Forefront Wins Championship
Tenor: Drew Wheaton
Lead: Kevin Hughes
Bass: Brian O’dell
Bari: Aaron Hughes
For the third year in a row, the newly crowned Barbershop Harmony Society International Quartet Champion contains a set of brothers, proving yet one more time that when it comes to lock and ring, family does indeed matter. These gentlemen finally took home the coveted prize after finishing 5th in 2013, 2nd in 2014, then 2nd again in 2015.
It was a championship forged in the fires of persistence and determination, showing that dedication to the craft truly pays off. In the past year particularly, their friendship with 2015 champ quartet Instant Classic had strengthened which lead to many artistic collaborations on concert stages and in the recording studio. Also critical to their success were the relationships they had formed with several coaches and mentors that helped an already magnificently fine-tuned quartet make even further strides in their singing technique and emotional vulnerability that brought more genuine emotion to the International stage for them than ever before.
It was a thrilling victory for Forefront after several years of coming in an extremely close second, and finally in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena they hoisted the championship trophy as gold medalists.