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The Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (SPEBSQSA), is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop music as an art form. Founded by Owen C. Cash and Rupert I. Hall in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1938, the organization quickly grew, promoting barbershop harmony among men of all ages. As of 2014, just under 23,000 men in the United States and Canada were members of this organization whose focus is on a cappella music. The international headquarters was in Kenosha, Wisconsin for fifty years before moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 2007. In June 2018, the society announced it would allow women to join as full members.
Vocal Majority (VM) is a Dallas, Texas-based men's chorus of over 150 singers, who bill themselves with the tagline "Pure Harmony." The VM got its start when founder and first Marketing Director, Bob Arnold, gathered together 12 singers in December of 1971; it has since grown to over 150 members. VM is the performing chorus of the Dallas Metro chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS). Vocal Majority has won thirteen International Chorus Championships, a Barbershop Harmony Society record. The first eleven gold medals were earned under the direction of Jim Clancy, who retired from International competition after 2010. The most recent championships, in 2014 and 2018, came under the direction of Jim's son Greg Clancy, the current Musical Director of VM.
Founded in 1985 with just a few dozen men, the Masters of Harmony is a 110-member men's chorus, based in Greater Los Angeles, California. Winner of eight consecutive gold medals (1990–2011) in international barbershop chorus competitions, the group possesses a diverse repertoire encompassing not only barbershop music but also classical, jazz, patriotic, sacred, standards and Broadway pops, and sings for various groups and organizations throughout the greater Los Angeles, California metropolitan area. The chorus won another barbershop international competition in 2017, bringing their total gold medal count to nine.
The Ambassadors of Harmony (AOH) is a 120+ member men's barbershop chorus, based in St. Charles, Missouri. The chorus won International Championship gold medals in 2004, 2009, and 2012 – each time singing two arrangements by David Wright, under the direction of Dr. Jim Henry – and then again in 2016 and 2023, under the co-direction of Jonny Moroni and Dr. Henry. Their 2009 victory broke a nearly three-decade winning streak by the Vocal Majority.
The Great Northern Union is an all-gender chorus based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Originally founded as a men's chorus in 1985, they performed four-part harmony in the barbershop style. Since 2020, they accept members of any genders. Officially, they are the Hilltop, Minnesota chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) and are active in competition. The chorus has won 11 medals in BHS International Chorus competitions, including consecutive second-place silver medals in 2011 and 2012.
The Westminster Chorus is a men's a cappella chorus based in Westminster, California. International Chorus Champions of the Barbershop Harmony Society in 2007, 2010, 2015, 2019, and 2024, and Choir of the World in 2009, they are composed almost entirely of men under the age of 40.
Vocal Spectrum is a barbershop quartet from St. Charles, Missouri. In 2004, Vocal Spectrum won the Barbershop Harmony Society's International Collegiate Quartet Contest, and on July 8, 2006, they became International Champions, winning the society's International Quartet Contest. A distinctive feature of the quartet is tenor Tim Waurick's ability to sustain notes for upwards of 30 seconds, and the tenor's and lead's incredibly high vocal range, featured in many of the group's recordings and live shows.
The Sound of the Rockies (SOR) is an a cappella men's chorus based in greater Denver, Colorado. They are a multiple-time bronze medalist chorus for the Barbershop Harmony Society. In 2007, they co-hosted the International Convention in Denver with the Denver Mountainaires. The chorus comprises between 90-100 voices currently.
The Chorus of the Chesapeake is a men's a cappella chorus, based in Dundalk, Maryland. Chartered in 1957 as the Dundalk chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, the chorus is rich in both history and accomplishment.
Voices in Harmony (VIH), is an all-volunteer, 80+ voice male a cappella chorus. Known for its mastery of technically demanding close harmony, its diverse repertoire encompasses music from the classics to jazz, contemporary to patriotic, pop and traditional choral selections. Voices in Harmony was founded in 2006 and is based in San Jose, California. VIH is currently under the musical direction of Chris Hébert. Now in their 7th year, VIH has rapidly become one of the finest a cappella choruses in the world.
