What We Offer

The Sounds of Harmony has much to offer with our offerings centering on "the sweetest music under heaven" as barbershop harmony was called by the Society’s founder, O.C. Cash.

Singing is the focus of what we’re all about and we everything we do is focused on helping our members enjoy and improve their singing talents. Additionally, we have lots of things we do to support our singing efforts. In mid-summer, the Barbershop Harmony Society conducts Harmony University, a week-long experience for Society members to learn better vocal techniques, improve presentation skills, and study non-singing aspects of barbershopping. For those wanting to develop their music leadership abilities, the Society holds Directors' University in concert with Harmony University.

Our chapter is managed by an elected Board of Directors, all of whom are active chapter members. When we elect new officers, we send them to Illinois Leadership Training (ILT), run by the District. ILT provides each new officer with basic training for the position to which they’ve been elected.

We constantly work on vocal technique as part of our weekly rehearsals, we bring in coaches to help us refine our performance, and we receive evaluations from Society-trained and certified contest judges.

Last but not least, we offer you fellowship. In addition to our weekly rehearsals and many additional activities, our District and the Barbershop Harmony Society provide opportunities to meet other barbershoppers from around the world. The Illinois District hosts both Spring and Fall conventions each year and its at these events that we compete. The Society, during the 4th of July week each year, hosts a week-long international convention and competition, featuring the best quartets and choruses from around the world. These events, along with other hosted by each of the 16 districts, provide us multitude of opportunities to mingle with other barbershoppers and practice our craft.

For our communities and the organizations and companies that are part of them, we can provide both quartets and the chorus to provide quality, wholesome entertainment for all types of events. For more than 50 years, we have sung for many groups of all types and look forward to more. Check the “Hiring Us” section for more information.

Our annual show allows us to showcase our form of entertainment, treating our audience to a variety of musical entertainment in an informal setting. In 2007, we held our 57th annual show at the McCormick Center in downtown Belleville. In addition to the chorus, the show (with a “Barbershop and Oom-Pa-pa” theme) featured two quartets and the Waterloo German Band. We repeated our performance in a show at the Hidden Lake Winery in Aviston. Both shows were well-attended and well-received.

A successful Barbershop Harmony Society chapter needs resources to operate. Our expenses include rehearsal hall rental, director’s fees, uniforms, show expenses, float maintenance and storage, insurance, competition expenses, advertising, and other related items. We do everything we can to be self-sufficient by earning money from Singing Valentines, our annual show tickets and program ads, concession stand work at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Entertainment Book sales, parades, food booths at community street fairs, and chorus performance fees. Since we are relatively few in number, it takes a lot of commitment by our members to make this happen.

This year, for the first time, we’ve started a sponsorship program to solicit business and individual sponsors for support. In return, the chorus will provide sponsors a variety of benefits including sponsor names/logos on our parade float, advertisement in our show program, Singing Valentines, chorus or quartet performances at sponsor events, and other items, depending on the level of sponsorship. If you are interested in becoming a Sounds of Harmony sponsor, please contact us at sponsor@soundsofharmony.org.