Atlanta Vocal Project celebrates 20 years of barbershop harmony, global success

ATLANTA - What started as a passion for a group of music enthusiasts has now taken them to a global stage. The Atlanta Vocal Project is going on twenty years of spreading their love for barbershop music. This past year they've been able to take their talents around the world.

The harmony might sound effortless, but the voices who make up the Atlanta Vocal Project are dedicated to hitting the right notes.

"Honestly, we do it because we love singing together. We love making great music. It's a journey," Ryan Fuller told Good Day's Lindsay Tuman. He was one of founding members of the men's barbershop group.

Clay Hine is the director. He grew up in the barbershop a cappella music community. His parents met singing barbershop, so his love for the genre started at a young age.

"We've had a great time the twenty years trying a few different things and trying to be a part of the Atlanta community, and adding music to a lot of people's lives, adding barbershop to a lot of people's lives, and bringing our joy around the local area," Hine said.

It's a passion that takes a lot of work. Once a week, they rehearse for around three hours to make sure they're hitting the right notes.

"The fun for this group is being the best we can possibly be," member Nick Daley said. "It's more fun when it sounds great both for us and the listeners as well."

That precision is what has helped them earn global recognition. This year they earned second place in the International Barbershop Competition. They combined with another chorus from Florida, which meant even more practices to be pitch perfect.

"We met in Valdosta, Georgia multiple times. With guys coming up from Tampa, guys from Atlanta, and we'd rehearse all weekend and prepare. When it was all said and done, we had 114 guys on the stage. We were the largest group at the competition," Fuller said.

They were the largest group, and with a wide spectrum of singers.

"Our chorus had a very different approach. We're more of an every man's chorus. So we had members as young as 18 and our oldest member was 89," Zack Dunda with the group said.

The Atlanta Vocal Project scored a percentage and a half behind the first place winners.

That wasn't their only big trip this year. The group was also invited to help commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy.

"All of the sudden, we're standing on Utah Beach, where D-Day happened, singing this song, and it was a tribute to fallen soldiers," Hine said. "Barbershop has taken us to a lot of really cool places and that's certainly one of the highlights."

While the group is grateful for the accolades and the recognition, they say the biggest reward is who they're singing next to.

"To be able to go and actually get medals is pretty awesome, it's pretty amazing, and then we go back to our nine to five and most people there might not even know we sing," Daley said.

"It's the music that truly brings us together. It's that brotherhood and comradery, and from all different backgrounds," John Strain with the group said.

If you want to learn more about The Atlanta Vocal Project or their upcoming performances, visit their website: https://atlantavocalproject.com/aboutus