Founded in 1938 as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (SPEBSQSA), the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) preserves and extends the reach of a uniquely American close harmony musical art form. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee since 2007, the society provides active programs and resources in music education, publishing, performance, and community outreach.
The Dayton Metro Barbershop Chorus chapter was chartered in 1983, uniting two existing chapters, Dayton Suburban and Centerville. Key leaders in the merger were Troy Kaper and Lou Wilson with Centerville, and Larry Ager and Joe Jenkins with Dayton Suburban.
The chorus promotes barbershop quartets and barbershop harmony; maintains programs of musical education, contests, and appreciation of barbershop harmony; and promotes and participates in charitable projects that support our vision.
We would love to have you visit us at rehearsal; we meet Mondays at 7:00 P.M. at:
St Paul’s Episcopal Church
33 West Dixon Avenue
Dayton, OH 45419
History
The Dayton Suburban chapter was founded in 1950, under the leadership of Pat Nurenbrock. Pat had been with the previously existing Dayton chapter in the 1940s. During the ’50s and ’60s the Dayton Suburban chapter featured annual quartet “parades”, much in vogue at that time. In 1963 the chapter’s top quartet, The Blazers, won the Johnny Appleseed District (Ohio, West Pennsylvania, and Northern Kentucky) championship and gained wide recognition. The Blazers’ lead was Trask Beery, later the chorus director and booster of “woodshedding”. The Centerville chapter was formed in the 1970s. The chapter chorus, The Colonial Chordsmen, was directed by Hank Schuster, former associate director of the Singing Buckeyes. Later the chorus name was changed to Miami Valley Music Men and the name was retained at the time of the merger in ’83.
During the 1980s the Music Men blossomed under the direction of Scott Brannon, lead of The Cincinnati Kids quartet. In ’84 the chorus was honored as the most improved in the J. A. D. and in ’85 the Music Men placed second in the district contest.
The chorus again thrived in the 1990s, inspired by the enthusiastic direction of the renowned Randy Chisholm, lead on the International Champion quartet Marquis.
In the early 2000s long-time Singing Buckeyes, Tom Larsen and Hank Shuster directed the chorus, moving toward greater achievement – and more enjoyment – in both show performance and inter-chapter competition. Directorial duties were handed to chapter member and assistant director J.R. Routt in 2008 leading to a Johnny Appleseed District Plateau A championship in 2013.
In 2021 we changed the name from the Miami Valley Music Men to the Dayton Metro Barbershop Chorus to reflect both a change in the Society, through its Everyone In Harmony initiative, and the makeup of our chorus to include all genders.