Specializing in all things vocal, Jim Emery brings over 30 years of barbershop experience to his quartet and chorus coaching in the Barbershop Harmony Society, Sweet Adelines, and Harmony Inc. As a past Singing Category Specialist of the BHS’s contest & judging program, Jim brings a wealth of insights based on years of judging, coaching, and performing.

Barbershop excellence
With an already strong background in vocal music, instrumental music, and musical theater, Jim’s barbershop career began in the late ‘70’s with the international medalist Minneapolis Commodores chorus and the Little Rascals quartet, the first of three district champion quartets and four international competitor quartets with whom he has performed and competed.  In 1985, Jim was one of four founders of the Hilltop, Minnesota chapter and its medalist Great Northern Union chorus, a perennial international competitor.  With over 40 international quartet and chorus performances, Jim has a thorough understanding of the preparation necessary to compete at your best.

Vocal fundamentals

Jim spent 9 years in the 1980's in private voice study, learning the fundamentals of proper vocal production as well as the concepts of vocal pedagogy.  He frequently gives seminars on vocal production fundamentals as well as improving ensemble sound.  Jim is a current member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

Contest judging

Jim has been a certified Barbershop Harmony Society Singing judge for over fifteen years, a Singing Board of Review member for five years, and was the Singing Category Specialist in 2009-2010.  With a passion for education learned from his high school teacher mother, Jim initiated a number of innovative programs for improving the scoring and coaching skills of the category.

Multi-faceted coaching

Jim’s true passion is for helping others through coaching.  He is known as a high energy, creative, and yet sensitive coach.  With his solid grounding in proper vocal fundamentals and the factors of the Singing category, he is excellent at improving the sound of any group he coaches.  But he also enjoys and is effective at song interpretation and delivery.  This combination of vocal and interpretive skills helps any group he coaches explore a much wider variety of song vocal treatments.

Arranging & recording

Although still working on his skills, Jim is also an accomplished arranger, with a number of his arrangements having been sung on the international contest stage and on commercial CDs.  And with an associate degree in music recording technology, he is experienced in the engineering and production of commercial recordings.

Call now!

Jim is in constant demand at quartet and harmony education schools and is currently coaching quartets and choruses of all ability levels.  Contact Jim to get your group on his coaching calendar: