The Big Apple Chorus
Bold, brash, entertaining, vocally exciting,
but never taking it too seriously –
meet ---
Bigtime!
A quartet dedicated to the adage that “variety is the spice of life”, Bigtime! commands a repertoire remarkable in its scope, ranging from traditional ballads to original comedy, to Sinatra, to contemporary swing, and featuring hot charts from a variety of top arrangers, many from the fertile brain of the late great Roger Payne, a former quartet-mate and major inspiration.
Fern Sicilia, Tenor –
Fern is our own Cuban missile crisis J. A young and talented singer, he is also an experienced musician and performer. Fern is a high school music teacher/choral director, accomplished instrumentalist and experienced quartet singer. He also has by far the most hair in the quartet, which is a source of continual distress for the rest of us! Fern brings his own special brand of youthful energy and craziness to the fray. We consider Fern to be a real Bigtime tenor!
John Ward, Lead --
A certified Singing Judge, John is a four-time District Quartet Champion and a veteran of the Scarborough Dukes Chorus during their heyday. John is one of two Canadians in the quartet, and as such brings a certain love for hockey and Sleeman’s Cream Ale to the group. John is a matinee idol and great lover - in his own fevered imagination. He also serves as the Big Apple Chorus Associate Director and Lead Section leader and is a sought-after singing coach. Doctor Ward is a chiropractor, with a practice at his office in midtown Manhattan.
Chris Arnold, Bass –
Chris is our other certifiable Canadian, and is also a Certified Music judge. An accomplished vocalist and director, Chris has earned the title of District Quartet Champion four times, on two different voice parts. Chris has utilized his wide vocal range and sight-reading skills to found Quick Start Vocal Productions, a company that specializes in producing learning recordings for barbershop ensembles. Chris has the uncanny ability to be able to sing all four parts with quality and unerring accuracy – unfortunately, this skill is sort of useless live, so he needs the other three of us! Chris works full time as a technical writer for a local software company. Chris was also the Associate Director with the Toronto Northern Lights, helping the renowned small chorus earn six International medals from 2000-2005. In August of 2005, he was appointed Musical Director of Toronto's MegaCity Chorus. Chris is also a highly sought after coach, and is a dedicated family man.
Joe Hunter, Baritone –
Joe is a Presentation judge and current Category Specialist. A nationally certified chorus director trainer, Joe serves as Musical Director of the Big Apple Chorus. Joe is the guy who puts the “big” in Bigtime! Joe has long been known for his comedic impact (intentional or otherwise) and fancies himself as a creator of original comedic concepts. He is the former lead of International Finalist quartet Four Under Par, former baritone of Variety Pak, former Musical Director of Long Island’s Twin Shores chorus, and former jockey (the horses went on strike). Joe is a busy chorus and quartet coach, and in the real world is a Senior Vice President of software development for CitiBank, which is also a little funny…
So there you have it – 3 judges, 4 musical directors, and some bigtime resumes. We hope you all enjoy our show and the quartet as much as we enjoy performing for you. Because we're having a ball – Bigtime!
Web Note --Looks like they could have named the quartet “One Good Lookin’ Guy” J