The Evergreen District of the Barbershop Harmony Society hosted their 77th annual convention and contest last weekend at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center (PAEC).

The event took place over three days and was attended by over 700, completely filling the La Quinta hotel and overflowing to others. You may have heard them singing “tags” together in the restaurants surrounding the PAEC. Barbershop quartets, choruses and VLQs (“Very Large Quartet”) from five Pacific Northwest states and two Canadian provinces competed for scores, evaluation and critique on singing, performance and musicality by judges from around the U.S., Canada and even Germany — and the chance to represent the district at the International Barbershop Convention and Contest this summer in Cleveland,Ohio.

Federal Way’s own Harmony Kings Chorus received the honor of “Most Improved Chorus” by achieving a score that surpassed the improvements of all other choruses since last year’s contest.

The Harmony Kings have been a fixture in South Puget Sound since 1961, when they received their charter into the “Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Singing in America” (SPEBSQSA) as the “Green River Chordcasters.” They give (on average) 25-50 performances each year, from free concerts to special events. Their diverse membership currently includes singers age 11 to 95, ringing chords together in four-part harmony.

The Harmony Kings rehearse at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at Journey Church in Federal Way. Anyone who likes to sing is welcome and encouraged to come sing with them. Visit HarmonyKings.org for details.