Female barbershop chorus seeks director, more voices

The Northland is a unique place. Our folk singers are heard by millions of Europeans (through the magic of Vodafone commercials), you can bump into our rock stars everywhere from Obscuriosities Retro on Fourth Street to the Thirsty Pagan in Superior and ... we have an all-female barbershop chorus.

That's right, there is such a thing and, believe it or not, the members of North Shore Sounds probably couldn't live without it.

"Most of our gals are really caught up in it," said member Dorothy Holmes. "We have one who gave up her bluegrass group she'd been with for many years to come and join us."

Holmes also just happens to be a former member of the Harbor Chords, the Sounds' spiritual predecessor, which operated between the mid-'50s and the late-'80s in the Twin Ports.

"They disbanded after about 30 years because they were losing members," Holmes said. "The younger people were starting to get too busy with kids and stuff."

The Duluth native first experienced that now-defunct group in the mid-'70s after returning home from an extended vacation of sorts in Tucson, Ariz. ("I went for a two-week visit and stayed for four years," she recalled, laughing.)

"I came back and my folks said, 'We're going to a barbershop concert; come on along, you'll love it,'" Holmes said. "And I'd never heard anything like that.

"It was like, Whoa, I wanna join. And the next Tuesday I joined."

She remained with the Sounds for the next five years.

"I was in and out about three times, depending on how much my husband griped about it," she joked, mentioning that they lived about 25 miles out in the country.

But Holmes missed the experience.

"In 2002 some of us got together and said, 'Time for a reunion,'" she said.

Together they located about 100 former members, half of whom came back -- some from as far as away as California -- for a one-off reunion show at Casa de Roma.

"We met in the early afternoon and rehearsed five songs at least twice," she said, "and we remembered our words, we remembered the notes. And, at 5 o'clock, our family and friends came, we had a buffet supper and then we put on a show. It was really fun."

So fun, in fact, that she decided it was time for another all-female barbershop chorus in town.

"The next closest female barbershop group would be Thunder Bay, Forest Lake or White Bear Lake," Holmes said. "And there are a couple gals from Superior who drive down to Minneapolis to be in City of Lakes, the internationally recognized group."

While that championship Twin Cities group boasts 100 members -- they have a "big sound," Holmes observed -- North Shore Sounds performs with about one-fourth of the voices.

"We'd like to be up to about 40 voices at least, so we are looking for members," she said. "Sometimes people think they have to be solo voices to sing, but they don't, because we maybe have two who are soloists in our group. And the rest of us are choir people and chorus people, you know?

"But when you put it all together, it sounds great."

Holmes' group is also currently seeking a new director.

The commitment for directors and new voices is one night a week for practice (see "News to Use" box) and about one performance or "singout" a month -- though, Holmes was quick to point out, the holiday season is significantly busier.

"We're a community chorus, so we sing at nursing homes, church events and the like," she said, adding with a smile: "It's a great hobby, and it's nice to go out and do things for people."

NEWS TO USE
Interested in joining a female barbershop chorus? Stop by one of the North Shore Sounds rehearsals any Monday evening at Salem Lutheran. They meet from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Call 722-9585 or e-mail pineyridge@hughes.net with questions or to hire the group for a "singout."