Our Music Director

T. J. Barranger is a versatile and sought-after coach, singer, arranger, and songwriter, whose impact on the Sons of the Severn has been dramatic, to say the least. An ardent believer that "bigger isn't better; only better is better," T. J. has helped the Sons of the Severn evolve into a respected arts organization with a reputation for consistently excellent singing and innovative showmanship.

T. J. has a unique ability to create vocal arrangements that are both clever and very singable. His arrangement of Sailin' Away On The Henry Clay has become a signature song for the chorus, and his setting of the 1950s pop standard, You Belong To Me, was the highest scoring competition song for the Sons in over two decades. T. J.'s arrangements are exclusive to the Sons of the Severn, and help set the chorus apart from other groups.

As a quartet singer, T. J. has enjoyed a modest degree of success, winning a Southern Division Championship in 2006 as tenor of Direct Hit, and placing in the District's Top 10 in 2008 as lead of Prime Time. He was also the tenor in the popular Vocaholics quartet from 2003 to 2005. His other quartet credits include Voice Activation (tenor), At Random (tenor), The In Crowd (lead), and The Pick of the Litter (lead). Though he is retired from competitive quartet singing, T. J. still pitches in as a substitute member of numerous Sons of the Severn chapter quartets, able to sing any voice part on a moment's notice.

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Born into a musical and theatrical family, T. J. has been singing and acting on stage since the age of 6, performing in numerous musicals, dramas, and revues. He is a lifelong fan of the Vaudeville-inspired comedy and vocal harmony acts of yesteryear, so it was only a matter of time before he found himself singing barbershop.

T. J. began singing barbershop while he was a junior in high school. The school's policy at the time did not allow for transfer students to participate in the choral music program, so he needed to seek his musical outlet elsewhere. As luck would have it, a longtime member of his church choir was also a barbershopper, and invited T. J. to his first meeting with the Somerset Hills, New Jersey chapter in October 1994.

For ten years, T. J. was an active member of the Somerset Hills chapter, serving in several leadership positions, including Music & Performance Vice President, Lead Section Leader, Assistant Director, and ultimately as Music Director for five years. Under his direction, the SomerTones chorus won the Northern Division Small Chorus Championship in 2001 and 2004, and twice represented the division at the fall Mid-Atlantic District competition. At age 23 years and one month, T. J. was the youngest director to take the stage in the 2001 District competition, and one of the youngest ever to direct at the District level.

In February 2005, T. J. became the front line Music Director of the Sons of the Severn, while still serving as director of Somerset Hills, and still living in New Jersey. Despite being separated from his new chorus by over 200 miles, he made it to rehearsal every Tuesday (and rose at 4 a.m. every Wednesday morning to be back at work on time). The long drives and early mornings paid big dividends when the Sons won the Western Division Intermediate Chorus Championship after only three months with T. J. at the helm. In September 2005, T. J. was able to relocate to the Annapolis area.

Under T. J.'s musical leadership, the Sons of the Severn have become one of the most successful and most entertaining choral groups of any kind in the Annapolis area. Within the Barbershop Harmony Society, the chorus has won its plateau division championship four times (and counting), has qualified for the fall District competition every year, and placed in the Mid-Atlantic District's elite Top Ten in 2008.

By day, T. J. is an office professional with over a decade of work experience. He also operates a home business, designing marketing and publicity materials for small business clients. He is husband to a beautiful and talented Sweet Adeline, and is father to an incredibly adorable and handsome future barbershopper. The Barranger family makes its home in Anne Arundel County, MD.