Harmony Junction FAQ's

Harmony Junction Chorus FAQ'S
(Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask)

1. Who are we?
2. What is BHS?
3. Are you a professional singing group?
4. I need some entertainment for my special event. Who do I contact?
5. Why do you compete?
6. I think I can do that. How can I get started?
7. Where and when is HJ performing in my area?

1. Who are we? We are a group of men from the AlbertLea, MN area that sing for the love of music. We sing a variety of music such as pop, gospel, jazz, broadway and barbershop, with our roots mainly in barbershop. Most of our music is performed a capella, or without accompaniment. We are all members of the Land 'O Lakes Disrtict of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

2. What is BHS? BHS stands for the Barbershop Harmony Society. Legally, it is know as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragment of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America (what a mouthful). It was formed in 1938 by a lawyer in Oklahoma by the name of O. C. Cash. What started out as a joke has grown to more than 33,000 members and over 800 chapters world wide! For more history and information on the Barbershop Harmony Society, visit the Society web site at www.barbershop.org.
3. Are you a professional singing group? No. We do carry a high standard for our performances and work very hard at it. This is a very difficult artform to master. Our dedication and love of singing is what really drives us to the level we perform at. We are also fortunate enough to have some very good internal coaches that know music very well. Remember, most of us don't even read music!

4. I need some entertainment for my special event. Who do I contact? Glad you asked. Since we do have members from all over the area, sometimes it is hard to leave all of the contact burden on one person's shoulders. However, our official contact is Tom Hawkins. Click here to get all of the contact info on "Hawk". If you know a chorus member, just ask them as well. I'm sure they will pass on the word.

5. Why do you compete? Several reasons. First is it is a great way for us to all gauge ourselves against our peers and show our stuff to others that enjoy the hobby as we do. Second is that it is a great way for us to all improve in our singing and performing abilities. We get judged on 3 areas of the performance and then the judges all give us advice and input and coach us. Third, it crowns our champion. That gives us all something to shoot for. And lastly, it is a great time for us to catch up with all of the friends we have made over the years and just plain have fun!

6. I think I can do that. How can I get started? You can start out by stopping by a rehearsal on Tuesday evenings at the Albert Lea High School. Click here for more details.

7. Where and when is HJ performing in my area? Check out our calendar here. Are you booked yet?