From the Cleveland Daily Banner: The Sound of TN Barbershop Chorus will present a send-off concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 2, at Pangle Hall on the
From the Cleveland Daily Banner: The Sound of TN Barbershop Chorus will present a send-off concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 2, at Pangle Hall on the Lee University’s campus.
The concert is free and open to the public.
This acclaimed acappella chorus will be competing with 30 choruses from around the world at the Barbershop Harmony International Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday, July 8.
Each competing chorus has won a preliminary regional competition and must do the fundraising to get themselves to Louisville.
The Sound of TN Chorus won their bid to sing on the big stage last September at the Dixie District Competition in Gadsden, Alabama.
“It’s a thrill to perform in a crowded arena filled with people who really love Barbershop harmonies,” said JJ Duffy. “The endorphin boost is incredible.”
This will be the third consecutive international competition for the chorus, who has gained a reputation for their stage presence and tight harmonic blend.
“Several of the judges commented last year that we had the best lead section and they were impressed with the quality and clarity of singing,” Duffy said.
The chorus is also proud that four of their own will be competing at the International Convention in the Next-Gen Varsity Quartet Competition.
“Full Effect” features singers Wyatt McCarter, Brett Beard, Andrew Easterling and Caleb Hayes. They will compete against 20 other quartets whose members are all under the age of 26. They enter the competition with the highest qualifying score and high hopes for a great showing.
The Send-Off Concert on Sunday will feature their competition pieces along with acapella versions of “Shenandoha,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “BlackBird.”
One of their competition songs “All the World Will be Jealous of Me” is an homage to David Wright, a prolific writer/arranger in the world of Barbershop Harmony who is also a distinguished mathematician. Though it was written several decades ago, this will be the first time it will be sung on the International Competition stage.
The local send off concert is part of the Sound of Tennessee’s commitment to community outreach. “We know that attending live musical performances can get expensive. So along with our more elaborate concert productions and fundraisers, we like to offer opportunities to share our music in a way that makes it easy for everyone to attend,” said Mark King.
The chorus will also be sharing information about their invitation to represent Tennessee at the 80th memorial service of the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France, in June 2024.
More information about membership and concert opportunities for the Sound of Tennessee can be found at SoundofTN.org and the Next-Gen quartet Full Effect on Facebook.
