In this edition we meet two gold medal-winning Iberian quartets; Metropolitan Union of Barcelona and 351 from Lisbon. We look ahead to this year's convention in Sheffield of Sweet Adelines Region 31, and we hear the story of the legendary Schmitt Brothers, four celebrated singers whom some believe set the template for what it means to be an international champion quartet.

Join the audience in Leicester for a special fundraising concert to mark the 50th anniversary year of the British Association of Barbershop Singers. The concert features the first performance in several years for the BABS Quartet Champions Chorus. You'll also hear from past quartet gold-medallists Limelight and Sound Hypothesis and from the talented mixed-voice chorus Lux A Cappella. If you'd like to donate please visit: https://www.singbarbershop.com/pages/donate

As British Barbershop celebrates 50 years as an organised movement we travel to Reading to visit one of the founding clubs. BABS acting chair Shanna Wells looks ahead to convention celebrations and explains why this year's Harmony College may have to move mostly online. And we meet the quartet at the heart of a cliffhanger in Britain's favourite TV soap.

Why do so many people spend time learning so many songs for a weekend of what's been described as quartet speed-dating? Come with us to visit the recent UK Harmony Brigade at Nottingham University and find out why so many are happy to go to extreme effort to join the fun.

Hot Ticket, the first ever LABBS mixed-quartet champions discuss a year of sometimes nail-biting competition, their own concert and an exciting new podcast in which they meet other young quartets from around the world.

In this 50th edition we check out the Barbershop Harmony scene in Norfolk and Suffolk, visiting the choruses Norwich Harmony, Fine City Chorus and the recently-formed East Coast Collective.

The decision of the BABS Board to unilaterally try to introduce open contests to British Barbershop has proved to be controversial. In this special Harmony UK podcast we hear from members of the Boards of BABS and LABBS who offer their perspectives on what's happening and what it means for the future.

In this edition - Barbershop singers as a resource; We hear from singer and educator Tony Colosimo about his keynote address to BABS Harmony College. We ask what attendees thought of the new-look faculty and streams. And we visit Leicester and the Heart of England Chorus, a club with a long history and a vintage set of risers.

The British Association of Barbershop Singers returned to Bournemouth in their 49th year. Hear from contest winners The Cottontown Chorus and Trailblazers Quartet, as well as many others who sang beside the sea.

Join us for an exciting weekend of song at Warwick as we hear from Gold medal -winning quartet Sound Central, Champions Lace City Chorus and International Queens of Harmony The Ladies. There may also be the odd sea-shanty in the mix.

Previews of two conventions in May from Region 31 and BABS and a look back to the Spanish Association of Barbershop Singers convention in April. Plus how four familiar faces came together in a brand new quartet.

The White Rosettes, Meantime Chorus, In House and Limelight Quartets were all gold-medal winners at LABBS and BABS in 2022. Listen as they appear together for the first time, along with Trailblazers Quartet, at a concert in West Yorkshire featuring some of the very best of British Barbershop, and raising funds to compete in future international BHS contests in Louisville and Cleveland. The concert was recorded at Pudsey Civic Hall on April 22nd 2023.

meet gold-medal-winners The White Rosettes Chorus and Limelight Quartet as they prepare for international Competition. And Scott Kitzmiller talks about the technique of resonance-matching and finding Barbershop on a bus.

We hear about change and challenge for 2023 - with London City Singers as they begin a new year as members of LABBS. With Meantime Chorus as they prepare for their first international chorus contest. And we'll hear the case for for a new group within British Barbershop for singers who identify as LGBTQ+

Listen to a spectacular concert featuring Bristol's seven Barbershop and close harmony choruses. The Big Bristol Barbershop Bonanza took place on November 19th 2022 and stands as a celebration in song as the choruses pick up the threads after the years of Covid restrictions. The choruses featured include Avon Harmony, Bristol Fashion. The Great Western Chorus, Fascinating Rhythm, Bristol A Cappella, Black Sheep Harmony and the Bristol Mix - along with a grand finale featuring a combined choir of 175 singers

Our third visit to Bristol to meet the members of the Fascinating Rhythm Chorus. We find out how they're looking to the future, and we meet the musical director of Black Sheep Harmony ahead of the Big Bristol Barbershop Bonanza Concert on November 19th.

Our second of three visits to the city of Bristol to meet The celebrated Great Western Chorus who've been entertaining audiences for almost 50 years, and Bristol A cappella, who broke new ground almost a decade ago as as one of the UK's first mixed-voice Barbershop choruses.

With six choruses, some of them almost fifty years old, the city of Bristol has long been a powerhouse for barbershop Harmony in Britain. This is the first in a short series of podcasts in which we'll visit some of the Bristol Choruses as they prepare for one of their biggest concerts ever in November 2022.

During the Coronavirus Pandemic the Collective Virtual Choir became a lifeline for thousands of people around the world seeking to sing with others while confined at home. As well as producing a wealth of choral videos, the Collective offered companionship, inspiration and countless opportunities for joint rehearsal and coaching. In August 2022 more than 100 members met in person for the first time in Leicester, for a weekend of song led by the choir's founder, UK Barbershopper Simon Lubkowski. It's a continuing story, as we hear in this special edition.

The proposal to merge LABBS and BABS, the two largest of the three British-based barbershop organisations, would be the biggest change to the hobby since 1976 . Natalie Feddon and Alan Hughes, chairs of the two groups talk about the proposed merger and what it might mean.