the Georgetown Chimes
| The Georgetown Chimes | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Georgetown University Washington, DC, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Vocal |
| Years active | 1946 – Present |
| Members | |
| "THE ACTIVES" #119 Celestial Chime Fr. Jim Walsh, S.J. #206 Jeff Carlson #207 Matt Moore #208 Steve Lovell #210 Jonathan Ossoff #211 Mark Rossetti #212 Scott Moody |
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Founded in 1946, The Georgetown Chimes are Georgetown University's oldest and only all-male a cappella singing group.
History
Returning home from service with the U.S. Army in World War II, Cpt. Francis E. Jones planned to use his final year's undergraduate eligibility playing quarterback for Yale's football team. While he was in Europe, Frank's dad petitioned Yale to award his degree, so he could return home and begin law school immediately after the war. But, Yale would not permit a grad student to complete his undergraduate eligibility. Frank still wanted to play, and he understood Georgetown would permit it, so Frank headed to Georgetown. By the time he arrived, Georgetown had re-visited its eligibility rules, and Frank's aim was dashed. He enrolled at Georgetown Law School nonetheless and instead of football, he joined Georgetown's Glee Club.
Remembering the a cappella harmony tradition that he was exposed to during his undergraduate years at Yale before the war and earlier while singing with his four uncles before college, Jones believed that he could create a barbershop singing group that emphasized brotherhood and friendship through harmony. The Chimes are forever in Yale's debt for frustrating Frank's desire to play football for one more year.
He asked then-Glee Club director Edward P. "Doc" Donovan to name the best bass on campus. "No question about it. Chuck Laiosa," came the reply. Jones tracked down Laiosa, and together they began to recruit the best male voices at Georgetown for the Chimes. The Chimes quickly developed their own following as an independent performing group, but for its first 15 years the Chimes also was part of the Glee Club.
The "Georgetown Chimes" take their name from the original tower bells of Healy Hall. In 1946, several of the singers Jones and Laiosa were singing for themselves as the chimes struck in the South Tower of Georgetown University's Healy Hall. Jones named the group on the spot. "Alma Mater Tower Bells - The Georgetown Chimes" also is the name of a song the Chimes perform and have recorded, composed by Doc Donovan. Later, when those original tower bells fell into disrepair, the Chimes' appearance with the Glee Club on the Ed Sullivan Show led to a donation of carillons to replace the original "Georgetown Chimes."
In the years since their founding, the Georgetown Chimes have grown from the original quartet into a group of 212 Chimes, from #1, Frank Jones, in 1946, to #212, Scott Moody, the "baby Chime."
From the original barbershop standards, the Chimes' repertoire has grown to include 50s' and 60s' classics, hymns, and show tunes. Beginning with the eponymous first record of 1946, the Chimes' have recorded two dozen albums and established a massive repertoire of music.
With singing in harmony as a foundation for living in friendship, the Chimes have become a family that spans over three generations -- 18 year old college freshmen call themselves brother Chimes of the octogenerian founders, and of every member in between. The Chimes network reaches across space and time to connect men of all generations. Wives, children, grandchildren, all attend Chime events, as do their many Georgetown fans.
In the late 1980s, the Chimes settled into the Chimes House, at 3611 Prospect St. one block from the campus of Georgetown University. The Chimes House functions as the headquarters for the Chimes, where practices and social gatherings are held. Several Chimes live in "The House."
The first five Chimes are honored or remembered by their fellow Chimes with Orchestra seats dedicated in their names, in the Gonda Theatre at the Royden B. Davis, S.J. Performing Arts Center on Georgetown's campus. This is not a coincidence. When Father Royden Davis himself was a Georgetown student after returning from WW II and before joining the Jesuit Order, he roomed with Charles P. ("Chuck") Laiosa, the Second Chime. He used to complain that he knew when the Chimes were going to perform, because Jones would "borrow" his dress shirts.
The Organization; Its Service and Ties to Georgetown
"Once a Chime, always a Chime." The Chimes view the group as a tradition, entrusted from one Chime to the next, year over year to now, 60 years from its start. Numerous Chime alumni return to annual reunions and Chime performances; every Chime is fluent in the group's vast repertoire. "Active Chimes," usually undergraduates, are the Chimes who make themselves available for practice and performance. The "Actives" also include the current Celestial Chime, James P. M. Walsh, S.J., the Jesuit member of the group. Father Walsh has been active as the Celestial Chime for over 25 years. He was preceded by Fathers Gerard F. Yates, S.J. and Richard C. Law, S.J., who as Jesuits were inducted into the group in 1953.
The "Ephus," or "leader among equals", is elected yearly by and the leader of the active group. The first ephus was Frank Jones, the founder of the group, who despite the legend, never legally changed his name to Francis Edward "Ephus" Jones.
