By Linda Baugh, Baritone

The Barberettes, Avon Harmony and The Chordettes are 3 choruses within the LABBS (Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singing) who are celebrating their 50th birthday so it seemed like a good idea to try and get us all together to celebrate.

Saturday 19th July saw The Barberettes travel down the M4 in a coach to Bristol to share a day with Avon Harmony, unfortunately The Chordettes from Teignmouth could not attend this day which was a shame. 

We arrived in Bristol about 10.30am where we received a very warm welcome from Avon Harmony. We collected our name badges, enjoyed refreshments, then after saying hello to each other the singing workshop began.

We started with some vocal warm ups, each chorus sharing their own so we had some familiar ones and other warm ups completely new to each chorus.

Once our voices were warmed up we went into sectional rehearsing for the 1st song of the day which was Bohemian Rhapsody. This song was more familiar to The Barberettes as we had recently performed it in Provence, France, saying that it was great to have sectional rehearsals with Avon Harmony giving us all chance to get to know each other even more within sections.

We then all came back together where both musical Directors - Emma and Mary took it in turns to conduct helping us to interpret the song, pitch accuracy, breath control, rhythmic patterns and generally having fun with their tag directing.

After the lunch break where we could enjoy the sunny weatherand getting to know each other even more we then began work on the 2nd song chosen for the day ‘I’ll Be There For You’ (theme from to show ‘Friends’). I think most of us knew the song from watching the show when it came out but definitely not necessarily in the various parts of Bari, lead, Tenor and Bass so it was great to split into section rehearsals to learn our part.

We came back together as a chorus where Emma and Mary once again used their skills as musical directors to get the best from the chorus whilst enjoying an another great game of tag directing. 

It would not have been a birthday party without cake or singing Happy Birthday to each other so that’s what we did with not one cake but 2 beautifully homemade cakes.

This was a great experience for all of us that attended showing how much singing in a choir provides a powerful blend of camaraderie, a great way to connect with each other having a mutual respect and shared purpose, where every voice no matter how experienced can join together to enjoy the fulfilment of mastering those tricky harmonies and make those chords ring.

I would definitely say that singing in The Barberettes is more than just an activity — it’s an emotional, social, and musical experience that offers both challenges and rewards. If you enjoy music, community, and personal growth, there’s really no better way to connect with your voice and the voices of others. Whether you're aiming to develop your technique, connect with like-minded individuals, or just experience the joy of making music together, singing with a choir is an opportunity not to be missed. Why not give us a try ?

We look forward to hosting Avon Harmony in the near future!