Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Korb.
Hi Cameron, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The Frederick Catoctones started in 1967, and in a lot of ways, we’re still doing the same simple thing we started with: getting people together to sing.
We’re a non-profit, men’s barbershop chorus based in Frederick, Maryland. We sing four-part harmony with no instruments — just voices. One guy sings the melody, and the other parts wrap around it until the chord locks in. When it works, you can feel it in the room.
Over the decades, the Catoctones have sung for packed concerts that fill auditoriums, joined community events with thousands of people, and gifted performances for small to large retirement and nursing communities. We also run a free 7-week long singing program for the Frederick community, serenade loved ones with Singing Valentines, and go just about anywhere people will let us show up and sing. One thing hasn’t changed much since our founding… our love for not just barbershop but our community have kept us going as long as it has.
What I love most is that this group is not just about music. It’s about people. We have members from different walks of life who come together every week because singing makes life better. You don’t have to be famous. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be willing to learn, listen, laugh, and sing with the guys beside you.
At the end of the day, we’re just a local group of men who love harmony, love Frederick, and love sharing music with people.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not always been a smooth road. Any local music group that lasts this long has to keep rebuilding itself. You have to find new singers, welcome people who may have never sung barbershop before, keep concerts and community appearances organized, and make sure the group can keep going year after year.
Another challenge is helping people understand what we do. Some people hear the word “barbershop” and think it belongs in the past. Then they hear a live chord ring, and suddenly it makes sense. It may be rooted in tradition, but it is still very alive.
And like everybody else, we had hard years during COVID, when singing together in person was not possible the way it normally is. Even then, the Catoctones made singing possible and released the first popular virtual chorus video in the US with the song Rainbow Connection and we kept trying to stay connected through virtual singing and by simply not giving up on the group. In a strange way, the hard parts have reminded us what matters most. The music matters, of course, but the real reason we are still here is the people.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The Frederick Catoctones are a men’s barbershop chorus, which means we make music using only our voices. No piano, no guitar, no backing tracks — just four voice parts working together until the sound locks in.
What we specialize in is four-part harmony. One person usually carries the melody, and the other voices build around it. When it works, it creates this full, ringing sound that feels bigger than the number of people singing. That is the part of barbershop that still surprises people. It can be funny, emotional, loud, soft, simple, or powerful, but it always depends on people listening closely to each other.
We’re probably best known for Singing Valentines, our annual shows, local community performances, and showing up around Frederick wherever live music can make a moment better. That might be a full concert, a community event, a retirement home, a holiday program, or a small group of singers surprising someone with a song.
What I’m most proud of is that we are still here, still singing, and still trying to make the group better. The Catoctones started in 1967, and keeping a local arts group alive that long does not happen by accident. It takes people who care enough to rehearse, volunteer, organize, invite new singers, and keep showing up.
Lately, I’m especially proud of our free singing program, Ready, Set, Sing. It gives people in the community a chance to try singing without pressure. They do not have to be trained singers. They do not have to know barbershop. They can just walk in, learn, and see what it feels like to sing with other people. That matters to us because our goal is not just to perform for Frederick, but to help more people experience the joy of singing.
What sets us apart is probably the mix of music and friendship. We care about singing well, but we also care about making people feel welcome. Our own guiding principles talk about being inclusive, helping people grow, building strong community connections, and creating performances that are fun, meaningful, and memorable. That really is what we are trying to do.
We are also working hard behind the scenes to make it easier for new singers to join us. That includes making auditions less scary, pairing new members with experienced singers, improving communication, and building a stronger sense of belonging inside the chorus.
At the heart of it, we are a local group of guys who love harmony, love Frederick, and believe that singing together still has a place in people’s lives.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is that moment when the chord locks and everybody in the room feels it. The surprising effects it has on people’s lives never cease to amaze me. We originally come together to sing, but learning that the group has been an outlet to save a life or to breathe the life back into someone’s eyes taken by dementia, just for them to start singing along with you is something that’s truly amazing for me.
The part I love most is that it can happen in a theater. It can happen on a sidewalk in downtown Frederick. It can happen in a nursing home, a retirement community, or on a Valentine delivery when somebody opens the door and starts smiling through the confusion until they know someone they love sent them something special before the first song is even finished. Those little moments feel big to me.
I also love what the group does for the people inside it. We come from different jobs, ages, and backgrounds, but for a little while every week we are all listening to each other and building the same sound. That kind of togetherness is hard to find, and it’s changed my life for the best.
Pricing:
- Singing Valentines – $60-120
- Concert Tickets – $10-30
- Birthdays – $150 (15-20 minutes)
- Private Events – $300-500 (depending on length and custom requests)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://FrederickSings.com
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/Catoctones
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@frederickcatoctones
