OUR NAME AND AFFILIATION:  We are the Pathfinder Chorus, a men's a cappella choral ensemble which predominately sings in the barbershop style. Our members belong to the Barbershop Harmony Society which is a worldwide society of over 800 choruses. Our chapter further belongs to the Central States District, one of about 17 districts in the BHS. The CSD contains choruses from South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. The Pathfinders have members from most every town in the Platte/Elkhorn valley area of Nebraska including towns from Bellevue, Omaha, Lincoln, Columbus, Fremont, Oakland, Arlington, Scribner, Hooper, and more.

WHEN AND WHERE DO WE REHEARSE:  We currently rehearse most every Monday at First Lutheran Church, 3200 Military Avenue, Fremont, NE, 68025. Our rehearsals start at 7:00pm and end at 9:30pm. Fremont is centrally located for our membership and is easy to get to as it's just off the Military exit of the Hwy 275 bypass east of the city.

WHAT IT TAKES TO JOIN:  Males of most any age can visit our rehearsals and hopefully gain a desire to join. Requirement for joining simply involves coming to a few rehearsals and then trying out by singing a song within a four-part harmony quartet. Perfection is not needed to qualify. Mainly one has to show the potential for holding their own in a group of four parts.

WHAT IS OUR MUSIC:  Our repertoire over the fifty plus years of our existence contains hundreds of songs.  As we go through various "seasons" of the year, we select appropriate music for that season, memorize it, and plan performances to display our love of singing to the public. We sing a wide variety of music including traditional Americana, patriotic, sacred, sacred and non-sacred Christmas, country, and Sinatra-style jazz. 

HOW DO WE LEARN MUSIC:  We've always had directors and section leaders that have musical expertise and help teach new music to the members. In the last few years, with technological advancement, we now often have "Learning Tracks" created by premier musical experts. These tracks are produced in a way so that each barbershop part (Tenor, Lead, Baritone, and Bass) can listen to a voice empasized track to easily hear their own part.

WHERE DO WE PERFORM:  We have several standard performances as we go through the year. 

     SPRING:  In the Spring, we have our major performance, the Spring Show in a theater which includes comedy skits, our songs, and premier guest quartets, including some that have been world champions. 

     SUMMER:  In the Summer, we sing about 3 to 4 times at community events, county fairs, churches, ballgames - basically any event that is a good venue for our type of music.  Some summers we also attended and sing at the BHS International convention. More on that later.

    FALL:  Each fall there is a DISTRICT CONVENTION. The CSD convention is usually located at one of the larger cities in our district such as Saint Charles, Kansas City, Omaha, Wichita, Lawrence, and others. The main event at these conventions is a contest with chorus and quartet divisions. The purpose of these contests is to improve the level of performance of the participants. Expert judges evaluate each group and give them a score as well as written and oral evaluations to suggest ways for improvement. There can be twenty of more choruses participating. Our chorus usually ranks somewhere in the top five. We strive for quality sound.

     INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION:  Each Summer, around the Fourth of July, there is an International Convention held in large city convention arenas such as Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Toronto, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and more. If you rank in the top 25 to 30 choruses after the fall convention you are invited to the International Convention the following summer. This is a MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT which our chorus has managed several times. There are thousands of people at these conventions. It is hard to describe the thrill of singing on stage in front of them and hearing thundrous applause for your performance.

     CHRISTMAS:  Each Christmas season we prepare a concert of Christmas music both sacred and secular. We perform this concert three to four times at various churches in the area. We have become well-renowned in our communites for these performances which bring tremendous Christmas joy to our patrons.

WHAT IS IT TO BE A PATHFINDER:  Needless to say, singing in the BHS organization is a hobby. There are fees for being in the BHS and CSD. Our members are not professional singers and are not individually paid, but their love of this form of singing is worth the costs it entails. The chorus itself has many expenses such as professional services (director, coaches, etc.), equipment such as risers and uniforms, music purchases, music rights fees, rehearsal facility fees, performance venue fees, etc. This means that DONATIONS are imperative. Like many arts organizations, we count on the support of donators.  

COMERADERIE:  Most of us would say the best thing about our hobby is the comeraderie that is developed. Most of our best friends are in this group with us and we have many friends from the other groups we meet at the conventions. The clearest portrayal of this is seen by what is known as the AFTERGLOW. After our events, we get together and have refreshments, visit, and sing.  Barbershoppers all know many of the same songs and it's often the case that random quartets form and sing songs and tags. These can go on into the wee hours of the night. You have to see it to believe it.

SUMMARY:  Our style of music has several positive things that do not often exist elsewhere. Other than church choirs, there are not many places to perform without being a professional. A cappella singing does not need professional musicians for accompaniment. The four parts offer a voice for all. When done well, the barbershop style sound creates overtones that you have to be involved in to believe. This is, for many, the part that creates addictions to the style.  More can be said but it would turn out to be an essay of it's own.