A Horowhenua singer will be taking his vocal talents to an international barbershop competition in the US. Josh Wharton is part of prestigious Wellington-based chorus Vocal FX, a 50-member group that has previously placed in the top 10 choruses worldwide when competing internationally, and regularly won the New Zealand contest several years running.
Mr Wharton is the only member from Horowhenua, and made it into the group a year and a half ago, after a rigorous audition process.
He has been singing barbershop, an a cappella (without instrumental accompaniment) musical form, for 10 years after becoming interested in it when he started college.
Stints in different groups followed, including his first chorus Acafellas, which competed in the Young Singers in Harmony national competitions, as well as Manawatu-based group The Manawatunes. He's also coached local college quartets.
Since joining Vocal FX and participating in the chorus' successful qualification for the international competition, to be held in Orlando, Florida in June, Mr Wharton says he has been "living his dream".
"For some people, a trip like this wouldn't mean too much, but for me, to qualify for an event like this is a dream come true," he said.
"It's the culmination of 10 years of hard practising, and an opportunity to show the world just how good a small-town boy from a small country like New Zealand can be."
Qualification involved winning at national level as well as scoring highly at the Australasian Pan Pacific competition, where the group received a record 88.5 points from a possible 100.
"We sing in a style called just intonation, which essentially means we are able to tune each chord of a song to match the flavour of the music being performed, as well as the notes that make up that chord. The result of this is rich sound that cannot be achieved through most instrumental pieces," Mr Wharton said.
"We will be competing with two songs - an uptune [which is a] high-tempo, exciting song, and a ballad [that is] much slower and more beautiful. However we will also be taking a number of other songs with us to perform in America.
These include classics from all genres, and a cultural set of songs that will share New Zealand's unique culture with the rest of the world."
A heavy practice schedule ahead of the competition has meant Mr Wharton has been driving to Wellington straight after finishing his part-time job at Levin Aquatic Centre - and not getting home until after midnight - three or four times a week.
Despite the effort, he says he enjoys it so much it doesn't feel arduous. "It's easy in a way, because I'm passionate about it." One of his biggest personal challenges has been conquering shyness and cultivating a stage presence, where an acting element is involved.
"You could think of the dancing as being a bit like Bruno Mars or the Jackson Five," he said. "For the ballads, it's [showing] the challenging emotions and convincing the audience."
Before the international competition, Mr Wharton is looking into raising the $3000 he needs, including bringing part of the Vocal FX chorus to Horowhenua to perform to raise funds.
He has also established a Give A Little page at www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-me-get-to-the-barbershop-internationals where people can donate, and says he plans to share the experience he gains at the competition with his community by offering coaching to local barbershop singers when he returns.