About Our Chorus

The Chord Rustlers is a membership organization of male singers, who meet regularly to practice, perform, socialize, and have fun. We currently have about 30 singers of all ages, all walks of life, and all parts of the Gallatin and Park County areas.

Performance

The main purpose of the Chord Rustlers is to get out and sing for our community. We sing at annual shows, a number of community events, and at an annual competitions. We also perform Singing Valentines around Valentines Day. We are available to sing at your next function or event. If you're looking for a unique musical experience to liven up your event, please check out our Hire Us section.

Education

In addition to sharing our music with others, another great passion of ours is learning more about the art of a capella singing. Vocal instruction is a regular part of chorus rehearsals, and a very important component of the chorus experience. A couple of times a year, we will get coaching from a visiting master in the art of barbershop.

CompetitionIn the spring of every year, the Chord Rustlers participate in the Division chorus competition. Competitions are a special time for quartets and choruses from our district to come together to sing for each other, and get some constructive feedback from a panel of judges. The winners of the district competition in both quartet and chorus categories get to travel to the International Competition, which is held in the summer in a city selected each year. In 2011, International will be held in Kansas City, MO. Click here to learn more.

Quartets

Most choruses have a number of members who form their own vocal quartets in addition to singing with the chorus. The Chord Rustlers currently is home to a number of quartets, and we are very proud of them! Click here to see our quartet section to learn more about them.

 

Affiliation

Our chorus is a chapter of Barbershop Harmony Society, which is based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Barbershop Harmony Society brings men together in harmony and fellowship to enrich lives through singing. Visit www.barbershop.org.

 

Our Mission

"The mission of the Chord Rustlers is to sing a cappella, four-part harmony, in the barbershop style, to support vocal music education of youth, and to provide audiences with wholesome entertainment for all occasions by men who enjoy musical and social camaraderie, desiring to share their love of music within the community, and who aspire to grow in musical excellence and preserve the tradition of four-part harmony singing."

 

Our Director

Natalie Berdahl has been singing barbershop music for over ten years. Along with directing the Chord rustlers she is heavily involved in Sweet Adelines. She is the Assistant Director and Head Choreographer for the Bridger Mountain harmony Chorus. Natalie has also served four years as the Young Women in Harmony Coordinator for Montana and has been involved with the big Sky Youth Harmony Rendezvous Camp for six years as teaching faculty. When she is NOT doing barbershop, she loves the outdoors and is planning on attending school to finish her film degree.