A brief history:
It started with two…
Two good friends who enjoyed singing in various choirs but were looking for something new, something different. They searched for vocal harmony groups on YouTube and discovered the niche world of barbershop singing.
Watching and hearing the leading American quartets provided the inspiration for 4 in a Bar. They gave the impression it was all just a bit of fun, but their musicality and technical accuracy suggested some serious discipline.
And so our guys were hooked! Sometime in 2008, Paul, Tristan and two buddies ordered sheet music, got together and got stuck in.
In the following years, 4 in a Bar studied the many rules of barbershop singing and learned by competing in barbershop contests in Ireland and abroad, meeting similar groups, coaches and judges. Shortly after gaining a new lead singer, they were joined by countertenor Eoin on the top line and felt ready to record. The combined sound is heard on the quartet’s first studio album, ‘Introducing 4 in a Bar’, released in 2011 (recorded by Michael Dawson)
The years that followed featured candy-stripe waistcoats and straw boater hats, an X-factor performance which never made it to TV, some commercials which did make it to TV and the quartet’s earliest public concerts.
Around 2013, Shane joined as lead singer, defining the new sound of the group – one which remains unchanged to the present day. The guys invested in new suits and flew to places in the UK and Spain to compete in barbershop conventions. A second album was recorded and launched (2015, National Concert Hall, Dublin) and the track listing now reflected an emerging talent within the quartet – that of Eoin as arranger.
Eoin’s interest in Irish melodies and skills as an arranger gave 4 in a Bar a new voice, so to speak, and the group expanded its repertoire with new, bespoke works not only by Eoin but also by various living Irish composers such as Seán Doherty, Eoghan Desmond, Rhona Clarke and others (some commissioned with Arts Council funding)
In 2018, 4 in a Bar returned to the NCH for a special centenary concert performance, one of Paul’s last events as manager of the group. A new video work was presented, commissioned via the Thomas Damann Junior Memorial Trust.
A new identity:
By now, it was clear 4 in a Bar’s repertoire was evolving and identity taking shape. In effect, the four Classical singers who sought light relief in a barbershop quartet were being drawn back to their Classical roots.
Their programmes now spanned many centuries, styles and continents, their performances underpinned by years of barbershop discipline. With Eoin as artistic director, 4 in a Bar concerts featured music by Arvo Pärt, John Tavener, John Field, Palestrina, U2, the Beatles, Medieval Irish chant and more.
Another exciting development was the group’s new manager; Dorothy Alioth (KenDu Music) believed 4 in a Bar had something interesting to say to overseas audiences and secured concert tours across Switzerland (with the support of the Irish embassy in Geneva and funding from Culture Ireland).
Future plans:
The next chapter has yet to be written…
