Quinby Berry: Enjoying the Harmony that Music Brings

Keegan Slovinski '28

Some singers find their voice over time. Quinby Berry ’26 found his—and then used it to lead others. A tenor deeply involved in Hopkins’ arts community, Berry has taken the stage in productions ranging from the musical Cabaret to the Hopkins Drama Associations (HDA) production 1960’s set Twelfth Night. In the latter, he performed in a Beach Boy-inspired band, distinguishing the production's time period. Still, he has most enjoyed his time leading the Harmonaires, Hopkins’ tenor and bass a cappella group.

Berry's musical journey began long before high school. “I’ve been singing my whole life,” he says, noting that he began to take it seriously in sixth grade when he joined a choir outside of school. From his childhood, he grew up with parents who are talented singers, having an inclination for musicality. Nonetheless, Berry still recalls feeling uncertain about his voice. Singing as a soprano, he lacked confidence in his singing. One his voice dropped, “I found my stride.”

As a sophomore, Berry was selected for the Connecticut Music Educators Association Regional Festival. In his junior year, he made it two levels past regionals to All-Easterns where he was one of only two Tenor 1 singers Section chosen from Connecticut to compete alongside top vocalists from across the east coast of the United States.

Despite listening to a wide range of music, from choral repertoire to classic rock, Berry identifies his greatest musical influence as personal. “My dad,” he says simply, when asked about his favorite tenor. “He’s who I look up to.” For pleasure, he listens to Elton John’s “Rocket Man” and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” on repeat. When performing, Berry gravitates towards choral music like “There Shall a Star” from Jacob Come Forth by Mendelssohn or “And I Saw a New Heaven” by Bayton.

With a great musical background integral to his experience, Berry encourages Hopkins students interested in singing to look for opportunities to perform. He advises singers to believe “you really have a great voice,” consequently not “limiting [yourselves]” to your mindset. He reminds people to take risks and perform for others, noting that feedback is “how it starts.” As a veteran of the Hopkins choir program, Berry recognizes that Hopkins “gives you many opportunities to find what you want to do in singing.”

Although Berry finds it difficult to pick one favorite memory from his time at Hopkins related to music, he describes his work with the Harmonaires as “really awesome,” especially when bringing together pieces that nobody had seen before and sounding good together at the end of a few rehearsals. As a head of the group, he contributes by making his own arrangements of pieces by listening to them and figuring out the arrangement in order to have harmonies that make sense. It seems that these harmonies carry over into his daily life too; when asked if he sings in the shower, Berry does not hesitate: “Of course.”

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Quinby Berry: Enjoying the Harmony that Music Brings