NINE to Perform on the Marion Palace Theatre Main Stage

The a cappella singing group NINE will perform at the Marion Palace Theatre on Friday, January 24, 2014 at 8:00 pm. Because of strong interest, the show was recently moved from the May Pavilion to the main theatre.

The name NINE, which is comprised of members of Marion’s First Church of the Nazarene, represents the number of men in the group, but the guys joke the name also means “No Instruments Needed Ever.”

Members of the group include Titus Ritchey (baritone), Matt Craycraft (2nd tenor), Scott Forry (1st tenor), Joe Blue (bass), Luke Henry (bass), Scott Ruth (2nd tenor), Steve DeWeber (baritone/bass), Wes Peters (baritone/bass), and Matt Holsinger(1st tenor). Behind the scenes is the tenth member of the group Bill Mankey (sound man).

The idea to form an a capella group began when NINE member Scott Ruth was presented with a Christmas CD featuring the music of renowned a capella ensemble Straight No Chaser. Inspired by the unique musical style, (the group uses only their voices to create a blended and captivating sound with no instrumental accompaniment) Scott approached the men in his choir and asked them to give a cappella a try.

Scott shares, “We started off by doing a few things in church over the first year.  Christmas at the Palace 2011 is what gave us our name. We had to pick a name to be listed in the program, we chose NINE.”

Scott continues, “The show gave us our first big public exposure….which then prompted more shows outside our church.”

In addition to singing for their congregation, they were honored to perform the National Anthem at the Cincinnati Reds game in August 2012 and have received rave reviews for their holiday acts during Christmas at the Palace in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Busy with full-time jobs and juggling 9 different schedules often proves to be a challenge for the men, but NINE stays true to their roots and their mission to honor God through music.

The group shares, “We believe God gave us our different talents and brought us together, so we try to use our gifts to glorify him.”

The show will feature a number of spiritual songs including gospel and pure and simple Gaither-style music.

NINE is sponsored by United Bank.  Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the Palace box office, 276 W. Center St. in downtown Marion or by phone at 740/383-2101.  Box office hours are 9:00am-5:00pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and closed Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Information for all shows and tickets is also online at www.marionpalace.org.