Bing Crosby and Harry S. Truman were both performers at the a capella show called “Barbershop,” an annual spring performance that the Sacramento Capitolaires host annually.

The Capitolaires are not the only a capella group that performs the well-known production “Barbershop,” but members of the Capitolaires said they look forward to performing each year because of the history behind the production.

“Barbershop singing started around the 1930s as men sang in local barbershops,” said Joseph Samora, secretary of the Capitolaires and Sacramento State alumnus. “The show got bigger and the men went on to create a Barbershop Harmony Society, which is what we run under today.”

The Barbershop Harmony Society was very popular when it first started and even had famous people sing for them, Samora said.

“Bing Crosby and Truman are just two examples of famous people who sang when it first originated,” Samora said. “The society has been very successful since it was created and we hope to continue singing for audiences for years to come.”

A capella, Samora said, is a method of using voices in different tones and pitches to sing together in harmony.

“When you get a group of people whose voices harmonize together, it just sounds beautiful,” he said.

The Capitolaires, an a capella group formed in 1946, is a group made up of more than 60 men of all ages, including 11 Sac State alumni.

“We have men from all ages and backgrounds,” Samora said. “These are some of the best men in the world.”

Samora said he graduated from Sac State with a degree in history. Even though he did not take any music classes while attending the university, Samora said music has always been his passion.

“My degree from Sacramento State helped me with my career,” Samora said. “But now that I am retired, I now have the time for a capella and to sing with the Capitolaires.”

Even with 30 years of experience singing in a church choir, Samora said singing a capella is somewhat challenging.

“I have never been in something like the Capitolaires before,” Samora said. “Memorizing music is definitely difficult to perform.”

Samora said members must learn the music on their own time, outside of the group’s practice.

“We have to go through the music ahead of time so that we make sure that we sing and perform to the best of our abilities,” Samora said. “It is very time consuming and involves a lot of outside work.”

Sac State alumnus Don Salz said he had to stop singing with the group for quite some time during college because it was taking away from his schooling.

“I originally joined the Capitolaires in “78 but had to stop in “82 when I went back to school to get my master’s in psychology,” Salz said. “Just the combination of going to school and work full-time was too much to sing.”

As soon as Salz completed college and moved back to Sacramento, he said he had more free time to sing with the group and joined the Capitolaires once again.

“I really love to sing and being a member of the group gives me an excuse to do it well,” Salz said. “You make really good sounds with the other members and you get to meet some of the best people of the world.”

Tom Reaves, member of the Capitolaires and Sac State alumnus, said he still had a passion for singing even though he changed his mind about majoring in music.

“I graduated from Sac State in “69 and I have three degrees in anthropology, biology and environmental studies,” Reaves said. “I used my degrees for teaching within the Grant district as a biology high school teacher.”

While attending a community college, before his time at Sac State, Reaves said he realized music was not for him.

“I was going to school to become a music teacher and after taking some music courses I got into thinking that I don’t want to be a music teacher,” Reaves said. “As a music teacher, they give you the worst of the worst when it comes to students.”

Even though he tried to stay away from troubled students, Reaves said his 35 years at the Grant School District involved helping those who were not destined to graduate high school.

“I was using my degrees to teach a life science class that took the kids who were failing their science courses and this was their last resort at graduation,” Reaves said. “They took the class, learned to enjoy biology, graduated and ended up going into careers of teaching.”

Reaves is retired and he said he can now return to his passion for singing and concentrate solely on a capella and the Capitolaires.

“I love being able to perform in front of others without having that alone feeling,” Reaves said. “Seeing the audience enjoy the music we perform is a great feeling.”

The Capitolaires’ performance of “Barbershop” is premiering at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for ages 18 and under.

“The entertainment value of our show is priceless, a lot of people will know the songs we are singing,” Samora said. “It’s worth the price of a ticket just to see the quartets perform.”

Joining the Capitolaires is the Great Western Timber Co.’s senior quartet, a group of only four a capella singers rather than a large chorus.

“The four of them carry all of the responsibilities of a particular song,” Samora said. “They sing by themselves and it’s quite different from that of a large chorus.”

To learn more about the Capitolaires and a capella singing, Samora said meetings are open to those interested. Meetings are held 7 p.m. every Tuesday at the Sierra-Arden Church of Christ.

“Even if you don’t have a background in music and can’t read it, we will teach you,” Samora said. “This will give you a better appreciation of music and a deeper look into the music field.”