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 For the Nassau Mid-Island Chapter of The Barbershop
Harmony Society, formerly known as the Society for
the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop
Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA), an active
group of some 40 male voices, it has been a case of
(local) "chapter" and many, many verses -- sung with
a fondness for this type of four-part harmony for
over sixty years.
Repertoire sung in traditional barbershop harmonies
ranges from old favorites such as "Let Me Call You
Sweetheart" and soul-stirring renditions of
cherished patriotic music including "God Bless
America" and an "Armed Forces Medley" to more recent
music such as "Cabaret" arranged in the distinctive
style of singing that led to the beginnings of the
national society in 1938. Today,
The Barbershop Harmony Society numbers nearly 25,000
members in more than 800 chapters from the U.S. and
Canada with affiliated organizations around the
globe. The Nassau Mid-Island
Chapter -- with its chorus name "Long Island
Harmonizers" -- is Long Island's largest.
"Our devoted members come
from all walks of life in
the Long Island community
and some of them have been
singing barbershop almost
their entire adult lives,"
notes Jon Ayers, current
chapter president. "If you
like to sing, we are the
group you've been looking
for, whether you've
participated in barbershopping
before, or would find it to
be a brand new experience."
"Their
enormous joy and camaraderie in performing becomes
immediately apparent whether audiences gather in
local libraries, our park system, street fairs or
large auditoriums. Listeners are at once caught up
in the pleasures of the music, and it is difficult
for them resist singing along -- something we
encourage occasionally as part of our presentations
that combine music, nostalgia, humor and a bit of
participation."
The Nassau Mid-Island Chapter, led for 15 years by
its talented director, Maurice Debar, has
entertained at Shea Stadium, Old Westbury Gardens
and Coe Hall, to cite just a few venues, and for a
great many civic, fraternal and religious
organizations. The energetic Chapter was honored in
late 2005 with a citation from Thomas R. Suozzi,
Nassau County Executive, for "selfless commitment to
the community and its residents" on the 55th
anniversary of singing by the organization as it is
now known and under its original name.An Annual
Show that sustains a chorus
tradition is presented in
the Spring, and is part of
an active calendar filled
with public appearances on
Long Island. (Our 63rd
Annual Show takes the
stage in 2013.)
The Nassau Mid-Island Chapter rehearses Tuesday
evenings at Winthrop Hall Church of the Advent, 555
Advent Street (off of Post Avenue) in Westbury at 8
p.m. and those interested in becoming new members
are welcome.
(Phone 516-938-4272 for more
information.) |
