01/06/2026
Each spring, the Woodshedders (AHSOW) conducts elections for its Board of Directors. Member participation is essential to ensuring the organization can continue offering valuable woodshedding opportunities at conventions.
This year, the organization has experienced an unprecedented loss of eligible board members due to illness and passing. To maintain a healthy and sustainable future, the Woodshedders are actively seeking new volunteers to serve on the board. Individuals who are interested, or who know someone who may be a good fit, are encouraged to get involved.
But wait, what exactly is woodshedding, you ask? Woodshedding is the art of three individual voices—tenor, bari, and bass—creating barbershop harmonies by ear to a lead’s melody, without any written arrangement. The lead introduces the melody so everyone can become familiar with it, but it should not be a song with a well-known arrangement.
Interestingly, the very first quartets back in the first years of the Society competed by woodshedding their songs. It wasn’t until the mid 1940s that arrangers began putting charts to music for quartets to learn off paper, which some purists found to be too modern and contrived.
2026 Slate of Officers (Current)
President: Paul Olguin
Vice President: Ethan Wolfe
Education Manager East: Jake Fry
Education Manager West: Nomination Needed
Treasurer: Bob Boone
Director of Member Services: Nomination Needed
Information Manager: Mike Ebbers
Director of Commerce: Larry Horn
Bulletin Editor: Nomination Needed
Anyone wishing to run for office or nominate a candidate (with their knowledge and consent) should submit names and contact information by June 15, 2026, to: [email protected].
The election results will be announced during the Barbershop Harmony Society Convention.
