Schedule of Summer 2019 Sing-outs and Upcoming Events

The RRVBC is looking forward to a wonderful summer of sharing gospel music at area churches during their Sunday morning service. Here is the schedule of locations to hear great barbershop style gospel songs. 

Upcoming Sing-outs:

June 9- First Church of the Nazarene Sterling, IL (not yet confirmed)

June 23- First United Methodist Church Tampico, IL

June 30- Rock Falls United Methodist Church Rock Falls, IL

July 14- Immanuel Lutheran Church Amboy, IL

July 28- New Life Lutheran Church Sterling, IL

August 11- First Presbyterian Church Sterling, IL

August 25- Prairie Dell Presbyterian Church Shannon, IL

For more information please feel free to contact Jim Brotheridge at 815-441-7881 

or Kevin Deets at 815-973-3956.

Upcoming Future Events:

June 30-July 7 2019 International Convention, Salt Lake City, UT

July 21-28 2019 Harmony University, Nashville, TN

January 7-12 2020 Midwinter Convention, Jacksonville, FL

Spring is on the way and it's almost time for the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus Spring Show! Check your calendar and Save The Date ~ April 13, 2019 3:00 pm
Here are the details:

 Hope to see you at the show! It will be OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!

It's time to order your Feb 2019 Singing Valentine

Valentines day is right around the corner. It's time for you to schedule a singing Valentine for your sweetheart! Here are the details:

2019 Officer Installation Banquet

The 2019 Officer Installation Banquet was held on Sunday January 13, 2019 at Pinecricker Café in Polo, IL. The evening began with a delicious buffet meal followed by the installation of the officers and directors for the chapter.

Pictured from right to left are:

Kevin Deets – President

Mark Maginnis – Program director

Kevin O’Keefe – Past-President and 2019 Chorus director

Tom Balser – Secretary

Monty Cotter – Membership and Public relations & marketing director

Jason Brown – Music director

Tim Pashon – Previous Chorus director

The following members were not able to attend:

Phil Frey – Treasurer

Jim Brotheridge – Youth in Harmony director

Glenn Dancey – Director at Large

The 2018 Barbershopper of the year award was presented in the photo below to Gary Koeller (left) by Monty Cotter (right) for his outstanding contributions to the preservation and encouragement of barbershop harmony. 

The finale of the evening was wonderful barbershop music sung by two quartets from our chapter:

Spontaneous Combustion: pictured left to right are Tim Pashon, Kevin Deets, Kevin O’Keefe, Jason Brown. 

Lost in the Woods: pictured left to right are Jonathan Koch, Gary Koeller, John Davis, Scotty Lathrop

Summertime Fun!

We are smack dab in the middle of our busy season! Our annual show in April kicked off the time of year when we do most of our public performances from church Sermon-In-Song sing-outs do community performances around town. Here is just a small sample of what we've been up to so far:

Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus performing in
front of Grandon Civic Center in downtown Sterling, IL.

On June 27th we had the pleasure to sing as the pre-concert music for the Sterling Municipal Band at Grandon Civic Center in downtown Sterling, IL. This year the band is celebrating their 90th anniversary and as a part of that celebration they are bringing in musical groups from the surrounding communities to perform their music and share their talents. We are proud to be one of those chosen groups and pleased that we were able to help the band celebrate 90 years of musical tradition!

Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus under the direction of Music Director Tim Pashon.

We are helping to celebrate a lot of anniversaries this year! In addition to performing for the Sterling Municipal Band, we were pleased to help the First Congregational-UCC of Lee Center commemorate their 175th Anniversary. What an amazing achievement!

Above: RRVBC performing for the First Congregational-
UCC of Lee Center 175th Anniversary celebration.

This church has such a rich history and it was wonderful to be able to walk around and see the exhibits showing the amazing people and events from the last 175 years.

Left: Lost in the Woods, our newest quartet, singing Darkness on the Delta.

Greenridge Musical Kaper singing
Can You Feel the Love Tonight

Spontaneous Combustion performing
Muskrat Ramble

Occasionally we are able to get some quartets from within our chorus involved in our appearances. This time we had the joy of hearing three quartets add their own talents to the depth of our performance!

We had never performed there before so we were incredibly surprised and excited to see all the friends of our chorus that are a part of this church! The audience was wonderful and we can't wait to come back and sing for them again!

Throughout the summer we will continue to be active through our Sermon-In-Song performances at various churches throughout the area. These sing-outs include a plethora gospel songs as well as a message presented by chorus member Jim Brotheridge that will make you laugh and cry and feel warmth in your soul.

Jim Brotheridge during one of his very
memorable Sermon-In-Song messages.

RRVBC under the direction of
Associate Director Kevin O'Keefe

We have had so much fun singing for the groups we have already visited and we can't wait to share our message with the people we have yet to meet!



