LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Four teenagers from Lexington are putting a fresh spin on a time-honored musical tradition — and they're just getting started.
Levi Steely, Hunter Foster, Carson Stiltner and Aneesh Nair make up Chord of the Rings, Lexington's newest barbershop quartet. The high school singers are proving old-school harmonies never go out of style.
The musical tradition of barbershop, rooted in African American folk art of the 19th century, still captures audiences today with its rich four-part harmony.
The group's story began about a year ago, when Paul Laurence Dunbar senior Hunter Foster spotted an open call for music ensembles and picked up the phone.
"This story begins in July of last year," Foster said.
He reached out to his choir friends with a simple pitch.
"I said, ‘Levi, Carson, we should perform a song together,’" Foster said.
His bandmates didn't need much convincing.
"We were on board so we just went for it. Made a group and started to sing," Steely continued.
For Stiltner, the experience has been an immediate hit.
"It's been the most fun I've had in a long time," Stiltner said.
The quartet recently performed at the Kentuckians Chorus Summer Show, finding a community that shares their love of barbershop and the pursuit of perfect harmony.
Chord of Rings brought their musical talents to the LEX 18 studio, singing a rendition of "Smile," arranged by Tom Gentry.
"You have to focus on a lot more sounding like one voice because it's only a few people, it's only four of us," Nair said.
The ensemble's name — a nod to their self-proclaimed nerdy side — belies just how serious these singers are about their craft. The quartet hopes to grow its repertoire and save enough money to attend the Barbershop Harmony Society International Convention in St. Louis.
In their own way, they're helping keep a piece of musical history in tune. And at the heart of their sound is something even simpler than harmony.
"The best part about barbershop is you really get to connect with the people you're singing with," Foster said.
