Freshmen Again with:
- Tenor: Bill Kruse **
- Lead: Steve Berkwits **
- Bari: Stash Rossi **
- Bass: Marty Taylor **
Freshmen Again! Is the latest in a long line of quartets that have emerged from the ranks of The Westchester Chordsmen. The quartet has performed with Swing Bands in the Westchester and Fairfield County area, street fairs, singing contests, and industrial shows. Freshmen Again! is not your conventional barbershop quartet. The group recreates the great jazz sounds of The Four Freshmen, popular in the 50' and 60's with classics like Route 66, Graduation Day, and It's A Blue World.
Bill Kruse - A 43 year member of SPEBSQSA Inc, started his Barbershop career in Madison, Wisconsin with the Capitol Chordsmen Chorus. He has sung with the "Sharberboppers", "Upper Johnnies", "Three O'Clock Four", "Broadway Joes" and "Cap'n Billy's Whizbang" quartets. In the Freshmen Again quartet, he enjoys singing melody in the highest voice part.
Steve Berkwits - Newest member of the group, sings the 2nd voice. He recently returned to singing as a member of the Westchester Chordsmen. He has done Cantorial work, has sung in high school, college, and church choirs, and performed in many amateur musical and operetta productions. In the Army in Europe, Steve won the Army Entertainment Contest, and sang in the chorus of the Frankfurt Opera. Steve has 3 grown children, and works in the computer field as a salesman. He is thrilled to have returned to the hobby he likes best of all... singing!
Stash Rossi - (the 3rd voice) Is Associate Director of the Westchester Chordsmen, and Director of the Golden Apple Chorus, a Sweet Adelines women's chorus in Hawthorne, NY. Stash is the former Director of Music in the Mount Pleasant School District in Thornwood, NY. After 33 years of teaching, he is enjoying the fun and fellowship of making music in the Barbershop world.
Marty Taylor - sings the lowest voice. Marty taught Physical Education for 34 years in the NYC schools, and enjoys his hobbies of singing, playing the recorder, and sculpture.
Lettermen Quartet
On screen title: Westchester-aires with:
- Tenor: Tom LaMotte **
- Lead: Bob Seda **
- Bari: Steve Delehanty **
- Bass: Al Fennell **
This quartet was formed at a moment's notice to appear on 'Late Night with David Letterman' back in 1995 to sing 'The Top Ten List'. The producers of the show must have liked what they saw. The quartet has been invited back five times (on the show they are called the Westchesteraires). They have also had two appearances on ABC's "The View" as well as having been seen numerous times on Westchester's cable Channel 12. Because of their appearances on national television, they were mentioned in Harmonizer Magazine's cover story as one of Our Society's most influential quartets.
Our Favorite Pastime with:
- Tenor: Al Garfield **
- Lead: Irv Flamer **
- Bari: Brian Horwath **
- Bass: Nick Hodnett **
The name of this quartet is a true reflection of the pleasure they bring to, and get from, their singing (It is certainly more descriptive than their former name, The Sol G. Ferndock Memorial Quartet.) They have competed in the Northern (now Metro) Division and at the District level, and have been Division medallists several times. Although they have entertained many audiences, they remember most fondly those of the popular Artists and Lyricists series with Sammy Kahn at the 92° Street "Y" in New York City, and a performance with the Golden Chordsmen at Lincoln Center. Coming together from Rockland. Nassau, Westchester and Queens Counties these Westchester Chordsmen are. from the left: - Tenor Al Garfield. who is a former Westchester Chordsmen President and Music Vice President.
- Lead Irv Flamer has served the Westchester Chordsmen as Program Vice President, Board Member and Stage Presence Coach;
- Bass Nick Hodnett is a former SPEBSQSA Music Interpretation Judge and a 39-year member of the Society who has served the Westchester Chapter in various capacities including that of Show Chairman
- Baritone Brian Horwath, who sings with both the Westchester Chordsmen and the Big Apple Chorus. He serves Westchester as an assistant director, music coach and Tag Aficionado.
