KU student quartet wins 2nd in district barbershop singing competition

LAWRENCE -- Four University of Kansas men, known on the barbershop quartet circuit as Random Harmony, won second place in the Central States District convention of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America in Lincoln, Neb.

The KU quartet, noted for its contemporary twist on the traditional barbershop style, prepared for the 2003 competition "by watching other quartets and seeing what works for the champs," said Josh Abel, Eudora junior. For competition they sang "If You Had All the World and Its Gold" and "I Never See Maggie Alone."

Shaun Whisler, Olathe senior in voice and a co-founder of the quartet, said, "We improved last year's score by 102 points, and we've got a good chance to go to international competition in Montreal at the end of June, first of July."

On April 5, they competed about three hours before the KU vs. Marquette Final Four men's basketball game and had time to return to their hotel rooms to watch KU win.

Many watching CBS affiliate stations WIBW in Topeka and KWCH in Wichita during the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in March actually heard Random Harmony during a 30-second TV spot for KU. Produced by KU's Office of University Relations, the spot featured Random Harmony's contemporary rendition of "The Crimson and the Blue" as campus scenes flashed by.

The four, all in music programs, met at KU. Whisler and Michael L. Brown, Perry junior, founded the quartet in November 2000. Whisler, bass, and Brown, baritone, sang in KU's Men's Glee Choir and realized they both had an interest in barbershop. In high school, Whisler sang tenor in a group that finished third in the Kansas state high school competition and toured Europe in 1999.

Whisler and Brown recruited KU music students Abel, tenor, and Dustin Peterson, Douglass senior, lead singer and tenor. By spring 2002, they were regularly booking engagements, including a performance at the annual Vespers program and the 2002 commencement banquet. Random Harmony also performed at the English premiere of Kurt Weill's "Die Sieben Todsünden" in November 2001 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Beyond musical talent and ingenuity, barbershop quartet competition judges look for style and presentation. The national SPEBQSA Web site offers this judging tip: "Close your eyes: Do you hear a 'fifth voice'? That ringing sound is called an overtone, or expanded sound."

At the district competition, a quartet from Doane College in Crete, Neb., won first place, making the group eligible to compete in the international event. Others in the college division included Kansas State University, Wichita State University, Butler County Community College and Northwest Missouri State University.

To view the TV spot and listen to the quartet singing the alma mater, click on the audio or video prompts at www.ur.ku.edu/News/03N/MarchNews/March19/random.html.

The Random Harmony members are:

BUTLER COUNTY
From Douglass
Dustin Dwight Peterson is a senior in theatre and voice. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Peterson and is a Douglass High School graduate. He plans a career performing professionally as an actor-vocalist. Last summer, he performed in "The Scarlet Pimpernel" at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park and for the Miss Kansas pageant in Pratt, where he will perform again this summer. He sings in several KU ensembles and has made two international tours with the KU Chamber Choir, traveling to Brazil in summer 2001 and to Australia in summer 2002. He will perform in KU Theatre's "The Magic Flute," April 26 and 27 and May 1 through 4. In previous KU productions, Peterson performed as Joe Cable in "South Pacific" and as Nanki-Poo in "The Mikado."

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Eudora
Joshua Craig Abel is a senior in music education with an emphasis in voice. He is the son of Hyacinth Abel and is a Eudora High School graduate. His first professional experience in music was with the Lawrence Children's Choir, from 1991 to 1997. He sings with five ensembles at KU including Chamber Choir, Men's Glee, Concert Choir, Vocal Collegium Musicum and the KU Marching Band. Abel plans to attend graduate school for a degree in choral conducting. His professional goals include teaching choral music at the high school level and establishing a community or children's choir.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Olathe
Shaun Whisler, senior in voice, co-founded Random Harmony. He is son of Cheryl and Ronnie Cross and is an Olathe East High School graduate. He has been singing barbershop for nearly 12 years, including performing with the B-Sharp's quartet in high school. His career goals include performing professionally and teaching choir at the junior or senior high school level. Whisler is making his debut with the Kansas City Opera in its production of "Il Rigoletto" May 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. At KU, he has performed as Pish-Tush, on alternate nights, in "The Mikado," in the chorus for "Pirates of Penzance" and for "The Bartered Bride," and as Linus in "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown."

JEFFERSON COUNTY
From Perry
Michael Lawrence Brown, junior in voice, co-founded Random Harmony. He is the son of Kyle and Bernadine Brown and is a Perry-Lecompton High School graduate. Following graduation in May 2004, he plans to attend graduate school in Vienna, Austria, to prepare for a career in opera performance. During spring break 2003, Brown toured the East Coast with KU's Chamber Choir. He performed as Pish-Tush, on alternate nights, in KU's production of "The Mikado" in January.