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‘Fun guys in the red jackets’ play McBurney Plaza

First Capital Chorus holds weekly Thursday night Barbershop concerts in Langley City
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First Capital Chorus performed St. Mark’s Anglican Church for the Wartime Memories show. (Langley Advance Times Files)

The First Capital Chorus of Langley may of had it’s start fifty years ago, but the group is by no means slowing down. The chorus’s a capella barbershop quartet music will be performed live every Thursday evening in McBurney Plaza (20518 Fraser Highway) for the rest of August.

Director Mike Wilcox said it’s typically a quiet time for the group, but the opportunity was too good to pass up.

“Lots of guys like going to the lake and decide to take a month off, but I want to keep singing,” Wilcox said. “I approached the city and they loved the idea.”

Playfully known throughout the community as the “fun guys in the red jackets,” due to the attire they wear during performances, the chorus began with Ron Long and Weir Muir starting a Langley barbershop chorus in 1969.

Now, the group consists of 40 members, half of which, performed at last week’s inaugural McBurney show.

“I want to have over 100,” Wilcox said. “We’re looking for a few good men and women to audition and join the group. We don’t want to be kept secret any longer”

Thursdays at 7 p.m. in McBurney Plaza will be a showcase for the chorus, who will hold free hour-long concerts on Aug. 8, 15, 22, and 29.

“It’s variety of barbershop and gospel – it’s a potpourri of songs that most people would be familiar with,” Wilcox explained.

Read More: First Capital Chorus offers classic celebration of remembrance in South Surrey

The First Capital Chorus annually holds a Christmas concert in support of the Langley Christmas Bureau. This series of outdoor summer concerts is a first for the group.

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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com

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