Barbershop singing at its best
By Loreen Berlin
Here it is folks—it’s already the holiday season, with Halloween behind us, and Thanksgiving and Christmas looming over the horizon, and the Orange Empire Barbershop Chorus is busy rehearsing Christmas songs for its annual “Christmas Cabaret Capers” that includes “singing waiter quartets” from the Chorus who serenade guests as they serve them dinner.
Performance times include Friday evening, Nov. 30. at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 1, which has a matinee performance at 12:30 p.m. and the evening show at 7 p.m. in the La Habra Community Center
The cost is $30 per person.
“As in the past, it’s a dinner-show combination, with proceeds going to help support music education in our local high schools,” said OEC Publicist Jay Campbell. “Chorus members are the singing waiters and will be serenading at tables before dinner; these performances are always a sell-out, so while it may seem early, I encourage you to get your tickets early as we’ve sold out for the past 20 years.”
The musical presentation begins right after the dinner and includes traditional Christmas music and other holiday favorites from both the chorus and individual quartets from within the chorus.
“We are every man from all walks of life and all ages, from early 20s to mid 90s, with diverse occupations such as truck driver, doctor, engineer and barber, to name a few,” said Director Craig Ewing, who hails from the city of Buena Park. “We live in Garden Grove, Cypress, Yorba Linda and even more remote locations.”
Men, you still have time to join OEC and sing in the Christmas Cabaret show. The common bond is the pleasure derived from singing four-part harmony.
