New director for Eastern Kentucky Harmonic Order

The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.
·2 min read

Jul. 18—ASHLAND — Eastern Kentucky Harmonic Order (EKHO) has a new director — Ryan Jarrell.

The barber shop chorus of 20 members, formerly known as The Singing Kernels, elected Jarrell on the recommendation of founder and former director Carl Taylor.

"Sometimes such a change is difficult and sometimes, you simply know when the time is right," Taylor said. "My wife has supported me for the past 30 years, accepting that I would be gone every single Monday night, and now I need more time to support her."

Taylor retired from the position after having been director for more than 30 years, citing health concerns of his own and of his wife's.

Taylor said of Jarrell: "Ryan Jarrell is as high a caliber of musician, arranger, director as you could have and I was excited that he was available."

Jarrell is a 2007 graduate from Ohio University with a degree in music performance and a recent graduate of the master's program at Bowling Green State University with a master's degree in applied statistics. In addition to directing, he will replace Taylor as the baritone in the Commonwealth quartet.

"The chorus is a blast to learn music together, direct and perform. In a quartet, I get to be part of a specific sound that is a joy to produce. We have an excellent balance and I look forward to that aspect as well," he said. He also sings baritone in the Huntington barber shop chorus, The Thundertones.

"I love music and I love barber shop," Jarrell said. "Directing these guys is a dream and I am so thankful for this opportunity to carry on behind such a music icon and mentor as Carl."

He said he sees an expansive future for EKHO.

"The sky is truly the limit with some of the talent we have," he said. "I want to grow and show our area how broad 'barber shop music' can be — how it appeals across generations. We would really like to see a continued 'youth movement' in addition to the few young guys we have."

The group meets at 7:15 p.m. Mondays at the Westwood Free Will Baptist Church. For more information, visit ekhochorus.com or the Facebook page. New members are welcome.