Walking around Nashville

A dip in the hotel pool was a refreshing way to start the day, just what any other penguin would do.


Nashville is the new home for the Barbershop Harmony Society, so a visit to the new headquarters is in order.


On the way, I got sidetracked by talking with a family member from Ambassadors of Harmony. You thought we were smarting from the contest, for the second year in a row, this wonderful chorus has missed out on the gold medal by 7 points. Ouch.


I was wearing my Penguin shirt, and she remarked about how fun our set was. Ambassadors had to pick themselves up for a performance in the afternoon at a Harmony Foundation show, and she told us they were rehearsing at the convention center.


A fellow penguin and I walked in as one of their coaches, Greg Clancy, was doing his best to lift their spirits. Next year should be very interesting, as Ambassadors will be back on the contest stage, this time AGAINST Greg's chorus, Vocal Majority. He joked that maybe the two super choruses should merge and compete as the "Vocal Ambassadors."


Ambassadors' director Jim Henry then stepped up and said they had to work on their "Man of La Mancha" set for the show that afternoon. When the pitch blew, those guys leaned forward, ready to change lives with their singing, and then they did! Wow! Their loss from the night before was gone, and job one was to tell a story with their music.


After that, and since we were already in the convention center, we checked out the Harmony Marketplace to see how our DVD "MVEvolution" was selling. There were only 3 left. Excellent!


Finally, we were off to the new Barbershop Harmony Society headquarters.


As you approach the building, this famous Norman Rockwell print comes into view.


The doorway has a domed portico, perfect accoustics for singing a polecat. Inside, the first thing you see is a massive circular stairway. It represents the Barber Pole. In fact, the whole building has a barber pole theme.

The cubicles are arranged on an angle, like the stripes going up a pole, and the carpet pattern is all on an angle, too.


Here's the boardroom, complete with pictures of OC Cash and Rupert Hall, salvaged from the old Kenosha headquarters in Harmony Hall.


The most exciting part of the building is the interactive museum called "Sing!" It's still on the drawing board, but will include the physics of sound, 2, 3, and 4 part a cappella harmony, and a recording studio where you can "Sing with the Champs" and take home a recording of you singing a part with your favorite quartet.


We made another quick check in the gift shop to make sure that "MVEvolution" was on display, and as I walked up, a member of the Bay City chorus had one in his hand showing some other people the pictures on the back of "Green Army," "Waiters," and "Fish!" I asked if they had any other questions about the chorus, and all they could do was rave about "Penguins." We may not have finished where we wanted to, but we changed lives with our performance.


The food in Nashville has been outstanding, and tonight our culinary journey took us to The Capitol Grill at the Hermitage Hotel. This crabcake was outstanding.

Then it was off to the quartet finals showdown. What a night of incredible singing.

Tomorrow it's back to Milwaukee. Take care, Y'all!