Among the three competitive choral groups directed under the internationally known Harmony STL umbrella is a mixed choral group for youths aged 11 to 25 years.
"Our organization is the Black Belt of all aspects of a cappella singing, and a hotbed for musical arts, based on our 62 years of history and musical excellence. We invite more young singers to be a part of this robust program and the joy of expanding choral singing in St. Louis and beyond," states Harmony STL Executive Director Tim Myers.
Harmony STL is a vibrant chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society that continues to build on a foundation of six decades of musical tradition. The distinguished, nonprofit chapter is home to three choruses: the Ambassadors of Harmony men’s chorus established in 1963; the Recruits Chorus, an all-voices youth ensemble started in 2017; and Visions of Harmony, a women’s chorus that formed in 2022.
The men's group members are five-time world champions, the mixed youth group ranks 13th in the world, and the women's group earned the 9th worldwide spot.
Tim, formerly president of Harmony STL, became the group's new executive director this April to advance the nonprofit's mission to promote and celebrate the art of a cappella and to enhance engagement of audiences, donors and singers. He says the organization's Harmony STL Foundation creates opportunities for teens to exercise their inner vocalist, through summer camps, youth chorus opportunities, college scholarships, quartet mentoring and choral field trips. Tim says the foundation is meant to ensure these opportunities remain within reach for not only this generation, but future ones as well.
For younger singers, Tim says they typically host Acappellooza, a two-day, intensive camp held at the University of Missouri-St. Louis during the fall, with one day devoted to boys, another day to girls, with 600 participants attending each day.
The Recruits youth chorus initiative attracts students throughout St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties. "However, some members for our adult choirs drive up to 4 hours to participate in our other choral groups. They come from Decatur, Springfield and even Indiana," he adds.
During this June, Tim says they completed a four-day summer music camp. "We started summer camps 11 years ago, with regional music teachers pitching in to train camp attendees."
He says they're planning to bring back the AcaFest next spring as a one-day, non-adjudicated event for friendly sharing of musical talent. He says groups of 4 to 40 among high schools and colleges will be welcome to participate.
Youths interested in potentially participating in The Recruits chorus can attend open guest visitations, which Tim says is available at every rehearsal. "We also have guest nights designed to help introduce new singers to our culture."
He states youths can attend open rehearsals at which they observe or can join in with singing. The audition process consists of attending at least three rehearsals, and they offer audio learning tracks to assist for memorization and for those who don't read music.
The Recruits choral group is co-directed by Eric Dalbey, a music teacher and voice instructor at Webster University in St. Louis, and Keegan Eich, a music and voice teacher out of University City. Their regular weekly rehearsals are held every Sunday from 5-7 p.m. at Memorial Presbyterian Church, near Forest Park.