Dear Prospective 2024 LSHB Participant:
All potential attendees, experienced Brigaders, LSHB members and guests are required to read this document carefully and understand the commitment you are making when you apply to attend the Brigade.
If you are passionate, ambitious, dedicated, experienced quartet man, and you yearn for a lot of good, challenging quartet singing, we know you’ll love the LSHB. The object of the Brigade is to encourage quartetting, to provide an exciting venue and a large network of strongly committed, local singers and to create a fertile environment for the development of high-level quartet singers.
The Lone Star Harmony Brigade is not for everyone. It requires dedication, lots of preparation, endurance and a fair amount of faith that the work you do to prepare will be matched by the ~120 men that will attend the 2022 Rally. The key binding ethic of the LSHB is that every man comes prepared by knowing ALL the songs, 100%, words and notes.
The Brigade is not for beginners, nor a place to ‘learn to quartet.’ We seek accomplished musicians willing to come together to make quality music. However, experience is not enough.
Fine musicians have a place at LSHB. The LSHB has introduced many inexperienced college-aged guys to their first taste of quartetting.
After reading the description of the event, if it sounds like something you'd like to do and it's something you feel confident you can do, you should complete the application form and submit a deposit at www.lshb.org
All guests must be sponsored by a member of the LSHB. If a guest wishes to attend but does not know a LSHB member, a sponsor/mentor can be requested and will be assigned. After contacting the prospect and checking references, the member-sponsor will recommend to the Membership committee to invite you to the Brigade. During the preparation period and at the Brigade, the mentor/member/sponsor will support the guest to assure that he performs to the standards of the LSHB.
About the Brigade Program:
More than one thousand men in North Carolina, Indiana, Great Lakes, Minnesota Northern Pines, Reno’s High Sierra, New England, Atlantic District, UK and European Brigades have enjoyed these unique Brigade Rallies in their region……some for over 25 years. A subsidiary of the Barbershop Harmony Society, the Lone Star Harmony Brigade is proud to have earned the support of our Society and the SWD District for this grassroots, quartet-oriented program.
What the Rally is about:
This is an invitational weekend event of non-stop quartet singing and quartet partner switching. Participants sing in hundreds of quartet combinations. Up to 120 men will arrive at our hotel venue, solidly prepared (knowing their part on 12 great songs) and ready to spend the entire weekend formally and informally quarteting! There are two rounds of adjudicated quartet competition (with randomly selected quartet members and randomly selected songs from those provided). There is also a Saturday Night show open to the public. The cost for the weekend is all-inclusive, covering registration fees, hotel accommodations, meals, and all the learning materials.
The basic information is as follows:
1) The Rally will take place from 3:00 PM on Friday, March 1, 2024, to Sunday morning, March 3, at the Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel (900 E Lookout Dr, Richardson, TX 75082) The last "official event" is around 11:00 PM on Saturday night, but almost everyone stays up late Saturday night quartetting.
2) The cost of the event is $360 and includes legal music and professionally recorded learning tracks for twelve great songs, a double occupancy room for Friday and Saturday night, and most meals (dinner Friday, breakfast and dinner Saturday, and breakfast Sunday).
3) Everyone wishing to participate in the event must submit an online application and $180.00 deposit.
All potential attendees, experienced Brigaders, LSHB members and guests are required to read this document carefully and understand the commitment you are making when you apply to attend the Brigade.
If you are passionate, ambitious, dedicated, experienced quartet man, and you yearn for a lot of good, challenging quartet singing, we know you’ll love the LSHB. The object of the Brigade is to encourage quartetting, to provide an exciting venue and a large network of strongly committed, local singers and to create a fertile environment for the development of high-level quartet singers.
The Lone Star Harmony Brigade is not for everyone. It requires dedication, lots of preparation, endurance and a fair amount of faith that the work you do to prepare will be matched by the ~120 men that will attend the 2022 Rally. The key binding ethic of the LSHB is that every man comes prepared by knowing ALL the songs, 100%, words and notes.
The Brigade is not for beginners, nor a place to ‘learn to quartet.’ We seek accomplished musicians willing to come together to make quality music. However, experience is not enough.
Fine musicians have a place at LSHB. The LSHB has introduced many inexperienced college-aged guys to their first taste of quartetting.
