Edinburgh Chorus Crowned Champions of National Barbershop Competition

Edinburgh-based Forth Valley Chorus again won the annual Sweet Adelines International Region 31 Barbershop convention, held in Sheffield on the 11th May.The result, out of choruses from all over the UK and Netherlands, is Forth Valley’s ninth win at the national competition and means they progress onto the Sweet Adelines International Competiton & Convention which takes place in Ohio next year.

Edinburgh-based Forth Valley Chorus again won the annual Sweet Adelines International Region 31 Barbershop convention, held in Sheffield on the 11th May.

The result, out of choruses from all over the UK and Netherlands, is Forth Valley’s ninth win at the national competition and means they progress onto the Sweet Adelines International Competiton & Convention which takes place in Ohio next year.

Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide network of female a cappella barbershop singers, with over 20,000 members globally.

Elaine Hamilton, Joint Team Lead; David Sangster, Chorus Director; Hazel Alexander, Joint Team Lead

At the regional competitions, all choruses perform two songs each (a ballad and an uptune) with the winner in each region moving on to the International Competition.

For their package, Forth Valley Chorus, which was formed in 1987, started their set with an upbeat performance of “Ain’t Misbehavin’”. They then performed the powerful ballad “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Both were arranged in-house by Chorus Director David Sangster and Assistant Director Rosalind Johnson.

Always a highly anticipated event in the a cappella community, ForthValley rose to the occasion captivating audiences and judges alike - receiving a full standing ovation before and after their performance. The competition presenters described the Chorus as ‘phenomenal’ and said of the set “This is a chorus whose calibre is something like we’ve never seen in this region before and to experience that live in the room is hard to describe. It’s so powerful and very intimate. You could hear a pin drop; the entire audience was transfixed”.

The performance from the competition is available to watch here.

Commenting on the result, Chorus Director David Sangster said “I am so proud of every single member of our chorus. It was a thrilling contest as the standard in the UK and Netherlands division is so high. We are absolutely delighted with our gold medals and another chance to compete in the International Contest next year. Part of the joy of winning a competition is the validation it gives us for the hours of hard work we put in as a group to reach the highest possible standards with our music. However, best of all was the glorious, warm and passionate reception we received from our fellow competitors and guests in the hall. People were standing after both songs and there were so many with tears in their eyes during our ballad. Music should spark joy and touch hearts. It felt like we did that. What a weekend! “

Joint Team Leaders Elaine Hamilton and Hazel Davidson said: "We are all delighted to be champions again and look forward to representing the UK and the Netherlands next year!”

About Forth Valley Chorus:

With over 100 members, Forth Valley Chorus take great joy in perfecting their craft to deliver strong vocal and visual performances their audiences won't forget. All under the directorship of their talented musical leader, David Sangster.

www.forthvalleychorus.org.

More details on the Quartet of Nations website at https://sweetadelines.org.uk/