By Daily Press staff
A Santa Monica singer and his acapella group just returned from a choral festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, where they sang at the graves of Russian composers Peter Tchaikovsky and Alexander Borodin.
Bruce Schroffel and his group, the Oceanaires Men’s Barbershop Chorus, performed with other American groups in the Sixth International Choral Festival of Barbershop Harmony in St. Peters-burg.
The merged chorus’ final performance in the week-long festival was before a full house of 2,000 Russians in the Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic.
Schroffel said the group not only brought their unique singing-style to Russians but also taught barbershop harmony to Russian acapella groups.
“It wasn’t an ordinary tourist experience,” said Bruce. “I was an ambassador of our country, I was an ambassador of barbershop music, and I represented Santa Monica in our beautiful sister city, St. Petersburg. It turned out to be it an experience of a lifetime.” Local pastor pushes for response reform in Louisiana
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 27, 2005. Read the original PDF.