The Mid-Atlantic District is one of 17 districts of the Barbershop Harmony Society. The district, with three regional divisions, has approximately 90 chapters in the following states: VA, MD, PA, NJ, DE, DC, WV, NY.
The Northwest Sound Men's Chorus is a men's a cappella chorus in Bellevue, Washington, as a chapter of the Evergreen District, a part of the Barbershop Harmony Society. The chorus celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010. Its membership draws from the Greater Puget Sound area. The group does a yearly community outreach, "Sing, Sing, Sing!", that offers free singing lessons for men of all ages.
The Northwest Vocal Project (NVP) is a men's a cappella chorus based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by young singers in the area, the chorus placed first in the Barbershop Harmony Society Youth Chorus Festival twice, and have grown from a small fraternity of young singers to a full-fledged chorus who compete internationally.
Voices of Gotham (VoG) is a competitive and performing chorus composed of approximately 60 singers from New York City and surrounding areas. VoG represents the 'Hell's Kitchen, New York' chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society and is the 2013 Mid-Atlantic District Chorus Champion. VoG was designated the 10th best barbershop chorus in the world in the 2017 Barbershop Harmony Society International Chorus Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. Voices of Gotham was founded by 12 charter members on January 8, 2008, and holds weekly auditions for prospective singers.
The White Rose Chorus is the York, Pennsylvania, chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, under the direction of Bob Crist III. It was the second society chapter to be chartered in Pennsylvania (1946), and the first in its district to surpass 100 active members. In 2018, the White Rose Chorus was ranked "Most Improved" among eight competing choruses in its division, and the best in its plateau level.
The Marcsmen are a premier men's a cappella group based in San Antonio, Texas. Chartered by the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) in 2008, the chorus has qualified for International Chorus competitions of the BHS 6 times, most recently for the 2020 competition in Los Angeles, California. They won their first Southwestern District championship in 2012 and won back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019.
The Brothers in Harmony (BIH) are a 100-plus member American a cappella chorus based in Hamilton, New Jersey, under the direction of Jack Pinto. The award-winning chorus is part of Mid-Atlantic District of the Barbershop Harmony Society. The Brothers in Harmony were the 1999 Mid-Atlantic Champions and 1999 M-AD Representatives to the International Competition; 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 M-AD Intermediate Chorus Champions; 2007 and 2008 International Finalists; and 2010 International 9th place Finalists. In 2013 they came in 6th place at the Toronto International Convention. In 2015 they placed 8th at the Pittsburgh International Convention behind the champion Westminster Chorus and other Mid-Atlantic District choruses, The Alexandria Harmonizers and the Voices Of Gotham.
Musical Island Boys is the barbershop quartet that won the International Quartet Championship for 2014 at the Barbershop Harmony Society's annual international convention, in Las Vegas, Nevada. From Wellington, New Zealand, the quartet began in 2002 at Tawa College, and competed in its first international barbershop contest in 2004. They won the international collegiate contest in 2006 at Indianapolis, and won second-place silver medals in 2011, 2012, and 2013 international contests. Other awards include the New Zealand and Pan-Pacific Open Gold Medals at the 4th Pan Pacific Barbershop Convention in 2004, and second place in the International Open Barbershop Championships in 2011.
Harmony Express is a 4-part a cappella chorus for both women and men based in Germantown, Maryland. The non-profit chorus is under the direction of Frank Kirschner as of 2017. It is the performing arm of the Germantown Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society. The chorus was featured in the documentary Barbershop Singing Old and New.
James Earl Henry, most commonly referred to as "Jim Henry", is a vocal music professor, barbershop bass singer, and co-director of the Ambassadors of Harmony (AOH). He is a multiple international award-winning quartet member, whose quartets have appeared nationally on the NBC, PBS, and Fox television networks. Henry is the current director of choral studies at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and a contributing author of widely used musical reference works.