The Georgetown Chimes appear at many university and alumni functions each year, and are proud to represent Georgetown across the country and overseas, but are not officially affiliated with Georgetown University. Members of the Chimes have served the University and its Alumni Association Board of Governors and Alumni Senate, and as officers of its Regional Clubs, Class Committees and the Alumni Interviewing Program. Two Chimes have won the Alumni Association's Patrick Healy Award (Fathers Gerard F. Yates, S.J. and James P. M. Walsh, S.J.) and four Chimes its John Carroll Award (Raymond D. O'Brien, CAS `49, Law `51, Peter G. Kelly, CAS `59), Charles M. Cawley, CAS `62, and Kevin O'Brien, CAS, `65). Raymond D. O'Brien also served as President of the Georgetown Alumni Association, and Charles M. Cawley served on the University's Board of Directors.
Two buildings on campus are named for Chimes, the Joseph Mark Lauinger Memorial Library and the Gerard F. Yates, S.J. Memorial Field House. The Main Campus Library was named for Joseph Mark Lauinger (CAS ’67), whose family has been a part of the Georgetown community since the 19th century, beginning with Frank T. Lauinger, who studied law at Georgetown in the 1890s, his son, Philip C. Lauinger, Sr. (C ’22, L ’58) who was president of the Yard and the student body in the College, and all four of Philip’s sons. Joseph Mark Lauinger died in the Vietnam War when the unit he was leading hit enemy fire during a reconnaissance mission. He was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart posthumously for his bravery in moving his men to safety. The Main Campus Library was named in honor of Joe to commemorate him, along with the 16 other Georgetown graduates who died in Vietnam).
The Field House opened in 1979, and is named for Gerard F. Yates, S.J., beloved Jesuit, Chime and retired faculty member, and former Dean of the Graduate School at Georgetown, who died while on retreat in September, 1979, the week following that year's Annual Chimes Reunion. In a time before email, many Georgetown alumni attended the funeral in Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart, including 75 Chimes who followed the hearse to Gerry's gravesite in the Jesuit Cemetery on campus, to say goodbye to their brother Chime. On the walk down the hill, Father Yates' brother Paul quipped, "just like Gerry, we walk, Gerry rides." While at Gerry's gravesite after the service, the Chimes sang "My Comrades" and "Alma Mater Tower Bells."
Yates, who saw the Field House through planning, construction, completion and dedication, acknowledged that he did not have an athletic bone in his body, but he loved the opportunity the building created for sports and recreation. The Field House has square feet ( m²) of recreational space, built underground. Kehoe Field, an all-weather playing surface on its roof, is home to intercollegiate, intramural, and recreational activity for Georgetown University students, Alumni, Faculty and Staff.
The Neophyte Process
Becoming a Georgetown Chime isn't easy. The intensity and length of the Chimes' training is unique among comparable singing groups. Chimes must master vocal technique, develop stage presence, be able to perform a vast repertoire of music, and learn about the group's traditions. Potential Chimes spend months or years as neophytes before being admitted as full-fledged Chimes.
A neophyte is an apprentice to the Chimes, who tries out for the group and is accepted initially on the basis of his singing ability. He then spends time with the group, getting to know the Actives, meeting alumni, and learning the group's many songs and its unique history. Each neophyte "process" is unique. The time it takes for a neophyte (or "neo") to become a Chime varies from 8 months to 3 years.
Upon induction to the group, each Chime is given a number. Numbers run sequentially from Frank Jones (1) to the current baby Chime, Scott Moody (212).
Continuing Performance
Since 1946, the Georgetown Chimes have entertained Presidents from Ike to Clinton, cocktail parties from Maine to California, and crowds of all ages from Holland to Argentina.
From singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at professional sporting events to providing entertainment in the spirit of the Holiday season, the Chimes perform in many different contexts. A Georgetown Chimes concert, lasting up to ninety minutes, entails high quality vocal performance, as well as a blend of humor and energy that has captivated audiences of all ages. Concerts or performances by the Chimes can be the main event for an evening or assembly, provide an enjoyable break at a conference, or serve to set the mood as background for a dinner. Although the group attempts to create an informal atmosphere, the Georgetown Chimes gain their enthusiasm from a common love and respect of the music. This helps makes every performance professional. As a result, audiences worldwide have greeted the Georgetown Chimes with enthusiasm and critical acclaim.
The Chimes have performed monthly since 1963 at The Tombs, the popular Georgetown restaurant. The concerts in The Tombs have been popularized as "Chimes Nights." The Tombs, part of the Clyde's Restaurant Group, is the famous Georgetown University bar upon which was based the fictional "St. Elmo's Bar," featured in St. Elmo's Fire (movie). The Chimes Night tradition was the idea of one man, Richard McCooey, who founded the bar and the superb restaurant above it, "1789 Restaurant," where the Chimes also perform monthly for dinner guests.
The Chimes hold three shows in February, inviting Georgetown favorites and other top groups from around the country to perform. These shows, a tradition for over 33 years, have included professional groups, including world-famous a cappella vocal groups Rockapella and SPEBSQSA International Champions The Boston Common, as well as a wide variety of guest college groups.
The Chimes can be reached for performance inquiries at (202) 333-NOTE.
External links
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