About the Chorus

The Harmony Hawks Barbershop Chorus is a community service chorus based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Men and boys aged 16 and older from across Eastern Iowa sing with us. We are affiliated with the Barbershop Harmony Society, and barbershop harmony lies at the heart of our repertoire that also includes patriotic, gospel, and popular music arranged as four-part a capella harmony.

Community Service:

Some highlights last year include:

• Providing entertainment for Tribute to Heroes, the kickoff event for the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival
• Raising money for charity in our annual Gospel Concert
• Providing music for many Naturalization Ceremonies
• Teaming up with choirs from College Community’s Prairie Point middle school in our annual spring show
• Visiting area schools to demonstrate vocal technique and barbershop quartet singing
• Sponsoring a Youth in Harmony Festival for 150 students 7-12

Our mission: to promote singing for a lifetime.

Our current members range in age from high school youth to senior citizens with over 60 years of singing experience in our chorus. By learning to blend our voices, we develop both our vocal skill and the bonds of friendship with each other. Singing invigorates us and keeps our minds sharp. Our mission includes reaching out to schools to assist them in bringing the gift of singing to their students.

Singing in competition:

The Harmony Hawks Chorus and quartets compete yearly in the Central States District of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Preparing for contest sharpens our skills and raises the level of performance on all our songs.

Invitation:

• Come join us at one of our public performances
• If you are a male aged 16 or older who loves to sing, come to any rehearsal
• We meet Thursdays, 7 – 9 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Temple, 616 A Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Director, John Hayden

Under John Hayden’s direction, the Harmony Hawks have won the Plateau AA Championship in the five-state Central States Region. He is an active clinician at choral festivals in the United States and Canada, an arranger, festival judge, and has been on the faculty of Harmony University. John also has extensive quartet experience including singing lead with the current CSD Champion Quartet, Switchback.

John teaches vocal music at Benton Community in Van Horne, Iowa.

2018 Harmony Hawks Board of Directors and Officers

• President, Larry Hlavacek
• Past President, Gary Lindsay
• Music & Programming VP, Greg Koenigs
• Membership & Chapter Development VP, Tom Read
• Secretary, Wendell Aldrich
• Treasurer, Al Huneke
• Marketing & Public Relations VP, Gary Lindsay

Contact us:

• Larry Hlavacek, President, larry.hlavacek@gmail.com
• Gary Lindsay, Past President, Webmaster, Marketing & PR 319-377-7679
• Tom Read, to visit rehearsal or for scheduling performances 319-360-3765