By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
For over half a century, the Hays High Plains Barbershop Chapter has been entertaining area residents with their unique stylings of barbershop favorites.
At 2 and 7 p.m. April 15, the group will continue that legacy with "It’s a Grand Night For Singing" at the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the Fort Hays State University campus, 600 Park.
Both concerts will feature barbershop harmony from Hays High Plains Barbershop Chorus, Tumbleweeds Chorus, FHSU Singers and Vocal Spectrum.
“This is a must-see show,” said Don Barber, a member since the group’s inception. “It really is if you like music at all. And it's a real family-oriented show. You never hear any off-color, anything like that. It's just a pure family show and wonderful, wonderful music.”
And with limited exposure to live barbershop , the annual concert provides a special opportunity to explore a distinct musical style.
“It’s an absolutely great thing for young people that love music to come see and enjoy a different style of music than they normally hear,” said member Vance Chartier. “Especially the ones that are singing in their local choirs in schools.”
Barber said the concert will feature large and small ensembles during the two-hour show.
“We have two local quartets in our chapter that will perform, and we're going to perform,” Barber said. “We'll open the show, and we have a couple of quartets that are going to perform. And we have Dr. Terry Crull’s Fort Hays State choir also singing in the show in the first half. And then our chorus will open the second half.
“And then we bring on the quartet Vocal Spectrum. So, it'll be about, with everything, right around a two-hour show and Vocal Spectrum, they'll get about 30-35 minutes. So just the most beautiful thing you've ever heard in your life.”
He said over the years, many of the quartets that have performed at the annual Hays show have later taken first place in international competition.
“We are their lucky chapter,” Barber said.
The annual concert marks one of the largest for barbershop music in the area.
“We are one of the biggest shows for barbershop harmony in the Midwest,” Chartier said. “And we are well-known across the country as a very good venue for the quartets to come.”
Some lucky audience members will receive a special takeaway as well, Chartier said.
“During the intermission, we do a drawing to give away CDs of the performing quartets that come in,” he said. “So people have a chance to win that, and that's done by the ticket stubs that they turn in, so they'll get to take home some music that they heard.”
Tickets for the show are unreserved, with doors set to open an hour before the show start.
“So if you have a favorite seat, if you get there, but pretty early, you'll probably get the seat where you probably like are in the area,” Barber said. “And if you get a ticket, you go to either show.”
While the upcoming annual event will showcase Barbershop music, members of the group get to experience the style throughout the year — and they are always looking for new members.
“We always invite new members at any time we sing,” Chartier said. “We're always looking for people that sing well and invite them in.”
The group rehearses at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays in the Trinity Lutheran Church, 2703 Fort.
And he said there has even been interest in a women’s chapter if a director can be found.
“We've got one of the biggest choruses out in his part of the state,” Barber said. “So we're very proud of it, and we have guys coming from nine counties.”
“We have a lot of fun,” Chartier said. “Everybody knows there's nothing better than music, to keep the heart and everything happy. …. And I will say, having been here seven years, once I got there, it was like another family.”
“We love it,” Barber said. “We love singing.”
The love of the art form brings the group together, and while members do not receive compensation, the group is a non-profit organization that uses revenues to support other area organizations.
“We're a nonprofit, charitable, educational organization,” Barber said. “We're tax-exempt because we give a lot of our money away to different charities.”
“We've got members that come from two hours away to practice with us every week, and like nine counties, so we donate to music programs all through the area, and also scholarships to colleges in the area,” Chartier said.
Tickets are $15 in advance or $17 at the door.