Sing in the New Year

The chorus ended our year with a bang last night as we joined the Chorus of the Chesapeake for their Christmas party. There were great performances by both choruses and a star-filled quartet line up that included Maxx Factor, Lustre, and BSQ. Our chapter was represented by two of our quartets: 3 Wise Men and Chairman's Choice. After the party we all moved across the street for an afterglow with singing into the night.

We'll start the new year with a Heart of Maryland tradition. Join us at 1pm on January 1st (that's 1/1/11 at 1) at Phillips Harborplace for songs and a toast or two. This isn't a performance, just a chance to share a drink and a song with friends at the piano bar.

A Few More Christmas Shows To Go

We're almost through the Christmas singing season. We kicked things off at Harborplace for a big crowd at Tuba Christmas. We sang Let It Snow again, but to no effect this year. If it had started to snow this time we might have to drop that song for good.

After a few private performances, we'll finish out the season with two big events this weekend. We don't want to give away too much about the first one, but if you're near Arundel Mills Mall this Sunday, be sure to stop by the food court at 2pm to check out the Sons of the Severn. It's going to be a great show.

From there we'll be zooming up to Baltimore, just in time to catch the Raven's traffic jam, as we sing for the Baltimore Outreach Services. We've been invited to sing at this annual reunion dinner for mothers and children who are no longer homeless. It's a great event and we always enjoy spreading some Christmas cheer.

Christmas Shows

The chorus is ready for December with a full calendar of Christmas shows. We'll kick it off this weekend at Baltimore Harborplace with Tuba Christmas. The chorus will sing at 3:00 and the tuba concert starts at 3:30. We'll all move to the 2nd floor of the Light Street Pavilion if the weather doesn't cooperate.

Coaching with Hal Kraft

Hal Kraft, former director of the Keystone Capital Chorus, Mid-Atlantic district and seniors quartet champion and singing coach extraordinaire, spent an evening helping the chorus prepare for our annual Flag Day performance. Emotional expression and vowel production were his key topics of instruction. He also worked on vocal preparation for That Old Quartet of Mine and Darkness on the Delta in anticipation of this coming Tuesday's rehearsal with presentation coach Gary Plaag.

Gary is a member of the Alexandria Harmonizers and is also a a coach and instructor active within the Barbershop Harmony Society. We're looking forward a great evening with Gary and strongly encourage all members to attend this first presentation coaching session we've had in many years.

Coaching and Guest Directors

We had a very productive coaching session last night with guest director Glenn Phillips. Glenn worked with us on getting a taller sound and The results were impressive. We'll put this all to good use at our Flag Day performance this year.

Last night also brought a special treat in the form of the PDQ Quartet, who stopped by to sings a few songs for us between gigs. They are the hardest working quartet in show business.

Send a Singing Valentine

Valentine's Day doesn't wait for the snow to clear - it's coming whether you're ready or not. Still haven't done your shopping? No problem. Give the gift of music with a Singing Valentine from the Heart of Maryland Chorus. We'll send a quartet to your home, business, restaurant or wherever to serenade your sweetheart. Order now to reserve yours.

Love Songs at the Mall

Join us on Saturday Feb 13th at Columbia Mall as we sing at the Cardiovascular Clinic for Howard County General Hospital. We will sing a selection of the songs performed by our singing valentines quartets. Sign up to win a free singing valentine! The show starts at 11:00 at the Lord & Taylor's court.

Happy New Year

This year marks the beginning of the fifty-first year for the Heart of Maryland Barbershop Chorus. We can look back to contests, including Mid Atlantic Division wins, an International Contest appearance in Toronto, and two great showings at the Buckeye Invitational. We’ve had annual shows, charity fundraisers, and have served enough spaghetti and lasagna to feed an army. The chorus has sung all around the area - the National Anthem for Baltimore’s sports teams, Flag Day performances at Fort McHenry, and Christmas carols at the Inner Harbor. We’ve sung for local and nationally-known celebrities and have given free shows at local parks and several million (give or take a few) performances at senior centers.

This is only part of who we are. The chorus is more than just performances and contests. It’s also fifty years of fun and fraternity. Men who may have otherwise never met have formed lifelong friendships as we’ve learned and shared our music. We’ve formed quartets and traveled together. We’ve seen the big events come and go – births, graduations, weddings, and have sung at more funerals than we’d like. But even as we’ve lost long-time members, new men have stepped into their places, each one welcomed to share our joy in ringing a chord and seeing the smiles of an appreciative audience.

The next half-century starts today and we’ve ready to get started. Our Director, Kevin King, is still helping us move forward and teaching from his seemingly limitless knowledge of music. Already this year, we have plans for two contests, a dinner show, and two days of Singing Valentines.

Come join us on a Tuesday night and find out how you can be part of the next fifty years of the Heart of Maryland.