Chapter News

2008 was a banner year for the West Towns Chorus and 2009 looks to be just as promising.

In 2008, we:

• Were crowned the 2008 Illinois District Chorus Champions in April!
• Competed at the Barbershop Harmony Society International Convention in Nashville, TN. Our rendition of “Till There was You” and “Music Man Medley” earned us International acclaim.
• Placed in the Illinois District International Chorus qualifying contest, enabling us to compete at the International Competition in Nashville.
• Revived our Spring show, featuring the fifth place International Quartet, “Old School.”
• Received rave reviews for our annual Christmas show, “Memories of Christmas,” earning standing ovations for our three performances at the Tivoli Theater in Downers Grove.
• Performed in numerous community “sing-outs,” including singing the National Anthem for the Kane County Cougars and the Chicago Rush Arena Football team.
• Greatly increased our membership, adding many new members who competed on stage with us for the first time.
• Brought in several outside coaches to work with us in areas ranging from vocal production to musical interpretation to stage presence.
• Saw The Partners of West Towns, our auxiliary organization of dedicated women and men, play a pivotal role in our operation, assisting us in every facet of our competitions and our shows as well as numerous fund-raising activities. With their kind support, we are able to focus on what we do best: delivering our best barbershop performance.

In 2009, we look to improve the quality of singing we provide to the public as well as our competitive talent by:

• Performing as the 2008 outgoing Illinois District Champions in Peoria this April.
• Releasing a brand new CD--including a tribute to our own Barbershopping legend, Warren “Buzz” Haeger.
• Unveiling our new contest set in September in our quest to qualify for the 2010 International Competition in Philadelphia.
• Increasing the number of our Christmas Show performances at the Tivoli Theater in order to meet the increasing demand for tickets.

As always, we work tirelessly on achieving musical excellence by continuing our path to becoming one of the top singing and performing organizations anywhere and one of the top Barbershop choruses in the world. With our internationally acclaimed musical director, and a staff of quality assistant directors, we are well along our way to becoming one of the most entertaining, quality-oriented, choruses who never lose sight of the fact that fun and fellowship are necessary to sustain a happy, healthy, and thriving chorus.

All members of The West Towns Chorus recognize that singing is part of who we are, and that our fellow members are an extension of our own family. We know that we are a vital party of not only the singing community, but the community at large within which we proudly wear the label: The West Towns Chorus.