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Young Men's Barbershop Chorus We have gathered a group of young men from several high schools, plus some under-25 adults who love to sing, to form Pacific Suns, a Young Men's A Cappella Chorus singing four-part close harmony. The objective is to provide an exciting, high-quality singing environment for young men and an opportunity to perform for the San Diego community. Another goal is to compete at the International Youth Barbershop Chorus Festival, which is held annually in January. We performed at the 2014 Festival in Long Beach, CA, on January 30-31, 2014, New Orleans on January 7-10, 2015 and Costa Mesa, CA on January 18-20, 2018. The next opportunity will be in Salt Lake City in January, 2020. NOW ACCEPTING NEW MEMBERS, ages 14-24. Check out a video from our Long Beach performance. We played a major role in the promo for the 2012 Youth Chorus Festrival:
You are welcome to come to rehearsals and learn what it's all about. Auditions available at every rehearsal. Our repertoire will include contemporary a cappella, doo-wop, and the 4-part close harmony of the barbershop style.
Here is a video of another repertoire piece we are learning. Practice with this version of Love Me And The World Is Mine to get a feel for the dynamics and rhythm we will use. We have adopted the name Pacific Suns as a recognition of our location and three barbershop choruses in the county with these words in their name, Pacific Coast Harmony, Sun Harbor mChorus and Palomar-Pacific. The implication that they are our "sons" is also intentional. The above logo reflects the prospects for a bright future, as does one of our repertoire songs, It's A Brand New Day, a fitting theme song. Our director is Royce Ferguson, tenor of the 1998 International champion quartet, Revival, and director of the 2007 and 2010 International champion chorus, Westminster. Our coaches include Mike Lawton, baritone of Revival, and Allan Webb, BHS Certified Director, Former President of the Far Western District, and previous director of Pacific Suns. Their breadth of experience will enable us to produce an awesome sound. Our Chorus Managers and POCs are Paul Girard and Bobby Reynolds, Youth In Harmony Co-chairmen of Pacific Coast Harmony.
Rehearsals Please note: The schedule of rehearsals is alternating between Saturday AM or PM and Sunday afternoon. We post information about the next rehearsal on Facebook. If you want access to the music ahead of time contact us. NOW is a good time to join as we start to learn new music, such as Kentucky Babe and Stand By Me. Parents of high school students are welcome and encouraged to attend and find out the goals of the program. If you are under 18, you MUST have the following form filled out by your parents. Bring it to your first rehearsal or mail it to Performances Dates for future performances are: None scheduled (See Past performances for details of past events.)
What IS the IYBCF? Since 2008, the Barbershop Harmony Society has hosted an International Youth Barbershop Chorus Festival (IYBCF) at its Mid-winter Convention in January each year. The Festival is now referred to as the Junior Chorus Festival. It is open to male choruses of 12 or more singers, with no singers over the age of 18. Membership in the Barbershop Harmony Society is not a requirement for any competitor or director. Another opportunity is to compete in the Varsity Chorus Festival in July each year. Eligibility is for 25 and under. We welcome working youth, college students and high school/middle school students who have singing experience. Choruses can represent a high school or university, as well as a combination of high school, collegiate or other singers meeting the age requirements. There are also International youth quartet contests for these age categories. Each chorus is adjudicated on three songs. Two of the three songs must be "contestable" by the Society definition of barbershop harmony. The third selection can be any song sung a cappella with any number of voice parts. It may be in a foreign language and vocal percussion is permitted. All performances will be judged by Society contest standards in music, singing and presentation categories. Singers' hotel and