A cappella chorus strikes the right tone in Arlington Heights

An Arlington Heights-based a cappella chorus that takes its name from its hometown was recognized by village leaders this week for the group's contributions to the local arts scene.

The Arlingtones, a barbershop-style group that performs at community events throughout the Northwest suburbs, received the 2018 Arlington Heights Cultural Arts Award from the village's arts commission.

Going strong for nearly seven decades, the group was founded by two members of the Barbershop Harmony Society who wanted a chorus in their hometown. Membership grew to 150 during the 1970s, making it one of the largest choruses in Illinois.

Today, there's two dozen members - including their first woman singer who joined four months ago - and they say they're always looking for new singers who want to join.

They're in the middle of a busy lineup of 30 performances this year - likely a record for the modest organization that performs at community festivals, civic events and sports.

They sang the national anthem and "America the Beautiful" before receiving the award at a village board meeting Monday, and they're getting ready for two performances Saturday: at 9 a.m. during the annual veterans breakfast at Lutheran Home, followed by another patriotic performance at 2 p.m. at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, which is open to the public.

"Five years ago, we set out to put ourselves in front of as many audiences as we could because we felt, that after about 65 years, we were relatively unknown," said Dave Theile, the group's president. "We're loving all of (the concerts). We love to perform."