The Midwest Vocal Express:

2017 A YEAR IN PICTURES

Kick off with

Last January’s

Installation Mark Hale, installer & coach.

Our 2017 Board

L-R: President Steve Johnson, Music VP Harry Hanson,

Membership VP Derek Balke, Secretary Jim Ansay, VP

Marketing Jake Umhoefer, and Member at Large Cody

Whitlock.

Rookie of the Year winner

Tom Rogina, with VP

Membership Derek Balke.

Do it Award winner Harry

Hanson with last year’s

winner Jim Ansay

The President’s Award Winner Jake

Umhoefer presented by President

Steve Johnson

The Russel A Foris Director’s

Award went to Derek Balke,

presented by Director Josh

Umhoefer

The Bow Ties, new and past, display their mugs

Our installer was Mark Hale, pictured

here with our 2016 Barbershopper of the

Year (BOTY), Cody Whitlock.

The 2017 P-Team

(L-R Harry Hanson, Patrick McAlexander, Cody Whitlock, Josh Umhoefer, & Scott Ganswindt.) Who is that photo bomber back there?

More Friends & Family Photos

Gift Giving: Steve Johnson & Dan Fenske Vikings 13-3

Lions 9-7

Packers 7-9

Bears 5-11

in 2017

February 2017

Coaching by Cindy Hansen

Singing Valentines 2017 with the

The Quarter Notes with Derek Balke and Sarah Nagel organizing.

Lots of Guests: Derek Balke doing a great job! Top row, Michael Gutierrez and Brian Guthrie. In the middle row are

Matt Record, Zach Rolfs, John Van Haden, and John K.

Derek Balke & Jacob Lambert in the first row.

February Guest Night Success

Hoops & Football Mania Successes led by Cody Whitlock

More coaching in March 2017 by Mark Hale

Senior Quartet High Point making sweet music.

High Point, Harry Hanson, Mike Ziegler,

Bob Wozniak, & Darryl Cramer

April 2017 Our Highs and Lows Together

From the international stage in

Nashville, July 2016 to not doing

our Spring Show in April 2017.

Barbershoppers of the Month:

The Quarter Notes for their stellar work

on Singing Valentines

May 2018

• More coaching with Mark Hale

• Getting ready or our trip to Vegas.

June 2018

More coaching from

Cindy Hansen.

Send off performance

June 26th.

Getting to know Chord-tastrophe (L-R) Patrick,

Matt, Dennis, and Zach, killing it on and off stage.

Vegas, Baby! July 2017 • Temperatures rise to 116o

• Josh Umhoefer’s last

contest performance as our

Director (2011 – 2017)

“His talent for bringing out the most of

the music as a performer is so innate

that it almost seems effortless.”

- Bob Fichtner

MVE Directors

1. Frank Marzocco, 1988-1992

2. Russ Foris, 1992-2004

3. Chris Peterson, 2004-2007

4. Grant Wilson, 2007-2011

5. Josh Umhoefer, 2011-2017

6. Brian Plehn, interim director 2017

Russ Foris

Chris Peterson

Grant Wilson

Brian Plehn Josh

Umhoefer

Exceptionally Talented

Around Vegas

MVE Quartets Compete in Vegas

Midnight Croon

The Committee

Ohana Means Family wins Silver Medal at Youth Contest!

MVE on Stage

Most felt very comfortable singing on this wonderful

stage. Josh got us to show our energy. We visualized

both a Flying Carpet Ride and talking with Naughty

Angeline before us. But, *** Poof*** in an instant, our

two songs, the applause, and even the humorous four

professional photos of us counted down by the

audience, 1, 2, 3, 4, and we were done!

Birthday Party & Afterglow in Vegas for Ilana Ganswindt

Musical Mondays at Lake Park

August 7, 2017 Josh’s last concert directing.

Then on to Café Hollander for

an Afterglow for Josh.

Quartets at Lake Park, too The Quarter Notes One Minute to Midnight

Midnight Croon

Here’s an Afterglow upstairs in Café Hollander!

Thank you Darius Sanders for arranging it.

Brian Plehn, interim

director, gets us ready

for the Brewers & our

District Contest

Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017

October & District Contest

Singing Try a Little

Tenderness and Naughty

Angeline, the 28 guys in

Rochester scored great.

2017 Winner of the Land O' Lakes District Chorus Contest

MVE Wins in Rochester!

October 28, 2017

Midnight Croon Closes the

ADC Show

Winning was the Border Project with past

member Paul Hautgren. All This Mess was 3rd

with both Ashley York and Jim Lewis as past

MVE members. Closing Time came in fourth

with MVE member Nate Peplinski. Chord-

tasrophe came in sixth with MVE members

Patrick McAlexander, Matt Record, and Zack

Rolf. North Shore were mic-testers in the

Finals as they came in eleventh. They featured

three past MVE members, Joel Krueger, Jim

Vandenberg, and Smite Smithlin.

One Minute to Midnight

came in 14th with members

Kevin Morrissey, Nate

Peplinski, Brian Plehn, and

Derek Balke. Grand

Delusions came in twenty-

second with MVE members

John Blitz and Jim Schmidt.

Busy December

• Christmas Tree Lighting in Oak Creek

• What The Dickens?! Shows

Performance at the VA

Thank You! Josh Umhoefer for being our director

and leading us in Vegas!

Brian Plehn and Patrick McAlexander

for being our interim Director and

interim Assistant Director and

getting our win in District

2017 Board for getting us through

our Highs and our Lows

Our 2017 P-Team for getting us great

songs

Members and Families that helped us

all along the way.