Cape Chorale to perform at NFM High
Cape Chorale, a group that performs barber-shop favorites and gives back to the community, will give a pair of performances at North Fort Myers High School on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the auditorium.
This year’s show is called “The Band Played On” and will feature some of the best barbershop quartets in the area, as well as the entire group performing classic harmonies, faith-based and patriotic songs, and even some more modern fare.
Larry Cunningham, president of Cape Chorale, said the two-hour show will feature the entire ensemble as well as a pair of featured performers.
“We’ll be doing a combination of barber-shop classics and more modern music. We’ll start with ‘The Band Played On’ and do others you may be familiar with like ‘Everybody Loves a Lover,’ ‘Do you know what it Means to Miss New Orleans’ and an old Ricky Nelson song called ‘Old Mary Lou,'” Cunningham said. “We’ll be doing a range from the early 1900s to the ’70s.”
The event will also feature Throwback, a quartet that was the Bronze winner of the Barbershop Harmony Society’s 2015 International Quartet Championship, as well as The New Perspective.
Faith-based songs will include “Amazing Grace” and The Lord’s Prayer. The show is expected to end with a patriotic medley of songs of the military branches and “God Bless America.”
Due to the group’s popularity, the show, which serves as its big event of the year along with its cabaret show in the fall, was moved to a bigger location.
“We have a good following, but we’re always looking for new people to come see us,” Cunningham said. “This venue has more capacity than years past, so we’re hoping more folks will come out.”
Cape Chorale, formed in 1992, is a chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, a 501 c 3 non-profit organization with more than 22,000 members worldwide whose mission is to preserve this musical genre and give back to the community.
“Giving back is just as important as receiving donations. On Valentine’s Day we break into quartets, go to places where they want us to sing to their loved one, and give you a rose, candy, card and sing,” past president Denny Bowers said. “Most of the proceeds goes to the Lee Memorial Hospital Pediatric Unit. Over the years we have given nearly $35,000.”
Tickets are $15, $20, $25 at the door. For more information, go to www.capechorale.org or call 855-425-3631.