The Journeymen Chorus, one of the most prestigious barbershop choruses in the Upper Midwest, will host the Collegiate Vocal Festival as they invite numerous collegiate vocal groups to participate in workshops and teaching sessions throughout the day.
These groups include The Singing Statesmen and Fifth Element A Cappella from UW-Eau Claire, as well as Devil Tones A Cappella from UW-Stout and the Tenor/Bass Ensemble from UW-River Falls. The event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 2 at DeLong Middle School in Eau Claire.
Throughout the day, the collegiate groups will be able to participate in coaching sessions, ensemble rehearsals, a masterclass in barbershop singing and informal quartet singing with opportunities to socialize throughout the day.
The event will lead into performances from each collegiate group, a festival chorus and a full performance from The Journeymen chorus. The performance will begin at 7 p.m., with tickets costing $20 for general admission or $10 for students, seniors and military.
Scott Perau is the artistic director and founder of The Journeymen.
“We are super excited to spread this form of music onto young people, and especially good musicians,” Perau said.
He started the group with a few friends after the pandemic. A number of his friends enjoyed barbershop singing along with him, but were participating in little organized singing.
Instead of joining a choir, they decided to start their own in 2022, and it has quickly risen to be a competitive group while also maintaining the enjoyment that brought them all together in the first place, according to The Journeymen’s website.
Kyle Hammers is the vice president of The Journeymen and choir director for DeLong Middle School.
The a cappella groups participating in the workshop are not solely barbershop, but Hammers said this prestigious group hopes to instill themes from barbershop singing to either further each individual’s chosen path for music or perhaps even find a new genre they never knew they would enjoy.
While performances are the main appeal for most of The Journeymen, the group also works to support other singers to help foster the passion that they themselves feel for the art, according to Perau.
“[I’m excited to] talk through the different ways they can participate and to [help them] find a home,” said Jay Fahl, president of The Journeymen.
Current members of The Journeymen range from 22-69 years old, so the participants of the Collegiate Vocal Festival are different from their typical demographic. However, Hammers said they all relish the opportunity not only to work with this other age group but also meet younger people and find out more about them as people.
“I look forward to the joy that goes along with making music with people and really just getting in touch with that innocence and pleasure,” Hammers said.
Though he is familiar with the joy from working with younger children, Hammers said he is excited to see how that looks in college-aged singers. Enjoyment is still a key aspect of singing, so being able to see that in more experienced singers is enticing for even the veteran Journeymen.
Members of The Journeymen make an effort to spend time with and learn about each other outside of the choir halls, according to Fahl.
“Scottie’s taking guys out on his boat after rehearsals this Saturday,” Fahl said.
Being a top singing group with some of the best singers around is one thing, but being able to enjoy things other than singing is special and one of the things these men are most proud of, according to Perau.
DeGear can be reached at [email protected]
