The Marcsmen Win the 2018 Southwestern District Championship!
The Marcsmen Earn Automatic Berth to 2019 International Contest in Salt Lake City
DALLAS, TX (October 6, 2018) – Following their best performance at the 2018 Barbershop Harmony Society International Competition, the Marcsmen, a local a cappella chorus from San Antonio, competed this past weekend at the annual Southwestern District competition in Dallas. The chorus won the competition for the second time in their 10-year history. The first-place win is the second District Chorus championship for the Marcsmen since winning the chorus’ initial District Chorus title back in 2012. Led by their Director, Brent Dunavant, the chorus earned a score of 83.4 (out of 100 possible points) with a chorus record 51 men on stage.
“With an almost 100% increase in membership in only 3 months and only 8 rehearsals to prepare the chorus for the contest, I’m most proud of how the guys worked together to make winning a reality” said Dunavant, on the growth of the organization. “What I’m most proud of is the fact that our very new members have embraced our core values of professionalism, pursuit of excellence, integrity, and brotherhood” said chapter President, Paul Turner.
Along with the championship, the chorus earned the District’s automatic berth to the 2019 Barbershop Harmony Society International Chorus Contest that will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah next July. It will be the fifth time that the Marcsmen will be a representative of the Southwestern District at the international level. In Utah, the Marcsmen hope to improve upon their 13th place result achieved in Orlando at the 2018 international contest. “We’ve always been driven to be the best at what we do. And with more time to prepare for the International Barbershop Competition in July of 2019, we are planning to be among the top 10 choruses in the world” said Dunavant.
The Marcsmen were one of 11 choruses who participated in the Southwestern District contest. Other choruses competing hailed from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and other Texas cities.
In addition to their championship win, the Marcsmen were honored in part with one of their own members, bass Jack Stevens, who was inducted into the Southwestern District Hall of Fame. Established in 1987, the Hall of Fame recognition is the highest achievement for a barbershopper in the Southwestern District. Jack Stevens has been a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society for the past 36 years with a few military deployments during that time. And for that last nine years he has been with the Marcsmen. Stevens joins three members of the Sterling Quartet as the only Marcsmen members to have been awarded this great honor.
“It was a real honor for me, and truthfully, I never imagined that I was doing the kind of work to deserve that level of recognition” said Stevens. “I was just doing what I enjoy. I always felt like one of the guys just doing a job.”
The Marcsmen now turn their focus towards their holiday show in December and preparations for the international contest next summer. Follow the group on their social media sites for more information about upcoming events!