Women gather in Wellington to sing up a harmony

20 April 2010

Women gather in Wellington to sing up a harmony storm

Wellington will be ringing to the sound of four-part barbershop harmony later this month when hundreds of women from around the country gather in Wellington for the national New Zealand Sweet Adelines competition and convention.

Twenty quartets and 11 choruses will compete for the title of New Zealand Champions at the Wellington Town Hall, singing four-part a cappella harmony in the barbershop style.

The winning quartet and chorus will go on to compete at a world championship in the USA.

Spokesperson Liz Moncrieff says modern harmony singing, with its colourful costumes, lively choreography and a repertoire that includes poignant ballads, jazz, current pop songs and blues is a far cry from the art form’s beginnings in the United States.

“We call it ‘a cappella with attitude’, and it’s something that has particular appeal to New Zealand women of all ages. There are three choruses in the Wellington area, and 15 choruses throughout the country. New Zealand choruses achieve a very high standard in international competitions.”

New Zealand’s choruses range from small 20-women groups to 150 singing with the large Christchurch City Chorus. The a cappella style is also taught in high schools, with contests for young people held annually.

About 30,000 women world-wide are members of the Sweet Adelines International organisation, with choruses throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia and even Saudi Arabia.

The theme of this year’s competition is ‘Sing up a Storm’, and Ms Moncrieff says Wellingtonians are likely to be treated to spontaneous performances in and around the city between competition sessions.

“There are songs that we all know, so if a group has all four parts represented, we’ll start singing. We know Wellington also likes any excuse for people to dress in colourful costumes and make-up, so we’re confident we’ll fit right in.”

On Friday the 30th at 11.15, following a brief opening ceremony, there’ll be a ‘massed sing’ at the Town Hall where all 500 attending the convention will sing a number of songs together.

“This is a free event and the public is welcome to come along. It’s always a special experience for both participants and the audience,” says Ms Moncrieff.
“Wellingtonians are great supporters of a wide range of musical art forms and this is a great opportunity for them to experience a style of harmony singing that they may not have been exposed to before.”

Ends

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