Barbershop chorus prepares for concert
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ESCANABA -- The Remnants, the local barbershop chorus, will be performing at the Senior Expo held at the Highland Golf Club on Sept. 29.
“We’ll be singing some songs that we’ll be doing in our big show on Oct. 3, and also some old favorites of ours, and maybe a patriotic song as well,” explained longtime member Marc Tall.
The “big show” to which he refers is an annual tradition — a fall concert alongside three other groups who perform in similar styles. Barbershop groups around the country are known to hold such events, often by the name “Harvest of Harmony.” The choral group of Delta County is no different.
Barbershop singing groups, in general, perform with a particular style of arrangement. The genre is a cappella -- meaning comprised of only vocals without instrumental accompaniment -- and is characterized by the close harmony of four parts: lead, bass, tenor and baritone. What is now considered barbershop style is thought to have originated in African-American culture in the late 1800s, according to the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Many groups have only four individuals, hence the "barbershop quartet" readers are likely familiar with, but many others will have several voices in each range and are considered a "chorus," like The Remnants.
With the exception of a few years in the 1980s, the Escanaba area has had a barbershop chorus for about 80 years. Initially called simply the Escanaba chorus, the group adopted the moniker "Bay de Noc chorus" in 1951. After falling apart for a few years, members who had previously belonged the chorus formed another group in the 1980s. The new group got their name -- The Remnants -- because its members were stragglers who had been involved with the previous barbershop chorus.
Four groups total, including The Remnants, will perform at this year's Harvest of Harmony. The production will be held at the William Oliver Auditorium in Escanaba Upper Elementary School, formerly the junior high, at 1500 Ludington St., on Oct. 3 beginning at 7 p.m. Joining the Escanaba-based singers are quartets Sashay, Triple Threat and Alternative Medicine.
Tickets may be purchased at the Delta County Chamber of Commerce, Elmer's County Market, at the Senior Expo at the Highland, theremnantsbarbershopchorus.com or at the door.
The Senior Expo, an event meant to provide useful education and a free meal to area elders, has hosted the Remnants a couple times. Their tunes tend to be a hit.
At the expo, “we hope to have a table there with our guys selling tickets (to the October show) in the morning, and then we’ll be performing just before lunch,” said Tall. “Our appearance at the expo is designed to give us more exposure.”
To obtain tickets for the Senior Expo at no cost, people may stop by the Daily Press at 600 Ludington St. The donation of at least one shelf-stable food good is requested the day of the event from each attendee of the expo.
The Remnants belong to the Delta County chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, which is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee and has around 700 chapters around the U.S. and Canada. That organization's common title -- Barbershop Harmony Society -- is to save people the mouthful that is their official name as of 1938: the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (SPEBSQSA).