Worldwide Barbershop Quartet Association

Pitch Pipe Press

FEBUARY 2026

Issue 26-02

Greetings!

4th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL QUARTET CONTEST

Thursday, March 12th and Saturday, March 14th

QUARTET ORDER OF SINGING DRAW - FEB 16th, 9PM

Time is running out! . . Enter your quartet in the contest to compete by 12 noon on Monday, February 16th to be part of the draw! Entrants after that will be accepted - but will sing last.

What is the cost? $0.00. All members of the quartet just need to purchase a convention registration. You are going to be there anyway, so why not compete? It's fun, and we have the best judges in the nation! (see below).

Also, we have available FREE quartet coaching (see below) by one of our champion quartet members. It just doesn't get any better.

Gather your quartet and gather your songs, fill out the form and join in the fun.

Click here to register for the Quartet Contest

Our contest is judged by members from our attendees - no certified judges. And we have found that our novice judges do a pretty good job of selecting our champion quartet. If you are interested, click here for a document explaining what is involved. You can sign up before each contest at the Registration Desk at the Convention.

CONVENTION PROGRAM AD

Make a SPLASH for your quartet or Lodge with an ad in our Convention Program. These are various sizes available:

• $25 - Quarter Page
• $50 - Half Page
• $75 - 3/4 Page
• $100 - Full Page
• $250 - Inside back page

To order, go to our website at WBQAsings.org, click on the tab 'The Shop', then click on the Convention Ad block, choose your size and pay with a credit card. Then, forward your artwork to Kenny Hatton at kennyrayhatton@gmail.com. Deadline for ads is February 20, 2026.

MASS SING AT THE ALAMO

On Friday morning of our convention in San Antonio, we have a VERY exciting activity planned for you this year! 

The morning will begin with our usual buffet breakfast and a “General Session” where Jay Giallombardo will lead us in learning/singing our WBQA theme songs, "Just Men Singing Our Song" and "Music and Memories". Music and learning tracks are free to download for all WBQA members at WBQAsings.org under the 'Music' tab. You’ll want to brush up on those in advance. 

Following the General Session, there will be busses ready to take us all to The Alamo where we will stage our society’s first ever Flash Mob! We’ll gather up and sing through some traditional barbershop favorites, entertaining the passersby and sharing some good, traditional, barbershop singing. Directed by Rich Gray, the songs will include Wait Til the Sun Shines Nellie, Sweet and Lovely, Shine on Me, Darkness on the Delta, Down Our Way, and Just Men Singing Our Song.

Click here to download the list of songs.

From there you can return to the hotel (buses provided) for the various activities happening there or take some time to tour the Alamo and Riverwalk. Its sure to be a great time and one we won’t soon forget! For all of the 2026 convention details, go to WBQAsings.org.

WBQA 2026 CONVENTION IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

March 11th to 15th, 2026 . . Hilton DoubleTree Airport Hotel

Registration: $199 includes daily breakfast, contest, Champs Reception, and Banquet. Plus transportation to the Alamo

Our convention is coming up quickly! Be sure that you reserve your hotel room before they are gone and purchase a registration. The hotel offers a FREE courtesy bus to pick you up at the airport.

This will be the BEST EVER Barbershop Convention! And ONE BUSY WEEKEND! Like to sing Tags? There will be well known barbershoppers there to teach some. Like to just Woodshed a song with friends? Yep, there will be a room for that. Want to just sing through some old barbershop songs or some of the Chestnuts? There'll be a room for that. Quartet coaching by our previous WBQA champs? Sign up - it's free! And don't miss the Lodge Forum each day - a chance to meet people from Lodges all over the country and Canada and find out how they did it, and what they are doing now to recruit members.

And FREE quartet coaching is available provided by our previous champion quartet members. Quartets, don't miss this opportunity to improve your vocal presence. Click here for a registration form.

Click here for a Convention schedule to see what is planned

Click here to register for WBQA26 Convention

FREE QUARTET COACHING -

Did we say FREE? Coaching is available provided by our previous champion quartet members. Quartets, don't miss this opportunity to improve your vocal presence. Click here for a registration form.

Chestnuts Singing: (Event Leader: Jay Giallombardo)

There are 2 Sessions Scheduled for the Chestnut Songs event

Featured at each session is a past champion WBQA quartet will be there to bolster the sound and aid in teaching the parts.

