slam dunk Vocal Majority appears at the ACDA convention in March.

More answers about schedule and content after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Today in Llangollen, the Westminster Chorus bested the field of 13 competitors in the Folk Choir competition by 1 POINT!
Tomorrow the dominance continues in both the Male Choir and Barbershop Choruses competitions.

View the video of today’s performance here:http://www.llangollen.tv/en/clip/91
Also, leave a message for the guys here: http://www.llangollen.tv/en/group/the-westminster-chorus/messageboard

We are beginning to plan all of the small details (schedule, classes, etc.) for next year’s convention.  Each year we take into account survey responses from those of you that came to the most recent convention to help us better prepare for future conventions, but we’d like to have an open dialogue here where we can share ideas with each other.  Here are a few questions to get you started: Read the rest of this entry »

We are “going green” and not providing hard copy surveys but we always want your feedback on how we can make the convention a better experience for you. Read the rest of this entry »