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WORLDWIDE BARBERSHOP QUARTET CONVENTION

 and CONTEST

January 22 - 26, 2025


CONVENTION BULLETIN

Roger, are you ready for our upcoming Convention?


Here is what to expect


HOTEL: Hilton DoubleTree Hotel San Antonio Airport

611 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, Texas 78216

210-340-6060

Click here for Hotel Information & Meeting Map


ARRIVAL:

Once you arrive at the San Antonio airport, you will need to call the hotel at 210-340-6060 to arrange a free pick-up. The hotel will also provide transportation to the airport at the end of the Convention. Please make arrangements with the hotel desk sometime on Saturday or the day before you leave.


DRESS CODE:

This is a casual weekend full of fun and singing. Be comfortable.


QUARTET TICKETS:

Your Convention Registration INCLUDES entrance to the Worldwide Quartet Contest. However, tickets will be available for any spouses, friends, or significant others to purchase if they only plan to attend the contest. You can purchase them at the Registration Desk for $40 for both sessions. Check, cash or credit card accepted.


T-Shirts:

There will be T-Shirts on sale at the Registration Desk for $20. If you ordered a T-shirt online after December 31st, it will be available for pickup at the Convention.


BREAKFAST:

Breakfast buffet is included in your hotel package. Breakfast will be served Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Texas Ballroom from 8:00am to 10:00am. For those who arrive Wednesday, you will receive a voucher to use in the hotel restaurant.


AVERAGE SAN ANTONIO JANUARY TEMPERATURES: 55F - 66F

Predicted Temperatures Friday: High 57, Low 42; Rain 24%

CONVENTION ACTIVITIES - PICK UP QUARTETS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23rd 3:00pm

(Check at the Registration Desk for room location)


While there are multiple chances to sing with your fellow Barbershoppers, on Thursday at 3:00pm there will a chance to join others to form a Pick Up Quartet. Who knows, you may create the next WBQA Worldwide Quartet Champions!


So, why join in?

  • To sing songs and tags in a quartet.
  • To sing with guys you didn’t know or whom you have never sung with.
  • To meet new members
  • To see and hear guys you might like to sing with

 

 All of this can happen at the pickup quartet event.  Sign up for it when you come to the meeting room. You will indicate your preferred voice part(s). Then you will be assigned to a quartet and given 30 minutes to choose a song that all of you know, or select a tag, or just get acquainted. (Note that a few singers might end up in two quartets.) As part of this event, your quartet can choose to sing your song or tag for the group. After all, we're all hams, aren't we?


SPPSQSUS provides a number of barbershop chestnuts for our members to learn and have in common. If you would like to try out a “Chestnut” for the pickup quartet event, learn one of these two. Bring the sheet music if you can, or we will have a few copies at the event.

Click on the titles to download the sheet music for these songs. Learning tracks are available on our website at sppbsqsus.org under the 'Music' tag. You will need to sign in to access the tracks.


This is a great way to meet new singers and ACTUALLY sing in a quartet.


Hope to see you there on Thursday for some fun!


Mike Ebbers, Roger Lewis, Steve Shannon

SINGING THE CHESTNUTS at the CONVENTION:


 Welcome to all of you who are thinking of attending the Singing the Chestnuts session. I'm Joe Browne, chair of the Chestnut project. The Chestnuts are intended to be short, quickly learned arrangements illustrating the traditional barbershop harmony style. Here are the songs we'll be singing which are available on the WBQA website: sppbsqsus.org click on the Music drop-down menu, then click on 'Barbershop Chestnuts'. I'll have some copies to hand out. There are learning tracks for all these songs online.

Goodbye Rose
I'd Love to Live in Loveland
If I Had My Way
Peg 'O My Heart
The Parting Glass
That Sweetheart Who Lived Next Door
Yankee Doodle Dandy

So, dust off your copies, warm up those chords, and bring them to Texas and let's sing up a storm!



See ya' all in Texas on Thursday, Joe Browne

Check the Convention schedule at the Registration Desk for times and location

SCHEDULE:


WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2023

Arrival

Dinner on-your-own


THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2025

8:00a - 10:00a - Breakfast in hotel restaurant using voucher

10:00a - 5:00p - Registration Desk open (Closed 12:30p to 1:30p for lunch)

12:30p - 3:00p - Lodge Forum #1

2:00p - 3:00p - Pickup Quartet Singing

3:00p - 12:00a - Recreational Singing (Members Only)

