Barbershop

Barbershop singing is distinquished from other chorus and quartet singing by not placing the melody part uppermost in the chord. This part is sung by the lead part, and around it the baritone part fills up the chord sometimes on top of, sometimes beneath the melody. At the bottom the bass part, forms the dark and rounded base for the rest of the parts. On top the tenor part harmonizes softly and gently as a reinforcement of the overtones that can be formed if all parts sing purely, simultaneously and with vowels of the same sound. The sound then becomes very mellow och homogeneous.

Therefore, well-sung barbershop creates overtones that you can hear but that no-one sings!

[Source: www.nordiclightregion.com]

 

Organization                    

The chorus is organized in different committees being responsible for several different parts:

Music	Finds suitable arrangements for the chorus and guides the members in song technique, etc.
Choreography	Creates and teaches all chorus members choreography and expression.
Clothes and make-up	Designs all clothes and decides on make-up for all shows and performances.
PR	Designs posters and other printed matter, manages the website and graphical profile. Also writes all press statements.
Show	Plans and carries out at least one larger performance a year.
Comfort	Arranges fun and parties.

 

	Some Coffee Beans from Gävle...

History

Coffee Bean Show Chorus is a female barbershop chorus founded in 1998. Barbershop means singing four part à capella arrangements. When performing, we always include choreography and clothes that look exactly alike.

The chorus is categorized "Small Chorus" in the barbershop-world, where choruses of 100 members or more are not unusual.

When the chorus started, it took its first steps out into the the culture life of the Swedish town of Gävle, and our first performance was on the International women's day. Starting as an ambitious double quartet the chorus has now grown to about 30 female singers. Our conductor is Camilla Hjalmarsson.

In the spring of 2000 we had the show, "Res med mig Stina" ("Travel with me Stina"), in Gävle with the male chorus Gefle Drängar. Before this we performed at Gävle Cityfestival, at the Consert house in Gävle, performances at several companies, etc.

Summer 2000, we became a prospective chorus in the female barbershop organisation Sweet Adelines and on 13th January 2003 we were chartered (became "real" members).

In the spring of 2003 we had our first own show at the Consert house in Gävle "På egna ben!" (On own legs!). Taking part were Gävles pop-kings Sven-Inge Sjöberg, Larry Forsberg and Lennart Wastesson . "Coffee beans make the Gevalia hall boil!" (Gevalia being a Swedish coffee brand from Gävle) was read in the local newspaper Gefle Dagblad.

"On new adventures!" entertained the public in the Gevalia hall on 24th April 2004. Taking part this time was Lurbo Stompers, a male barbershop quartet from Enviken in Sweden.

We have had several Christmas shows: 2006 at Cafe Spegeln with "Christmas chaos". This was sold out and was rewarded really good reviews in the local newspapers . 2007 a Christmas show was held at Sjömanskyrkan (Seamens Church) and in Bomhus in Gävle with "Julkryss". 2008 we took part in the Christmas show of the male chorus Gefle Drängars in the Consert house of Gävle, which was also sold out.

We didn't have time for at 10-year jubilee, so we celebrated 11 years as an active chorus with the show Jubilee blend at Spegeln in Gävle. Three performances were held, and the local newspapers gave good reviews this time as well.