Barbershop Harmony
Achieving the ultimate barbershop sound is a thrilling feat that combines several elements of vocal excellence. It starts with a well-crafted 4 part musical arrangement is brought to life by the singers via polished vocal techniques. The true magic happens when their uniquely-balanced and blended voices come together and create an overtone - a clear, resonant note that seems to "float" above the rest, sending a delightful shiver up the spine of both singer and listener. It's this audible thrill that exemplifies the art and craft of barbershop harmony, leaving the audience in awe of the sound's pure, resonating power.
Barbershop harmony is vocal harmony produced by four parts: Tenor, Lead, Baritone, and Bass. Finding the right part for your voice is the very first step, and you'll be taken through a quick and easy voice placement on your first visit. In ten to fifteen minutes, we'll have a solid idea of your comfortable singing range and your familiarity with music in general, as well as your interests!
Barbershop harmony is vocal harmony produced by four parts: Tenor, Lead, Baritone, and Bass. Finding the right part for your voice is the very first step, and you'll be taken through a quick and easy voice placement on your first visit. In ten to fifteen minutes, we'll have a solid idea of your comfortable singing range and your familiarity with music in general, as well as your interests!
Tenor is the harmony part sung consistently above the Lead. The Tenor should have a light, sweet, pure tone that will compliment but not overpower the Lead voice.
|
Lead carries the melody and is sung in the range between A below middle C to C above middle C. This is where the melody line of most modern music is sung.
|
Baritone covers approximately the same range as Lead. This harmony part frequently crosses paths with the Lead, and must constantly adjust their balance to accommodate their position within the chord.
|
Bass singers should have a rich, mellow voice and be able to comfortably sing the E-flat below middle C. Many Altos can sing the Bass line comfortably.
|
What to Expect At Your First Rehearsal
When you walk in the door of a Vista Hills Chorus rehearsal, you will be greeted by our Team Coordinator, Kaidee, and our Membership Chair, Debra. You'll be introduced to anyone you meet, but don't worry - we don't test you on name retention! One of those people will be the person responsible for voice placing you; they'll walk you back to the office, have a quick chat, and do an easy voice assessment. At the end, they'll give you a voice part, tell you where to look and who to follow within your part, and walk you out to share this information with our amazing director, Melanie.
Once you're back with the group, you'll be able to participate in the evening's rehearsal. This includes physical and vocal warm-ups, some vocal exercises working on pitch and range, and the musical repertoire we're scheduled to work on.
Remember: Everyone comes into this with a different level of experience and background, and we love our theatre majors, center-stagers, harmony voices, and angelic top notes equally!
Once you're back with the group, you'll be able to participate in the evening's rehearsal. This includes physical and vocal warm-ups, some vocal exercises working on pitch and range, and the musical repertoire we're scheduled to work on.
Remember: Everyone comes into this with a different level of experience and background, and we love our theatre majors, center-stagers, harmony voices, and angelic top notes equally!
|
Rehearsal DOs:
Rehearsal DON'Ts:
|
The Audition Process
The Vista Hills Chorus loves our prospective members, and we want to ensure you have a smooth, easy ride into membership! We will provide information as you go - as well as a few pokes! - but our audition process is as simple as 1-2-3-4:
- Voice Placement: On your first night with the chorus, you will be voice assessed by one of our musical leaders. At the end of your voice placement, we will provide you with a copy of the audition song for the part you've been assigned. This copy and the appropriate recordings will be yours to use and learn and you will hear the song at the end of every rehearsal.
- Prep Time: After a couple of rehearsals, you will be offered the chance to work with a practice quartet. This is a great opportunity to determine how you're doing with learning the audition song and how it feels to hold your own part. This is also a judgement-free zone; mistakes are learning opportunities.
- Auditioning: On the night of your audition, you and your audition quartet will go into a private room to sing through the audition song. You will have the opportunity to sing through it a couple of times, and to consult with your section leader if you experience any hiccups.
- Review: Once you're satisfied with your audition, you will return to the risers for the rest of the evening. The Music Team will make a relay their decision to you and the chorus at the same time.
|
Competition 2026 - April 9-12
|
Curious to learn more about part of this process or the history of the chorus? Drop us an email!