Melodeers Chorus Competitors

The Boston Symphony Orchestra gave its inaugural concert in 1881, realizing the dream of its founder, the Civil War veteran/businessman/philanthropist Henry Lee Higginson, who envisioned a great and permanent orchestra in his hometown of Boston. Today the BSO and Boston Pops reach millions of listeners through not only their concert performances in Boston and at Tanglewood, but also via digital programs on BSO NOW, radio, television, educational programs, recordings, and tours.

The Barbershop Harmony Society is the world leader in close-harmony a cappella singing, with approximately 14,000 members across North America. Founded in 1938 as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, the Society welcomes all people of all ages to sing in more than 1200 quartets and nearly 700 choruses that range in size from a dozen to 150 singers. Allied organizations in more than a dozen countries bring the total number of active barbershop singers to more than 70,000 worldwide. Through active programs in music education, publishing, performance and outreach, the Society preserves and extends the reach of a uniquely American close harmony musical art form whose roots lie in African-American communities of the South in the late 1800s. Today, the Society now expends nearly $1 million annually in support of community and school programs that bring the fellowship, fulfillment and excitement of vocal music to a new generation of singers.

Sweet Adelines International is a highly respected worldwide organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performance. This nonprofit music education association is one of the world's largest singing organizations for women. Members extend over five continents and belong to more than 500 choruses and 1,200 quartets. Sweet Adelines member's sing a cappella, four-part harmony music, barbershop style. The music includes special arrangements of today's ballads and upbeat songs, popular show tunes, and even jazz. Members say that singing the powerfully balanced sounds of barbershop harmony provides a rich, rewarding experience. Sweet Adelines International is governed by an elected board of directors and administered by a professional staff in Tulsa, Okla. The staff manages a wide range of programs and services, including: * The Pitch Pipe, a quarterly magazine * Digital mastering of audio and video productions * Music publishing services, with hundreds of barbershop arrangements in print * Distribution of music and performance video for entertainment and education * Convention planning for events attended by 8-10,000 people annually * International Sales, an educationally focused inventory of products * Contests in quartet and chorus singing at regional and international levels * Bi-annual A Cappella Harmony Academy, Directors Seminar, Judge Training and Arrangers Workshop