We have had such a busy summer so far and we look forward to the performances yet to come! Please check out our calendar for future performances. If you are a man who enjoys singing, come on out to one of our rehearsals in Rock Falls, IL. Check out our Come Join Us page for more details. You can fill out the form or just show up. Whether you come and join us for a rehearsal or see us at a performance, we can't wait to meet you!

Come join us for our 67th Annual Show!!!

The Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus’ 67 th Annual Show “Songs Around
the Camp Fire” will be held Saturday, April 28, 2018 at the Centennial Auditorium at Sterling
High School, Sterling, Illinois. The show begins at 3:00 p.m. Join the Chorus for an entertaining
afternoon of songs, laughs “barbershop-style”.

Our special guest The Committee is composed of four powerhouse voices. The Committee is a
barbershop quartet that loves to perform for audiences, large and small. Formed in 2011, The
Committee after multiple Top-Five finishes in competition on the Illinois District contest stage
became the 2016 Illinois District Champions. The quartet has also represented the district at the
Barbershop Harmony Society’s 2014 and 2017 International Contests both in Las Vegas.
While the sound of the quartet keeps all four members excited to sing, it is the camaraderie,
fraternity and laughter that makes rehearsals fly by-sometimes with more laughter than song. The
memorable sound of The Committee comes from the unique talent and experience that each
member brings to the quartet.

 Please enjoy the big sound and the variety of musical genres that the group sings.
Tickets for the show are on sale now. Adults - $15; Seniors 62 and over - $12; Students - Free
(with School ID). Tickets may be purchased at Community State Bank locations in Sterling,
Morrison and Rock Falls; Select Employees Credit Union; First State Bank in Polo; from any
Barbershop Chorus Member; or by calling 847-922- 7267 or 815-990- 1931. Tickets will also be
available at the door.

For additional information about the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus, follow us on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/RRVBarbershoppers.

Getting ready for the show!

Our annual show is coming up next weekend (April 28th) and we are having so much fun getting ready for it! We're putting some finishing touches on our songs, our quartets are are giving us previews of what they are singing, and we're working on some very funny skits. Even our directors are getting in on the fun!

Come join us for our 66th Annual Show!!!

Come join us for the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus' 66th Annual Show "Our Green Acres" at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 29th, 2017 at the Centennial Auditorium at Sterling High School, Sterling, Illinois! We know you will enjoy an entertaining afternoon of barbershop-style songs and laughs!

Our featured performer this year is 2016 International 4th place Bronze medalist, Signature! These powerhouse voices hail from the great state of Florida and have been singing together since 2013. All four members have been barbershoppers since their early teens and have been in many different quartets. The quartet first appeared on the International competition stage in 2015 where they finished in 15th place; among the finest barbershop quartets in the world! We know you will enjoy their big sound and while they sing a variety of musical genres.

Tickets for the show are on sale now. Adults - $15; Seniors 62 and over- $12; and Students - Free (with School ID). Tickets may be purchased at Community State Bank locations in Sterling and Rock Falls; Select Employees Credit Union; First State Bank in Polo; from any RRVBC member, or by calling 815-990-1931. Tickets will also be available at the door.

For additional information about the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus, please see the rest of this website and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RRVBarbershoppers.

Valentine's Day 2017

Yesterday a number of quartets from the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus went around the Sauk Valley Area to spread some Valentine's Day love in the form of music in the form of Singing Valentines! Along with two songs, recipients received a handmade card, a box of candy, and a flower from Behrz Bloomz. The quartets were willing to go wherever they were needed to send the message of love. They could be seen in hospitals, banks, schools, and even made a special poolside appearance. This is an important fundraiser for the chorus but the greatest joy came from seeing the joy on the faces of the recipients and other innocent bystanders! Funds raised are used for the operational expenses of the Sterling-Rock Falls Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Check out some pictures below of our quartets sharing their gifts! Also, check out this article from Sauk Valley Media!

The Rock RiverValley Barbershop Chorus' 65th Annual Show "Murder on the Voice" will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 30th, 2015 at the Centennial Auditorium at Sterling High School, Sterling, Illinois. 

Our featured performer this year is Double Date!

Tickets for the show are on sale now.  Adults - $15; Seniors - $10; and Students - 5 (with ID). 

2015 BHS Internation Convention

Our president Ben Dirks and director Tim Pashon traveled to Pittsburgh, PA for the Barbershop Harmony Society's 2015 International Convention and Competition on July 1st-July 5th.  

Ben had the opportunity to compete on the international stage with the Sound of Illinois Chorus from Bloomington, IL.  Placing 12th out of 28 competitors.

They enjoyed exploring the beautiful city but most of all listening to all of the great choruses and quartets from all around the world!

