Greg set up a “Magic Cube”

I had to miss our Heath Village performance on Sunday July 25^th. The heat brought the performance inside this year. By all reports the show was well performed and the audience loved the singing and performance.

So now it is time to get ready for the activities scheduled for the rest of the 2010 year.

Yesterday we began to take a serious look at our contest songs to be performed in October on the 1^st through 3^rd as part of the Lancaster PA District Convention and contest. We are pleased to be among the about twenty percent of the one hundred chapters in the district who qualified in Division contest in May that leads us to the final big event in October.

So Tuesday our Program VP, Greg, set up a “Magic Cube”. Sixteen men are placed so that any line of four singers constitute a quartet of all four parts, including a diagonal line. The group starts singing a song as a group. Our music director, Don, then calls one or another line, or quartet, that take over singing the song. One group after another continues to the end of the song. A second group of men then take the place of a singer with the same voice part as their own and the process starts again. A great exercise that tests our command, as individuals, of these songs and our ability to sing our part on our own. Just one of the fun things we do every week.

A table is covered with signup sheets on which our singers can indicate their participation in the many events that are part of our fun.

Our annual Harmonizer Family picnic for our singers, their families, and their guests will be at the Deer Path Park from noon until 6:00 PM Sunday August 22^nd. We all bring a covered dish and the host committee provides hamburgers and hot dogs and Soda. This year the bass section of our chorus has challenged the other voice part sections for a face off on the volley ball court. That will be interesting. I am going to have to miss that fun while away for family vacation. I think the leads can win that contest.

There is a sheet for our singing for the crowd at the Somerset Patriots on Tuesday August 31. We will be joined by singers from other chapters, including the Morristown, Somerville, and Rahway groups when we perform a show before the game and when we sing the National Anthem.

There was a sheet for our Craft Fair performances on September 18^th and 19^th, Saturday and Sunday. We will be performing a free show about 1:00 on the old court house steps on each of these days. Some of our quartets will be performing though out the town during the fair.

Of course there is also a sign up sheet for the October 1 through 3^rd contest.

And, although there is no sign up sheet, because these are regular meeting and rehearsal nights, there are scheduled coaching sessions for our singers next Tuesday, August 10^th, and again on September 14^th.

To say we are busy having fun is an understatement.

Looking further ahead there is a sheet for our December 4 Holiday show and one for another show – this one to be performed at the Hunterdon County library on Wednesday December 15^th.

Now is the time for men who love to sing to come out and visit us any Tuesday at 8:00 in Flemington in the church at the corner of Main and Maple Streets. We love having guests and give men who want to an opportunity to sing with us.

We say we can take a singer from the shower to the stage in six weeks. Come out and challenge us to do so with you, or ladies with your man. Check our web site at NJHarmonizers.org and call 908-806-NOTE for more details on any of these events.

The Joy of Performing

I do not think there is any better, or happier, activity for the Hunterdon Harmonizers than performing for the local crowds in and around Hunterdon County. This past Thursday evening we had one of those opportunities when we performed for the crowd at the County sponsored series of Music Under the Stars in Deer Path Park. We were one of the free series of concerts that include the Hunterdon Symphony and a number of traveling musical groups from out of the area.

The County Park system does a good job of setting up the venue and providing the sound system so that all we have to do is bring our risers and perform for the enthusiastic audience. People tend to gather about an hour before the performance to set up their seats in a good location, and often to picnic with their families while waiting for the program to start.

Although it had rained a little earlier in the day the skies had largely cleared by the time of our performance. Although it was not as hot out as a day or two earlier, it was hot. One gets the sense of standing on the risers in a reflector oven as the sun sets shining in our faces.

The guys arrived early to warm up their voices. We practiced the start of several of our songs and talked about a few changes in the script for the show. We started almost exactly at 7:00, the published starting time.

We opened with The Star Spangled Banner from our Inspirational and Patriotic recording, followed by Applause, and then Happy Together. Five of our quartets, interspersed throughout the program, including Life Renewed, Chordhouse Steps, Voice Odyssey, ReMix, and Untamed, all participated.

We featured one of out new songs, the Armed Forces Medley, during which members of the audience who had served in the various branches of our military stood to be recognized as we sang the song representing and honoring their branch of service. We displayed the flags of each service as we sang about that particular service.

God Bless the USA, You Raise Me Up, When I Lift Up My Head, and God Bless America concluded our program. With the last song the audience was invited to join us in singing God Bless America. Many people had the fun of singing that important song with us.

We all agreed that we enjoy singing for the County series as we have for a number of years. We already look forward to next year.

A most exciting few days. . . .

