Brews and tunes: Sioux Falls Beer Choir to launch next month

There’s a new song-slinger in town, and he’s here to change the way Sioux Falls residents do beer, bars and music.

Officially, he’s named Barton Torbert, but for the purposes of this saloon-oriented story, he’ll go by the nickname “Beer Choir Bart.”

That’s because the lifelong music educator is in the process of forming Sioux Falls’ first and only beer choir, a chance for people to get together and sing in a chorus, no matter how many years it has been since they took to the risers at an elementary school concert. Or in high school. Or in church.

The first of what Beer Choir Bart expects will be monthly gatherings has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 7 at Remedy Brewing Co., 401 E. Eighth St. He has created a Facebook page for the Sioux Falls Beer Choir, and his son, Mitch Torbert, created the local chapter’s logo. Mitch Torbert, who now lives in the Twin Cities, was formerly employed at Fernson Brewing Co.

What is a beer choir? It’s a national singing movement organized by composer Michael Engelhardt that’s designed to bring back choral singing in more informal settings.

Long before jukeboxes and karaoke machines, people gathered to sing, Beer Choir Bart said.

“In the past throughout history, people have done things like that,” he said. “They would sing madrigals in the past and things like that. It was a good social gathering before we spent all our time staring at the phone.”

The Sioux Falls Beer Choir, like all beer choirs dotted around the United States, has no membership requirements. If you want to sing, you show up at one of the assemblages. Beer Choir Bart first sang with a beer choir in Rapid City, which has since disbanded when its leader moved away.

“What I really liked about it was the camaraderie,” he said. “It’s not highbrow at all. You don’t have to know choir and the arts and music; it was just fun.”

Beer Choir Bart does know choir, the arts and music, however. Growing up in Gettysburg, his initial ambition was to be a rock singer. He played in rock bands in the late 1970s and early 1980s while he attended Northern State University in Aberdeen. He switched to music education because the vagaries of rock stardom didn’t promise a stable wage.

“The income was more regular in education, even though the big stage was where I wanted to be to begin with,” Beer Choir Bart said. “I was fortunate music education was a fit with me, and I had a success there.”

After teaching at Gettysburg High School, then at Sturgis Brown High School, Beer Choir Bart settled in at Stevens High School in Rapid City. After he retired from the school district about 18 months ago, he and his wife, Laurie, moved to Sioux Falls to be nearer grandchildren — and children. Semi-retired, they operate a music studio in their home, giving piano and guitar lessons for beginning and advanced students.

Beer Choir Bart, who also is president-elect of the South Dakota chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, decided to start a beer choir at the suggestion of his brother Chris Torbert, who also lives in Sioux Falls.

“He is a singer, and he would say we should do a pirate choir or something that involves singing and alcohol because those are the two things he likes to do,” Beer Choir Bart said. “My past experience fell into place — I already knew the men at national headquarters and the beer choir hymnal.”

Yes, there’s a beer choir hymnal, which can be downloaded at the Sioux Falls Beer Choir’s Facebook page. While there’s no official Beer Choir theme song — can you hear the one for “Cheers” in your head? — a German song titled “Schnitzelbank” is included, along with traditional favorites such as “My Wild Irish Rose,” “Danny Boy,” “The Drunken Sailor” and songs that can be sung in rounds.

Expect “Danny Boy” to be sung as the evening winds down.

“Late in the evening, when we’re all sentimental,” Beer Choir Bart admitted. “Sloppy, maybe.”

He plans to move the monthly sessions from location to location, usually on Tuesdays or Thursdays. It all will be informal, Beer Choir Bart said.

“We’re not going to take roll. You show up when you can show up,” he said. “There’s no feeling of guilt or expectations of great singing. They can sit at table and listen the first night if they want to.”

Aaron Nelson, who oversees events at Remedy, is pleased the brewery was chosen for the debut, although he confessed that he wasn’t familiar with the national group.

“I’ve seen choirs that like to drink beer but never a beer choir,” Nelson said. “I think this is great. It fits our whole entire vibe of the brewery. I think it’s really kind of cool. As he was explaining that people a long time ago would sing songs and drink, I thought, that’s awesome, why not try to bring that back a little bit?”

What beer would Nelson recommend for a beer choir gathering? That’s easy, he said. “Every beer goes well with singing, especially if you have enough of them.”

Need more convincing before you show up ready to sip and sing? A study on the benefits of group singing had its results published in the journal Nature. Its summary said, “The emerging hypothesis that the health benefits associated with group singing are underscored by a complex interdependence between musical, neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms warrants further investigation.” Breaking it down even more, the study found that group singing is good for the mind, body and soul.

Beer Choir Bart agrees.

“My research shows that it (music) is one of the best things you can do to keep your brain from going to mush,” he said.

As a former high school choir director himself, Shane Wuebben knows Beer Choir Bart and knows his passion for choral singing. He plans to attend the first gathering and as many as possible after that.

“The idea of people being together and making music, that drive is intrinsic in him, and I hope people see that drive and draw into beer choir,” Wuebben said. “I hope people realize it’s not just for people who think they can sing. It’s people coming together as a community and having a good time.”

Wuebben sings with the South Dakota Symphony Chorus and has taken part in a beer choir with a room full of choral music educators. They viewed it as an opportunity to have fun, unworried about hitting all the right notes, missing a word in the chorus or if they were even singing the right part for their voice.

“Priorities shift in a beer choir as opposed to a professional choral setting,” Wuebben said. “Even if people don’t think they can sing, it’s still a wonderful opportunity to have a great night out. It’s something different, and I think our community needs opportunities to sing together, to make choral music. It’s a casual community gathering to make music.”