They take their name from a historic Utah entertainment site on the Great Salt Lake and their music style from a historic American tradition.
The Saltaires have been performing barbershop music since 1989 and do it as well as anyone around. The show chorus has won the Rocky Mountain District competition, sponsored by the Barbershop Harmony Society, numerous times and has been ranked in the top 10 internationally.
"We pride ourselves on being the cream of the crop," Saltaires president Weston Smith says. "Our main focus is on competition, on taking the music to the highest level we can."
The Saltaires, with about 40 members, will present a spring concert on Saturday, titled "It's a Great Day!" Shows are at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Mount Jordan Middle School, 9360 S. 300 East, Sandy. Tickets are $9.75-$20, at the door.
The concert will also feature two guest groups: Bounce, a women's quartet that recently won the Sweet Adelines Region 8 competition; and Crossroads, a quartet that is "the best of the best," Smith says. "They have all won gold medals individually and then came together to compete as a quartet."
Bringing in top-award winners has been a Saltaires tradition in the past, Smith says. "We got away from it for a few years, but now we are getting back on track." It's a chance, he says, to hear music with harmony that is "pleasing to the ears and invigorating to the soul."
Under the direction of John Sasine, the concert will feature a wide variety of both classics and modern music, Smith says. All of it is not strictly barbershop, with cross-overs into vocal jazz, blues and gospel styles included.
For more information on the concert or the Saltaires Chorus, which has been named Cultural Ambassadors of the State of Utah, visit www.saltaires.org.
Email: carma@desnews.com