Check your pulse. If it doesn't quicken at the mention of New Orleans, call 911 stat. Storied in barbershop lore for parades on South Rampart Street, the place down river whence came jazz, the most fertile musical city in North America plays host to our 2015 Midwinter Convention, and it will be one for the record books. We expect the early-January schedule will mean even more young singers will be able to participate in the International Youth Chorus Festival, and low off-peak room rates will make this beloved tourism destination more accessible than ever before.

Order now for premium seats to see medalist quartets, the seniors quartet contest, and twenty energetic young ensembles in the incredible International Youth Chorus Festival.

Maybe it's their infectious enthusiasm. Maybe it's their road-of-perseverance story. Certainly it's their undeniable, accessible talent. Regardless of the cause, our new champs have taken the media by storm on their return to the South Pacific, with national television, radio and print stories dominating the news.

Follow their press coverage on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/musicalislandboys or on the HQ blog bit.ly/bhspress 

Five interns are undertaking internships with the Society this summer. As convention takes place during June and July, the summer could not have been a more appropriate time for interns to arrive. Check out their individual accounts of the internship experience with the Barbershop Harmony Society here.  

Hailing from different colleges and universities across the country, each brings something unique to the table when taking on projects. Prior to convention, Marita May assisted in coordinating catering, reservations, tickets, judge's meals, staff travel coordination, etc. for convention. She is now focusing on planning for Harmony University and describes herself as a "converted" Barbershopper as a result of the internship experience. Longtime Barbershopper  Jim Park created social media posts for convention, and also works on data analysis related projects. Patrick McAlexander worked onsite at headquarters in Nashville to evaluate charts in the music library to determine their difficulty level. When not working on Harmony University, Kyle Snook gives tours of the Barbershop Harmony Society Headquarters and acts as an ambassador to arriving guests and Barbershoppers.

The addition of interns to the BHS team not only gets young people involved with the Society but also helps to advance their careers in arts or non-arts related organizations.