Sunday, November 16, 2008 12:42 AM CST
Youth In Harmony Festival features 220 high school singers
CHARLESTON — For the fourth consecutive year, the Coles County Barbershop Singers hosted the Southern Illinois Youth in Harmony Festival at Eastern Illinois University.
The all-day event featured 220 high school students (75 boys and 145 girls) from 12 different high schools learning new songs and preparing them for the evening program.
Schools represented were Carterville, Central A&M, Charleston, Cumberland, Danville Christian Academy, Dieterich, Oakland, Oblong, Okaw Valley, Paris, Shelbyville and Sidell-Jamaica. Paris had 59 participants, the largest of any group. Festival coordinators were Dave Clausing (Mattoon) and Tom Woodall (Charleston).
The boys sang “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and “Happy Together” while the girls chorus performed “Lean on Me,” “Swing Down Chariot” and “Sha Boom.” Then both groups joined to sing an eight-part arrangement of “America the Beautiful.”
Jim Debusman, a music specialist with the Barbershop Harmony Society (Nashville, Tenn.) was the guest clinician for the boys. He was assisted by the Prairie Blend Quartet from Champaign, whose bass singer is Vern Knapp. Knapp started singing barbershop harmony some 40 years ago when a student at Charleston High School in 1969.
The girls were guided by a Sweet Adelines Quartet named “Ovation” whose members came from Springfield, Galesburg, Granite City and St. Louis. In addition, a high school mixed octet from Mt. Zion, performed along with Measure 87, a boys quartet who won the state of Illinois High School Championship last spring.
Tom and Tim Woodall, directors of the Coles County Chorus, presented sessions for music educators and EIU music students, in addition to leading a small ensemble in a unique baseball presentation that finished with a special tribute to the Chicago Cubs.
Twenty-four members of the chorus acted as hosts throughout the day, which started at 9 a.m. and finished at 8 p.m.
Cash and in-kind support were provided from several sources. Locally, the Charleston Area Charitable Foundation and Eastern Illinois University were extremely helpful.
The Illinois District of the Barbershop Harmony Society and the International Barbershop Harmony Society both provided financial support and the Sweet Adelines, Inc. again provided free music and learning CDs for the girls.
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