Chorus of the Chesapeake
Encyclopedia
The Chorus of the Chesapeake is a men's a cappella
chorus, based in Dundalk, Maryland
. Chartered in 1957 as the Dundalk
chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society
, the chorus is rich in both history and accomplishment.
area expressed an interest in starting a chorus that would dedicate itself to both musical excellence and community service. After choosing the working class Baltimore suburb of Dundalk
as a location, the search for singers began. With Bob Johnson as their first director, the Dundalk
chapter chartered in 1957, under the name Chorus of the Chesapeake. Within a year the ranks of the chorus had swelled to over 150 men, with Bob Johnson leading them in many singouts, activities, and community events. They competed in their first contest in the Mid-Atlantic District in 1960, qualifying to go to International contest the following summer in Philadelphia. In July 1961, 156 men of the chorus traveled to the contest, then the largest chorus by far to have competed on the International stage. (The Ambassadors of Harmony
won in 2004 with 160 singers.) They ran away with the International championship on their first attempt, edging out the Thoroughbreds
chorus from Louisville, KY by a sizable margin.
After their first victory in 1961, the chorus did not qualify for International the next few years, and membership began to slowly dwindle. In 1963, Bob Johnson accepted a position working for the Barbershop Harmony Society
as a music specialist, and relocated to Kenosha, WI. This left the Dundalk chapter with the responsibility of finding the man who could replace Johnson as music director. For a while, Clarence Wrobleski, band director at Patterson Senior High School
took the reins. Later, Fred King, a brash, young music teacher who had been directing the Catonsville
chapter came to the attention of the Dundalk board.
, had already won the Mid-Atlantic District championship in 1958, and competed several times at the International level, making the top 20 and the top 10. As the quartet continued to climb the ranks, so did the performance level of the chorus. They continued to be one of the Society's "Century" chapters with more than 100 members. The chorus once again qualified for International contest in the fall of 1970, only months after The Oriole Four
had won the International Quartet Championship in Atlantic City, NJ. They traveled to New Orleans, LA in July 1971, with 139 singers, and walked away with their second International Championship. Freddie King had joined the elite of the barbershop world. In 1983, a young student of Fred's joined the chorus for a brief time, competing at several district and division contests with the chorus. He was none other than Mike Rowe
, who has hosted the Discovery Channel
program Dirty Jobs
since 2004.
In October 2006, the chorus staged 109 singers for the Mid-Atlantic District contest and placed third, earning an 81.8% average. This score was high enough to earn a wild card invitation to the 2007 International Chorus contest, held at the Pepsi Center
in Denver, CO on July 6, 2007. The chorus went on to place 16th in the world at the contest, with 140 men on stage and an emotionally charged presentation of the song Auld Lang Syne
.
In October 2007, the chorus competed in the Mid-Atlantic District contest with 130 men on stage and again qualified for international competition, the first time it had done so for two years in a row. The chorus competed at the 2008 Internationals in Nashville, TN and placed 15th.
After competing in October 2008, the chorus qualified for the 2009 International contest in Anaheim, CA, but declined the invitation to take a year off following the untimely death of Fred King on September 1, 2008.
In October 2009, the chorus competed at the Mid-Atlantic District contest and qualified for a wild card invitation to the 2010 International Contest, to be held in Philadelphia. They are currently in preparations for that contest, which will be a near-hometown crowd appearance.
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
chorus, based in Dundalk, Maryland
Dundalk, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,306 people, 24,772 households, and 16,968 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,689.5 people per square mile . There were 26,385 housing units at an average density of 1,985.9 per square mile...
. Chartered in 1957 as the Dundalk
Dundalk, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,306 people, 24,772 households, and 16,968 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,689.5 people per square mile . There were 26,385 housing units at an average density of 1,985.9 per square mile...
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...
, the chorus is rich in both history and accomplishment.
Early history
In the late 1950s, some barbershop singers in the BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
area expressed an interest in starting a chorus that would dedicate itself to both musical excellence and community service. After choosing the working class Baltimore suburb of Dundalk
Dundalk, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,306 people, 24,772 households, and 16,968 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,689.5 people per square mile . There were 26,385 housing units at an average density of 1,985.9 per square mile...
as a location, the search for singers began. With Bob Johnson as their first director, the Dundalk
Dundalk, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,306 people, 24,772 households, and 16,968 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,689.5 people per square mile . There were 26,385 housing units at an average density of 1,985.9 per square mile...
chapter chartered in 1957, under the name Chorus of the Chesapeake. Within a year the ranks of the chorus had swelled to over 150 men, with Bob Johnson leading them in many singouts, activities, and community events. They competed in their first contest in the Mid-Atlantic District in 1960, qualifying to go to International contest the following summer in Philadelphia. In July 1961, 156 men of the chorus traveled to the contest, then the largest chorus by far to have competed on the International stage. (The Ambassadors of Harmony
Ambassadors of Harmony
The Ambassadors of Harmony is a 160+ member men's barbershop chorus, based in St. Charles, Missouri. The chorus won International Championship gold medals in 2004 and 2009, each time singing two arrangements by David Wright, under the direction of Jim Henry...
won in 2004 with 160 singers.) They ran away with the International championship on their first attempt, edging out the Thoroughbreds
Louisville Thoroughbreds
The Louisville Thoroughbreds are a men's chorus based in Louisville, Kentucky. They are the first 7-time International Champion chorus of the Barbershop Harmony Society, winning the Gold Medal in 1962, 1966, 1969, 1974, 1978, 1981 and 1984.-History:...
chorus from Louisville, KY by a sizable margin.
