by Benedicte Dansie
This year the Barbershop Harmony Society is holding its 81st International Convention at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is the fifth time that this convention has been held in Salt Lake, offering Utahns an incredible opportunity to watch internationally renowned singers, even though there are many locals who haven’t even heard of this unique event.
Barbershop Music is a type of acapella music comprised of close harmonies based in four parts (Tenor, Lead, Baritone, Bass), that is typically performed unaccompanied. It came to popularity in the 1930’s and the first ever International Barbershop Convention was held in 1939. This convention continued through the Second World War and has carried on until today. Having participated in a barbershop chorus in high school, I was somewhat aware of the different opportunities out there for barbershop singers, but even I didn’t realize the breadth of the community. Many of these people have been singing and performing in barbershop groups since their youth, carrying on the tradition from generation to generation as the time has passed.
Today barbershop music offers a wide variety of genres, sounds, and experiences. Each barbershop group, typically a quartet or chorus, can craft their own unique identity in the field. One of my favorite examples of this so far has been the group Midtown. Based out of New York City, the group offers a wide variety of pieces from Broadway to gospel. For their performance during the Top Twenty Quartet Competition, they performed a more traditional piece titled “Birth of The Blues”. For their second piece, they launched into a rendition of the “Spiderman Theme Song”. Midtown, and many groups like them, are finding a niche for themselves in the industry and helping to carry on the tradition, bringing with it an appeal to all types of audiences. Throughout the competition today, I listened to all sorts of pieces from The Rocky Horror Show, Waitress, Dear Evan Hansen, to more traditional barbershop songs from the early 20th century.
The Convention continues through this Saturday, and tickets are available free for Utah residents, so I highly recommend going if you have the time. There are events happening daily, until that point. This Convention is an amazing opportunity to see these groups live and hear the extreme talent and love they all have in this type of singing.
Barbershop Harmony Society presents The International Barbershop Convention
June 30th-July 7th
LDS Conference Center
Barbershop Harmony Society
Midtown Quartet
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