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About Barbershop Singing
The Barbershop Style
As much a part of American culture as Old Glory, Mom, apple pie, and Norman Rockwell, barbershop quartet singing is an original American musical art form. It thrives today through the efforts of an organization originally called the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Singing in America (SPEBSQSA), now known simply as the Barbershop Harmony Society. Though the roots of four-part harmony go back more than a century, it was not until the nearly accidental formation of the Society that barbershop quartet music was actively promoted.The Early Years
The Barbershop Harmony Society Today
A Little Downeasters History
Geographically, the Barbershop Harmony Society is comprised of 17 districts. Representing the Greater Portland, Maine area, the Downeasters Chorus is one of 62 choruses included in the Northeastern District which includes chapters from New England, parts of New York, and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Chartered by SPEBSQSA in January of 1949, the Downeasters was founded to offer good solid harmonic chords and camaraderie. To this day, the tradition is relished by new members and others who have been with us--some for more than 30 years. From its inception to the present, Downeasters have also enjoyed competition and had their share of successes. As a chorus the chapter scored in the top 10 in Northeastern District competitions more than once. In October 2009, the Downeasters Competition Chorus won the Northeastern District Championship! The Competition Chorus will compete at the International Convention in Philadelphia, PA June 28 - July 3, 2010.Quartets or "very large quartets" (subsets of the chorus) have also been recognized on the local and national stage. From Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour in New York to local events, beautiful music has enabled quartets to qualify for international competition. In the past, "The Management", a quartet with Michael Martin, Larry Bean, Chris Peterson and Kirk Young won the Northeastern District contest in 1994, then competed at the International Convention in 1996, '97 and '98. The chapter chorus sang with the Portland Symphony Orchestra in 1994 and in 1998 accompanied the PSO with highlights from "The Music Man" at Merrill Auditorium. Chorus and quartet potential is always wonderfully exciting for the gentlemen singers. Downeasters enjoy the thrill of singing or competing on stage or just about anywhere together--whether at a local charity benefit, an annual show, on street corners, in a restaurant, or as "Singing Valentines". Singing is fun, we love it, and given a little time on your part you could share in the benefits of our wonderful hobby. If you truly enjoy beautiful music and are at all curious about the real meaning of camaraderie and a great new hobby, please attend one of our practices in Yarmouth! We promise to make you feel welcome and delighted to be with us. So how about it! Wouldn't you like to at least see what it's like to ring a few chords with us?
Every year we honor one of our own for their outstanding work for our organization. Below you will find a list of those men known to us who have received the Downeasters Barbershopper of the Year Award, and the men who served as President of the organization for that year.