They come from various professional backgrounds
including engineer, corporate trainer, funeral director, teacher,
custodian, school teacher, and Boy Scout professional. All of
the Songsters share the love of music, fellowship and performance as a
common bond.
A growing chapter of The
Barbershop Harmony Society, some of us are new to the style
while others have been part of the tradition for 20 years and more. Our
musical backgrounds are also varied in both type and depth including
many accomplished musicians, and many singers that are novices. We meet
weekly spending much of our time learning and practicing good vocal and
performance techniques. During our meetings we practice as a chorus,
maintaining a changing repertoire of 15 to 20 songs. There are also
opportunities to break up into quartets, and participate in other
casual singing activities. The chapter currently includes a performing
chorus of 25-30 men who entertain a variety of audiences such as at
folk festivals, nursing homes, hospitals, sports
stadiums
and civic events. Annually we perform at our own
concert which we organize and sponsor.
Another aspect of our involvement in The Barbershop
Harmony Society is performing annually in competition against other
barbershop harmony choruses. In October of 2007 and 2008 we were proud
to host the
Northeastern District competition at the Lowell Memorial
Auditorium. Twenty two choruses and many quartets comprised of over 650
men from New England, eastern New York and eastern Canada sang and
entertained enthusiastic audiences. As a competing chorus, we have been
awarded Most Improved Chorus and Small Chorus Champions several times
in the recent past. While retaining the Small Chorus Championship in
April of 2009, we won the entire Patriot Division (Massachusetts/RI)
contest and will advance, in October, to the Northeastern District
competition in Connecticut with the highest qualifying score of all
choruses in the District. It is an accomplishment of which we are
extremely proud.
We continue to improve our sound, performance, and
enjoyment by using learning media, attending barbershop educational
programs, and following our outstanding director, Karen Rourke.
Above all, we always enjoy our mission to "keep the whole world
singing," through fellowship and harmony always believing that music
will help develop our human spirit. We are what we sing because we love
to sing!