Harmony Ranch was a-buzz on August 8th as over 60 barbershoppers parachuted in to participate in the Ontario Quartet Event from as far away as British Columbia and Michigan, representing 17 chapters. Harmony Ranch provided an idyllic venue for the OQE.
Throughout the day, singers rotated around the Ranch to sing with different quartet combinations and an experienced coach at each station. After dinner, each singer was assigned to one of 17 randomly selected quartets to perform in contest to an encouraging audience of Ranch residents and guests. The top 3 quartets, with top finisher listed first, were comprised of:
- Ian Smith, Neil Nugent, Ross Gowan and Martin Shelley singing I Don’t Mind Being All Alone
- Pat Hannon, Mike Arnold, James Mossman and Mark Robinson singing Dream a Little Dream of Me
- Neil Rask, Mich Sinclair, Derek Stevens and Steve Bergevin singing Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Cheers!)
Contest judges included Ken Fisher, John Mallett, and Jan-Ake Westin, with Rob Arnold as Contest Administrator.
An inspiring presentation by the OQE Chorus followed the contest.
The OQE is an Ontario District sponsored event, with Ken Fisher as OQE Coordinator for 2015. Simcoe Chapter served as host chapter and provided much of the organization and volunteer base this year.