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Six members of the internationally-known, all-male U.S. Army Chorus will sing in their first Baritones’ Concert By The Sea on Thursday, Aug. 25 at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Rehoboth Beach. The concert is free and there are two performances at 4 and 7 p.m.
Chorus member and Rehoboth Beach resident Alex Helsabeck is a member of St. George’s Chapel in Harbeson, which is part of the All Saints’ Parish and he has taken the lead in organizing the event. The music will include Broadway melodies, “art” songs (little songs by different composers that tell a story or give a thought) and patriotic themes.
“We like to take occasional retreats,” Helsabeck said. “Our group has had an overnight retreat here. It builds our morale and helps us as we work together. The people here at the beach are very receptive to good music and we look forward to sharing our music with them.”
The chorus was formed in 1956, almost 50 years ago, and is the vocal counterpart of the U.S. Army Band. It is headquartered at Fort Myer, Va.
The chorus often performs at White House functions hosted by the Department of State and is a standard feature for presidential inaugural events.
World leaders, such as Queen Elizabeth II, the princess of Thailand, former British Prime Minister John Major and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev have been serenaded by music in their native languages.
The chorus is able to sing in more than 26 foreign languages. It has performed with the National Symphony, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and other well-known orchestras and musical groups. They sang at President Ronald Reagan’s funeral and most recently, at the NASCAR races.
When not in uniform, chorus members serve the arts in other ways. Some perform in Kennedy Center shows. Others are fulltime church music directors. Helsabeck does solos at both All Saints’ and St. George’s Chapel when he is in town. He also often plays the organ at St. George’s Chapel when he is at the beach.
“All of the baritones have master’s degrees in music,” Helsabeck said. “Two have doctorates. Our accompanist for the August concert, Joe Holt, is the official accompanist for the U.S. Army Band and has a second home in Bethany Beach.”
Members of the chorus of baritones for the August concert are Cliff Ogea, Michigan; Bob McDonald, Virginia; Neil Ewachiw, Maryland; Curt Kinsey, Pennsylvania; Bob Burner, Virginia; and Alex Helsabeck, Rehoboth Beach.
For more information on the concert, call the All Saints’ Parish office at 302-227-7202.
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