MUSICAL
DIRECTOR
JOHN DONEHOWER
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 Kraft Foods/Nabisco Brands sales force since the summer of 1985.
John
Donehower has devoted much of his life to the performance and preservation of
the Barbershop art form. His
barbershop “biography” is quite varied….
·
John sang in his very first Barbershop Quartet in 1975
(at the age of 12), has been a member
of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS)
since 1981 and a member of the Dubuque Chapter since 1987.
Over these years, he has been a member of 5 Barbershop chapters in 3
different states.
·
John is proud to serve as the current Musical Director of the
Music Men and to have served in this
position longer than any other person in the Dubuque Chapter’s history.
·
John is a regular attendee of the Director’s College, sponsored by the BHS,
where he earned Society Director’s certification in 2003.
John is currently seeking “Master Director” certification with the BHS.
·
John has attended 18 International Barbershop Conventions (Sweet Adeline & BHS)
and more than 50 regional/district conventions.
·
John scripts the majority of Music Man shows and has often served as emcee for
the Music Men and other mid-western barbershop groups.
Scripts John has written or co-written have been performed by groups in
Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin as well as in places as far off as Ottawa, Canada.
·
In 2006, John co-founded “East Central”,
a festival chorus made up of more than 100 singers from eight area barbershop
chapters and featured on the “Harmony Holiday” shows in December of each year.
·
In 2009, John was named to the inaugural “Membership Growth Task Force” of the
Barbershop Harmony Society by Society President Bill Biffle.
This group is tasked to help develop systems and processes which will aid
in the growth of the barbershop hobby in the decades to come.
·
In addition to serving as Musical
Director of the Music Men, John also
serves as “Musical Co-Director” and “Project Manager” of
Twenty-First Century Vocals (TFCV), the recently reestablished
competition chorus of the Societies’ Linn County Metro Chapter.
·
John has received Chapter “Barbershopper of the Year” honors five times (in 3
Chapters) including three times (1991, 2000, 2009) as a Dubuque Chapter member.
·
Over the years, John has sung in too many pick-up and registered quartets to
fully list. To mention a few
highlights: “The
Guys”; “The Fort Tunes”; “Rountree”;
“Afterthought”, which performed 26 times as the “River City School
board” in a 1993 production of “The Music Man”; The “3 Man Quartet”, a popular “mixed” quartet which performed on
numerous Chapter shows and community events; “3D”, a short-lived competition quartet.
In 2008, John joined up with Chris &
Brian Medinger and Roger Akers to form “THE
CHOIR BOYS” quartet.
As time
has allowed, John has stepped outside the Barbershop world and performed in
productions at several area theaters including the very successful 2005 BELL
TOWER THEATER production of “Frank Sinatra: Christmas My Way”.
(Singing in a great mixed quartet and performing with a hot Jazz trio
more than made up for having to wear a Santa suit!)
John is
known for his creativity, quick wit, friendly manner, upbeat attitude and his
commitment to musical excellence and the Barbershop lifestyle.
John wishes to acknowledge and thank the
members of the Music Teams of both the
Dubuque Chapter (Associate Directors:
Chris Medinger, David Engle, Merlin Green and Dubuque Director Emeritus: Dick
Wepking) and the Linn County Metro
Chapter (Co-Directors: Dean Sellers
and Chad Knipfer)
as well
as
our many wonderful singers…past and present…for their ongoing support in the
continued success of our wonderful hobby.
Thanks to all!