Alexandria Harmonizers
Encyclopedia
The Alexandria Harmonizers are an international champion barbershop
chorus
based in Alexandria
, Virginia
. Numbering 95 men in 2009, the chorus is the performing arm of the Alexandria Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society
, under the direction of Joseph Cerutti, Jr. The Harmonizers have performed at the Kennedy Center Honors
, Carnegie Hall
, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
, the Supreme Court
, and the White House
.
(then SPEBSQSA), was chartered by four "godfathers″: Dean Snyder, Eugene Barnwell, Jean Boardman and Louis E. Metcalf, and sponsored by the Washington, DC Chapter (the Singing Capital Chorus). On June 29, 1948, Boardman presented Ed Poole, the president of the newly formed chapter, with the charter for the new Alexandria Chapter.
The Harmonizers won their first Barbershop Harmony Society
International gold medal in 1986, in Salt Lake City and have earned the title three more times since then (1989 Kansas City
, 1995 Miami Beach, and 1998 Atlanta). They have also earned 11 other International medals and are the current (2009) Mid-Atlantic District
chorus champion.
Barbershop music
Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era , is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture...
chorus
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
based in Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Numbering 95 men in 2009, the chorus is the performing arm of the Alexandria Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society
Barbershop Harmony Society
The Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. , is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop music as an art form. Founded by Owen C...
, under the direction of Joseph Cerutti, Jr. The Harmonizers have performed at the Kennedy Center Honors
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. The Honors have been presented annually since 1978 in Washington, D.C., during gala weekend-long events which culminate in a performance for—and...
, Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, known locally in the Washington, D.C. area as simply Wolf Trap, is a performing arts center located on 130 acres of national park land in Wolf Trap, Virginia...
, the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, and the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
History
The Alexandria, Virginia Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony SocietyBarbershop Harmony Society
The Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. , is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop music as an art form. Founded by Owen C...
(then SPEBSQSA), was chartered by four "godfathers″: Dean Snyder, Eugene Barnwell, Jean Boardman and Louis E. Metcalf, and sponsored by the Washington, DC Chapter (the Singing Capital Chorus). On June 29, 1948, Boardman presented Ed Poole, the president of the newly formed chapter, with the charter for the new Alexandria Chapter.
The Harmonizers won their first Barbershop Harmony Society
Barbershop Harmony Society
The Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. , is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop music as an art form. Founded by Owen C...
International gold medal in 1986, in Salt Lake City and have earned the title three more times since then (1989 Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, 1995 Miami Beach, and 1998 Atlanta). They have also earned 11 other International medals and are the current (2009) Mid-Atlantic District
Mid-Atlantic District (BHS)
The Mid-Atlantic District is one of 16 districts of the Barbershop Harmony Society...
chorus champion.
Musical Directors
- 1948–1950: Eugene Barnwell, one of the charter members and a "godfather"
- 1950–1951: Werner Paul
- 1951–1962: Dr. Harold "Bud" Arberg, Sr.
- 1963–1970: Oz Newgard
- 1970–1980: Scott Werner, who directed the Harmonizers to their first BHS International medal in 1978 (they placed 4th)
- 1980–1983: John Hohl, who directed the Harmonizers to International 3rd place bronze in 1982
- 1984–2002: Scott Werner, who returned and directed the Harmonizers to all four of their gold medals
- 2002–2006: Richard Lewellen
- 2007–present: Joseph Cerutti, Jr.
Discography
- Havin' Fun
- Photographs and Memories (cassette; 1990)
- The Harmonizers LIVE! (CD; 1997)
- Wee Small Hours (CD; 2002)
- Comfort and Joy (CD; 2005)
Awards and recognition
Mid-Atlantic District Chorus Champion 21 times — 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009External links
- Official website
- Chapter Entry in Mid-Atlantic District of the Barbershop Harmony SocietyBarbershop Harmony SocietyThe Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. , is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop music as an art form. Founded by Owen C...