We're a friendly chorus who sing a cappella music in the barbershop style. We love singing in our community and spreading joy through singing.
While The White Rose Chorus was originally a men's chorus, in January 2023 we opened our membership so people of any gender can come and sing with us. We welcome all singers to come and audition, and anyone interested is welcome to attend one of our rehearsals—no preparation or learning anything beforehand (unless you want to!). We are passionate about creating an environment that is safe and welcoming for people of all identities, ages, and levels of singing ability. If you have any specific questions about whether you would be a good fit at The White Rose Chorus, please don't hesitate to send us an email!
We have an ever-expanding repertoire, which includes barbershop arrangements of songs such as: the Disney classic Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Monty Python's Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, the traditional Māori love song Pōkarekare Ana, and many others. We competed in the BABS Competition 2024, our first competition since becoming a mixed-gender chorus, singing How Deep is the Ocean, and Almost Like Being in Love.
Our Musical Director is Rae Watney, who previously led Endeavour Chorus to medal at both IABS Competition 2022 and BABS Competitions 2022 and 2023, as well as singing with The White Rosettes who represented the UK on the international stage in Cleveland, Ohio. On top of all of that, she is also a member of the top LABBS quartet Wanderlust and has previously competed with the quartet Flamingo Road.
Barbershop music is a form of a cappella music, sung in four parts in close harmony. That means we don't sing along to any accompaniment—all the sounds you hear are just from us! We sing in four part harmony, with either SATB arrangements specifically written for mixed-gender groups, or TTBB arrangements but adjusted into a comfortable range for all.
There's no need to know which part you want to sing or what your range is before you attend your first rehearsal, but if you want to get a head-start, you can contact us to start learning the sheet music ahead of time. Additionally, you don't need to be locked into a specific part; we have many members who change parts for different songs to suit their voice ranges. You also don't need to be able to read sheet music, since every song we learn will have teaching tracks for you to learn by listening to and singing along with.