Joe Connelly (musician)
Encyclopedia
"Awesome Joe" Connelly is a successful barbershop quartet lead singer, competition judge, and full-time coach for various barbershop quartets. Connelly gained recent fame for being the first person ever to become a Barbershop Harmony Society
International Championship gold medalist four times, first with Interstate Rivals
in 1987 at the age of 22, then with Keepsake in 1992, with Platinum
in 2000, and with Old School
in 2011. In 2000 he had already become the first person to win the gold medal three times.
A second-generation barbershopper, son of international quartet medalist Mike Connelly, Joe spent many years in Tampa, Florida
, but currently lives in Falls Church, Virginia
, though he also spends time in his home town of Cincinnati, Ohio
as the director of the Southern Gateway Chorus. He coaches men's and women's barbershop quartets and choruses around the world full-time, becoming one of the few barbershoppers who has managed to turn his hobby into a profession. He most recently competed with Old School
, which took the silver medal in international competition in 2009 and 2010, before achieving the gold medal in 2011.
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 Championship gold medalist four times, first with Interstate Rivals
Interstate Rivals
Interstate Rivals is the Barbershop quartet that won the 1987 SPEBSQSA international competition in Hartford, CT. Formed in 1982, the Rivals won the Cardinal District championship that fall. The next summer at International they placed tenth, followed by sixth, third, second place finishes before...
in 1987 at the age of 22, then with Keepsake in 1992, with Platinum
Platinum (quartet)
Platinum is a barbershop quartet, created in 1998 and the 2000 SPEBSQSA international quartet champions. They are famous for their long posts , particularly in their adaptation of the song Be Our Guest and in Clay Hine's arrangement of Auld Lang Syne, which is on Platinum's CD of the same...
in 2000, and with Old School
Old School (quartet)
Old School is the barbershop quartet that won the International Quartet Championship for 2011 at the Barbershop Harmony Society's annual international convention, in Kansas City, Missouri.-External links:*...
in 2011. In 2000 he had already become the first person to win the gold medal three times.
A second-generation barbershopper, son of international quartet medalist Mike Connelly, Joe spent many years in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, but currently lives in Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
, though he also spends time in his home town of Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
as the director of the Southern Gateway Chorus. He coaches men's and women's barbershop quartets and choruses around the world full-time, becoming one of the few barbershoppers who has managed to turn his hobby into a profession. He most recently competed with Old School
Old School (quartet)
Old School is the barbershop quartet that won the International Quartet Championship for 2011 at the Barbershop Harmony Society's annual international convention, in Kansas City, Missouri.-External links:*...
, which took the silver medal in international competition in 2009 and 2010, before achieving the gold medal in 2011.