Because New York City is an international crossroad, the Manhattan Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society is distinguished, proud (and frankly lucky) to be a second home to many singers from around the world who are also Big Apple Chorus members. Active, contributing members of the Big Apple Chorus have included exchange students on international visas, foreign professionals on long-term work assignment as well as new and aspiring US citizens. One of the chapter's earliest members (Ed Dolan) was, for years, a weekly commuter to New York from his home in England where he was also an active member of a British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS).chapter. Ed was able to accomplish this extraordinary feat because he worked for an airline. Yet it shows the incredible dedication many of our members bring to our organization Continued from Homepage There is, however, a certain irony in this good fortune. While the classic Western choral repertoire, regardless of its language, is practiced the world over and its SATB voicing almost universally employed, the Barbershop style and repertory of the Big Apple Chorus are uniquely American. Stylistically the arrangements and TTBB voicing are archaic, predating modern Jazz, it is hardly recognized even in the US, except perhaps on Disney World's Main Street USA. Yet Manhattan's members have included men from Sweden, Japan, England, Venezuela Italy, Spain, and Germany. In spite of linguistic differences and the emphasis and need for matching vowel and consonant sounds, these men become as much a part of the BAC as any of its native born members. Why? They come for the rich, satisfying sound of the BAC's barbershop harmony; they're lured by the appeal of popular Tin Pan Alley melodies and words but they stay for the fun, the fraternity and the rewards they share with the rest of this award winning team of entertainers and singers.

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