For nearly four decades now, members of the Chilliwack Harmony Chorus have been continuing the masculine musical sound that can only be found in barbershop quartets.
Originating in America in the late 1800s, barbershop is a combination of white and African American cultural expression from the era. Based on the popular folk and gospel songs of the day, barbershop developed a very cohesive sound.
“The hallmarks of singing barbershop is it’s a close harmony sound that has a melody (and) can generally be sung by the average person,” says Gerry Borden, who has been the Chorus director for the past 10 years.
A barbershop quartet, explains Borden, consists of four members who each add a different harmony to the song: the lead, who generally carries the melody; the bass; the tenor, who harmonizes above the lead; and the baritone, who can sing above or below the lead. Because of the low vocal range inherent in the genre, most barbershop groups aren’t mixed genders, however, the Chilliwack Harmony Chorus is helping change that.
While there are female-only groups, Chilliwack’s Sweet Adelines quartet moved to Abbotsford several years ago, which left several women without a musical outlet. Around the same time, many of Chilliwack’s Chorus members had moved away or retired their vocal chords, leaving less than 10 members and gaps in the harmonies. So although female members aren’t accepted into the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS)—the North American governing society for barbershop groups—they’re allowed to be Chorus associates.
“So we thought, ‘Let’s do it!’ and began accepting female associates five years ago,” says Borden. “Many members have come to the conclusion that opening (up membership) to everyone is the only cure for the decline in national members,” adds Borden.
Doing its best to fully integrate its female associates, the Chilliwack Harmony Chorus joined the Mixed Barbershop Harmony Association of North America (MBHA), which was formed in 2014 to address the interest in men and women singing barbershop harmony together. Last year, the Chilliwack Harmony Chorus brought home the winner’s trophy in the first North American MBHA Chorus Championship.
“We are pleased to see the growth of mixed barbershop harmony throughout North America, and (how) the interest continues to grow,” adds Borden.
In addition to practices and competitions, the Chilliwack Harmony Chorus also performs around town, harmonizing in senior centres, fundraisers, as well as hosting special performances during holidays. This past Christmas, the Chorus was involved in more than 20 events throughout the Christmas season, and will be delivering singing telegrams in February.
From Feb. 13 to 15, you can send a singing lovegram courtesy of the Chilliwack Harmony Chorus to your favourite Valentine for less than $50.
“It’s a lovely way to send a Valentine to your loved one,” says Borden. “For $49, they’ll be sung two songs, and given a flower and some chocolates.”
Although they don’t do it every year, delivering lovegrams is something the Chorus has enjoyed doing for the community for the past 15 years. And besides spreading love and joy, delivering singing telegrams also helps the Chorus exhibit their musical skills as they’re always on the lookout for new members.
The Chilliwack Harmony Chorus meets every Monday evening at 7 p.m. at the Christ Lutheran Church on Charles Street. All ages are welcome, but Borden suggests those under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.
“We’ll start (newcomers) off with a vocal assessment to understand their range and voice style, and go from there,” explains Borden, urging those interested to visit. “Just try it out for a few weeks to see how (you) like it, but (you) might get hooked,” he jokingly cautions.
For more information on the Valentine’s Day singing telegrams, please call Lloyd Johnston at (604) 795 - 5682, or email ChilliwackHarmony@gmail.com. To learn more about the Chilliwack Harmony Chorus, please visit www.chilliwackharmony.ca.
@SarahGawdin
Sarah.Gawdin@theprogress.com
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