Chorus of the Chesapeake
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| Chorus of the Chesapeake | |
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 at the 2007 International Chorus Contest under the direction of Rick Taylor at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Dundalk, Maryland, USA |
| Genre(s) | a cappella |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Website | www.dundalk.org |
The Chorus of the Chesapeake is a men's a cappella chorus, based in Dundalk, Maryland. Chartered in 1957 as the Dundalk chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, they are a chapter rich in both history and accomplishment.
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[edit] Early History
In the late 1950s, some barbershop singers in the Baltimore area expressed an interest in starting a chorus that would dedicate themselves to both musical excellence and community service. After choosing the working class Baltimore suburb of Dundalk as a location, the search for singers began. With Bob Johnson as their first director, the Dundalk chapter chartered in 1957, under the name Chorus of the Chesapeake. Within a year the ranks of the chorus had swelled to over 150 men, with Bob Johnson leading them in many singouts, activities, and community events. They competed in their first contest in the Mid-Atlantic District in 1960, qualifying to go to International contest the following summer in Philadelphia. In July of 1961, 156 men of the chorus traveled to the contest, then the largest chorus by far to have competed on the International stage. (The Ambassadors of Harmony won in 2005 with 166 singers.) They ran away with the International championship on their first attempt, edging out the Thoroughbreds chorus from Louisville, KY by a sizable margin.
After their first victory in 1961, the chorus did not qualify for International the next few years, and membership began to slowly dwindle. In 1963, Bob Johnson accepted a position working for the Barbershop Harmony Society as a music specialist, and relocated to Kenosha, WI. This left the Dundalk chapter with the responsibility of finding the man who could replace Johnson as music director. For a while, Clarence Wrobleski, band director at Patterson Senior High School took the reins. Later, Fred King, a brash, young music teacher who had been directing the Catonsville chapter came to the attention of the Dundalk board.
[edit] Freddie King
In 1966, Fred King assumed directorship of the chorus, which had been struggling with diminishing membership and musical success. Although he was very young and did not have the pedigree of a seasoned barbershop director, Johnson trusted that King was the right man to lead the chorus toward more success. Freddie, as he was called, injected a new energy into the chorus, and quickly became a student of directing technique and vocal craft. His quartet, The Oriole Four, had already won the Mid-Atlantic District championship in 1958, and competed several times at the International level, making the top 20 and the top 10. As the quartet continued to climb the ranks, so did the performance level of the chorus. They continued to be one of the Society's "Century" chapters with more than 100 members. The chorus once again qualified for International contest in the fall of 1970, a mere months after The Oriole Four had won the International Quartet Championship in Atlantic City, NJ. They traveled to New Orleans, LA in July of 1971, with 139 singers, and walked away with a second International Championship. Freddie King had arrived in the elite of the barbershop world.
[edit] Recent History
Freddie King retired as musical director of the chorus in 1996, and the chorus was directed for several years by Jim Kraus, a former music student of King's in the Baltimore County school system. The chorus maintained around 50 members of the performing chorus, and hovered between 6th-10th place in the Mid-Atlantic District chorus contests. Jim departed in 2003 and was replaced by Rick Taylor, who had directed many choruses in the past and had won several International Quartet bronze medals with the quartets BSQ and Riptide. The chorus has been once again growing in membership, with many formerly inactive singers returning. In October of 2006, the chorus staged 109 singers for the Mid-Atlantic District contest and placed third, earning an 81.8% average. This was high enough to earn a wild card invitation to the 2007 International Chorus contest, held at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO on July 6, 2007. The chorus went on to place 16th in the world at the contest, with 140 men on stage and an emotionally charged presentation of the song Auld Lang Syne. In October 2007, the Chorus competed in the Mid-Atlantic District contest and again qualified for Nashville with 130 men on stage. This marks the first time in the history of the chorus where they have qualified for international competition 2 years in a row.
[edit] Awards and Recognition
| Preceded by Dapper Dans of Harmony |
SPEBSQSA International Chorus Champions 1971 |
Succeeded by Phoenicians |
| Preceded by Chordsman |
SPEBSQSA International Chorus Champions 1961 |
Succeeded by Thoroughbreds |
