A cappella singers? All Microsoft employees? Who knew.
That harmony you hear coming from a conference room on the Microsoft campus is not the latest Xbox or Windows boot-up sound.
It is the Baudboys, an all-male a cappella group made up of Microsoft employees. They get together on Thursdays to sing. And only sing. This month they will make their Kirkland Performance Center debut with The Coats, at 8 p.m. Oct. 18.
The Baudboys, whose name is derived from a measurement of modem speeds, boast a wealth of musical training and performing experience. All performed with other groups before joining the Bauds and several have founded or directed previous ensembles. In addition, the group’s members are drawn from a variety of teams across Microsoft.
The Baudboys have been in existence for more than a decade. In the early 1990s, four Microsoft employees decided to form a quarter so that they could sing the charts from college groups, and the Baudboys were born. While none of the original Baudboys remain, the group has expanded its membership over the years to its current size to tackle more complex arrangements.
The Baudboys want to debunk myths about techies.
“People have very strong stereotypes about technology workers – that [we] don’t bathe regularly and stay up all night playing Starcraft,” said high tenor Lenny Chung, who works with Administration eXperience Platform. “People assume that if you are passionate about technology, you won’t be passionate about things like music and art.”
The Baudboys are: Elliot Lewis, Musical Director and baritone from Customer Relationship management; Dave McEwen, President and bass/baritone from Developer & Platform Evangelism; Mark Adolph, bass/baritone from Office Sustaining Engineering; Owen Braun, tenor from Office; Jonathan Schwartz, tenor from Windows Security; Paul Eng, bass from the Xbox Console team; Graham Sheldon, tenor and vocal percussion from the Search, Portal and Ad group and Ric Lewis, Tenor from Office.
For information, visit www.kpcenter.org or 425-893-9900.
