About UsOVERVIEWThe Cape Shore Chorus represents a group of women from all walks of life who share a joy for learning and performing barbershop music. The chorus strives to create a warm, fun and positive atmosphere where we can improve our vocal skills while always remaining energetic and supportive of one another. Through education and entertaining performances, the Cape Shore Chorus promotes the musical art form of Barbershop Harmony – a uniquely American folk art! Cape Shore Chorus was founded in 1988 when three former Sweet Adelines moved to Cape May County and decided to form a local chapter. It took about a year and a half to build the required membership to at least 20 members in order to become an “official” chapter and perform publicly as a “Sweet Adelines Chorus”. The chorus regularly performs throughout Cape May County as well as several other venues in Atlantic and Cumberland Counties. Annual appearances include performances at Cape May Convention Hall, Wildwood, the Ocean City Boardwalk, Cape May Court House Harvest Fest and Christmas in Court House, the Ocean City Music Pier, and the County 4-H Fair among others. Long-Term GoalsThe goals of the Cape Shore Chorus are consistent with the goals of the International Organization and include:
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 performances. This independent, nonprofit music education association is one of the world's largest singing organizations for women. Founded in 1945 in Tulsa, Oklahoma by a small group of women who wanted to learn the barbershop style of four-part, a cappella harmony, the international organization now has nearly 30,000 registered members in more than 600 choruses who are perpetuating the unique American art form of barbershop harmony.
NEWS!Cape Shore Chorus Second Place Small Chorus 2918 BARBERSHOPWhat is Barbershop Harmony?First, there are four parts – called “tenor”, “lead”, “baritone”, and “bass.” The lead almost always sings the melody and the tenor sings harmony above the melody. The bass provides the low notes and the baritone fills in the chord. Second, the music is always sung a capella, with a strong emphasis on accurate tuning of each chord. When this is done well enough, the natural overtones present in the singers’ voices reinforce each other to produce an audible fifth (or sometimes even a sixth note). This is what we call “expanded sound.” A Barbershop Chorus is a larger four-part ensemble, singing the same music a Barbershop Quartet would sing, with each section acting as one voice. In a chorus, members may not be equally distributed among the four parts, since a few tenors can easily balance many basses. And when a chord locks in perfectly, it’s a barbershop ecstasy. Sing a beautiful seventh chord to create an overtone, and barbershoppers know they’re close to musical heaven. Singers around the world are thrilling to our truly American form of music with quartets and choruses now singing in eleven countries. Barbershop music features songs with understandable lyrics and easily singable melodies, whose tones clearly define a tonal center and imply major and minor chords and barbershop seventh chords that resolve primarily around the circle of fifths, while making frequent use of other resolutions. Artistic singing in the barbershop style exhibits a fullness or expansion of sound, precise intonation, a high degree of vocal skill, and a high level of unity and consistency within the ensemble. |
