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! It's an organization that helps women learn, make friends, and feel strong through singing. It was started in 1959 by Peggy Rigby, Charlotte Sneddon, Mary Avis Hedges, Jeanne Maino, and Mary Perry in Providence, Rhode Island. Today, Harmony, Inc. has almost 2,000 members in the United States and Canada. It works closely with the Barbershop Harmony Society.

A Look at History

Back in 1957, some singers left another group called Sweet Adelines International (SAI). They left because that group had a rule that only allowed white women to join. These singers believed everyone should be able to sing together, no matter their background.

So, in 1958, singing groups from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada, decided to start their own organization. This new group became Harmony, Incorporated. It officially became a non-profit organization in Rhode Island on February 26, 1959.

The first groups to join Harmony, Inc. were:

• The Melody Belles from Providence, Rhode Island
• The Sea Gals from New Bedford, Massachusetts
• The Harmonettes from North Attleboro, Massachusetts
• The Harmony Belles from Barrie-Orillia, Ontario
• The Harborettes from Scituate, Massachusetts

Later, in 1963, a group in Ottawa, Canada, called the Capital Chordettes, was almost kicked out of Sweet Adelines. This happened because they welcomed a Black woman named Lana Clowes into their group. Because of this, the Capital Chordettes left and joined Harmony, Incorporated, becoming their seventh group.

In 2013, Harmony, Inc. also started a new type of membership called 'Affiliate membership.' This allows men who are involved with the organization to join too.

Singing Contests

Harmony, Inc. holds international and area-level events every year. These events include conventions and contests for both singing groups (called choruses) and smaller groups of four singers (called quartets). These events help singers improve their skills, hold important meetings, and offer educational lessons.

Quartets that win the international gold medal are given the special title "Harmony Queens." Once a quartet becomes Harmony Queens, they are champions forever and cannot compete again.

A chorus that wins the gold medal must take a break from competing for one year. They can then compete for the gold medal again in the second year after their championship win.

Top Quartets

Champion Choruses

Here are some of the choruses that have won the international gold medal:

• New England Voices in Harmony, from Nashua, New Hampshire, won two times (2014, 2018).
• Northern Blend Chorus from Watertown, New York, won three times (2010, 2017, 2022). Their 2017 win ended The Village Vocal Chords' amazing streak of 19 wins in a row!
• A Cappella Showcase from Milton, Ontario, won four times (2008, 2012, 2016, 2019).
• The Village Vocal Chords from Metro Chicago, Illinois, have won the most international gold medals in Harmony, Inc. They have won twenty times! Nineteen of those wins were in a row, starting in 1979.
• Derby City Chorus from Louisville, Kentucky, won five times (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006).
• The Harmonettes, one of the first groups to join Harmony, Inc., won nine times (1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1977).
• Capital Chordettes from Ottawa, Ontario, won three times (1984, 1988, 1996).

Harmony, Inc. Areas

Harmony, Inc. is organized into different geographical "Areas." Each Area includes all the singing groups (chapters) and members assigned to it by the International Board of Directors.

These Areas help with managing local schools and contests. Here's how the society is divided:

• 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 the southern part of Quebec (south of latitude 46'N).
• 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 Note Catchers chapter in California.
• 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 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