However, you can get a headstart on the music for these session by download music and part tracks from the WBQA Website @ wbqa.info

Session 1: Chestnuts singing: Thursday 3:00-4:00p Brazos Room

• Teaching Quartet (TBD)
• Songs: (Available from the website at WBQAsings.org
• In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree
• Somebody Stole My Gal
• A Garland of Old-Fashioned Roses
• Rose of the Rio Grande
• Goodbye Rose    

Session 2: Chestnuts singing: Friday 3:30-4:30pm Brazos Room

• Teaching Quartet (TBD)
• Songs: (Available from the website at WBQAsings.org
• Sunshine Of Your Smile
• Yankee Doodle Dandy
• Sweetheart Who Lived Right Next Door
• The Vacant Chair
• After You've Gone    

Please download and print the songs and bring them with you.

Click here to download a list of songs

And there's more coming:

• St.Albans, VT, Railtown Rascals Men Acapella, Clem Turmel
• Erie, PA, Lake Erie Sound, Brian Praetzel
• Jacksonville, FL, Brian Kerr and Sonny Pruitt
• Toronto, ON, Harmony Ranch, Dr. Ray Danlel
• San Francisco, CA, Cable Car Chorus, Charles Feltman
• North Central Iowa, Stan Zinnel and Paul Krul

This year our focus will be on monthly Zoom meetings on 'How to form a Lodge', 'How to Grow a Lodge', a National Service Project opportunity, Barbershop chestnuts, and "Tag, You're It" promotion.

Be sure to attend the Lodge Forum at our upcoming convention to meet with other Lodge members from across the country.

George Gipp

VP Lodges

gggipp@comcast.net

847-445-3968

HOTEL RESERVATIONS:

DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, San Antonio Airport

We were able to keep the hotel room rate the same as the last two years! Just $115 plus tax per room per day. Split a room with a friend and it's just $57.50 per day. These rates are in effect from Wednesday, March 11th through Tuesday, March 17th.

Included in your reservation is breakfast each day.

Click here to reserve your room

NOTE:

1. The rate on the hotel's reservation form says $117 per day. However, after the registration for your stay is calculated, it will show the rate at $115 per day.
2. The dates are preloaded from Wednesday, March 11th through Tuesday, March 17th. If you are staying fewer days, then you must adjust your days by clicking on the 'Edit Stay' link on the line with the dates on the far right.

NEW MEMBERS: JANUARY

We are growing! Here are the new members who have joined last month:

• Fran Wilson, Kearney, NE
• Bob Reinecke, Silverlake, WA - Portland Daytime Singers
• Nathan Ward, St.Augustine, FL - Ebb Tides Quartet
• Jim Walsh, St.Albans, VT - Railcity Rascals Lodge (pending)
• Mark Vaughn, Waverly, IA
• Kurt Popp, Largo, FL
• Keith Widdersheim, OH
• Matt Bellew, VT
• John Betts, OH
• Allan Maggied, OH, Four of a Kind Quartet
• Matthew Bellew, VT
• John 'Jig' Smyth, N. Palm Beach, FL

Welcome to our new members!

Be sure to let your Barbershop friends know about us. You might want to forward this email to them so they can see what's happening. And tell them to go to our website at WBQAsings.org and on the bottom of the Home page, click the link to sign up to receive the Newsletter.

JANUARY BOARD MEETING NOTES

(You can read a summary of the Board meeting on our website under the 'Members' tab)

• Secretary announced receiving a $500 donation from the Eastern Kentucky Lodge #7 to be donated for the Music and Memory service project.
• We have a large number of members who have 'unsubscribed' from our emails. Constant Contact does not allow us to re-activate them. Discussion about how to contact members to see if it was intentional or in error and how to re-instate them.
• Marketing VP Drake Pugh has established an Instagram page for our society. Also looking for ideas for a YouTube channel.
• Lodge VP announced new programs for 2026 including the goal of 'Manifest Destiny'. A number of groups are forming to become pending Lodges in the near future.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW:

• Member Database - Find other members, find Lodges or find quartets. Link to the database is in the restricted Members page. When signing in, your member number MUST include the preceding letter - Ex M1234. Try it. First time? You will need to click 'Reset Password' after entering your member number. You will be sent a link to the email address on file to reset or create your password.
• Missed a newsletter? Check the 'Documents' tab' for the latest Society Newsletter, the Quartet Corner Bulletin or the Lodges in Motion Bulletin.
• Please, please, please DO NOT click on the 'Unsubscribe' link below. If you do, you will no longer receive any communication from your Society. We can only send you a 'Resubscribe' link ONCE!

Roger Heer, Secretary and Newsletter Editor

Worldwide Barbershop Quartet Association

. . . . . . Worldwide Barbershop Quartet Association

Visit Website - WBQAsings.org , ,,,,,, Email Us: wbqasings@gmail.com

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