                                      

The 2015 International Quartet Champions is "Instant Classic" from the Indiana area.

The 2015 International Chorus Champions is the Westminster Chorus out of the California area.

 

Merry Christmas from the RRVBC!

We had the opportunity to sing in many area nursing homes this year.  We had a great time singing for and meeting some wonderful people.  Hopefully we were able to spread as much Christmas joy as we received.  So, to all of you from all of us...Merry Christmas from the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus!

63rd Annual Barbershop Show in less than 1 week!

Imagine if the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus had a weekly radio show, with folks tuning in every Saturday night for “The Big Barbershop Broadcast” filled with skits and songs performed live in front of a studio audience!  That’s the premise of “…On the Air”, our 63rd Annual Show this coming Saturday, March 29^th at Sterling High School’s Centennial Auditorium. We’ll be ‘live’ at 4:30 on imaginary KORD radio with four-part harmony renditions of “Nevertheless” “Little Pal” “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down & Write Myself a Letter” and more, along with putting our spin on gags from radio greats like Abbott & Costello, Fred Allen, Jack Benny, and Stan Freberg! 

The guys in the chorus are having a blast getting these songs and skits ready, with musical direction by Tim Pashon and Kevin O’Keefe, and the radio script written by Kevin Deets and Jay Pauley. Our very own chapter quartet 74 and a quarter will also perform. We’re sure you’ll be both singing along and laughing out loud!

The chorus is also looking forward to this year’s special quartet Forefront.  One of the Barbershop Harmony Society’s most sought-after quartets, Forefront placed 13th in 2010, 6th in 2011, and 7th in 2012 at international competitions and, most recently, took home a 5^th place bronze medal from last year’s contest in Toronto! With great music, artistry, and high energy performance, we’re thrilled this quartet is performing at our show!

Tickets for the show are on sale now  (Adults - $15; Seniors - $12; and Students - Free with ID)  and can be purchased in advance at Community State Bank locations in Sterling and Rock Falls; Select Employees Credit Union; St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sterling; Books on First in Dixon; from any Barbershop Chorus Member. Tickets will also be available at the door Saturday.

No, the RRVBC doesn’t actually have a weekly radio show “…On the Air”!  But our chorus members do travel to Rock Falls weekly to rehearse (some from as far away as  Princeton, Clinton, Monroe, etc), getting ready for performances at area fundraising events, churches, Christmas walks, and district contests, plus help organize and volunteer at events like the Youth In Harmony Festival coming up in September!  Our annual Spring Show helps make all of this possible, so we sure hope you’ll make the trip this Saturday to Centennial Auditorium in Sterling for “The Big Barbershop Broadcast”!  We hit the airwaves at 4:30!

Officer Installation 2014!

On Saturday, March 15th, the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus had our annual Officer Installation Dinner.  The night was filled with good food, wonderful friendship, some interesting moments and, of course, some great music!  This year our Installation Dinner was held at the Forest Inn in Morrison.  They are very friendly, serve great food and were willing and able to accommodate our unique needs as always.  As we started to set up for the dinner in the back room, we noticed there was a very nice family celebrating a birthday.  Being the musical bunch that we are, and realizing we intruded on their party somewhat, we sang our very own barbershop rendition of Happy Birthday to the appreciative group.  Once they had finished up, we were able to get on with our own festivities.

Will Thorndike installing the 2014 chapter officers.

We jumped right in with the purpose of the evening, the installation of the 2014 chapter officers.  Illinois District representative Will Thorndike led the motley looking crew of officers through the gauntlet of pledges and promises that may prove to be too much to handle.  There were some scoffs and hesitations, but in the end Will was able to get every member of the chapter's board on the right path.


After the installation of officers, we were ready to see who would receive the prestigious Barbershopper of the Year Award.  This is a closely guarded secret that only three people in the chapter know until that night. This year, the secret was particularly difficult to keep.  Since the original Officer Installation Dinner in January had to be cancelled due to snow, those in the know had to keep quiet got an extra six weeks! At last, Art Deem, last year's BOTY recipient, was able to present the award to the highly deserving Ben Dirks!

Art Deem (left) presents the Barbershopper of the Year
Award to Ben Dirks (right).

Ben is an 11-year member of the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus, the current president, and a past Membership Vice-President.  He often goes beyond his duties to continually push the chapter to new heights, and we are very pleased to see him receive this high honor.

RRVBC chapter quartet 74 and a quarter

After officers were installed, and awards were presented, we got to the most important part of the night...the music.  First up, the sweet sounds of one of our very own chapter quartets, 74 and a quarter. Then we had the privilege to hear our special guest quartet Synergy, the current Illinois District 3rd place quartet.  Their ringing chords and heartfelt ballads were beautiful and a treat to hear.  We thank them for joining us that evening and wish them the best of luck on their musical journey.

