The Chorus of the Atlantic has been meeting in-person.  Well, sort of in-person.  The men are participating in Carbershop, a drive-in rehearsal.

President Terry Schmalzreid explains:  A drive-in rehearsal is a way for a chorus to sing together, but with each member isolated in the safety of their own car.  Participants remain in their cars with their windows closed so micro droplets expelled by singing should remain in their cars.  If any droplets escape, they escape to the outside atmosphere to fall to the ground or to be carried off by the breeze.  Each participant sings into a microphone.  Each participant purchased a wireless microphone that they bring with them, take home, and do not share with anyone else.  The wireless microphones transmit to a central point where wireless receivers and a mixer combine the audio and broadcast it through a FM transmitter back to the cars so everyone hears the combined chorus on their FM radio.  Wireless (UHF) and FM radio waves transmit at the speed of light, so it sounds like we are all singing in one small room.

Jim Weythman is our sound engineer and makes sure all our signals are working and transmitting properly.  He works closely with Terry Schmalzreid who gathers the signals with sets of receivers and Jim transmits them to our car radios on 94.9 FM or another frequency he selects.

PHOTO:  Pitchman Bruce Hanson is photographed by the APP photographer.

On May 11, 2021, a photographer and a reporter from the Asbury Park Press interviewed our director, Craig J. Page, and a number of the men about the experience.  We'll provide a link to the article when it appears online.

Singing is a vital part of our lives.  We enjoy the sounds we make together as we ring chords and harmonize.  We enjoy the comraderie of our friends on the risers each week.  We find real joy in performing for our audiences around Monmouth County.  COVID-19 has put the world on hold and we are unable to meet in rehearsal.  We will get togther again, but in the meantime, the Chorus of the Atlantic and the Matinee Idles are meeting on ZOOM for weekly meetings on Tuesday evenings.   We have improvised.  Instead of singing together live we record our voice parts and our technical genius puts it all together as a virtual chorus.  We have also taken this time to review Music Theory.  We start at the very beginning and go through guided lessons each week to learn more about music.  But it is not all work.  We spend time each week to socialize and stay connected with our friends.

If you are interested in singing and would like more information about our organization, please visit www.barbershop.org.  You will find resources for all skill levels. 

Join us on our ZOOM meeting.  Contact Allan Dean at [email protected] to get meeting ID and password.

(l-r) Road Warriors is comprised of Terry Schmalzried, tenor, Chris D'Agostino, lead, Robert Maber, bass and Ray Smith, baritone

Road Warriors, competed with ten other quartets for the 59th Annual Rahway Novice Quartet Championship on Saturday, February 22, 2020.  The Rahway Novice Contest unofficially kicks off the contest season in the Mid-Atlantic District.  It is a wonderfully fun contest and a terrific afterglow party.

Road Warriors did exceptionally well against the field of competitors in their debut contest.   We look forward to hearing many great chords from this group. 

Rahway contest winners:

1st place: Rule #1 (Hershey, PA)
2nd place: Rhombus (Cherry Hill, NJ)
3rd place: Shop Class (Hamilton Square, NJ)