A man has joined the ranks of Mount Vernon’s all-female barbershop chorus, and the women could not be more pleased. That is because Jeff Dolan came along right when the Dogwood Blossoms needed him most: not as a singer--that would be against the rules--but as their new musical conductor, after their long-time leader, Donna Dudgeon, retired last year.
Donna moved from directing the chorus for over 30 years to singing in the bass section, which left a gaping hole in the front of the group. The chorus’ board immediately began their official search for a new director last summer, months before Donna’s retirement date of December 31. Their annual fall performance came and went, as did the Christmas season, with several caroling gigs.
The Dogwood Blossoms, which is a local chapter of the International Sweet Adelines women’s barbershop singing organization, took two weeks off for the holiday season and then reconvened in January to begin practicing for their 2023 season. Section leaders took turns leading weekly rehearsals. The board continued to search for a new director, reaching out to schools, churches, and regional barbershop choirs.
“At that point, we were getting desperate,” said Cindy Brown, who was the chorus’ board president at the time. “As a board, we felt we had contacted every single musical person we knew in the area and had come up empty-handed.”
Little did they realize there was someone new in the area they had not yet met.
On January 23, Cindy took yet another long shot and sent a Facebook private message to the Alliance All-Voices Chorus in Columbus, Ohio, asking if they knew of anyone interested in directing a 25-voice women’s barbershop chorus in Knox County. The person checking private messages that day happened to be Jeff Dolan, the Alliance’s president. He immediately reached out to express interest in the position.
The Dogwood Blossoms were unfamiliar with Jeff because he and his wife, Laura, had just moved to Newark from Phoenix about a year before. A professional singer, Jeff had toured in the past with Ray Conniff, as well as the jazz group Beachfront Property. But after a lifetime spent on the West Coast and in the Southwest, Jeff and Laura wanted to live in a place with changing seasons.
“Laura wanted to live where there was snow in the winter. My only requirement was that we lived near an international airport,” said Jeff.
In addition to the Alliance Chorus, Jeff belongs to the Lancaster Chorale and has performed with the Licking County Players Theater group. But his main job is singing bass in the professional male vocal quartet, The Diamonds. Formed in 1954 (before Jeff was born), the iconic group has sung for audiences around the world.
“In 2012, when I joined The Diamonds and started to tour, I had to sacrifice my position as director of the Tucson Barbershop eXperience Chorus,” said Jeff. “Ever since that time, I have looked forward to directing again. When we moved to Ohio, it coincided with a slowdown in my [Diamond] tour schedule. So, when I heard of this opportunity, I jumped at it.”
After interviews and a couple of rehearsal sessions with the chorus, Jeff became the Dogwood Blossoms’ newest director this past April. Since then, he has been working with the group during weekly rehearsals to fine-tune their repertoire of show songs. Debi Kuhn, who serves as board vice-president and section leader for the baritones, believes that Jeff has brought a new energy to the group and, “has taught us how to tap into the emotions of the songs as we build our presentation.”
Tenor Kathy Butcher agrees: “Jeff’s energy and enthusiasm have helped us improve as a chorus.”
The chorus is inviting everyone to meet Jeff as he directs their annual fall performance, “Thank You for the Music!” taking place on Sunday, October 15, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Thorne Performance Hall on the MVNU campus, 800 Martinsburg Road, Mount Vernon.
The chorus feels a special connection with the theme this year, as every member agrees it is the music that brings them all together in a special bond of friendship. Michele Coscia, a board member and lead singer explains, “When I was asked to [chair] the show this year, I already had the [theme song] picked out: ‘Thank You for the Music,’ by ABBA. It was perfect! Most of the songs in the show are new to us and make us happy to hear and sing. And of course, we brought back a few of our old favorites as well.”
As an additional treat, the chorus’ house quartet will perform one song, and two guest quartets will join the show: ICON (an all-male quartet) and Endeavour (an all-female quartet). Ticket prices are $12 for students and senior adults (60+) and $15 for adults ages 18-59 ($18 at the door). Children 10 years and under are free but must have a ticket. Tickets can be purchased from chorus members, or online at this link. Online tickets carry a small additional fee. For more information, call 740-324-5229.
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