Harmony, Incorporated facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harmony, Incorporated
Official Harmony, Incorporated logo
Background information
Origin	Providence, Rhode Island
Genres	A cappella barbershop music
Years active	1959–present
Members	1992 (October 2015)

Harmony, Incorporated is an international group for women who love to sing. Its main goal is to help all women grow through learning, making friends, and singing together. Five women started the organization in 1959 in Providence, Rhode Island. Their names were Peggy Rigby, Charlotte Sneddon, Mary Avis Hedges, Jeanne Maino, and Mary Perry. Today, Harmony, Inc. has almost 2,000 members across the United States and Canada. It also works closely with the Barbershop Harmony Society.

History of Harmony, Inc.

How Harmony, Inc. Started

In 1957, some members of another singing group, Sweet Adelines International (SAI), left that organization. They were protesting a rule that said only white women could be members. In 1958, singing groups from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Orillia, Ontario, also left SAI. They decided to form a new group called Harmony, Incorporated.

Harmony, Inc. officially became a group in the state of Rhode Island on February 26, 1959. The first groups to join Harmony, Inc. were the Melody Belles from Providence, Rhode Island, and the Sea Gals from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Other early groups included The Harmonettes from North Attleboro, Massachusetts, and the Harmony Belles from Barrie-Orillia, Ontario. The Harborettes from Scituate, Massachusetts, also joined early on.

Welcoming Everyone to Sing

In 1963, a Sweet Adeline chapter in Ottawa, Ontario, faced problems. This happened after they welcomed a Black woman named Lana Clowes as a member. Because of this, Ottawa's Capital Chordettes left SAI. They became the seventh group to join Harmony, Incorporated. This showed Harmony, Inc.'s commitment to being open to all singers.

In 2013, Harmony, Inc. created a new type of membership. This "Affiliate membership" allows men who are involved with the organization to also be members.

Singing Contests and Education

Harmony, Inc. holds international and local events every year. These events include conventions and contests for both choruses (large singing groups) and quartets (groups of four singers). These gatherings help singers improve their skills. They also offer educational classes and allow members to hold important meetings.

How Contests Work

Quartets that win the international gold medal are given the title "Harmony Queens." They are champions forever and cannot compete again in the quartet contest. A chorus that wins the gold medal must take one year off from competing. They can then compete for the gold medal again in the second year after their championship win.

Top Quartet Champions

Top Chorus Champions

• New England Voices in Harmony, from Nashua, New Hampshire, won the International Chorus Championship twice (2014, 2018).
• Northern Blend Chorus from Watertown, New York, won three International Chorus Championships (2010, 2017, 2022). Their 2017 win ended The Village Vocal Chords' long winning streak.
• A Cappella Showcase from Milton, Ontario, has won four International Chorus Championships (2008, 2012, 2016, 2019).
• The Village Vocal Chords, based in Metro Chicago, Illinois, have won the International Chorus Championship twenty times. They hold the record for the most gold medals in Harmony, Inc. Nineteen of their wins were in a row, starting in 1979.
• Derby City Chorus from Louisville, Kentucky, has won five International Chorus Championships (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006).
• The Harmonettes, one of the first groups to join Harmony, Inc., have won nine International Chorus Championships (1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1977).
• Capital Chordettes from Ottawa, Ontario, have won three International Chorus Championships (1984, 1988, 1996).

Areas of Harmony, Inc.

Harmony, Inc. is organized into different geographical "Areas." Each Area includes all the singing groups (chapters) and other members assigned to it. This helps with managing local schools, contests, and other activities.

Here are the different Areas:

• Area 1: This area has ten chapters. They are located in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, and Prince Edward Island in Canada.
• Area 2: This area has twelve chapters. They are found in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and parts of Quebec south of 46'N latitude.
• Area 3: This area has ten chapters. They are located in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
• Area 4: This area has eleven chapters. They are in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, and also includes the California Note Catchers chapter.
• Area 5: This area has eight chapters, all located in Ontario, Canada.
• Area 6: This area has nine chapters. They are in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
• Expansion Area: This area includes all other provinces and states in Canada and the United States that are not mentioned in Areas 1 through 6.

See also

• Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers