From Montreal and Indianapolis to Denver and Nashville, members of the Downers Grove-based West Towns Chorus have been ringing chords on stage in the Barbershop World’s International Competition these past few years.

This year, this men’s a cappella group came in first in its district under the direction of Joe Krones, which is why they competed in Nashville last month July, where they were ranked 22nd.
The group rehearses at Moose Hall and performs Christmas shows at the Tivoli Theater and a spring show every couple of years. Local members include John Morrison, Bruce Rhoades and Mark Johnson.

Morrison has sung with the group for 10 years now as a lead or baritone. He has participated in all four of the chorus’s recent treks to international competitions and thinks barbershop singing is a great, fun hobby. He particularly enjoyed this most recent trip.

“Nashville was fun since this was the first competition that my whole family went to with me. My wife, Betty, and daughters, Emily and Melissa, came, along with Melissa’s boyfriend, John Ptack, who sings bass with the chorus,” Morrison said. “My daughters enjoyed Nashville as it is Music City with plenty of people to see and things to do.”

Bruce Rhoades is a newer member, having joined after the Montreal competition. He has sung with the chorus in the Indianapolis, Denver and Nashville competitions.

“I’ve been with the WTC for three and a half years now,” he said. “I mainly sing bass with the chorus. I sing barbershop for several reasons. Taking part in ringing a few chords is a big stress reliever and joy giver.”

In addition, Rhoades said that “the sounds created by being with such a wonderful world of talented and giving people who get a kick out of singing harmoniously has reopened my eyes, heart and spirit to the childhood passion I had for music.”

He also said that one of his favorite experiences in Nashville was singing a tag or song with newfound friends when 10 minutes before, they were just people — strangers — on the same bus.

Mark Johnson has been a WTC member for about a year and a half. He also sings bass with the group and has participated in both the Denver and Nashville international competitions.

“One thing I like about singing barbershop is that it requires memorizing using both my brain and my voice,” he said. “But the real charge comes from ringing chords with everything correct — pitch, vowel shape and so on.”

The thrill of competing, he said, comes from “performing at the best possible level you can — executing the right things at the same time as everyone else while still being strong as an individual.”

That goal stands at the quartet as well as chorus level, and Johnson said he witnessed it in action listening to the quartet, Old School, in which Krones sings. The first time Old School sang in the competition, the quartet received a standing ovation for each of its two songs. Johnson said that another WTC member, one with more than 25 years of experience, said Old School’s sound was the best he’d ever heard. Clearly, in addition to the quality of the music itself, a key aspect of singing barbershop is the fellowship involved, including — as illustrated by these gentlemen — the respect and support members have for each other.