In this country the The British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS) was established in 1974 and similarly, it holds annual conventions and contests. But The Sussex Harmonisers has history going back before that, as its origins can be traced to the first UK Barbershop chorus, which was formed in Crawley in 1964.
In early 2018 The Sussex Harmonisers became the first Barbershop club in the UK to have both male and female choruses – The Sussex Kings of Harmony for men and Sussex A Cappella for women. Although the men generally sing arrangements in the barbershop style, the women’s repertoire extends to other close harmony a cappella styles.
The club enjoyed success at BABS conventions over the years, and in 2019 they won the Most Improved Chorus trophy:
Sing2019 – Sussex Kings of Harmony win trophy in national chorus competition
Former Chorus Director Mark Grindall and then Sussex Harmonisers Chairman David Waterhouse with the
‘Most Improved Chorus' trophy @ Sing2019
Our men’s chorus aims to compete each year in the national Barbershop Chorus Competition which was last held in 2019 in Bournemouth. Our effort over the previous 12 months paid off as were awarded the ‘Most Improved Chorus’ trophy for 2019, being placed 11th nationally.
The Barbershop Competitions for 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic but we we thrilled to be able to compete in the 2022 championships.
