Hi
Everyone,
My name is Steve LeClaire and I’m a proud member and president of
the Connecticut Yankee Chorus which has been the Central Connecticut
Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society for 54 years. We are an
all male singing ensemble who enjoys singing, fraternity and
promoting vocal music in our communities. We come from all walks of
life and enjoy sharing our hobby with all ages. We are always
looking for singers who share our vision of ‘‘Keep the whole
world singing’’. We rehearse at the Daniel Doherty Municipal
building (Park and Recreation Department in Wallingford,
Connecticut) on Wednesdays 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. We
sing in chorus, and quartets, each week and share friendship with
our members along with refreshments at the end of each meeting.
Please call our membership vice
president, Chris
Hall
203.675.9284 or email BBShopHall@aol.com
for
information to come visit one evening as our guest. We will be happy
to meet and guide you to our rehearsal hall.
I think you will truly enjoy the experience.
Who is Barbershop Harmony Society?
We are
one of over 800 USA chapters of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Our
chapter currently has 25 active members out of over 27,000 members
of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Our society is also international
with over 1000 affiliate members in eight foreign countries.
Who is the Central Connecticut Chapter?
Our
chapter is made up of men who reside in over a dozen central
Connecticut towns. We love to sing, harmonize and perform as part of
a chorus or quartet. We have a diverse repertoire of crowd-pleasing
songs and have performed as a chorus and with our quartets
throughout the state. Although we sing unaccompanied, we have
performed with the Wallingford and Waterbury Symphonies. To sharpen
our skills, we also compete at the Northeastern Divisional and
District levels and have been a winner of the small chorus
championship.
Our group is made up of men of
all ages who come from all walks of life brought together by their
love of four-part harmony and their joy of singing and performing.
Under the musical guidance of our directors Bob Ranno, and strong
music team, you will have the benefit of the best coaching and
opportunity to improve your singing skills.
Our mission is to promote A
Capella vocal harmony and good fellowship among our members and
throughout our communities.
What is our musical style?
Our
musical style is four part unaccompanied close harmony singing. The
melody is carried in the second voice and is called the LEAD
(that’s what I sing). The TENOR is the high part and
harmonizes above the lead. The BASS sings the lowest notes
and provides the solid foundation for our four-part harmony. The BARITONE
fills in the missing notes to complete the chord, sometimes above
and sometimes below the melody or LEAD part. There is a great
body of traditional melodies that are enjoyed and cherished as we
learn and sing them in our shows and competitions. We also are
challenged with newer song that have been written or arranged by
some of our very talented, Barbershop Harmony society arrangers.
How do we learn our songs?
One does not
need to know how to read music to sing with us; of course it
certainly would help but not necessary. We practice by using
audiotapes that have our part dominant, by singing in our part
sections, and rehearsing in the chorus and in quartets. Our talented
director, Bob Ranno, and coach Gene Garety, strive for excellence
and having fun as they guide us through the learning process and our
performances. It is challenging and very rewarding to be part of an
organization which can create such beautiful heart felt harmonies.
It is a joy to entertain audiences with the great songs and
arrangements available to us. |
