Local Champions in Song
The championship chorus trophy of the Seneca Land District (SLD) of the Barbershop Harmony Society has again returned to Binghamton! Our very own Southerntiersmen Barbershop Chorus won the SLD competition on April 7, 2018 in Geneva, competing against six other choruses from upstate New York. As the lyrics in one of their songs says, “Hallelujah!”
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It has been 10 years since the Southerntiersmen last won the championship in 2007. Competition is stiff in these competitions, as each chorus takes immense pride in the quality of their singing. With the title of champion also comes bragging rights for the coming year! Mike Lurenz, English teacher at Maine-Endwell High School, has been director of the chorus for many years, and has over 30 years of experience in the barbershop style of four-part harmony. He works collaboratively with the music team, Mac Sabol (vocal and performance coach), and Jerry Schmidt (director emeritus) in the quest for continual improvement in the chorus’ performance. For the last few years, the Southerntiersmen have also employed a nationally-known vocal coach to hone their singing and performance skills. Recent results prove that this dedication to excellence has been successful!
SLD competitions are held in the spring and fall each year. The Southerntiersmen use these as a tool to constantly improve our performance, because our real love is performing locally for a variety of public and private occasions. We sing because it’s FUN and it makes a difference in the lives of our audience! You’ll find us at Citizenship Naturalization Ceremonies at the Court House, military honor flight arrivals, the National Anthem at Rumble Ponies and BU games, nursing homes, hospitals, Valentines Day, county fairs, and private parties. When would you like to have us perform for you?
Come join us for an exciting evening of song and fellowship! We just might have what you’ve been looking for – this has been true for many new members. It has to be experienced to fully understand the attraction of four-part Barbershop harmony. Many of our members say: “I wish I had learned about Barbershopping sooner- but I am SO glad I am a part of it NOW!”
In 2022, the chorus began including women as members, designating us as a mixed chorus. Our name was officially changed to the Southern Tier Barbershop Chorus in the summer of 2023. We meet Tuesday evenings at the Fahs Construction Group Conference Center, 2305 Pierce Creek Road, Binghamton, NY 13903. We begin at 6:30 PM and end at 9:00 PM. An “Early Birds” group meets earlier at 5:00 PM to sing tags, practice current songs and learn new songs, and just have fun singing together!
For more information, call 607-821-4432 and leave a message. You can also visit our FaceBook page:
https://www.facebook.com/southerntiersmen
Come Sing With Us!