This is the time of year when barbershop quartets of every stripe from the novice to the International aspirant have a chance to raise the bar for their own personal bests and to show the world what great entertainment they've been preparing.

The Rahway Valley Jerseyaires will be sponsoring the 45th Annual Rahway Valley Novice Quartet Contest on Saturday evening, February 25, 2006 at the Rahway High School, 1012 Madison Ave at Central Ave, Rahway, NJ at 7:30 PM.

To qualify as a 'Novice Quartet' no more than two members of a the quartet may have competed in any quartet that qualified to sing at a District-level contest and only one of those two men may have advanced to or sung at the International level, whether by the route of Prelims or District-level contests.

It is particularly gratifying that the Manhattan Chapter has provided the catalyst for a novice quartet to compete at this annual contest, called, Murphy's Law, in which the quartet consists entirely of quartet novices. This is an exciting combination of new talent, that has come, all together, from outside of barbershop.

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Bob Murphy, the quartet's namesake and lead, is a brash but adorably self deprecating new comer to barbershop whose infectious love for quarteting and powerful, bright and effervescent singing has been the pride of the chorus from the moment he arrived just 8 month's ago.

Chuck May (bass), is a professional musician and a High School bandleader. Although he is the director of the Montclair chapter's chorus he has relatively little barbershop quarteting experience. He too is a relative new comer to the Big Apple but his background and enthusiasm shows great promise for the chapter.

Seth Phillips (bari) is also completely new to barbershopping and the Manhattan Chapter but he comes with recording credits as a songwriter and guitarist in a unique acoustic band called, "Nobody, Et Al". Seth was recruited only last September but, since joining has boldly stepped up to the plate as a chorus member and now a quarteter.

Chris Granger (tenor) is one of the Big Apple's youngest and newest members. He is just about a year out of College and resides in Brooklyn. He is a quiet and amiable fellow with a beautiful, free and easy tenor voice and a very good ear for tuning.

They've had little time to prepare or be coached, given the ambitious rehearsal schedule they maintained with the BAC. Nevertheless they are ready for their debut and our chapter wishes them and foresees for them nothing but the best in time to come.

Bass singer Gordon Harrison, who holds duel chapter memberships with the Manhattan and Princeton Chapters will also competing at the Rahway Valley Novice contest with members of Princeton in a newly formed quartet called: Tongue on Cheek.

At the more advanced level, the BAC's quartets, Manhattan Music Company, Sugar Daddies and Greenwich Av, will be testing their medal at the MidAtlantic District's International Preliminary Competition in Cherry Hill New Jersey at 7PM on March 10th and 11th at the Cherry Hill Hilton Hotel.

Manhattan Music Company has done the chapter proud, as they have clearly honed their skills in the past year since forming. Tom McQueeney now cuts a bold and charismatic lead with lots of sass and attitude and big vocal chops to support it. Rich Galdi, bass (affectionately known as the bass voice of God) provides ample resonance for Tom's vocal presence. Steve Plumb, bari must be doing something right because he makes Rich sound even bigger than God and still nobody hears him and Bob Lozeau has morphed into a zany languid tenor to compliment this distinctive mix.

Also, Manhattan's own district perennial, Greenwich Av (not Ave.) will debut with their new and well-recognized lead, Cecil Brown. This will certainly be a "new" group to be on the look out for. Cecil is backed up by Bob Kovach on Bass, Brad Verebay on Bari and Steve Dunie on Tenor.

It will be particularly pleasing to see Jim Steiner on top of his medical conditions there in the role of the beaming, Maurice Chevalier type leading man that he is; supported by the usual suspects: Bob Kovach, bass; Gordon Harrison, bari; Hank Zielin, tenor.

Reveille, a quartet who has repeatedly qualified and performed at BHS International Quartet competitions, is also slated for the spring Prelims. The four members of Reveille are not only members of the Manhattan Chapter but are key members of The Big Apple Chorus music team: Dr. John Ward (Lead) is the BAC lead section leader, Mark Paul (Bass) is the BAC bass section leader, Roger Payne (Tenor) is the BAC tenor section leader and its premier arranger and Joe Hunter (Baritone) is the Big Apple Chorus Director.

The Manhattan Chapter prides itself at providing fertile grounds where men of talent and motivation (regardless to their experience) can find opportunity, support and expression beyond the borders of the chorus experience. Return to Homepage