Big Barbershop Bash Headed To Wellington

More than 450 of New Zealand’s finest barbershop singers will soon head to Wellington to battle it out for the crown of the country’s best barbershop chorus or quartet at the SING Wellington Barbershop Harmony New Zealand National Convention at the St James Theatre between 27-29 September.

The stellar cast of singers, drawn from 12 choruses and 20 quartets throughout the country, will be complemented by the brilliant world-champion Signature Quartet from the USA. Signature will headline the convention’s Saturday night public That Signature Sound show, which will also showcase the top three winning choruses and quartets.

“The convention will be a festival of barbershop on a scale not seen in Wellington for years,” says Harbour Capital Chorus musical director and chair of the convention host management committee Antony Currington.

“The capital is New Zealand’s home of barbershop singing, with its current gold medal Vocal FX chorus just the latest in a line of choruses and quartets, including Pacific Connexion, and the renown Musical Island Boys, that have been recognised as among the world’s best.

“So it’s fitting that we give Wellingtonian’s the opportunity to see and experience for themselves the beauty, richness and power of barbershop from the best in the business.”

No longer a solely men’s singing style, the convention and show will feature mixed choruses and quartets, a style that’s taken hold in recent years and brought barbershop to a broader range of audiences.

“Repertoire has broadened too, with a greater mix than ever of songs. Everything’s on the table, from pop to traditional to cultural and sometimes comedy, barbershop today is a broad church,” says Currington.

Contestants will each sing two songs, one up-tune (quick tempo) and one ballad, before a line-up of Kiwi and Australian judges. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to the best choruses and quartets for performances that, in many cases, have taken the best part of a year to hone to perfection.

All the competitions, which run across Friday 27 and Saturday 28 September, are open to the public for a nominal Day Pass fee of $10 for a pass to chorus and quartet contests. That Signature Sound show at 7:30pm on Saturday night at the St James Theatre costs $30. All tickets are available from the Ticketmaster website: https://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/sing-wellington-tickets/artist/3195348.

About Signature Quartet

We’re really pleased to announce that the exciting USA quartet Signature has signed up as the headline act for the Sing Wellington show on Saturday 28 September.

Their smoky R&B songs and a passionate, crowd-pleasing delivery have propelled them to the pinnacle of a cappella singing, capturing the 2019 international quartet championship of the Barbershop Harmony Society following two second places and a fourth in 2018, 2017 and 2016. Quartets can win only once, though up to two members may appear together in another quartet and compete again.

We’re looking forward to hosting the quartet, who are known for singing a funky and soulful range of ongs including the Ike & Tina Turner classic “Proud Mary,” Aretha Franklin’s “Think” and a heart wrenching rendition of “Dance with My Father” by Luther Vandross.

About the convention

National Barbershop Conventions are held annually in a different location on behalf of Barbershop Harmony New Zealand, hosted and organised by affiliate choruses in the chosen location. Wellington’s Harbour Capital Chous is this year’s hosting chorus. Full details can be found at https://convention.barbershopharmony.nz.

Where: St James Theatre

When: 27-29 September

Contests: Quartets Friday 11:00am-12:30pm; 2:00-3:15pm Choruses Saturday 10:00am-11:00am; 11:30am-12:30pm

Show: That Signature Sound – Saturday 7:30pm

Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/sing-wellington-tickets/artist/3195348.

About barbershop singing

What is it?

Barbershop vocal harmony is a style of a cappella close harmony, or unaccompanied vocal music, characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a primarily homorhythmic texture. Each of the four parts has its own role: generally, the lead sings the melody, the tenor harmonizes above the melody, the bass sings the lowest harmonizing notes, and the baritone completes the chord, usually below the lead. The melody is not usually sung by the tenor or baritone, except for an infrequent note or two to avoid awkward voice leading, in tags or codas, or when some appropriate embellishment can be created (thanks to Wikipedia).

How popular is it?

Barbershop singing is immensely popular in New Zealand, with thousands of participants ranging from young singers to adult choruses and quartets. For younger singers, the Young Singers in harmony programme enables hundreds of singers to compete in regional contests around the country hoping to qualify to compete in the chorus and quartet finals at the annual YSIH National Convention. The Barbershop Harmony New Zealand national conventions promote similar opportunities for adult and more experienced singers.

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