The Chorus
For nearly fifty years men have gathered each week in northern Johnson County to enjoy the fellowship of vocal music and harmony, singing in both The Overland Stage Chorus and a variety of quartets. Chartered originally as the Overland Park Chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA) this group is the oldest men’s chorus in Johnson County and one of the oldest in the region. Men of all walks of life participate, from bankers to barbers; some have musical backgrounds, many do not. The style of singing, whether the chorus or a quartet, is unaccompanied men’s voices arrayed as Lead (the melody), Tenor (an obbligato above the melody), Bass (the foundation of the harmony), and Baritone (the fourth note to make the chord). While the men are proud to sing ‘the old songs’ - popular music of the early twentieth century - they also sing more modern music arranged for four-part male voices. Through membership in the Barbershop Harmony Society, an international association of men’s choruses and successor to the SPEBSQSA, the Overland Stage Chorus represents the best in men’s vocal music. And, important to note, neither the Overland Stage Chorus nor the Barbershop Harmony Society have a connection with any religious or political organization. Singing in many community venues each year - for example, the annual Harry Truman birthday celebration at the Truman Library in Independence - the chapter’s chorus and quartets are proud to present men’s voices in four-part harmony.
Copyright 2007 Overland Stage