NEWS RELEASE
YORK HARMONY CHORUS
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York Harmony Chorus is thrilled to have qualified for a wild card spot at the 76th annual Sweet Adelines Convention and Competition in Kansas City in 2024.
The art of barbershop music and harmony is alive and well and thriving right here in the heart of Newmarket.
Under the direction of master director Martha DeClerq, York Harmony Chorus has been a staple in the Newmarket community for over 50 years.
Says DeClerq, “York Harmony Chorus is a unique group of singers who are devoted to women’s empowerment through education, friendship, and a cappella singing in the barbershop style. I am positively thrilled for the success we have achieved and am excited for what the future brings for our wonderful chorus.”
Chartered in 1970, York Harmony Chorus is one of over 750 choruses that are proud members of Sweet Adelines International, a worldwide organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering voices to joyfully harmonize the world.
Unlike traditional a cappella music, which is simply characterized by a lack of musical accompaniment, the barbershop style of singing combines the a cappella basics with a specific chord structure that, when sung correctly, results in the creation of additional notes known as overtones.
“If you have ever been to one of our concerts and have found the hairs on your arm begin to stand up, that’s a telltale sign that overtones are being created and that’s the goal of our entire craft — to create a full-body, harmonic experience for our audience.”
York Harmony Chorus meets weekly at the Sharon-Hope United Church to rehearse and perfect their craft and they compete once a year in their annual regional competition in St. Catharines. This year, they are thrilled to have won two medals and are proud to be the Region 16 AA Division champions, which qualified them for a spot in the 2024 international competition in Kansas City.
In addition to preparing for their next competitions, York Harmony Chorus also enjoys putting on their annual Christmas show, which has been on a hiatus since 2019.
“It’s been a strange few years but we are absolutely thrilled to once again be able to go out into the community and share our love of music and harmony. Competing is great and our true joy comes from sharing our craft with our neighbours, family and friends.”
York Harmony Chorus will be kicking off the holiday season with their Magic of Christmas concert, which takes place on Saturday, Nov. 25 at the Victory Baptist Church in East Gwillimbury.
“We are excited to offer two different showtimes — 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. — to give everyone a chance to experience the magic of the holiday season through the sharing of barbershop music.”
York Harmony Chorus is always open to new members and encourages anyone who wants to try out this style of singing to reach out and connect.
“We believe anyone who loves to sing should experience this style of harmony at least once and, in our experience, once you get a taste of it, you want more. We also know that some people are what we call ‘permanent audience members’ and we love them, too, because they allow us to share our joy with them.”
If you would like to join York Harmony Chorus for their upcoming Christmas concert, tickets can be purchased through [email protected].
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