When you think of a barbershop chorus, you probably picture men performing. But plenty of women also join in the fun. The Sweet Adelines International Organizationhas been around for 70 years now. One of the choirs, based in Springfield, has been hitting all the right notes:
It's a hot Sunday afternoon at the Illinois State Fair. Veterans and their families are gathered in front of an outdoor stage. They are getting ready for the yearly event that honors the state's vets. But first, Springfield's female barbershop choir serenades the crowd. Gov. Bruce Rauner is in the audience as the group of about 25 sings.
The choir is multi-generational, from a 14 year old to those in their eighties. Judy Meeker watches from the front row. With short white curly hair, she has a big smile on her face during the performance: "Their voices blend so beautifully, and you can tell they all enjoy it so much. It's old timer - and I'm an old-timer, but you know what, it's the best music that's ever been written."
Harmonizing like this takes countless hours of practice. Every Monday night, the group meets at Springfield's Hoogland Center for the Arts where they rehearse for over two hours without taking a break. At tonight's practice, a few ladies are going over their part in a song before things get officially underway. It's the only time I hear a piano all night, as the group is 100% acapella. A few costumes hang nearby, a couple are Halloween themed and others are black and sparkly with sequins. Like men's barbershop choirs, this one is separated into 4 parts - tenor, lead, baritone and bass.
Elizabeth Hardcastle and her granddaughter Sara, both with bold red hair, have arrived early to take care of organizational matters. Elizabeth is collecting checks for fundraising. The two are from Decatur and joinedSound Celebrations a few months ago. Though this is nothing new for one of them: Elizabeth has directed choirs and is even what's known as a Queen of Harmony, aka, an international champion.
"In 1986 my quartet was fortunate enough that we won our regional and then won our international - it was such a gift, it was an exciting, exciting time for us ...We took it and ran with it, we've done a lot of recordings and we've sang in Carnegie Hall several times," says Hardcastle.
That's a feeling she hopes to relive when this group competes at the international competition they qualified for in Las Vegas next year. Sara is looking forward to it too. "I've been singing ever since I was like, itty bitty ... so when I was old enough (my grandma) said, 'There's a chorus in Springfield that might actually have some talent.'" Her grandma laughs and interjects: "There are lots of choruses who have talent, but this one is on the way to International, and I thought it would be good for her to be with a chorus that is on its way up."
The group also has a male presence. Terry Ludwig is the director. He had only been in that role for six months when he took them to the competition where they qualified for the international event. He also directs a male barbershop choir in Bloomington. Part of what he does is urge the group to connect - with each other, and with the audience.
"We want our singers to take ownership of what the story is and really communicate that to the audience. It creates a connection, a bond between the audience and the chorus itself. It makes the performance so much more enjoyable when you're actually telling a story as opposed to just singing notes," he says. Another important part is the choreography, says Ludwig: "Movement affects the way you sing. If you stand stiff and sing, it just becomes rigid. We like to have freedom in our music, freedom in our voice, freedom in our body - and the movement really enhances that."
As rehearsal gets underway, one of the assistant directors leads warm-ups, which consist of movement and vocal exercises. And then there are the types of songs you'd expect in barbershop style. Not every song is heavily choreographed but the ladies always use their facial expressions to tell the story, and a lot of hand gestures. One tune they work on is called 'Orange Colored Sky.' Nat King Cole made it popular in 1950.
But not all the songs from the mid-century or earlier. Thriller, by Michael Jackson, is also rehearsed. It's a song with my favorite choreography of the evening - and one that's sure to be a hit for the group's Halloween performance. The chorus performs on average a couple times a month.
At the end of the night some linger to chat. 25 year old Caitlyn Barnes is talking about her hunt for the first home she'll buy. She says over the past year she's been involved, these women have become like aunts to her. "It's not a hobby, it's a lifestyle, and these people are some of the most important people in my life," she says. Still, at first Barnes didn't even know that groups like these, also called a Sweet Adelines chorus - even existed: "You know when you think of barbershop you think of the little Dapper Dans in their top hats and their pin-stripe suits and it's supposed to be a boy's hobby. But if you go to a Sweet Adelines competition, we say that, 'Barbershop was invented by men, and perfected by women.' And it is true (laughs)."
Barnes will be one of many putting in several hours a week of practice, as the choir works to perfect their craft and compete with the best in the world.