Synergy, Illinois District 3rd place quartet 

Of course, we finished the evening with our rendition of Keep The Whole World Singing which quickly turned into some impromptu tag singing.  It was a wonderful night filled with joy and fellowship with our friends and families, and we can't wait for next year's Officer Installation Dinner.

RRVBC Singing at March 4Ward- LSSI Fundraiser

The Rock River Barbershop Chorus is singing at a benefit dinner for the Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.  The fundraiser is being sponsored by three churches in the Sterling/Rock Falls area (Immanuel Lutheran in Rock Falls, and St. Paul Lutheran and St. John Lutheran in Sterling) and will include a delicious dessert auction, a silent auction and fantastic pulled pork dinner.  In addition to these exciting activities, the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus will be provided their unique and superb brand of musical entertainment.

LSSI helps provide social services for Illinois through counseling, public awareness and family oriented services.

Please come to help us support this amazing cause.  The event is from 5:30-9 with dinner from 5:30-7 at the Latin American Social Club, 2708 W. Linconlnway, Sterling, IL..  The chorus will be singing from 6-6:30.  Admission to the event is a free will donation.  We can't wait to see you there!

Do something special for Valentine's Day with a Singing Valentine!

Do something wonderful and unique for the one you care about by giving the gift of music for Valentine's Day!

Quartets of the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus have presented these Valentine's Day musical delights to grateful recipients for more than 10 years. We will once again be scheduling Singing Valentines to be delivered on Friday, February 14th or Saturday, February 15th between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. throughout the Sauk Valley area.

This Valentine's Day tradition includes 2 songs, candy and flowers delivered to your sweetheart for just $50.

Call 815-626-1574 or visit the Singing Valentines page at www.rockrivervalleychorus.org to reserve your Valentine's delivery today.

Visa/MC/Check are accepted.  Reservations & payment must be received before February 13th.  Flowers are presented courtesy of Behren's Blumen Stuff.

Officer Installation Cancelled

The Officer Installation Dinner scheduled for tonight has been cancelled due to inclement weather.  All members of the chorus will be informed as soon as it is rescheduled.  We hope everyone stays warm and safe.

Happy New Year!!!

We want to wish everyone a happy new year as we start 2014!  We are looking forward to a lot of exciting activities to start the year, including Singing Valentines in February, our 63rd Annual Show in March, and the Illinois District Spring Convention in April.  Of course the whole year should prove to be full of fun events.

If you are interested in singing with us, feel free to fill out the survey on the Come Join Us! page or just come on out to a rehearsal at the Rock Falls Community Building in Rock Falls, IL.  We start 2014 rehearsals on Thursday, January 2nd at 7:30 pm.  We hope to see you there!

The Christmas season has begun!

Whether you are a believer in Christmas music all year round or have a strict policy of "Only after Thanksgiving or I'll kick you," we have started to bring our own brand of Christmas joy to whomever will listen.

We started off our Christmas sing out season by performing last Thursday night at the Polo Senior Center for a wonderful crowd of chili supper goers.  It was a great, intimate performance for a crowd that obviously liked to have fun.

On the very next night, we participated in the Rock Falls, IL Hometown Holidays.  We were able to sing for the crowds at the Red Cross, Mercy Nursing and the Hometown Holidays stages.  We even took a picture with Santa!  Clearly, none of us are on the "Naughty" list.

To finish off our Christmas sing out kick-off weekend, we sang at the Thanksgiving supper at St. Mary's Parish Hall in Sterling, IL.  We performed for an appreciative crowd as they enjoyed their delicious Thanksgiving dinner.  At least, it smelled delicious.

As the Christmas season continues, we will be singing at nursing and retirement homes in Sterling, Dixon, Rock Falls and Clinton, IA as well as community Christmas events in Dixon and Franklin Grove.  We would love to see you around this winter.  For more information on our sing outs in December, feel free to click on any event listed in our calendar.

Since we are spending so much time performing this month, we are done rehearsing for the year, but we would love to see you at one of our rehearsals as we start back up in the new year.  If you want more information, you can fill out the form on our Come Join Us! page.

If we don't see you around, we wish you a Happy Holiday season and especially a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Our last rehearsal of the year!

This Thursday is our last rehearsal of the year.  Because it is our last rehearsal we are going to make it a special one and turn it into a little bit of a sing-out.  We will be at the Polo Senior Center in Polo, IL at 7:00 pm.  You can come on out and join us or come on out, watch and listen to some good barbershop. After this week we will be out and about Christmas caroling in Sterling, Rock Falls, Dixon, Prophetstown, Morrison, Franklin Grove and Clinton, IA.  We will start back up with our regular rehearsal schedule on January 3rd of the new year at our regular location, the Rock Falls Community Building.  We hope to see you around!