The Central Coast Chordsmen’s President Larry Long said that this year’s “Barbershopper of the Year” award belongs to Robert Maurer for “his extraordinary contribution to the preservation of barbershop singing,” in a statement from the club. Maurer spearheads the Youth in Harmony organization, which is part of the Chordsmen’s membership to the national Barbershop Harmony Society.
Maurer also formed the first Santa Maria Youth Chorus recently, including 16 boys who will compete in the mid-winter Barbershop International Convention in Reno, Nev. He was able to achieve this, the release detailed, by collaborating with music educators from local high schools, including Matt Ringer of Righetti High School, Dona Kintzi from Orcutt Academy, and Richard Hernandez of Pioneer Valley.
The award isn’t Maurer’s first, he won the award first in 1965 from the Culver City Barbershop Chapter he helped form. More information on the Central Coast Chordsmen is available at centralcoastchordsmen.org.
This article appears in Jan 28 – Feb 4, 2016.