Who We Are
If you’re looking for a bunch of Broadway stars or Park Avenue elite who are “puttin’ on the Ritz,” well – you’re going to be disappointed (a little). We are men and women who look at lot like you. We are a bunch of regular guys and gals who all share a common passion: we love to sing a cappella.
The Chorus forms the Manhattan Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, which was an all-male organization until 2020. When the B.H.S. became co-ed, so did the Big Apple Chorus.
We are a constant “work in progress,” always striving to improve.
The BAC is recognized for its distinctive sound and ensemble vocal quality. Our performances include a wide variety of great music. We have one of the best directors in the world and a fine in-house creative team.
The Big Apple Chorus' staging and choreography is considered by many to be nothing less then extraordinary.
(click HERE for a explanation of Barbershop Harmony)
Meet the Chorus
When it was established in 1983, no one could have imagined that the Big Apple Chorus was going to make the kind of impact that would propel it through over 35 years of extraordinary musical performances. Its members are, after all, just ordinary people…husbands, wives, sons, fathers, mothers, and brothers…most without any formal musical training.
We work in just about every field you can think of. We are blue collar and white collar people, students and retirees, with a diversity that mirrors the great City our chorus so proudly represents – New York! And every Monday this seemingly-incongruous group gathers in Manhattan to make beautiful music together.
Why, one may ask, do we do it? The answer is simple: we sing for the joy of performing our beautiful and moving music for our appreciative audiences. And perform we do…with a verve and theatricality that puts the Big Apple Chorus in a class by itself.
For a group of men and women whose main musical qualification is simply that we enjoy singing and are able to carry a tune, the venues in which we have performed over the years (see “Chorus History”) create for each of us an enviable list of stage experiences. The Big Apple Chorus has transformed scores of “ordinary Joe’s and Jane's” into stars!
Our members hail from the boroughs of New York City, New Jersey, Long Island and from as far away as Allentown, PA.
New singers are always welcome. The key to the success and longevity of the Big Apple Chorus is its non-exclusivity! If you’re a man or woman who likes to sing and can sing in tune, you can probably find a place on the risers in the Big Apple Chorus.
Big Apple Chorus History
Since the Big Apple Chorus was established in 1983, it has brought its unique interpretation of the barbershop harmony style to such great performing venues as: Carnegie Hall (both in many of its own concerts and as special guests with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops Orchestra), Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Radio City Music Hall, New York City’s fabled Beacon Theater, Shea and Giants Stadiums, the Central Park Band Shell, Symphony Space, the historic Salvation Army Theatre, and the South Street Seaport as part of its world-famous “Singing Christmas Tree”. That’s just in the Tri-State area!
The Chorus has also been heard across the length and breadth of North America, perorming in cities such as St. Louis, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Hartford, in Washington DC’s Constitution Hall, Bridgeport, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, Miami, Providence, Columbus, Atlanta, Denver, Philadelphia, Boca Raton, and Calgary and Montréal.
In 2001 the Big Apple Chorus traveled overseas appearing at the invitation of the Russian Government in St. Petersburg, where it not only performed in concert, but conducted Master Classes for Russian choral groups, chorus directors, composers, and musicians. The chorus’ trip to Russia provided it with a unique opportunity to build a cultural bridge between the US and Russia through the original American musical style called "barbershop" harmony.
The Big Apple Chorus has become a precious musical resource in New York City’s cultural scene. It has repeatedly demonstrated over its lifetime that you can combine barbershop harmony and New York Style, with a most entertaining result.
All of this is, admittedly, heady stuff for a group of men and women whose main musical qualification is simply that they enjoy singing, and are able to carry a tune. The Big Apple Chorus has transformed scores of “ordinary Joe's and Jane's” into stars!
