While their classmates may be hanging out at the pool or lounging on vacation, nearly 100 hopefuls pack their bags and head to
Northern Kentucky University
for a chance to learn new songs, discover new ways of singing and meet
like-minded teens. They mix multi-part vocals and specialized
choreography. And after four days and three nights of professional vocal
music education, rehearsals and coaching, they perform.
Oh, yes, they perform.
At the sixth annual
Greater Cincinnati Harmony Festival, teens create a Glee-like evening of song and dance.
"Gone are the days when families would gather around a piano and sing
together for fun, so we strive to support the school music programs in
their efforts to encourage?young people to find the enjoyment of making
music," says Paul Coleman, music chair of the Harmony Festival and
director of
The Delta Kings Chorus.
The festival celebrates the American folk art of barbershop singing,
which blends four parts of a cappella voices together in tight harmonies
that when executed perfectly, creates the sound of a fifth voice, also
known as expanded sound. As performed since the late 1800s, barbershop
mixes African-American musical devices, European hymn-singing culture
and the American tradition of social, recreational singing.
The festival also gives teens from around the region a chance to live on
a college campus and get a sneak preview of college living. After three
nights in a dorm, they are ready for the festival's finale, a public
performance alongside their peers and professional singers, including
coach Brody McDonald, whose high-school ensemble The Eleventh Hour
competed on NBC's "The Sing-Off" last year.
Do Good:
•
Watch the video. Find out more about the Harmony Festival when you watch participants in action.
•
Go to the show – for free! Doors open at 7 p.m. on June 25; show starts at 7:30 p.m. Be sure to arrive early to Greaves Concert Hall to snag a good seat.
•
Sponsor a scholarship. It costs less than $300 to sponsor a camper. You can even donate online.
By Elissa Yancey
Photo courtesy of Greater Cincinnati Harmony Festival
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