Support our chorus with cheese!
For the month of October, we're running a fundraiser with a selection of wonderful cheese from La fromagerie Saint-Benoit-du-Lac.
Check out the flyer!
Weekly Rehearsals
Join us on Monday nights at 7:00 p.m
Orleans United Church
1111 Orleans Blvd.,
Orleans ON
New Members Welcome
Come to our weekly rehearsals. No formal musical training is required.
Riser readiness is assessed after a period of 4-6 weeks.
Support our chorus with cheese!
For the month of October, we're running a fundraiser with a selection of wonderful cheese from La fromagerie Saint-Benoit-du-Lac. Choose from one of three gift boxes containing a selection of cheeses (nut-free, lactose-free and gluten-free). A portion of each box sold supports Bytown Beat Chorus.
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Delice Gift box 35$ 5 cheeses 150 g each
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Degustation Gift box 40$ 6 cheeses 150 g each
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Prestige Gift box 45$ 7 cheeses 150 g each
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Check out the flyer and order some cheese today!
Barbershop harmony is unaccompanied, four-part a cappella harmony. When the music is sung accurately and with good breath support and vocal techniques, barbershop harmony produces overtone vibrations that create a resonant ring unique to this form of music. Although barbershop style music is usually built on simple melodies and is relatively easy to sing, the a cappella style and the ear training necessary for independent part singing make it one of the most challenging and rewarding accomplishments of a vocal ensemble. Our chorus members work hard to achieve the demands of this musical art form.
Bytown Beat at rehearsal in 2026
The voice parts in barbershop for women have different names and functions than they do in other vocal styles. The LEAD voice, generally sings the melody and is below the TENOR harmony; the TENOR part sings the highest note in the chord; the BARITONE part fills in the all-important missing note in a chord that may be above and below the melody; and the BASS part supplies the harmonic foundation (root or fifth) of the chord. Similar to choral music, minimal vibrato should be apparent in barbershop singing. Wide and obvious vibratos tend to hamper the lock and ring that sought in each chord.
A chorus is the main performing aspect of barber shoppers. Choruses may have as few as 12 or as many as 150 members singing. Choruses normally sing with a director, as distinct from quartets. Unlike a quartet, a chorus need not have equal numbers singing each voice part. The ideal balance in a chorus is about 40% bass, 30% lead, 20% baritone and 10% tenor singers.
The basic song and its harmonization are embellished by the arranger to provide support of the song's theme and to close the song effectively. Barbershop singers adjust pitches to achieve perfectly tuned chords in just intonation while remaining true to the established tonal center.
Many studies done over a number of years have focused on the health benefits of singing, and the evidence is overwhelming.
Graham Welch, director for advanced music education at London’s Roehampton Institute, states
“Singing exercises the vocal cords and keeps them youthful, even in old age. The less age-battered your voice sounds, the more you will feel, and seem, younger.”
He says that when you break into song, your chest expands and your back and shoulders straighten, thus improving your posture. Singing lifts moods and clears the “blues” by taking your mind off the stresses of the day, as well as releasing pain-relieving endorphins. As you sing along, the professor adds, your circulation is improved, which in turn oxygenates the cells and boosts the body’s immune system to ward off minor infections.
A recent German study has shown that active amateur group singing can lead to significant increases in the production of a protein considered as the first line of defense against respiratory infections, and also leads to positive emotional changes.
“Given that every human being is, in principle, capable of developing sufficient vocal skills to participate in a chorale for a lifetime, active group singing may be a risk-free, economic, easily accessible, and yet powerful road to enhanced physiological and psychological well-being.”
Real Women. Real Harmony. Real Fun.