After reading the description of the event, if it sounds like something you'd like to do and it's something you feel confident you can do, you should complete the application form and submit a deposit at www.lshb.org
All guests must be sponsored by a member of the LSHB. If a guest wishes to attend but does not know a LSHB member, a sponsor/mentor can be requested and will be assigned. After contacting the prospect and checking references, the member-sponsor will recommend to the Membership committee to invite you to the Brigade. During the preparation period and at the Brigade, the mentor/member/sponsor will support the guest to assure that he performs to the standards of the LSHB.
About the Brigade Program:
More than one thousand men in North Carolina, Indiana, Great Lakes, Minnesota Northern Pines, Reno’s High Sierra, New England, Atlantic District, UK and European Brigades have enjoyed these unique Brigade Rallies in their region……some for over 25 years. A subsidiary of the Barbershop Harmony Society, the Lone Star Harmony Brigade is proud to have earned the support of our Society and the SWD District for this grassroots, quartet-oriented program.
What the Rally is about:
This is an invitational weekend event of non-stop quartet singing and quartet partner switching. Participants sing in hundreds of quartet combinations. Up to 120 men will arrive at our hotel venue, solidly prepared (knowing their part on 12 great songs) and ready to spend the entire weekend formally and informally quarteting! There are two rounds of adjudicated quartet competition (with randomly selected quartet members and randomly selected songs from those provided). There is also a Saturday Night show open to the public. The cost for the weekend is all-inclusive, covering registration fees, hotel accommodations, meals, and all the learning materials.
The basic information is as follows:
1) The Rally will take place from 3:00 PM on Friday, March 1, 2024, to Sunday morning, March 3, at the Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel (900 E Lookout Dr, Richardson, TX 75082) The last "official event" is around 11:00 PM on Saturday night, but almost everyone stays up late Saturday night quartetting.
2) The cost of the event is $360 and includes legal music and professionally recorded learning tracks for twelve great songs, a double occupancy room for Friday and Saturday night, and most meals (dinner Friday, breakfast and dinner Saturday, and breakfast Sunday).
3) Everyone wishing to participate in the event must submit an online application and $180.00 deposit.
- Participation is limited to a maximum of ~120 qualified men and is equally distributed among the four voice parts (30 men on each) on a "first to apply and qualify, first invited" basis, prioritized as follows: LSHB Members. Members of other AXQHB Brigades, SWD Guests and Guests.
- Use the Online Application process found at www.lshb.org.
- The deadline for all applications is December 31st, 2023. Registration will close to each voice-part as the limit of 30 men per part is reached. The LSHB reserves the right to open or close Registration at anytime for the benefit of the LSHB.
- Learning materials will be available for digital download upon acceptance to the Rally and receipt of the $180 deposit. Music will not be distributed until the deposit is received. Instructions for downloading your charts and learning tracks will be provided once payment of your deposit is received. A printed Music book and printed CD part-specific learning tracks are available at additional charge and will be shipped once payment is received.
- If your application is accepted, you will receive a welcome letter with a DISCOUNT CODE to be used for downloading the Music and tracks. If your application is not accepted, your deposit will be returned.
4) All participants will be required to learn their part on all 12 songs. Everyone is required to have their music and the interpretation completely memorized and to be absolutely, unfailingly prepared to sing in a quartet when they arrive at the rally. This is the key binding ethic of the Brigade. Participants invests significant time and effort to be completely prepared, knowing that everyone else who is participating will also do the same.
5) In reviewing the applications, the membership committee will be looking for individuals with a) significant quartet experience; b) special musical and performance ability and experience; c) and/or a sponsor’s reference to show that the individual has the ability to thoroughly learn 12 medium to highly challenging songs, with 100% words, notes, and interpretation.
6) You may withdraw from the Brigade before Feb. 1 and your hotel and meal expense will be refunded (from your deposit). Once distributed, however, the music package is yours, and is non-refundable. After Feb. 1, the entire registration fee is due and non-refundable. The forfeited registration fee will be donated to the LSHB Scholarship fund to attract and support quality quartetters who otherwise might not be able to attend. Keep in mind that the Brigade is self-funded. The LSHB commits to pay for a required number of guaranteed Hotel rooms, which in turn compensates for the hotel Meeting Room space. Late cancellations hurt the whole brigade. We may already have said “no” to another qualified applicant because we said “yes” to you.
Typical Schedule: The following schedule of events is subject to change.
5) In reviewing the applications, the membership committee will be looking for individuals with a) significant quartet experience; b) special musical and performance ability and experience; c) and/or a sponsor’s reference to show that the individual has the ability to thoroughly learn 12 medium to highly challenging songs, with 100% words, notes, and interpretation.
