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Barbershop quartet Masquerade sings for seniors at Woodmont Nursing Home in Stafford, one of five stops. |
The men of Masquerade were on a mission to spread Christmas cheer to seniors.
They succeeded.
The members of the barbershop quartet recently sang holiday songs at five Fredericksburg-area stops in five hours.
Nursing-home residents tapped their feet to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Jingle Bells." Some even sang right along.
They laughed at the quartet's often goofy between-songs banter and they grinned when Bill Grosskopf, the group's bass, sang "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."
"You made our Christmas," Ann Miller, a resident of Hughes Home in Fredericksburg, called out to the group as they filed out after a performance.
Earlier that day, the men had donned their performance apparel, which included Mardi Gras-themed vests, black pants and black shoes. They went through vocal warm-ups in the basement of Grosskopf's Spotsylvania County home, then piled into his white van.
Masquerade is made up of Grosskopf, an engineer at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren; tenor Roy Foster, an Essex County minister; baritone Rick Cox of Richmond County, who's retired from the state Health Department; and lead Paul Hutnyan, a Westmoreland County teacher.
The men don't charge for most of their performances.
They do participate in an annual singing-Valentine fundraiser to help offset expenses.
The quartet has been together for a few years, Grosskopf said, but this was their first five-stop singing blitz.
"We thought this would be a good way to get to as many people as we could in a limited time," he said.
In addition to Hughes Home, the group performed at Woodmont Nursing Home in Stafford County; Carriage Hill Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Spotsylvania; Golden Living Center in Spotsylvania; and Madonna House in Fredericksburg.
First up was Woodmont, where more than a dozen residents had gathered in the cafeteria.
Grosskopf made introductions, then the group launched into "Old Time Religion Medley."
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was next, followed by "Toyland."
"What's your favorite Christmas carol?" Cox asked the audience. "I'll bet you've got a favorite."
"Silent Night," answered an audience member.
"The young lady wins the prize," joked Grosskopf.
Some residents quietly sang along to the hymn.
"How'd we do?" Grosskopf asked. A few residents clapped their approval.
"What's your second-favorite Christmas song?" Cox asked later in the program.
"Our choir is pretty good at 'Jingle Bells,'" answered Claudia Lohr, the home's activities director.
"Jingle Bells" was in fact the next song--and some members of the home's choir sang along.
Masquerade was the first barbershop quartet to perform at Hughes, said Marcia Roland, the home's activities director. She had put up fliers advertising the group's appearance a couple of weeks before the visit, she said, and many of the residents had been looking forward to it.
"They grew up with barbershop. It's their kind of music," Roland said. "It's a great gift."
Some residents were particularly tickled by the quartet's banter.
"I'm the loudmouth in the group," joked Grosskopf at one point.
"The loudmouth," one woman repeated to her friend, chuckling.
Some in the audience were pleased by more than the music.
"That tall one, he's a good- looking boy," remarked one lady in the audience.
"I like the way they're dressed," Ethel Smith said with a smile.
Madonna House was Masquerade's final performance.
As at the other stops, the quartet struck up a friendly banter with the audience.
They talked about some of their favorite Christmas songs and shared some memories of their Christmases past.
"I hope this song reminds you of the days when you were young, waiting for toys at Christmas," Foster said before the group launched into "Toyland."
Resident Dot Foster said afterward that her husband had sung in a barbershop quartet, so she was particularly glad the group had stopped by.
"I thought it was great," Foster said. "The best music we've had here."
Kim Baer: 540/834-0656
Email: kbaer@freelancestar.com
| WHAT: Masquerade barbershop quartet CONTACT: Bill Grosskopf, 540/226-8628 or 1bigbass @ comcast.net UPCOMING EVENTS: Call to schedule a singing Valentine. |
