- April 14, 2026
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Not more than three weeks after four Windermere High School seniors formed a singing group in February were they singing in front of a camera to audition for Foundation for Orange County Public Schools’ Top Talent LIVE.
But instead of singing as pop icons, rock stars or a boy band, Chandler Hall, George Kudmani, Connor Kelly and Andrew Rockefeller were auditioning as A Good Old Barbershop Quartet.
Dressed in khakis and white dress shirts, they harmonized and syncronized some of their music with choreographed moves.
A Good Old Barbershop Quartet was selected to compete in Top Talent LIVE at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
But the foundation staff wanted to help the seniors take their act to the next level.
“They said we sounded great, but now we needed to look the part,” Hall said.
The foundation purchased classic straw boater hats almost every barbershop quartet wears for the Windermere High quartet.
The boys completed the classic barbershop quartet look with red, white and black plaid vests and matching bow ties.
Now, Hall, Kudmani, Kelly and Rockefeller are ready to take the stage in hopes of winning first place at Top Talent LIVE, earning a $1,000 gift card and $500 for Windermere High.
A Good Old Barbershop Quartet formed after Myron Whittlesey, a 15-year performer and vocal captain of Disney’s The Dapper Dans, spoke to Windermere High choir students.
His visit triggered memories in the seniors.
Rockefeller remembered being 5 years old sitting on Main Street, U.S.A., at Magic Kingdom enjoying cotton candy when The Dapper Dans were passing by in their horse-drawn trolley.
“Your ears were blessed with their beautiful chords, crazy high notes and complex harmonies,” Rockefeller said.
The nostalgia and unique energy of the barbershop quartet inspired the boys.
“I guess you could say barbershop was written into our DNA from that point,” Kudmani said.
Not long after Whittlesey visited the school, Kelly approached Hall about forming their own quartet with longtime friend Kudmani and new-to-chorus Rockefeller.
Kelly, Kudmani and Hall have known each other since their days as sixth-graders at Bridgewater Middle School. Despite Hall knowing Rockefeller since performing in band together at Bridgewater Middle, he didn’t join the gang until he decided to shift gears to choir his senior year at Windermere.
It all was kismet.
They knew instantly their chemistry, friendship, passion for anything and everything musical, and desire to laugh all the time would compose the perfect quartet to bring the a capella style of music created in the late 1800s to the Orange County Public Schools talent show in the 21st century.
Hall said they all also had the music knowledge, ability to maintain pitches and high-paced comedic energy that would be key to being a successful barbershop quartet.
They chose to perform for Top Talent LIVE the only barbershop quartet song they know: “I Love a Barbershop Song.”
There is plenty that goes into a successful barbershop quartet.
Kudmani likens performing as a barbershop quartet to playing a game of chess — but even harder.
“In chess, you’re thinking two moves ahead, but in barbershop, you’re thinking five moves ahead,” he said.
As they’re performing, it’s about timing, pitches, harmonies and chords. And that’s just to sing.
Add in the timing and accuracy of their movements so they’re in sync, whether it’s as simple as putting their hats above their heads or on their hearts or moving their hands to their ears to show the listening motion to match a lyric.
Then there’s the cherry on top: the matching outfits from head-to-toe with the straw boater hats, bow ties, vests, white dress shirts, khaki pants and belts.
Despite the hard work and dedication to making the performance perfect, the gentlemen find beauty in knowing it is not always going to be the same.
“I appreciate the fact we have creative freedom,” Kelly said. “Our song could be sung a million different ways. It’s different every time we perform it.”
One change in pitch, movement or note could change the way the group is seen and heard. It adds a note of whimsy to the performance.
Kudmani said it’s their bond and incredible chemistry that makes their group outstanding.
Not only does the performance bring joy to Hall, Kelly, Kudmani and Rockefeller, but also it teleports the audience back in time.
Barbershop quartets gained popularity from 1900 to 1919 until dying down for 20 or so years before picking back up in popularity once again. The four-part harmonies brought joy to people during World War I and after the end of the Great Depression. Like music of any kind often is for people, barbershop was an escape from reality, even if only for a few minutes.
Kudmani said the energy and lightheartedness of barbershop is infectious.
The quartet saw it firsthand performing Thursday, April 9, at Open Mic Night at Pilars Loft.
The group wanted to test the waters of a live audience and decided to put on their straw boater hats and hit the stage at Pilars.
Kelly said on the busiest night he has ever seen the piano bar, he could hear a pin drop as A Good Old Barbershop Quartet sang. Usually, he said, there are side conversations happening during any given performance, so he was surprised to see everyone’s attention was fully on them.
The group was even more surprised when they received a standing ovation.
Kelly said people approached him after the performance to say the high school boys were keeping the tradition of barbershop alive.
“Right after the performance, I had the biggest smile glued on my face,” Rockefeller said. “It wasn’t just super fun for us to perform but for (the audience) as well. ”
As Top Talent LIVE approaches, the quartet can’t wait to introduce barbershop to people who might never have heard or seen it performed before.
And the quartet might not stop there.
Although the boys are headed in different directions upon graduation, they are hopeful A Good Old Barbershop Quartet will take the stage at Pilars Loft again, and when the holidays roll around, they have an a cappella Christmas song at the ready.
Outside their barbershop quartet, what makes the group come alive is the fact the boys are friends and “regular guys who laugh at everything,” Rockefeller said.
“We all have our own lives, but we’re tied together with music,” Hall said. “Music brings us together.”