Contact: Al Garfield - 845-354-1644
Tri County Connection with:
- Tenor: Dave Buchner
- Lead: Ron Hayden
- Bari: Scott Kruse **
- Bass: Lyn Kaufman **
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The Tri-County Connection has been doing a cappella gigs for over 17 years in the Counties of Westchester, Fairfield and across the bridge in Bergen and Rockland. A birthday, a town celebration, an after meal entertainment, a party, a cocktail stroll-around, etc. – we’ve targeted them all. Mostly barbershop , sometimes the Beatles, or the Beach Boys, add some Doo Wop or Disney: that’s what we do. Singing Lead, or melody, is Ron Hayden, a Bergen County native. Ron has the unique ability to “carry” a song, enabling the audience to “feel” the song with him – and to identify with the audience to convey its emotions. Ron is part of the Blue Chip Chorus of Bergen in Teaneck, NJ, singing Lead. He serves as their Assistant Director and before joining Teneck had been a barbershop chorus director. Lyn Kaufman is the Bass, supplying the foundation of any song, and dignity, being the eldest. But he hasn’t been singing Barbershop as long as either Ron or Dave, which fact he laments. Residing in Fairfield County, Connecticut he does the most traveling of the four to reach our weekly rehearsals in Montvale, NJ. He is active with the Westchester Chordsmen, also singing bass. Our Tenor is Dave Buchner, singing the highest part, harmonizing above the melody. Also a Bergen County native and a Blue Chip Chorus member. And he’s their “pitch” man, as he is ours, always carrying a “pipe” with him. In his Chorus he never knows if he’ll be singing tenor, baritone or bass, as the occasion calls, being adept in all three parts. Our newest member, Scott Kruse of Westchester County, sings baritone. He may be the youngest in age and has only been with us two years, but he may well have been exposed to barbershop for more years than the rest of us, since his parents, brothers and aunt have been harmonizing from before his birth. His mother and sister are active in the Sweet Adeline chorus in Hawthorne, N.Y. And he loves a cappella, as his “on pitch” attests. He is a front row man alongside his dad with the Westchester Chordsmen. |
Slightly larger than a quartet - Classic Sounds with:
- Tenor plus Lead: Steve Aversano **
- Tenor plus Lead: Gabe Dassa **
- Tenor plus Lead: Lewis Valentino
- Bari plus Lead: Bob Seda **
- Bass plus Lead: Al Fennell **
If you close your eyes and think back to Murray the K, the Brooklyn Paramount, the street lights on Belmont Avenue, the boulevards of Bensonhurst, straphanging from a leather strap on your way to see "Them Bums", Frankie, Dion, WMCA Good Guys, cruising the streets in a '56 Chevy with the windows cranked down, singing to the tunes on your portable AM radio, and a host of other good times, you’ll know why The Classic Sounds sing DooWop. That's why a surgeon, a plumber, a teacher and a student can lean in close to each other, sing those back-up sounds that are second nature to us all, give you a little hand jive and a smile, and make you remember what "feel good" music is all about. See their web site at www.doowopclassicsounds.com
The Grandmas and Grandpas with:
- Tenor: Anne Richards
- Lead: Al Oneto
- Bari: Jean Oneto
- Bass: Phil Richards **
The Grandmas and Grandpas (G & G's) are a Barbershop Quartet who love to sing the old songs for you. We have a large repertoire of Old Hymns, Holiday Songs, and just plain fun songs. In the summer, we sing at local churches when their choirs are not active. During the Holiday season, we entertain at local Senior Citizen Residences. On Valentine's day, we deliver Singing Valentines. The rest of the year, we perform for a wide variety of local groups.
The four members, who are all proud grandparents, have lengthy experience singing with a number of Barbershop Singing organizations. The members are Anne Richards, Tenor; Al Oneto, Lead; Jean Oneto, Baritone; and Phil Richards, Bass. For more information, visit our web site.
Quatrain with:
- Tenor: Bob Kelly
- Lead: Steve Marrin
- Bari: Tom Brucia
- Bass: Al Fennell **
R.S.V.P. with:
- Tenor: John Knight **
- Lead: Chet Miechkowski **
- Bari: Scott Kruse **
- Bass: Fletcher Barton **
For information about any of these quartets, send an Email to:
manager@chordsmen.com
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