Barbershop performances to benefit vets

In What has become a Veteran’s Day tradition in the valley, The Flathead Valleyaires Mens Barbershop Chorus will hold benefit performances for American veterans in Bigfork, Columbia Falls, and Kalispell.

All proceeds from the concerts will go to the Northwest Montana Veterans’ Food Pantry and the Montana Wounded Warriors.

In addition to the Valleyaires, several other barbershop groups will perform. The Men with No Name, an octet selected from the chorus, will sing patriotic and western music. Too Sharp to be Flat, a mixed quartet of both men and women, will perform some popular favorites. Big Sky Classic Touch, a men’s quartet from the ranks of the Valleyaires, will sing patriotic tunes. And on Sunday, Nov. 11, the Five Valley Sweet Adelines Women’s Chorus will join in with their own repertoire.

Barbershop music is characterized by the fact that it is sung without accompaniment and is arranged to produce a sound full of rich and ringing chords. It is defined by the sound rather than the choice of music, which ranges from classic love songs to patriotic numbers to jazz and blues. And its uniqueness is easier to understand by listening to it than by reading about it.

Attendees should expect Veterans’ Day performances to contain a heavy dose of patriotic songs, but also popular and blues numbers. Performers have been working for weeks to prepare.

Performances will be Friday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church in Kalispell; Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7 pm. at Columbia Falls United Methodist Church; and Sunday, Nov. 11, at 3 p.m. at CrossRoads Christian Fellowship in Bigfork.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door or at the Whitefish or Bigfork VFWs, at Norm’s News in Kalispell, Glacier Wallflower Floral Shop in Columbia Falls, or the Pocketstone Café in Bigfork. For more information call 890-1882.