South Brunswick Man Wins Medal at International Barbershop Competition

A Kendall Park man recently won a silver medal competing with his barbershop quartet at the seniors international competition for the Barbershop Harmony Society.

The contest, held in Orlando, Fla., featured 28 senior quartets from around the globe, including Germany, Australia and Canada.

Jeffrey Winik, 60, of Kendall Park sings bass with the quartet, Faces 4 Radio.

“The name of the quartet speaks for itself,” Winik said with a smile on his face. “We thought the name would be catchy as it really captures our essence.”

The other members come from as far as Reading, Harrisburg, and Ambler, Pennsylvania.

“When you’re in the barbershop hobby long enough, you get to other guys from around the country and get to sing with them at the local conventions," Winik said. "I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, and now I’ve got the opportunity to go for the gold.”

Over those years, Winik has competed, and performed with a number of quartets, including one with his 10-year old son, Leigh.

“That was 20 years ago. We called ourselves Generations Apart and were hired by a number of local groups where the kid stole the show everytime,” he said.

One of Winik’s quartets was hired by ABC Sports to do a set of commercials that appeared on Sunday night football.

“They dressed us up as Oakland Raiders for that one, and shooting of the spots took 11 hours," he said.

Winik also worked with young students at Crossroads South Middle School in South Brunswick a few years ago.

“Now that was fun," he noted. "The kids learned the notes and words to Coney Island Baby, and I was asked to come in to put the ‘performance icing’ on the cake. By the time we were done, they were having so much fun doing the song.”

Winik has also coached high schoolers at the Barbrshop Harmony’s Harmony College East where he sat on its faculty.