Probably the most exciting, and most intense, few days every year in the life of the Barbershop Harmony Society are during the annual International Convention. The 72^nd, held practically in our back yard this year was during the days of June 28^th through July 4^th in Philadelphia. The Hunterdon Harmonizers had about 30 members in attendance.

We have not made it a priority to attempt to qualify to sing in the international chorus contest since we did so in 1997. To do so takes an incredible amount of work and dedication on the part of our singers, to the exclusion of the shows and local performances that we enjoy so much. Every year or so we ask our singers what they consider to be our top goal or goals. Singing in contest usually comes in third or fourth. The year it comes in first we will have to change our priorities.

For those of our singers who are driven to sing on the big stage there are opportunities for them. Four of our members have become members of three different highly competitive chapters, as well as remaining a member of our chapter, and these guys did get to sing in Philadelphia. One sang with the chorus which sang first to test the sound system, two sang with the Big Apple in New York City, and one sang with the Chorus of the Chesapeake from Maryland (he is getting his doctorate degree at Johns Hopkins).

I personally enjoyed the freedom to attend chorus and quartet contests, socialize with friends from all over the country, and attend open rehearsals of some of the great choruses that did compete. Our group from Hunterdon got together for dinner together. We also sat together in several clusters during contests and shows, depending on when ticket orders went in.

The activities of the week started with a college quartet contest. I had to miss that because I could not get there until late during the first day and the college contest was over when I got there. I would like to have heard the group from Cornell that finished in the middle of the very large group. My specific interest was partly because I went to law school at Cornell, and partly because one of the Cornell singers went to Hunterdon Central High School.

My first evening in Philadelphia was spent at the rehearsal of the Westminster Chorus from California. This group of young men, most all of them less than thirty years old, had been the surprise winner three years earlier in Denver. Now they were one of the favorites. I enjoyed watching their display of energy, hearing their quality singing, and everything about their performance during those couple of hours of intense rehearsal. I have also enjoyed several opportunities to talk to their very pleasant members and leaders. They represent all of what barbershop fellowship is about. You may have seen them on the second season of the TV show America's Got Talent in 2007, where they were passed to go to the second round by all three judges, but were eliminated at the first cut of the second round. By the way they won the contest again this year. You can learn more about them at: http://www.westminsterchorus.org/westminsterchorus/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=29

The Hunterdon Harmonizers got together for dinner. We attended much of the quartet contest. We attended all of the chorus contest together. And we sang all over the convention venues with old and with new friends in quartets and small groups.

Most of our guys also got to watch our VP of Membership live up to his pledge that if we added a net ten new members in the year since the Patriots ball game of a year ago he would publicly shave his head. His brother did the honors of actually shaving his head, in public in the Harmony Market Place, while many of our chorus sang our rendition of The Impossible Dream to the assembled crowd. Linda, our prize winning editor of our chapter bulletin took photos that will soon be appearing in our publication In Tune. I include a couple of her pictures here.

The Hunterdon Harmonizers look forward to carrying the inspiration of the performing at the International Convention to our own stage when we perform this coming Thursday at Deer Path Park, next to the YMCA just off of Route 31, as part of the Concert Under the Stars series put on by the Hunterdon Park System. It is a free concert that starts at 7:00 in the evening. Most people bring a picnic supper with their family an hour earlier.

See you there. The weather prediction for this year is for a clear day.

Harmonizers at International Convention

The Hunterdon Harmonizers will join dozens of quartets, choruses, and their families from our area, across the country, and around the world in Philadelphia over the 4^th of July weekend for the Barbershop Harmony Society’s annual International Convention. The society has a membership of nearly 30,000 in the United States, with affiliate organizations in nine countries.

“Barbershop singing is very much alive and has not faded into oblivion, as have silent movies, gramophones, and the Model-T,” said Ed Watson, the Barbershop Harmony Society’s executive director and chief executive officer. “Today’s barbershop harmony has strong intergenerational appeal, with tunes to please Grandpa and grandson alike,” he continued.

That appeal is illustrated by the singers who are members of the Harmonizers of Flemington who range in age from grandsons to grandfathers.

Barbershop quartet singing, immortalized by the Buffalo Bills in Meredith Willson’s The Music Man, is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied vocal music, characterized by four parts combining to make chords.

Although most of the Harmonizers will be taking in the contests as members of the audience, three of the Harmonizers will be singing with other chapters.

Dennis and Max will be singing with The Big Apple Chorus from New York City. David will be singing with the Voices of Gotham, a chapter made up of mostly young singers from lower New York City. The rest of us will be rooting the three of them on.

