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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Westminster Chorus

A Cappella News found this video of the Westminster Chorus winning the Llangollen '09 competition, thus claiming the title of "Best Choir in the World." Wales is the home of this competition, rightfully so due to its long tradition of men's choruses associated with, of all things, the coal mining industry.



Despite their name, these are American singers, and the influence of Barbershop singing is obvious. I can't express complete satisfaction with the quality of their music selection—they go so far as to commit Shenandoah—but there's no questioning the quality of their singing, the tightness of their ensemble, or their soulful enthusiasm. No question: a knock-out performance.

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Friday, July 03, 2009

Sing Shenandoah For Joe

Joseph Jennings, having built the Best Choir on Earth, is stepping down as leader of Chanticleer.

(As a bonus, the word "horripilation" gets used and defined in the comments.)

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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Across the Wide Missouri

Garrison Keilor once observed that, every 15 minutes, somewhere in the United States, a choir commits Shenandoah:



Hat tip to The Standing Room.  This is not my favorite arrangement, due to its dominant chord dominance, a Mozartian prettiness that doesn't really belong in American Folk music (or anywhere, but that's another post).  However, this song was the highlight of Chanticleer's 2009 Ann Arbor performance—an unforgettable occasion, like all Chanticleer concerts—and the balance in that unenhanced setting was even better than engineers achieved in this video.

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