There are a lot of misconceptions about barbershop music.
“It’s not four guys around a barber pole,” said Bernieta Fincher, Pittsburg.
For one thing, it’s not just for guys. Fincher and several other Pittsburg women are members of Show-Me Harmony Chorus, an all-female singing group which is affiliated with Sweet Adelines International. It is composed of women from Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
It encompasses a wide range of music.
“We sing all kinds of music,” Fincher said. “We say that we sing from every genre.”
“Barbershop is a unique American music style,” added Judi Campbell, another chorus member.
Local audiences will get a chance to hear it when Show-Me Harmony Chorus presents the musical comedy “Here Come the Clowns” at 3 p.m. Sunday in Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger. They may be purchased by calling the Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium box office at 231-7827 or online at www.memorialauditorium.org.
In the show, a pack of clowns “invade” a town. Appearing as alarmed city councilmen are Kevin Pommier, Steve Hutchcraft, Jon Meriwether and Matthew Holt.
Songs will include “Consider Yourself at Home,” featuring Pittsburg area residents Fincher, Campbell, Delores Wishart and Karen Wood, “Walk Right In,” “Accentuate the Positive,” “Love Potion No. 9,” “How Many Hearts Have You Broken,” “Smile,” “Side by Side,” “I’m the One You’re Looking For,” “Flirty Eyes,” “The Moment I Saw Your Eyes” and “I Feel the Earth Move.”
In addition to the wide range of material, chorus members have a wide range of singing experience. Fincher, for example, has been singing barbershop since around 1979.
“We used to have a Pitt-Kan group, but it folded,” she said. “In 1990 we started going to Joplin and joined Show-Me Harmony.”
“I don’t read music and I’m not a trained voice,” said Mary Wilson, Pittsburg. “But I’m an auditory learner, and I sit next to somebody who knows her stuff.”
“A lot of people think this is a scary thing,” Campbell said. “They think they can’t sing or learn a part. We think they can.”
For those don’t read music, for instance, CDs with each singing part are available. Rehearsals are held at 7 p.m. every Thursday at Northpark Mall, and interested women are always welcome to stop by check the chorus out.
“A real singer who comes usually gets hooked,” Fincher said.
“This is great for women who want to develop their musical skills,” Wishart said. “It’s also a great stress reliever. This isn’t about jobs or status, but about getting together, learning our parts and seeing how they fit together.”
“What really makes it worthwhile for me is when I go to rehearsal every week, then it all comes together,” said Marsha Mauersberger. “Then I want to clap for everybody.”
Other Pittsburg area women in the chorus include Marilyn McClure and Sharon Johnson.
Also featured in the Sunday program will be the Multigenerational Women’s Chorus under the direction of Susan Laushman and Ninth Hour, a southern gospel quartet based in Webb City, Mo. Glenda Rucker is director of Show-Me Harmony Chorus.
PITTSBURG —