4:30p - 5:30p - Volunteer Judges drawing and orientation - Texas Ballroom

6:00p - 9:00p - Worldwide Quartet Semi-Final Contest - Texas Ballroom

9:30p - 12:00a - Presidential Suite Hospitality


FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2025

8:00a - 10:00a - Buffet Breakfast, Texas Ballroom

10:00a - 4:30p - Registration Desk open (Closed 12:30p to 1:30p for lunch)

9:30a - 12:00n - Lodge Forum #2

10:00a - 11:00a - Tag Singing

10:00a - 4:00p - Quartet Coaching

11:00a - 12:00p - Heritage of Harmony Songbook Sing

11:00a - 4:00p - Buses to Riverwalk and Alamo; Last return bus at 4:30p

12:00p - 1:00p - Singing the Chestnuts

12:15p - 12:00a - Recreational Singing (Members Only)

1:00p - 2:00p - Discovery Singing (Woodshedding)

6:00p - 7:00p - Champs Reception w/appetizers & beer or wine - Texas Ballroom

9:30p - 12:00a - Presidential Suite Hospitality


SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2025

8:00a - 10:00a - Buffet Breakfast - Texas Ballroom

10:00a - 1:00p - Registration Desk open

9:00a - 10:00 - Heritage of Harmony Songbook Singing

10:00a - 11:00p - Singing the Chestnuts

10:30a - 1:00p - Lodge Forum #3

11:00a - 1:00p - Tag Singing

12:00n - 1:00p - Volunteer Judges Drawing & Orientation

1:00p - 12:00a - Recreational Singing (Members Only)

1:30p - 3:30p - Worldwide Quartet Contest - Final Round - Texas Ballroom

3:30p -4:00p - Photography Medalist Quartets

6:00p - 9:00p - Saturday Night Banquet - Texas Ballroom

9:30p - 1:00a - Presidential Suite Hospitality

9:30p - 1:00a - Friends in Harmony Hospitality Room - Sequin Room on 2nd Floor


SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2023

8:00a - 10:00a - Buffet Breakfast - Texas Ballroom

12:00n - Checkout, say goodbye to friends and transfer to the airport.


Click here for a printable schedule


(This schedule is printed on the back of your name tag)

ACTIVITIES:


TAG SINGING - Jim Bagby, David Krause

Learn some tags to ring with your friends


HERITAGE OF HARMONY SINGING - Bil Biffle

A fun read through BHS's 50th Anniversary Songbook. Real barbershop songs arranged in the barbershop style for easy singing. Download the songs and bring with you.


DISCOVERY SINGING (Woodshedding) - Toban Dvoretzky, Steve Shannon, Mike Ebbers

Learn to create harmonies by ear without referring to existing arrangements. With a little practice, anyone can do it. No feeling like ringing chords


PICKUP QUARTETS - Roger Lewis, Rich Gray, Steve Shannon, Mike Ebbers

Come to the this event and be placed into a quartet and choose, practice a song, and sing for a group.


SINGING THE CHESTNUTS - Joe Browne

The Barbershop Chestnuts (available on the SPPBSQSUS website) are short arragements of songs in traditional barbershop style. In this session we will hand out and sing throug several Chestnuts.


LODGE FORUM - George Gipp, Artie Dolt, Kenny Hatton, Keith Richmond

Find out how the first Lodges were formed, how they did it, and how to attract men to sing in their group. A great time for current and prospective Lodge officers to meet together to find out what works.


Room assignments will be at the Registration Desk

WORLDWIDE QUARTET CONTEST SINGING ORDER:

  1. Meanwhile
  2. Bob's Boyz
  3. SoCal Ramblers
  4. Gold Standard
  5. Sound Check
  6. Sterling
  7. Notables
  8. Riptide
  9. Gary and the Pacemakers
  10. Spellbound
  11. Last Minute
  12. Sound Standard



Semi-Final Round - Thursday 6:00p Texas Ballroom

BUS TO SAN ANTONIO RIVERWALK AND THE ALAMO:


The bus will run continuously leaving the hotel from 11:00am and every hour on the hour until 4:00pm. There will be one drop-off point at the Hilton Hotel on S. Alamo at Market Street (bottom of blue line).

The pick-up location is also at the Hilton Hotel on S. Alamo Street at Market every hour on the half-hour beginning at 11:30a.

The last pick-up is 4:30pm!


The majority of shops and restaurants are behind the Hilton.


Click here for information on what to find and enjoy at the famous Riverwalk.

Be sure to download our Society Theme song and be able to sing it with others and at the Banquet. Click the above image to play a video and sing along with the video. Sheet music and learning tracks are available on the sppbsqsus.org website.

SPPBSQSUS / WBQA


Visit Us: wbqa.info Email: sppbqsus@gmail.com