Barbershop singing is alive and well – and international!
Don Campbell, right, directs an 85-voice women’s barbershop chorus in the Netherlands. Campbell, professor of music and director of choral ensembles at SWU, has directed barbershop choruses across the nation and in several countries. (Eric Ideler photo)
In 1979, Dr. Don Campbell was 24 years old and in his second year of teaching high school when he joined the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS).
Since that time, Campbell has directed two barbershop choruses in California – one of those choruses he started from scratch and was their first director. In South Carolina, he directed the Palmetto Statesmen Chorus in Spartanburg for 11 years until he accepted the position of conductor of the chorale of the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium (GAMAC).
When Campbell came to SWU in August 1998, college teaching afforded him greater flexibility in his schedule to guest conduct festival choirs and teach at choral clinics. One such opportunity came in August 1999 when he was asked by BHS to join the faculty of the Harmony University (HU), an international, week-long school for barbershoppers. Over the years, his reputation for teaching a wide variety of leadership topics has grown. In fall, 2014, he was asked to become the dean of the Directors College for Harmony University. Through his work at HU, he has taught students from all over the United States as well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, England, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. He also appears in “Visions of Excellence: A Dialog with the Finest Directors from the Barbershop Harmony Society,” a book published by BHS.
For those who assume barbershop harmony is a creative outlet for men only, Campbell is quick to point out nothing could be further from the truth.
Holland Harmony, the women’s barbershop organization in the Netherlands, invited Campbell to come in September 2014 for a weekend to direct an 85-voice women’s barbershop chorus and teach seminars on directing techniques, sound management, how your voice works, and how to “teach what you know.”
“There was a significant amount of preparation for the weekend – not in finding enough to teach, but in deciding what to leave out for such a short clinic,” Campbell said. “The classes were great fun to teach because the students were hungry to learn everything they could about the barbershop style — and most of the women spoke English exceptionally well. There was only one class where I occasionally utilized an interpreter.”
As good as the classes were, Campbell said the most fun he had was with the chorus. He had about nine hours to put together two songs with choreography for the Sunday afternoon show. Campbell said, “I was blessed to have one of the top choreographers in the society design and teach the choreography plan; my expertise is sound – not dancing.” Though it was a lot of work, the chorus developed a great bond over the weekend. Campbell said, “We had a wonderful sense of mutual respect. The women worked incredibly hard and stayed amazingly focused throughout the long rehearsals. We were expected to have a name for our chorus for the final concert and they voted to be called, ‘Don’s Ladies.’ I was touched and honored.”
Campbell pointed out an interesting challenge he encounters when teaching barbershop to those whose first language is not American English – trying to sound like an American chorus.
“When I teach Italian, French, German, or Spanish to my choirs and voice students, I want them to sound as much like native speakers as they can. It is the same in reverse with international barbershoppers. There is an expectation that, especially in competition, they will sing in American English,” Campbell said. “The funny thing is, I have to deal with the same issues whether I’m in the Netherlands or Boston, Canada or California – or even South Carolina!”
Campbell continues to get invitations from groups internationally and plans to travel to New Zealand and Australia this summer for four weeks of directing choruses, teaching classes, coaching quartets and choruses, and possibly working with school groups during May and June.
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