I last sang on the International Stage of the barbershop Society when our full chapter was ranked 14^th in world and competed in Indianapolis in 1997. We have not since focused so strongly on contest, but have become more of a show and fun chapter of the Society.

Our next show will be the free performance sponsored by the Hunterdon County Park System in Deerpath Park on July 8, 2010. For directions and more detailed information see my prior post, or visit our web site at www.NJHarmonizers.org

Heroes of Chivalry choreography introduced

With just a few more weeks to go before their Deer Path Park performance the Harmonizers introduced the choreography to go with one of their two newest songs.

Assistant Director Max, back from his freshman year at Harvard University, directed the new moves that he designed to go with the Heroes of Chivalry. The song introduces the Knights of the Class of 1322. You have never seen a finer knightly band.

You have to plan to see the sunlight on their armor. Experience in your throat that lumpy sort of feeling, when smashing lances shiver, note that their gait shows a little hesitation and see their faces reveal a hint of fright as their horses get set.

The chorus has enjoyed the addition of several new voices, and the addition of several guests, to their singing group. As VP Membership Christian points out there is always room for more men of all ages to be part of the fun.

Plan to see the fun and excitement of being a Hunterdon Harmonizer on Thursday evening July 8^th, 2010 at 7:00 in the evening in Deer Path Park for the free concert and show that is part of the Hunterdon County sponsored series. You will hear the award winning chorus and several of their quartets during the two hour show.

You can learn more about the Music Under the Stars Concert series and get directions to the park at the County web site here http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/parks/concertseries.htm .

Flemington is 100 years old

I had to be away for the Memorial Day weekend so I did not get to sing with the Harmonizers at the Flemington Memorial Day parade nor did I get to sing with them at the dedication of the new Veterans Memorial in Lebanon Township.

But late this afternoon about one third of our chorus sang at the old Court House steps in Flemington as part of the Borough celebration of its 100th birthday. After speeches by the political figures concluded we sang three songs. And of course after the ceremony was over, as it seems we always do, a number of our guys hung around and sang songs for the appreciative audience.

One of the women in the audience came up to me after we sang a few extra songs and told me how much she has always appreciated hearing us and seeing us perform. She suggested that during the good weather months we hold our rehearsals out in the open, at least once a month, so the local people could enjoy our music. I had to leave as one of our Board members continued the discussion with her.

It is difficult to rehearse outside and somewhat difficult to sing in the open. But perhaps we could, on a few occasions, take a break in the middle of a rehearsal or two and walk down the street to the old Court House steps and sing a few songs for the local folks. What do you think? Let me know at Lee@intune2.com or by calling the Harmonizer telephone number at 908-806-NOTE.

An Educational Opportunity

Although the Hunterdon harmonizers are best known for the fun they offer their singers, the great sound of their four-part harmony, and the entertaining performances they provide to their audiences, there is a great deal more to the organization.

To hear them sing you would not know that more than half of the singers do not read music. That does not mean that they do not want to learn all they can to improve and support their singing. A regular part of the harmonizer activity is an educational component.

The group is blessed with excellent, experienced, music leadership. The music vice president has many years of singing, both in barbershop chapters and in church choirs. The music director has been singing from the time he was in college and has sung in a renowned barbershop quartet. He is best known for his exciting and entertaining shows. But the depth of his music knowledge, and his leadership of the group as a musician, are invaluable in producing the results the audience hears.

The music leadership has among its members three assistant directors. Two of them having been front-line directors. It is this music leadership that contributes mightily to the wonderful close harmony sound produced by the group.

One of the assistant directors, George, teaches a course we refer to as “Barbershop 101”, or as some call it “Barbershop For Dummies”. The course itself is really not for dummies, but is for singers who want to learn the theory of barbershop Harmony, and want to learn to read music. The pictures here were taken a couple of weeks ago during the course George has been teaching every week for six weeks. The course is repeated from time to time.

It is the dedication of experienced, as well as new singers, reaching for the educational opportunities offered, that make the Harmonizers what they are. The educational opportunity provided by this program is taken advantage of by all levels of singers. Guests of the chapter are invited to join the group as well so they gain an understanding of what they may become part of if they join the chorus.

Additionally, every other year the chorus takes its singers to a weekend of coaching and educational experience at the society provided Harmony College East. Our members look forward to this opportunity because of the exposure to some of the leading music educators in the country involved in the barbershop style of singing.

Anyone who is interested in getting the benefit of these educational opportunities is invited to be a guest of the harmonizers at their regular Tuesday night meetings and rehearsals. Additional information can be obtained by calling 908-806-NOTE, or by visiting the website at NJHarmonizers.org.