So what do you do if you want to sing at a barbershop convention but your group's not on stage?

The end of the pandemic isn’t quite upon us, but it’s time to start dipping our toes back into live barbershop! With several successful District events in the fall and thorough safety protocols in place, the Barbershop Harmony Society will convene in Pasadena for its first major convention since January of 2020. This year’s Midwinter Convention will take place January 13-16, 2022 at the Pasadena Convention Center. The even will include nightly shows, the International Senior Quartet Contest, Harmony University classes, and the Chorus and Quartet Festival. While things may look and feel a little bit different this year, the excitement level is higher than ever.

After an exciting convention, new champions were named and BHS looks ahead to the International Convention in LA this July.

Day One at the Barbershop Harmony Society Midwinter Convention in Jacksonville started off the weekend strong with education, the Keynote Address, the 2nd ever NextGen Junior Quartet Contest, and a Champion-packed Opening Night Showcase.

It was a strong afternoon of singing at the Harmony, Inc. Quartet Finals, where Hot Pursuit was named the 2019 Harmony Queens. Scoring an 81.5%, Hot Pursuit now joins the welcome company of the Association of Harmony Queens.

With a score of 83.7% (1507) A Cappella Showcase took home their third gold medal at the 2019 Harmony, Inc. IC&C with the second highest chorus score ever. As expected, the chorus contest was exciting and hotly contested with runners-up Northern Blend finishing just 7 points behind A Cappella Showcase with an 83.3% (1500). It was the first time Harmony, Inc. saw not one, but two scores above an 83% in the same contest. 

The stage lit up all day Thursday in Sandusky with 31 international qualifiers in the Harmony, Inc. quartet semifinals. After seeing a parade of heavy hitters, big personalities, and lots of ringing chords, the coveted top ten were announced. These 10 quartets, plus a mic tester, will take the stage on Saturday at 12:30 pm EST for the quartet finals.

This Friday will be a clash of the titans in Sandusky, OH as the choruses of Harmony, Inc. take the stage.

With less than a week to go, the excitement surrounding the 2019 Harmony, Incorporated International Convention & Contests is palpable. The contests kick off on Thursday morning with 33 qualifying quartets expected to take the stage at Kalahari Resorts and Convention Center in Sandusky, Ohio.

In 1957, a significant shift of needs and ideals in the women's barbershop community led to the creation of second organization. After a struggle of meetings and debate, the Melody Belles of Rhode Island were the first chorus to officially split from Sweet Adelines, followed closely by four more choruses to pursue a different direction. These 150 women propelled the creation of what became Harmony, Incorporated.

On October 5, top groups from around the world will head to New York City to take the stage at Carnegie Hall for the third annual International Championship for A Cappella Open, better known as the AcaOpen. The Varsity Vocals contest for all ages will welcome back the 2019 ICCA Champions, the N'Harmonics, and the 2019 ICHSA Champions, InTONEnation to compete against the Open Regional winners.

   Harmony University is well underway in Nashville, TN. Students of ALL ages are actively learning and performing for the best of the best. Honing their skills in singing, performing and leadership. This week brings together barbershop singers, music educators, music students, arrangers, doctors, lawyers and MANY more from all over the world for a once in a lifetime experience. At the end of the week two amazing shows feature performances ONLY to be found at Harmony University.

Over the last several years, the Barbershop Harmony Society has been diligently working on the implementation of their latest mission: Everyone In Harmony.

  Saturday night 10 of the best collegiate groups in the world took the stage at the Playstation Theatre in the heart of Times Square. The first group out was Pitch Please, the Wild Card Finalist, from Northeastern University in Boston. They kicked off the show with incredible energy and killer shoes. Taking away the award for Best Vocal Percussion. This all girl group knows who they are and aren’t afraid to show it. 

Competition. Is there anything more magical than going up on stage and performing for your peers and a panel of judges?