THIRDS APART

VIDEO

AUDIO RECORDINGS

Long Biography

"Thirds Apart" is a duo comprised of Rich Chagnon and Doug Presnell. Mr. Chagnon was Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at San Diego Mesa College for 34 years. Mr. Presnell, after serving 20 years in the U.S. Navy, joined the choir at Mesa College, and eventually completed a Bachelor's degree in Music Education at San Diego State University.

Rich and Doug began singing together in the Fall of 2023 and performing as a duo a year later.  Applying their choral and vocal experience to the folk music genre has resulted in beautiful blend, balance and phrasing. The majority of the songs they sing are originals in the folk genre written by Chagnon, with a few infrequently-heard covers included.  As an alternative to the angst and joys of twenty- or thirtysomethings, a number of their songs address the concerns and jocularity of middle-age and beyond.  Their songs are humorous (Before I'm 64), nostalgic (You followed me home) and thought-provoking (Human wealth).

One of their early goals was to be invited to participate in a San Diego Folk Heritage Society concert.  They performed for the Society's September 12, 2025 concert in Poway.

PAST PERFORMANCES

September 20, 2025 Listen Local at the Dell (Hosted by Cathryn Beeks),

Encinitas, CA

September 12, 2025 San Diego Folk Heritage Society, 

Poway, CA

​August 3, 2025 House Concert, 

San Carlos,CA

May 4, 2025 House Concert with Peggy Watson & Dave Beldock, 

Encinitas, CA

February 2, 2025 House Concert,

Alpine, CA

PRESS COVERAGE

REFERENCES

• Cathryn Beeks, Acoustic Alliance and Listen Local Radio (cathryn@listenlocalradio.com)

• JT Moring, Performer and booking agent for San Diego Folk Heritage Society (jtmoring@gmail.com)

• Peggy Watson & David Beldock, Performing duo (peggywatson@cox.net;dbeldock@aol.com)

To contact Thirds Apart, email Richard Chagnon, rchagnon1@cox.net