Meet Cody Harrell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody Harrell.  

Hi Cody, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The City Lights Chorus has been around in some shape or fashion since the 1980s. Back then, it was a chorus housed in Dearborn run by blueblood barbershoppers—the kind that you think about when the genre rears its head in conversations. Back then, almost 100 men stood shoulder to shoulder on risers led by a gold-medalist quartetter, singing as loud and straight as they could to ring rafters. 

But after stretches of disbanding, rebranding, rinse and recycle, this version of the chorus has roots that come from early 2014. Back then, a youth chorus started under the direction and leadership of Aaron Pollard and his family, who were well-known barbershoppers in the area. They pulled together as many Michigan men under 25 as they could and shipped them out to compete in an international youth chorus competition in New Orleans the next January. For the next three years, that chorus would go on to compete in and capture awards in three different states. 

Sadly, all youth must come to an end. In the fall of 2017, months after our last competition, a group of us got together in a now-defunct Tim Hortons in south Lansing to talk about what we might do to get another chorus going. That meeting laid the foundation for the City Lights Chorus as it is today—nearly 50 men from all over the state of Michigan who come together each week to make the most incredible music possible. We are laid on foundations of emotional vulnerability and musical excellence, with each auditioned member vetted through an extensive process to ensure high-quality personhood. 

Today, we’re the 15th-best barbershop chorus in the world. This year, we hope to be even better. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been anything but. 

In the fall of 2019, we qualified a small but mighty chorus for our first international competition to be held the following July. You’ve never seen 35 guys ranged from 15-75 more excited to go to Los Angeles. But when March rolled around, the world stopped—so did the City Lights Chorus. 

Over the next two years, we held online meetings, online concerts, and in-person, vaccinated, masked, inside, outside, anything we could rehearsals. We gathered how we could, made the best decisions possible, and did our best to support our members. It was never easy. Mask mandates were implemented, vaccine restrictions put into place, and medical experts kept on speed dial. We lost and gained members along the way—many of which we still wish we sang with. But through all of it, we maintained the core of the chorus. A group of men committed to each other and making incredible music. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are a barbershop chorus, so we specialize in close, four-part harmony. All of our members are auditioned, and they each have experience in singing prior to joining the chorus. We are known for having a diverse age of members, from 14 to 75. Still, every member has gone through the same audition process and is held to the same standard as the next person on the risers. There’s a commitment to the music and the other men on the risers that I have found to be unmatched with any other ensemble I’ve ever participated in. 

Pricing:

• $20 show tickets for our May 20 show

Contact Info:

• Email: citylightschorus@gmail.com
• Instagram: @citylightssing
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citylightssing/ 

Image Credits
Loren May
William Stutts, Jr.
Gary Caldwell