Indianapolis, Ind. – In 1944, 45 men met in the Claypool Hotel at the corner of Washington and Illinois Streets in downtown Indianapolis. It was the first Barbershop Harmony Chapter here. They soon merged with the Broad Ripple Chapter and today they are still singing today.

Their voices blend like they were born to sing together. Singer Derek Bailer actually was born into this!

“It’s really cool because basically all the men in my family do this, said Derek Bailer, Vice President of Community Outreach for Circle City Sound. “I remember long vacations and stuff, my dad would wear out barber shop tapes. The group specifically was Boston Common. They’re a legendary barber shop quartet. So much so that tape would warp!”

What a treat to sit in on the Circle City Sound Premier Men’s Chorus practice during one of their busiest weeks, when they break off into quartets with Singing Valentine surprises.

“I can think of scenarios where a husband has been purchasing one for a wife for years and maybe he’s passed and then the child then purchases it for her and our guys are in tears. They’re in tears. You can go the other way where they’re completely embarrassed and they’re like, I’m going to kill my husband for this! And then you’ve also got people that maybe they used to sing and they’ll sing with us.”

And special this year, the men surprised sweethearts for free, focusing on people who serve our community, like police, educators and hospital workers.

Most of these men work full-time jobs. Derek is actually a full-time engineer! But their talent and love for singing is something they can’t ignore.

And no surprise, they are internationally recognized. In fact, they are an International Chorus Finalist for 2019 and are getting ready to compete in Salt Lake City.

They are hoping to sing to children in area hospitals soon.

They perform in Indianapolis a couple times a year. Click here to learn more!