2026 Harmony Academy
January 9 & 10, 2026 | U of W River Falls, WI | University Center
Reasonable rates at two local hotels (Radisson and Country Inn)
Classes for every person in your chapter.
Tuition: $75 for LOL Members and $90 for Non-LOL Members
Registration forms MUST BE RECEIVED BY 12/30/2025.
Harmony Academy GRANTS are available. (See Below)
Bob Cox - Faculty Member
50+ Yr Member of the BHS
Current President of the Oregon SenateAires Chorus, Salem OR
Current Evergreen District Board Member
Current BHS Ambassador – serving as the Society Board and Staff Liaison to Evergreen, Far Western and the Central States Districts
Past Society Board Member – Operations Team Leader
Past District President’s Liaison to the Society Board
Past District President, along with all other District offices except Sec/Treasurer
Past Chair of the Society’s Membership Committee
Past Member of the Society Ethics Committee
Certified BGS Leadership Development Facilitator
Former (35 years) COTS Instructor for Chapter Presidents, Membership VPs, Music VPs and Marketing VPs.
Riverside, CA and Salem Oregon Chapter’s - Barbershopper of the Year
Salem Chapter and Evergreen District - Hall of Fame
Chair and Co-Chair of the 2002 and 2012 International Conventions in Portland
Retired US Air Force and US Army, Senior NCO (Master Sergeant/First Sergeant) for the Oregon Army National Guard, Recruiting, Retention, Operation and Training Command and National Guard Bureau’s Marketing and Public Relations Trainer
20 yrs - Sales Executive, National Sales Manager and Sales Training Team Leader
Married to high school sweetheart for 53 years (57 years in total). Two adult children and four grandchildren.
Love college sports especially Oregon State University - Beaver football, baseball, basketball, softball, avid golfer, but mostly spending quality time with family and friends.
Peter Benson - Faculty Member
Peter Benson is a former professor of music at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and at the
North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, ND. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in
music education and a Master’s Degree in choral conducting from Minnesota State University,
Mankato. Benson was the director of the Great Northern Union Chorus (Hilltop, MN) from
2002 to 2014. Under his direction, GNU competed in several International competitions, placing
as high as second. Previously, Peter was the director of the Harmony Junction Chorus in Albert
Lea, MN and the Fargo Sweet Adelines. He sang bass with two different LOL District Champion
quartets, State of the Art (1995) and BreakPoint (1998).
Benson has been a coach for many choruses and quartets around the country and served as a
clinician for several festivals and workshops throughout the Barbershop Harmony Society. Peter
performs and tours, along with his wife and children, in a bluegrass, gospel, barbershop group
called the Benson Family Singers.
Scott Kvigne - Faculty Member
Scott has been a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society since 1987. He was an active member of the acclaimed Great Northern Union Chorus from 1999 - 2020, serving as associate director, choreographer, visual coach, and section leader. During that time, GNU earned the right to compete 13 times at the International level, earning 6 top 5 medals.
Scott was also the front-line director of City of Lakes Chorus from 2009-2024. Under his leadership the chorus achieved new levels of excellence, including numerous Regional chorus championships, and medal-winning performances on Sweet Adelines' International Stage. In 2015, he earned the title of "Master 700 Director," a title shared by only a handful of directors in the Sweet Adelines organization.
Since 2019, Scott has served as the artistic director of Mixed Company, a mixed-voice a cappella chorus, who sing a variety of music, including barbershop, jazz, gospel, and contemporary/pop. He is a member of the men's a cappella group The Journeymen Chorus, and serves as their baritone section leader and member of the performance team.
Scott is also a highly sought after visual/performance coach, choreographer, and clinician for barbershop groups of all levels throughout the midwest and beyond.
Harmony on the River
We have a fantastic NextGen event planned in conjunction with our Harmony Academy.
- The youth will be having clinics starting early on Friday morning, January 9th and will share their performances with those attending Harmony Academy later in the day on January 9th.
- If you know of students who would be interested in this event, share the below link with all the important information