Ambassadors of Harmony record film score
A leading barbershop chorus tackles a challenging score for an upcoming film.
On Thursday evening, March 13, film producers visited the Ambassadors of Harmony Chorus in St. Charles, MO to record choral portions of a soundtrack for a four-part documentary to be aired on Netflix titled A Train Near Magdeburg, written and arranged by award-winning choral director and composer Jim Papoulis.
There was excitement in the air as the members of AoH gathered for their Thursday night rehearsal. Music team members gathered towards the front of the room consulting with documentary producers and Jim Papoulis, strategizing their approach to rehearsing and recording each segment over the course of the evening. As the 7pm start time approached, members of AOH carefully avoided the half a dozen professional-grade microphone stands that flanked the risers in an arch.
As is usual with barbershop, when we all know “why we’re singing” and riser singers fully buy into the story, it can only bring us further into the music and performance that much more richly, that much more deeply. The tone was set from the very beginning, when producers introduced themselves and gave the chorus context for what the story was about and how their music would be impacting literally hundreds of millions of viewers who would soon learn the incredible story of A Train Near Magdeburg.
It would come as a surprise to no one that the Ambassadors of Harmony expertly and beautifully performed each segment of their portions of the soundtrack at the highest musical level usually expected from a professional ensemble. Their consistency and commitment to the highest standard of musical execution for both AoH director Jim Henry, and for noted industry professional Jim Papoulis was inspiring. During the course of the evening, Papoulis often took the reins as director to guide the chorus through the orchestrated portions of the music, running repetitions while the pre-recorded orchestra played over loudspeakers, giving the chorus context for how their vocals would lay on top of the final product. Once reps solidified the sound, Papoulis, wearing earphones, directed the chorus through each segment, gathering multiple takes until everything fell into place.
Release date not yet set; details at magdeburgtrain.com
AUTHOR
Eddie Holt is Digital Media Manager for the Barbershop Harmony Society