Our Musical Director

JOHN DONEHOWER:   A member of the Dubuque Chapter since 1987 and of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) since 1981, John has been very active in the world of Barbershop. Over the years, John has been a member of 5 Barbershop chapters in 3 different states, numerous registered and pick-up quartets and has been named “Barbershopper of the Year” twice as a Music Man and once by the (now defunct) Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin Chapter. John is a regular attendee of the Director’s College, sponsored by the BHS, held annually in St. Joseph, Missouri. In 2003, John earned his Directors Certification from the Society and is currently pursuing Master Director Certification. John scripts the majority of Music Man shows and has often served as emcee for the Music Men and other mid-western barbershop groups. In 2006, John co-founded “East Central”, a festival chorus made up of more than 100 singers from six area barbershop chapters and featured on the “Harmony Holiday” shows in December of each year. In the spring of 2007, John was named Musical Co-Director and Project Manager of Twenty-First Century Vocals, the recently reestablished competition chorus of the Linn County Metro Chapter of the BHS. In 2007, John earned the distinction of serving as Dubuque Chapter Musical Director for longer than anyone else in the Music Men’s 58 year history. Now in his 7th year, John has passed the former benchmark of 6 years held by 3 previous Musical Directors. John is ably supported by David Engle and Merlin Green, Associate Directors and Dick Wepking, Director Emeritus.

John grew up in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Very active on stage in college, John participated in numerous performing ensembles and stage productions and became a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a national musical fraternity for men. Professionally, John has been a successful member of the Nabisco Brands (now Kraft Foods-Nabisco) sales force since the summer of 1985. He shares his Dubuque home with his cats, Lex, Clark and Catboy.

John is known for his quick wit, friendly manner, upbeat attitude and his apparent dislike of younger/more talented performers.