6) You may withdraw from the Brigade before Feb. 1 and your hotel and meal expense will be refunded (from your deposit). Once distributed, however, the music package is yours, and is non-refundable. After Feb. 1, the entire registration fee is due and non-refundable. The forfeited registration fee will be donated to the LSHB Scholarship fund to attract and support quality quartetters who otherwise might not be able to attend. Keep in mind that the Brigade is self-funded. The LSHB commits to pay for a required number of guaranteed Hotel rooms, which in turn compensates for the hotel Meeting Room space. Late cancellations hurt the whole brigade. We may already have said “no” to another qualified applicant because we said “yes” to you.
Typical Schedule: The following schedule of events is subject to change.
Friday:
3:00 - 6:00
Register and check-in (please pay your balance prior to arrival to expedite registration)
6:00 - 7:00
Dinner at the hotel
7:00 - 8:30
Opening remarks - Receive assignment to randomly generated quartet partners and randomly drawn song (out of the 12 prepared for the event). Come up with a name for your quartet; take about forty-five minutes to rehearse together.
9:00 - 11:00
1st round of Quartet Contest (great fun – come up with great choreo!)
11:00-11:15
Top 8 Quartets announced
11:15 – Late
Sing with as many different combinations as possible.
Saturday:
7:00 - 8:30
Breakfast in the brigade room
9:00 -11:00
Rehearsal for show. Rehearse Saturday Night show featuring the 120 man Brigade Chorus singing 12 great songs, and our headliner/guest quartets
11:00-12:00
General meeting and all business disposed of.
12:00-1:00
Lunch in the Brigade room
2:00
Deadline to enter Round Two-Scholarship Contest. Anyone not in the Top 8 may enter Round Two with a $20 donation to the scholarship fund. Random quartets will be formed and assigned a contest song. Three quartets will advance to the Sat. evening Finals Contest to compete against the eight random quartets selected Friday evening.
2:15
Songs assigned to Round Two Random Quartets
3:00 - 4:00
2nd Round of Quartet Contest. Top Three announced. Wild Card Quartet is announced.
12:00 - 5:00
“Free Time" (Count on a lot more singing!)
5:00 - 6:15
Dinner in the Brigade room
6:15 - 7:15
Get ready (dressed) for show.
7:30 - 9:30
Brigade Show (Public Invited)
9:30 - 10:00
Quartet Contest Finals
10:15 - 11:00
Winners announced and certificates awarded.
11:00 - ?????
Snacks (Pizza), Refreshments, and more Singing!
Sunday Morning:
9:00-10:30
Good-byes to many new friends and great quartet partners!
If you have ever attended Harmony University or an International or District convention where you have stayed up well beyond your bedtime singing with other guys for the fun of it, then you will be able to relate to the Brigade experience. The difference is: instead of trying to figure out what you all know, spend hours learning and teaching a tag, you will all have 12 great songs in common - and you have more time to do it! You show up and start singing! Immediate payback!!
Some participants will be looking to form a quartet. Others will be looking to fill existing quartet vacancies, while some are just looking forward to a great weekend of enjoyable quartetting. Everyone will be there to have a great time singing great songs with other solid singers! Your job will be to come so well prepared that everyone will be glad they sang with you. You want to be the guy everyone was glad to sing with!
If you know of someone else who may be interested in the Brigade, have him visit lshb.org, or e-mail us at [email protected] or [email protected]
Don’t delay! We expect the 2024 Lone Star Harmony Brigade to fill up fast!
Chordially,
Tony Stafford, President John Denayer, Member-at-Large
Rick Yarto, VP Performance Norm Running, Member-at-Large
Luke Miller, VP Music Ed Howard, Member-at-Large
Todd Ryan, Secretary Treasurer
Some participants will be looking to form a quartet. Others will be looking to fill existing quartet vacancies, while some are just looking forward to a great weekend of enjoyable quartetting. Everyone will be there to have a great time singing great songs with other solid singers! Your job will be to come so well prepared that everyone will be glad they sang with you. You want to be the guy everyone was glad to sing with!
If you know of someone else who may be interested in the Brigade, have him visit lshb.org, or e-mail us at [email protected] or [email protected]
Don’t delay! We expect the 2024 Lone Star Harmony Brigade to fill up fast!
Chordially,
Tony Stafford, President John Denayer, Member-at-Large
Rick Yarto, VP Performance Norm Running, Member-at-Large
Luke Miller, VP Music Ed Howard, Member-at-Large
Todd Ryan, Secretary Treasurer