The Tucson Convention Center campus will resonate with three- and four-part harmonies starting today as 2,000 barbershoppers take up temporary residence through this weekend.
The Tucson Sunshine Chapter is hosting the 2012 Mid-Winter Convention of the Barbershop Harmony Society, which is the largest all-male singing organization in the world.
The society has nearly 26,000 members in 800 chapters across the United States and another 5,000 singers in affiliated chapters overseas, said Frank Hartline, who is vice president of marketing for the Sunshine Chorus and also sings baritone with the Tucson group.
The convention brings the vocalists together for contests, workshops, meetings and performances, including tonight's Centennial Concert of Champions, commemorating Arizona's 100th birthday. The concert features performances by Arizona Centennial Chorus, Tucson Barbershop Experience chorus, Spirit of Phoenix chorus, Tucson and Phoenix quartets, OC Times and Audacity.
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Hartline said he is most excited about the convention's youth outreach. Thanks to the popularity of such shows as "Glee" and "America's Got Talent," the Barbershop Harmony Society is seeing an uptick in interest by teens, he said.
About 16 youth choirs are participating in the convention, he said, hailing from Phoenix, California and Colorado. The youth groups will hold competitions beginning at 10:45 a.m. Saturday at the Music Hall.
Each summer in Tucson, Hartline's group hosts the Youth Harmony Festival, with about 250 kids learning four-part harmony in a single day, then putting on a public concert. This year's festival will be in July, Hartline said.
If you go
• What: Mid-Winter Convention of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
• When: Today through Sunday.
• Where: Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.
•Centennial Concert of Champions: 8 p.m. today at Tucson Music Hall, featuring Centennial Chorus, Tucson Barbershop Experience chorus, Spirit of Phoenix chorus, Tucson and Phoenix quartets, OC Times and Audacity.
• Tickets: $20 for adults, $12 for students at the door.
• More info or to buy tickets: tucsonbarbershopharmony.org
