The Harbormasters would admit that they are not what their name suggests – masters of the harbor. They are the Beaufort chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, the largest singing organization in the world with more than 23,000 members in the US. Barbershop-style quartets sing in four parts, unaccompanied and in close harmony, with the melody in the second voice.
The Beaufort Harbormasters are masters in barbershop-style singing, indeed. They are also a musical charity that performs for the sick and infirm in hospitals and assisted care facilities, supports the Music-in-the-Schools program, entertains at local churches, clubs, and military bases, and delivers singing Valentines that include two love songs, chocolate and a rose. Contact The Beaufort Harbormasters if you really want to surprise your loved one on Valentine’s Day.
Several quartets hail from the Harbormasters, and two will come to Fripp on February 11: Tidal Fource and EU41A. They will share the stage with State and Main, a quartet from Vermont that got its name from the one “major” downtown intersection in Montpelier, the state’s tiny capital. State and Main has been entertaining audiences in Vermont for more than fifteen years and is looking forward to a mid-winter thawing-out and singing-reunion in the Lowcountry. By the way, this quartet is featuring Fripp’s own Brooke Pearson, who adds that extra spice with his sonorous bass.
It’s Valentine’s Day soon, so come and be impressed by the close harmony, challenging arrangements, and spirited camaraderie of these fine barbershop singers, enjoy the love songs, show tunes, classics, and barbershop favorites they will perform, and savor some chocolate treats donated by Beaufort’s The Chocolate Tree.
This is a special benefit concert to help support the Music-in-the-Schools program. Sunday, February 11, at 4:30 PM in the Community Centre Chapel, 205 Tarpon Boulevard. You get a free pass at the Fripp gate. Admission is by donation. Please, cash or check only (made out to Fripp Island Friends of Music). www.frippfriendsofmusic.com, www.beaufortharbormasters.org, or call 843-838-1777.
