Chorus salutes Pearl Harbor veterans

Pages of Harmony barbershop chorus, a Spokane-based group, is celebrating its 60th anniversary by celebrating someone else: a group of Spokane’s Pearl Harbor survivors.

Pages of Harmony’s 35-man choir will perform a special program of patriotic music Friday at the Lincoln Center, including “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “God Bless the USA” and “Mansions of the Lord” from the Mel Gibson movie “We Were Soldiers.”

“We are hosting the veterans and their guests,” said Donald Cain, chapter secretary with Pages of Harmony. “We don’t know how many can make it – it could be as many as 40 people.”

Pages of Harmony traditionally has a fall concert and last year the group realized this one would be on Veterans Day, hence the idea to celebrate veterans.

“Our president Bill Mader is in the Air Force, so he came up with the Pearl Harbor idea,” said Cain.

Veterans Day falls near the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor which took place on Dec. 7, 1941, making the timing perfect for celebrating surviving Pearl Harbor veterans,

In keeping with barbershop tradition, all music is performed a cappella.

“If you drove across the U.S. and visited any other barbershop chorus, you could jump in and sing because they all sing the same songs, the same way. It is tradition, it is history,” wrote Mader in an email announcing the show.

Proceeds from this show support Honor Flight, which sends World War II veterans to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The show features a raffle with prizes such as a night’s stay at the Davenport Hotel and tickets for the Spokane Jazz Orchestra and the Spokane Symphony.

Cain has been with Pages of Harmony for 12 years.

“I’m very much involved with the administration of the chorus. Sometimes it seems like I do more stuff than I sing,” he said.

What’s his favorite piece in Friday’s concert?

“It would be ‘Mansions of the Lord’ – I’m looking forward to doing that,” said Cain. “It’s from the early Vietnam-era and it’s just heart-wrenching lyrics set to very wonderful music.”