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Worldwide Barbershop Quartet Association
Old Songs, New Notes
MARCH 2026
Issue 26-03
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HOTEL TRANSPORTION IN SAN ANTONIO
For anyone flying into San Antonio, the Hilton DoubleTree Airport Hotel offers free pick-up from the San Antonio International Airport when you arrive. After you have picked up your luggage, call the hotel at . . .210-340-6060
At the end of your stay, we recommend on Saturday that you reserve your transfer to the airport at the front desk to assure there is room for you at the time you need to depart.
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4th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL QUARTET CONTEST
Thursday, March 12th and Saturday, March 14th
ORDER OF APPEARANCE
- Almost In Tune
- Continuum
- 4 for 4
- Emeritus
- Raise the Roof
- Spellbound
- The Echoes
- Commonwealth
- Meanwhile
- Sound Check
- TMS
- Four of a Kind
THERE'S STILL TIME TO REGISTER TO SING IN THE CONTEST:
Click the link below and sign up. However, you will sing last.
Click here to register for the Quartet Contest
Want to be a judge at the contest? click here for a document explaining what is involved. You can sign up before each contest at the Registration Desk at the Convention.
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WOODSHEDDING or 'DISCOVER SINGING'
At long last, we're approaching our WBQA convention in San Antonio! Among the smorgasbord of intriguing activities is Woodshedding, or Discovery Singing. The discovery happens when we harmonize by ear to an unfamiliar melody and find (and ring) the chords that fit. Whether you call it Woodshedding or Discovery Singing, participation means a lot of music, fellowship, and fun. Check out the convention schedule for the times and place. -- Toban Dvoretzky
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TAGS: YOU'LL LOVE 'EM!
To all attendees of the WBQA 2026 Convention in San Antonio:
This is to invite/encourage you to stop by either the Thursday or Friday TAG CLASS.
Most of the tags will be offered by Jim Bagby and David Krause, who have a combined 116 years of BHS membership and are charter WBQA members. They want you to know some of what is planned.
Now some folks say "Sure, I like to sing tags, but I don't read music well." Others have shied away because they don't learn very fast if the tags are taught by rote. Aha! We'll offer both methods, and aim for a pace that will suit both kinds of learners.
And we'll sing old favorites as well as newer ones composed by the masters, including Haeger, Szabo, Giallombardo, Stevens, Waesche, Perry, Moon, Gray, Gentry, Cokecroft, Bohn, Wright, Liles, Graham, Rector, LaBar...you can see the offerings are memorable!
AND if we don't get to all of them in the Thursday class, keep your music and come back Friday. If you do that, maybe go get an autograph from one of the composers that are at our unique gathering. PLUS we'll do our best to sing your choice, as time allows. If not, find us later in the hallways and we'll bust a tag there!
Click here to download a Convention Schedule
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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.
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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:
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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.
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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.
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LODGES IN MOTION: TWO NEW LODGES!
The Board approved at the February meeting two new Lodges:
1 - the Men's A Capella Chorus of Cedar Rapids, IA was approved as our Lodge #17. Great organizational work by Stan Zinnel led the organization to complete all ten required steps.
2 - The Turning Point Chorus in Watertown, New York completed steps one through five and was approved by the Board as a Pending Lodge. They will have one year to complete the final five steps. They already have over 37 active members.
Congratulation to both groups keeping Barbershop music alive and well!
If you have a group of men and would like to know more about 'how to form a Lodge', check our website at WBQAsings.org under the 'Documents' tab. Or better yet, attend the Lodge Forum at our upcoming convention and meet with other Lodge members.
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PORTLAND DAYTIME SINGERS LODGE
Portland Daytime Singers participated in a monthly activity of the Vancouver business community called "First Fridays". Folks walk from business to business to partake of whatever is going on that month. Happily, the weather was nearly ideal for the event; not a drop of rain!
We provided entertainment at Social Kitchen, which teaches folks how to hold awesome dinner parties, while the chefs shared their fabulous cooking with First Friday participants. Even though the weather was nice, it IS still February and we were grateful to be inside and warm and dry. ;-)
Fourteen fellas sang half a dozen 15-minute sets from our 8-song repertoire. The audience came and went as folks rambled from business to business, and the audience included many family members of those fellas in the chorus.
Our singing was very well received and we were invited to come back and do it again in future First Friday events. Family members were happy and we had a ton of fun getting out together and singing the old songs.
Yours in Harmony,
Kevin Bier, Grand Poohbah
Portland Daytime Singers
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NEW MEMBERS - FEBRUARY
- Ron Cole, Neosho, MO - Joplin Lodge #8
- Eric Brierley, Riverview, FL
- Camden Lau, Garner, IA
- Greg 'Hammer' Kaliszewski, Erie, PA
- Gil Storms, Tucson, AZ
- Glen Gurwit, Swanton, VT
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.
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FEBRUARY BOARD MEETING NOTES
- The Board voted not to accept Kenny Hatton's resignation.
- Kenny Hatton withdrew his resignation
- The Board rescinded previous actions taken in a special Board meeting as they were deemed flawed by the ByLaws Committee.
- Two new Lodges were approved - The A Capelle Men's Chorus of Cedar Rapids, Iowa as Lodge #17 and the Turning Point Cjorus from Watertown, New York as a pending lodge.
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IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW:
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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.
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Missed a newsletter? Check the 'Documents' tab' for the latest Society Newsletter, the Quartet Corner Bulletin or the Lodges in Motion Bulletin.
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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 WBQA and Newsletter Editor
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© 2026 Worldwide Barbershop Quartet Association (WBQA).
This is the official website of the Society for the Preservation and Propagation of Barbershop Quartet Singing in the United States (SPPBSQSUS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
wbqasings.org is a registered domain of SPPBSQSUS, Inc.
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