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B-Shop 4
(1.47Mb MP3)
At last year’s High School Quartet Contest, 4 young men from Arvada West High School put together a quartet on their own initiative. Their “ring-leader” called me (got my number from his teacher, who got my fax about our programs…this teacher once sang in a quartet with Ted Cluett and I at our church) and asked for some music. I had my wife hand-deliver the (Music Educators) packet to his home. He and his buddies took off and ran with it. They learned two of the songs in the packet (“Take Me Out To The Ballgame” and “Coney Island Baby”) and ended up with second place (in a close finish) at the contest. They were thrilled, and asked if there were any other contests they could enter. So I did some checking.
It turns out that three of them are already 17, the fourth will turn 17 on July 28 (20 days after the Collegiate International Contest, July 8). I was able to obtain a waiver for the 20 day deficiency, and they were eligible to enter the District Collegiate preliminary contest which was Friday April 8 in Cheyenne.
They call themselves the “B-Shop 4” and they won the Collegiate prelims. They would give any college quartet a good run-for-the-money. All 4 of these guys are high school JUNIORS (so they have another year together in HIGH SCHOOL).
I brought John Coffin over to work with them, getting them prepared for the contest. They are learning at a phenomenal rate. They have a wonderful blend due to great ear development. They are all fairly accomplished musicians, and their tenor plays the piano flawlessly, using that skill to play each voice part independently and then all 4 parts together so they can learn a song from start to finish in about 90 minutes (I watched them work on their contest song “Let’s Get Away From It All”…which I provided to them…and I heard it with my own ears). The "B-Shop 4" will be the Rocky Mountain District Collegiate representatives at International.
When they sing at the International Collegiate Contest in Salt Lake City, they will probably finish in the top 20. Next year they will hopefully go to Indianapolis, and will undoubtedly finish in the top 10, maybe top 5. Given that these guys are extremely close friends (and all incredibly passionate about barbershop) I would not be a bit surprised to see them together as they go on to college. At this time the 2007 International Convention will be right here in Denver. What an amazing opportunity for them to take a run at the International Collegiate CHAMPIONSHIP that year, here in their (and OUR) backyard. Remember, they’d be COLLEGE FRESHMEN that year. This would be even more astounding than the start by International Collegiate Champions “4 Voices” and “Reprise” (incidentally, “Reprise” will be back on the contest circuit this year, hopefully competing at International in THEIR “hometown” of Salt Lake City this July).
For those of you who may not know, I was the District Vice President of Young Men In Harmony when “Reprise” made its start. After hearing them win the District Collegiate championship (with a score that would have placed them 3rd in the Prelims, behind “Saturday Evening Post”…now #5 International…and District Quartet Champions “Crazy Rhythm”) I sat with them at the afterglow and talked about their future. They said that if they won the International Collegiate contest they would stick together for a year and “see what happens”. I told them that if they did, I’d send them a contract to headline our chapter show, since I was then serving as chapter Show Chairman. They did (win the championship) and I did (send them a contract) and they were our headliners the following year.
If you have any questions about Cheyenne or the “B-Shop 4” please don’t hesitate to call me.
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