“Gonna take a sentimental journey, Gonna set my heart at ease, Gonna make a sentimental journey, To renew old memories…”
For anyone familiar with the musical tradition of barbershop quartets or barbershop singing in general, those few traditional barbershop lyrics will almost instantly transport them to memories of the close harmonies of the musical genre and leave them smiling. They may even start humming the rest of the tune.
That’s almost certainly the case for Edmund Jobson. He loves the a cappella style of singing and at 91 years of age, is the most senior member of South Island Harmony – a barbershop chorus that’s been around since 1968.
(Incidentally, if you’re foolish enough to question Edmund’s youthful spirit and his connection with audiences, you should know that he signs some of his correspondence with a tongue in cheek, “The Grateful Ed”.)
For those who are unfamiliar with barbershop music, you might be surprised to know that South Island Harmony is chapter 700 of the North American Barbershop Harmony Society.
That’s right, we said Chapter 700…so you get the point. Barbershop music is not a relic of the past, replete with straw boaters (that’s a hat, folks) and striped jackets. In fact, there are tens of thousands of men (and some women) who have embraced this style of music, and it is as infectious today as it ever was.
“Because of the way the voices are configured, when it’s done right, we actually create harmonics. The four parts will become seven separate harmonic tones. It’s almost magical,” said Jobson.
The good news is that the people of Victoria will have a chance to let those harmonies wash over them at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney when South Island Harmony presents Candy Canes and Carols – their traditional concert of Christmas holiday music.
“We’ve been doing a Christmas concert ever since the chapter formed, back in 1968 and every year the audience is great. They love the music, and they leave smiling and, sometimes, singing,” said Jobson.
This year, the chorus will be presenting the concert in a slightly different format.
“In past years we’ve sort of presented a mix of the more traditional religiously based carols with more contemporary tunes,” said Kinza Tyrell, the group's artistic director. “This year we’ve split the concert into two parts. The traditional carols will be sung in the first part of the program, and, in the second half, we’ll switch to songs about Santa and reindeer and candy canes.”
In addition to the music of the 29-member chorus, the concert will include music from three traditional barbershop quartets, groups of four men, perfectly synched in harmonies and fun.
The appropriately named Dave Christmas, the assistant director of South Island Harmony and a member of one of those quartets, will be on hand to add his voice to the evening’s melodies.
“Our group is called the Trounce Alley Quartet, and we’ll be joined by two other traditional quartets to add to the evening’s fun,” said Christmas.
He explained that the goofy hijinx sometimes associated with barbershop performances is generally a feature of traditional quartets but acknowledged that, sometimes, the entire chorus can get a little rambunctious.
Candy Canes and Carols will be presented on Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. at the Mary Winspear Centre. Tickets are available at tickets.marywinspear.ca/.
On a final note, it’s possible to hear abbreviated performances of The South Island Chorus at a number of special events throughout Victoria over the holiday season. They’ll be on stage at Uptown Mall for the lighting of the Christmas tree and will be popping up from time to time at other venues to treat the crowd to some musical fun.
Of course, the full Christmas concert is where the chorus really shines, and a great chance to take your own sentimental journey into Christmas.
