About us

Sweet Adelines International

Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organisation of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performances. This independent, non profit music education association is one of the world's largest singing organisations for women. "Harmonise the World" is the organisation's motto.

The international membership of nearly 27,000 women, all singing in English, includes choruses in most of the fifty United States as well as in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, Wales and the Netherlands. There are also prospective choruses in Denmark, Greece and United Arab Emirates. The organisation encompasses more than 1,200 registered quartets and 600 choruses.

What is barbershop harmony?

Barbershop Harmony is four part, unaccompanied, close harmony singing. In most cases, barbershop music is taken from 20th (and 21st!) century popular music. It can be sung by a quartet, with each singer singing their own part, or by larger groups of anything up to 200 singers - still singing in four parts.

The four parts are:

• The "lead", who generally sing the melody, is sung in the range between A below middle C, and C above middle C.
• The "tenor" is a harmony part sung consistently above the lead. Although tenor is the highest voice in barbershop harmony, it should not be confused with the soprano of conventional singing groups. The tenor should have a light, sweet, pure tone that will complement but not overpower the lead voice.
• The "baritone" covers approximately the same range as lead. The baritone harmony notes cross the lead notes; sometimes sung below and sometimes above.
• "Bass" singers should have a rich, mellow voice and be able to sing the E flat below middle C easily. Bass should not be confused with the alto of conventional groups.