registration expenses are provided for by the Harmony Foundation for the Junior Chorus Festival, but not the Varsity Chorus Festival. Transportation is arranged by the local Barbershop Harmony Society chapters and possibly some costs for the members. Our Youth Chorus, Pacific Suns, first attended the festival in Pasadena, CA, in 2009. We then competed in the 2011 contest in Las Vegas, NV. This 2012 trailer features our chorus members (in gold shirts) in several scenes. The next competition we participated in was in Long Beach, CA, on January 31, 2014, and again in New Orleans in January 2015. Several members attended the 2016 festival in Reno, NV. We had our nearest competition in Costa Mesa, CA, in January 2018. The junior chorus contest is held on Friday. The youth choruses will also sing in a mass chorus on Saturday night, for which they will rehearse on Thursday afternoon. The event has drawn over 600 singers in 20 choruses and is largely responsible for a resurgence of interest by youth in singing barbershop harmony. For Next Generation Barbershop information visit the Barbershop Harmony Society's site. Past Performances Dates of past performances were: — Saturday, September 10, 2016, 2 PM, Sun Harbor Chorus 70th Anniversary Show, Prado Theater, Balboa Park. — Saturday, November 12, 2016, 7 PM, Youth Harmony Day Showcase at Patrick Henry High School. Members participate in the workshop during the day for FREE. — Saturday, April 16, 2016, return engagement at Parkway Plaza to sing for a Fashion Show. Models are from the Council of Youth Empowerment in East County and includes the Miss California (El Cajon) court. — Sunday, March 13, 2016, Pop-up Chorus at Parkway Plaza Shopping Center. We did a one-hour show for free for shoppers in a kind of formal A Cappella Ensemble Showcase. — Saturday, November 21, 2015, 7 PM, Youth Harmony Day Showcase, Lewis Middle School, 5170 Greenbrier Avenue. Call time 6:00 PM. Participate in the workshop during the day for FREE. — Sunday, October 25, 2015 (tentative), "From Sea to Shining Sea-Harmonizing Songs Across America". North County Y of Encinitas fundraiser for Camp Pendleton youth camp. Time: 2 to 5 PM (our singing time TBD). Schulman Auditorium, Dove Library, 1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad. — Saturday, April 11, 2015, A Cappella Ensemble Showcase, featuring SoCal Vocals, winners of the 2008, 2010, and 2012 International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), who went on to win the ICCA on April 18, 2015. plus The Newfangled Four, the 2013 International Collegiate champion barbershop quartet 2013 Far Western District champion barbershop quartet. Competition included college a cappella groups and secondary school ensembles in a Sing-Off format. — Sunday, March 15, 2015, 4 PM, La Jolla Presbyterian Church, — Friday, January 9, 2015, International Youth Barbershop Chorus Festival, New Orleans, LA. — Saturday, November 1, 2014, 7 PM, Youth Harmony Day Showcase, Lewis Middle School, 5170 Greenbrier Ave., SD, 932120. Call time 6:00 PM. Participate in the workshop during the day. — Sunday, September 14, 2014, 1:30 PM, Sun Harbor Chorus Annual Show, Prado Theater, Balboa Park — Saturday, May 31, 2014, 7:00 PM, Pacific Coast Harmony Annual Dinner Show, Torrey Pines Christian Church, 8320 La Jolla Scenic Dr North, La Jolla, CA 92037 — Saturday, March 1, 2014, 7:00 PM (Call time 4:30), Guest Perforance at CMEA-SBS Honor Choir Concert, College Avenue Baptist Church, 4747 College Avenue, SD 92115 — Saturday, February 8, 2014, 7 PM, Youth Harmony Day Showcase, Lewis Middle School, 5170 Greenbrier Ave., SD, 932120. Call time 6:00 PM. Participate in the workshop during the day. — Friday, January 31, 2014, International Youth Barbershop Chorus Festival, Long Beach, CA. Received an Outstanding rating. — Sunday, September 15, 2013, 3:00 PM (call time 12:30) , Sun Harbor Chorus Annual Show, Together In Harmony w/Young Men's Honor Chorus, Prado Theater, Balboa Park — Saturday, June 15, 2013, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Inaugural Meeting and Rehearsal, Trubitt residence, 12065 Rue Montereau, San Diego CA There were previous incarnations of Pacific Suns
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