Each member of Bellevue-based Northwest Sound Men’s Chorus has a story for how they came to love singing the a cappella four-part harmony known as Barbershop music.
For Dan Keating, his story is rooted in family. While visiting his uncle in Miami, Keating was introduced to the sounds of barbershop music through his uncle’s involvement in singing quartet.
“Nine years ago there was a competition in Portland and my uncle invited me to go down there and I was just blown away,” Keating explained. “Barbershop music really needs to be experienced to get the full affect. There’s something in the ring of the chords that affects you physically and emotionally and when you feel it, you know it. It’s indescribable and it makes you feel extremely alive.”
Keating joined the 40-member Northwest Sound Men’s Chorus eight years ago. The Chorus is part of the Bellevue chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society and recently celebrated 25 years of barbershop tradition. The group regularly competes in local, regional and international competitions. This past July they travelled to Anaheim, Calif., and placed 19th among some of the top barbershop choruses in the world.
Members of the chorus group are made up of amateur singers whose day-time jobs range from doctors and lawyers to architects, bus drivers and software engineers for Microsoft. Once a week, the members join together at First Methodist Church in Bellevue for a three-hour practice.
The group participates in a variety of community performances and competitions throughout the year. They recently sang the Star Spangled Banner at a Mariner’s game and produce two major shows each year, in June and December, which feature the chorus plus top quartets and often local high school vocal groups. As a non-profit group, the NWS also takes very seriously the promotion and nurturing of singing in the community.
“It is time consuming, but unlike a job, we all do this because we love it and that’s where the passion comes in. When you’re investing copious amounts of time into something you love, whether it’s playing with your kids or singing in a chorus, it’s fun,” Keating said.
The Chorus is led by director Donny Rose, a high school music teacher and two-time Evergreen District Quartet Champion.
“Our director is by far the best director I have ever worked with,” said Dick Swanson, who at age 80, is the oldest member of the Chorus. “He is very talented and very dedicated.”
Swanson has been singing barbershop music for 31 years and says it is an ongoing process of learning that he just can’t seem to get enough of.
“The chords of barbershop are constructed to produce overtones, but you have to match the vowel and the pitches and be precise to reach what we call an expanded sound,” he explained. “When you are able to execute that, the hair almost stands up on your arm. It is exhilarating.”
On June 5, the Bellevue Chapter will be presenting two shows, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., at the Interlake High School Performing Arts Center in Bellevue. This 25th Anniversary Spring Spectacular will feature not only the Northwest Sound Men’s Chorus and other chapter quartets but their special guests, the Salem SenateAires chorus from Oregon and Fast Track, the current Evergreen District Quartet Champions.
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425-453-4602.
For more information about the Northwest Sound, the upcoming Sing, Sing, Sing! program and their shows go to www.nwsound.org.