After their first victory in 1961, the chorus did not qualify for International the next few years, and membership began to slowly dwindle. In 1963, Bob Johnson accepted a position working for 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...
as a music specialist, and relocated to Kenosha, WI. This left the Dundalk chapter with the responsibility of finding the man who could replace Johnson as music director. For a while, Clarence Wrobleski, band director at Patterson Senior High School
Patterson Senior High (Baltimore, Maryland)
-Football:In 1993, Patterson, along with all the other Baltimore City public schools, left the Maryland Scholastic Association to join the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association . The move meant that Baltimore City Public Schools would be able to compete with the rest of the...
took the reins. Later, Fred King, a brash, young music teacher who had been directing the Catonsville
Catonsville, Maryland
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:In 2010 Catonsville had a population of 41,567...
chapter came to the attention of the Dundalk board.
Freddie King
In 1966, Fred King assumed directorship of the chorus, which had been struggling with diminishing membership and musical success. Although he was very young and did not have the pedigree of a seasoned barbershop director, Johnson trusted that King was the right man to lead the chorus toward more success. Freddie, as he was called, injected a new energy into the chorus, and quickly became a student of directing technique and vocal craft. His quartet, The Oriole FourOriole Four
Oriole Four is a barbershop quartet that won the 1970 SPEBSQSA international competition.The beginning of the Oriole Four, 1970 International champion quartet, was in 1951 outside a Baltimore high school when students Fred King and Jim Grant first met, discovered they had a mutual fondness for...
, had already won the Mid-Atlantic District championship in 1958, and competed several times at the International level, making the top 20 and the top 10. As the quartet continued to climb the ranks, so did the performance level of the chorus. They continued to be one of the Society's "Century" chapters with more than 100 members. The chorus once again qualified for International contest in the fall of 1970, only months after The Oriole Four
Oriole Four
Oriole Four is a barbershop quartet that won the 1970 SPEBSQSA international competition.The beginning of the Oriole Four, 1970 International champion quartet, was in 1951 outside a Baltimore high school when students Fred King and Jim Grant first met, discovered they had a mutual fondness for...
had won the International Quartet Championship in Atlantic City, NJ. They traveled to New Orleans, LA in July 1971, with 139 singers, and walked away with their second International Championship. Freddie King had joined the elite of the barbershop world. In 1983, a young student of Fred's joined the chorus for a brief time, competing at several district and division contests with the chorus. He was none other than Mike Rowe
Mike Rowe
Mike Rowe may refer to:*Michael Rowe, television writer for Futurama*Mike Rowe , host of the Discovery Channel show Dirty Jobs* Mike Rowe , retired Canadian professional ice hockey player...
, who has hosted the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
program Dirty Jobs
Dirty Jobs
Dirty Jobs is a program on the Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television, in which host Mike Rowe is shown performing difficult, strange, disgusting, or messy occupational duties alongside the typical employees. The show premiered with two pilot episodes in November 2003...
since 2004.
Recent history
Freddie King retired as musical director in 1996, and the chorus was directed for several years by Jim Kraus, a former music student of King's in the Baltimore County school system. The chorus maintained around 50 members of the performing chorus, and hovered between 6th and 10th place in the Mid-Atlantic District chorus contests. Jim departed in 2003 and was replaced by Rick Taylor, who had directed many choruses in the past and had won several International Quartet bronze medals with the quartets BSQ and Riptide. The chorus grew in membership, with many formerly inactive singers returning.In October 2006, the chorus staged 109 singers for the Mid-Atlantic District contest and placed third, earning an 81.8% average. This score was high enough to earn a wild card invitation to the 2007 International Chorus contest, held at the Pepsi Center
Pepsi Center
Pepsi Center is a multi-purpose arena in Denver, Colorado, United States. The building is home to the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League...
in Denver, CO on July 6, 2007. The chorus went on to place 16th in the world at the contest, with 140 men on stage and an emotionally charged presentation of the song Auld Lang Syne
Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song . It is well known in many countries, especially in the English-speaking world; its traditional use being to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight...
.
In October 2007, the chorus competed in the Mid-Atlantic District contest with 130 men on stage and again qualified for international competition, the first time it had done so for two years in a row. The chorus competed at the 2008 Internationals in Nashville, TN and placed 15th.
After competing in October 2008, the chorus qualified for the 2009 International contest in Anaheim, CA, but declined the invitation to take a year off following the untimely death of Fred King on September 1, 2008.
In October 2009, the chorus competed at the Mid-Atlantic District contest and qualified for a wild card invitation to the 2010 International Contest, to be held in Philadelphia. They are currently in preparations for that contest, which will be a near-hometown crowd appearance.
Awards and recognition
See also
- 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...
- Barbershop musicBarbershop musicBarbershop 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...
- A cappella musicA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
External links
- Official Web Site: http://www.dundalk.org/
- Chapter Entry for 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...
.