Barbershop quartet to perform in Hart May 16

Submitted photo/Christian Diaz

HART — The Hart Community Performing Arts Series will close its 2024-2025 season Friday, May 16, with a performance by the barbershop quartet, Midtown. 

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Hart Public Schools auditorium, located in the middle school. 

Midtown is a dynamic, international award-winning vocal quartet that provides an entertainment experience capable of catering to multiple venues, audiences and ages. This award-winning quartet, based in New York, formed in the spring of 2018 and quickly gained attention from the barbershop and a cappella world. In their first year together, they won the Mid-Atlantic District Quartet contest, a fifth place bronze medal at the Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Quartet Contest, and the Dealer’s Choice Award for the highest scoring first-time quartet. 

After a three year COVID-hiatus, they returned to the international competition and brought home a second place silver medal. In July of 2023, they were crowned the Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Quartet Champion. The members of the quartet are all outstanding vocalists with a wide variety of experiences and accomplishments.

Submitted photo/Jordan Guyton

Jordan Guyton is a professional session singer, live vocalist, and worship leader based out of Nashville, Tenn. He has a rich foundation in a cappella music, learning the barbershop style at a young age and singing in the viral contemporary collegiate a cappella choir the “Voices of Lee.” He has sung all over the world including on stages like Carnegie Hall, The Beacon Theatre on Broadway, The Grand Ole Opry, the Shanghai International Music Festival, America’s Got Talent and more. He currently spends the majority of his time recording studio vocals for a wide variety of clients ranging from secular to christian artists along with choral projects. When not in the studio, he also travels and leads worship in a variety of churches and conferences across the country, including traveling with Dove Award winning contemporary Christian artist, Travis Cottrell. He is married to his wife Kyleigh and is the father to their new baby daughter, Lawson Eloise. Jordan’s passion is to inspire and unify people through song and faith while building community through the love of music.

Anthony Fortino is a native of Overland Park, Kan. and holds degrees in theatre, accounting, and a

Submitted photo/Anthony Fortino

master’s of accounting from Texas Christian University. He lives and works in New York City, having recently returned from the Broadway National Tour of the Tony Award winning musical “Fun Home.” Besides working as a professional actor, Anthony owns his own accounting company, Fortino Tax. He is also the finance director for The Classic Theatre Project, based in Dallas, Texas. Anthony joined the Barbershop Harmony Society at age 7 with the Heart of America Chorus in Kansas City and has been “barbershopping” ever since. He is still undecided about karaoke.

KJ McAleesejergins is a well-known vocalist, vocal instructor, and ensemble coach throughout the United States and Europe. He served for over 20 years in the United States Army — four years as an active duty paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division and 16 years as an Army vocalist with the Army National Guard. KJ is also known as a multi-instrumentalist and performs in several ensembles while also running a recording/production studio in New York called “Live Loud Studios.” KJ has toured with dozens of vocal groups in the military and as a civilian and has served as the musical director for two international tours with the United States Army Soldier Show.

Submitted photo/KJ McAleesejergins

Christian Diaz was born and raised in Miami, Fla. where he attended New World School of the Arts for voice. He later received a bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from Western Michigan University. Currently, Christian is based out of Orlando, where he performs at Walt Disney World with the world-renowned Voices of Liberty and Dapper Dans. He loves karaoke.

Tickets are $20 and available at hartseries.org and at the door. 

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