On a Thursday, and a small group of men found themselves singing together. They started off with a few tone and vowel exercises, making sure they were harmonized before beginning. Their music director, Ethan Durham, generally picks out songs before rehearsal, a simple three-song selection for fun. But this time, they prepare to run their official arrangements. Now the group must practice and work their music to perfection as they prepare for their concert—their first one after a long and uncertain year.

The Bell Tower Boys is an all-male a capella group that has been an integral part of the Furman community for years. The group currently consists of six members ranging from freshman to seniors of all different majors. Together they harmonize pop music and folk tunes to share with their audience, all while learning teamwork through singing and improvisation. Although they perform mostly for Furman, they have been known to organize off-campus gigs.

“Even though music plays different roles in each of our lives, we get to enjoy it together and make something great out of it,” club president Chandler “CJ” Waldrop shared.  

Over the past year, the Bell Tower Boys almost disbanded due to the pandemic. Restrictions due to COVID-19 made promoting with an on-campus presence difficult, as well as gathering to practice and/or perform nearly impossible. Five years ago, the Bell Tower Boys consisted of sixteen members— until recently, there were only three. Due to the restrictions allowing little-to-no public events, the most the group could do was perform small, surprise events in an attempt to advance awareness, like performing the sea shanty in the PDen. They eventually managed to gain three new members, all freshmen, who the president hopes can continue on the legacy of the Bell Tower Boys once he graduates.

“This year, we learned that the future is unpredictable, but with enough effort, we can make something incredible happen, so I want to keep pushing the limits of what we can do,” said Waldrop in an interview with FUNC

The a capella group has planned for a limited in-person concert on April 15, at 7:30 pm at Hartness Pavilion. The concert will be their first one in a year. They plan to hold more auditions afterward, in hopes that the concert will bring in others who may be interested in joining.  

If you are interested in joining the Bell Tower Boys, contact their president at cj.waldrop@furman.edu.