By Sue Wambolt, Contributing Writer
Westborough – Bruce Lopatin, a longtime Westborough resident, is an internal IT auditor by day and a singer in “The Sounds of Concord” barbershop chorus by night.
“Barbershop singing is, as we jokingly say, the best kept secret in the United States,” Lopatin said. “Nobody knows about us. While I don's have the exact numbers, I's estimate that there are 30,000-plus men singing barbershop.”
Lopatin began singing in junior high and high school and then did not sing again until he joined the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) in 1991 when he was in his mid-40s. In 2009 he became a member of The Sounds of Concord chorus, a group of about 55 men who range in age from 20 to 80. The men work in all different professions: software engineer, minister, financial analyst, cable installer, technical salesman, teacher, doctor, CFO and optician, among others.
“When I started singing with The Sounds of Concord,” said Lopatin, “we only had about 25 men on stage. As we'se become a better singing – and performing – chorus, more men have joined. Success breeds success.”
The chorus rehearses at Temple Emunah in Lexington every Thursday night and performs at various locations primarily throughout eastern Massachusetts. The group also goes to: hospitals (including a yearly stint at Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford), nursing homes, Old Sturbridge Village, assisted living facilities and private parties. Last year they had the opportunity to sing at The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. They also send quartets out to sing on Valentine's Day.
“We perform at barbershop functions – where we “barbershoppers” get together and entertain ourselves,” Lopatin said. “We recently performed at the Beverly Bash [hosted by the Beverly Chapter] and in March, at Irish Night [hosted by the Boston Chapter].”
Some of the songs in the group's repertoire include: “How Deep Is The Ocean,” “If I Had My Way,” “Love Me and The World is Mine,” “Have A Little Talk With Myself,” “Brother Can You Spare A Dime,” and “All Aboard For Dixieland.”
Lopatin has always enjoyed listening to and singing barbershop music.
“I love the way “barbershop” sounds. The chord structure and the arrangements continue to excite me, even after all these years. I like the topics that we sing about – songs about love lost, songs about love found, songs about places that I want to go to or have been. Many of the songs are deeply emotional. We sing a whole array of music from patriotic songs to “Broadway” songs to the occasional gospel song.”
The Sounds of Concord won the Northeastern District Championship (Northeastern District includes the choruses from all the New England states, several of the eastern Canadian provinces and a small chunk of upstate New York) last October and will be competing internationally in July. Additionally, they will be performing at the Show of Champions, Emerson Umbrella Theater, 40 Stow St., in Concord Saturday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, visit www.[email protected] or call 866-537-1584. To learn more about Sounds of Concord visit www.soundsofconcord.org.