From left, Jared Carlson (bass), Brad Hine (tenor), Mark Schlinkert (lead), David Calland (baritone) are the barbershop quartet Boardwalk.The Scenic City Chorus, the local component of Sweet Adelines International, will present its annual AcaFest on Saturday, Aug. 20. The concert starts at 7 p.m. at Girls Preparatory School, 205 Island Ave.
Aca is short for a cappella music, and the festival celebrates the four-part, barbershop-style harmony produced by the members of the chorus, all of whom are now considered masters of the craft.
“One of our missions is to keep alive the art form of barbershop harmony,” says Lynn Billings-Thomas, chorus spokeswoman. But she adds the vocal style is “a far cry from what many people think.”
“Often the word ‘barbershop’ still brings on the connotation of the old-time guys singing the old-time songs. The barbershop style is really using a certain set of chords in arranging songs so that the sound produced causes a certain ring, bringing out the overtones and undertones in a chord.”
In April, the chorus came in fourth overall in the Sweet Adelines Region 4 competition, open to 25 choruses in parts of six states: Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama. By hitting their goal of earning at least 600 points in judging, each Scenic City Chorus vocalist earned the title of master singer, and leader Jen Cooke earned the title of master director.
Fifty women will be performing in Saturday night’s show offering songs through the decades. The program includes “In My Life” by The Beatles, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” by Randy Newman and Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.” The songs are interspersed with storyline vignettes, according to Billings-Thomas.
The special guest will be Boardwalk, an award-winning men’s quartet whose musical style and stage persona – a blend of folk music, barbershop harmony and classic slapstick – produce a performance reminiscent of vaudeville.
“The phrase ‘This is not your father’s quartet’ does not apply to Boardwalk,” the singers explain on their website.
David Calland (baritone), Jared Carlson (bass), Brad Hine (tenor) and Mark Schlinkert (lead) are second-generation singers, and all say their dads not only influenced their singing in general but in forming the quartet.
“We attempt to re-create songs that combine great barbershop harmony with folk music and some instrumentation,” they say on the website. “The inspiration: music and fashion of the 1920s.”
Tickets to Saturday’s show are $20. There will be a 50/50 drawing and a chance to win a door prize of four tickets to Scenic City Chorus’ Christmas show.
Tickets for Afterglow, which follows the main concert, are $5. Tickets include refreshments and more entertainment from Boardwalk and other groups.
For more information, visit www.sceniccitychorus.com.