Ten years ago, the Masters of Harmony accepted the difficult challenge of hosting an International barbershop convention while simultaneously competing. Under the direction of Jeff Oxley, the Masters won the chorus contest in a well-managed convention at Anaheim’s Honda Center (formerly Arrowhead Pond).
Ten years later, the Masters return to the Honda Center to host one of the most highly anticipated conventions in years. This time we are the reigning chorus champion, having won our seventh consecutive gold medal last year in Nashville. So now, we can focus on hosting duties and three great opportunities to show our barbershop family why we have had such consistent success.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Masters Class, Anaheim Hilton
The Masters of Harmony was the first champion to invite other choruses to a class designed to explain what we do to achieve musical excellence, and to raise individual and chorus performance levels throughout the Barbershop Harmony Society. Attendees will learn that the Masters are a group of guys with average vocal talent who work very, very hard under expert leadership.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Outgoing Champion’s Performance, Honda Center, Anaheim
Our second appearance at the 2009 Convention will be our swan song, performed at the conclusion of Friday’s chorus competition. We will have the opportunity to tell our barbershop family how honored we have been to serve as their 2008 chorus champion and then to hand over the perpetual trophy to the new gold medalists. We will sing a medley from Guys and Dolls with choreography by Erin Howden – a rollicking, sometimes poignant set that will be the official exclamation point to the Masters’ championship year.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Harmony Foundation Spectacular, Honda Center, Anaheim
The last hours of the 2003 Convention in Montreal featured a joint appearance by the contest winners, The Vocal Majority, with the Masters of Harmony. The audience that witnessed this first-of-its-kind combination was enthralled. Many left hoping that such an event could be staged again. Well, Anaheim ups the ante – a joint appearance by the Masters of Harmony, The Vocal Majority, and The Ambassadors of Harmony, winners of 19 gold medals among them. The groups will perform separately and then combine to produce the solid gold sound of a 400-man chorus. But there’s more! Harborlites, Sweet Adelines International chorus champion for 2005 and 2008, will dazzle the audience with their incredible sound and choreography. And three of the best quartets the Barbershop Harmony Society has ever produced – current champion OC Times, Max Q (2007) and Vocal Spectrum (2006) will also appear. Wow! Make plans to be part of an audience that will surely be buzzing about this incredible array of talent. And, not incidentally, help Harmony Foundation celebrate its 50th anniversary of raising funds for youth camps, workshops, and promotion of our wonderful hobby for the future.