Gazette News Report
XENIA — The smooth sounds of a cappella return to Xenia for the 55th year when the Xenia Hospitality Chorus presents its annual show.
The Friday, May 13 show is called “A Cappella Harmony Explosion!” and features special guests The Reen Family Quartet and the Harmony Brigade.
The Reen Family Quartet is a subset of a large, musically versatile family from a small farm in southern Indiana. Steve and Sophie Reen are classically trained musicians who have performed professionally for the past 25 years. They are joined by their nine children, appearing as the Reen Family Singers, and currently perform across the USA and Canada. Weddings, dinners, church concerts, and Barbershop chapter shows are their specialty. The Reen family sings and plays instruments in a wide variety of musical styles.
The oldest four boys (Stephen 17), Dominic (16), Bernie (15) and John (11), joined the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) as a quartet in the spring of 2010 and performs and competes throughout central U.S.
Within a few months of their induction, they were winning awards. They won the Novice Quartet Award in the Cardinal District Fall Contest in 2010. The following year, they were awarded the Cardinal District Quartet of the Year. The quartet finished third in the 2014 Cardinal District Fall Convention. They are current members of the internationally-ranked Southern Gateway Chorus (Cincinnati) and Circle City Sound (Indianapolis). As “The Reen Brothers,” the four won the Youth Quartet Finals of the Johnny Appleseed District April 8, qualifying them to compete in the BHS International Quartet Contest in July at BHS International Headquarters in Nashville, Tenn.
As a non-profit entity since 1953, the Xenia Hospitality Chorus is a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, an international organization with chapters in 23 countries, dedicated to preserving and promoting the barbershop singing style. The chorus, led by musical director Don MacAdams, performs a wide range of music.
The concert will be held 7:30-9:30 at the First Church of Christ, 441 Ledbetter Road in Xenia. Tickets are $12 for adults; children 12 and under are free. Groups of 10 or more are $10 per adult. Afterglow will perform 9:30 p.m. with a separate admission of $8.
