About us

Our chorus

Bridge Town Sound (BTS) is the performing chorus of the Portland Metro Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society. The Portland Metro chapter was founded in 2001, and today we continue our mission of sharing barbershop harmony through performance, outreach, and education.

For many years, Bridge Town Sound operated as a competitive chorus. Recently, we have made the decision to change direction, focusing on elevating the experience of quartet singing within our chapter, which we view as a valuable niche within the Portland singing community. Read on to learn more about why this change is so important.

We believe:

1. Quartet singing is an invaluable musical and historical practice that aids in preserving the essence and history of the barbershop harmony style. It is uniquely satisfying in its own right.

2. Personalized support, feedback, and education for individual singers is a rare and special experience not often found during typical chapter meetings within the Barbershop Harmony Society and its affiliates.

3. Quartet singing presents the simplest and most effective opportunity to generate targeted feedback, coaching, and growth for individual singers of all skill levels.

Mission statement

To provide a welcoming and supportive environment for singers and to cultivate new musical leaders in pursuit of excellence in singing four-part a cappella with an emphasis on quartet singing in the barbershop harmony style.

Purpose

The purpose of this chapter is to perpetuate the American institution of barbershop singing by: promoting vocal harmony and fellowship among its members; educating the public in music appreciation generally and barbershop specifically; and funding charitable projects. Receipts from chapter activities or external donations may only be used for chapter expenses, not for the benefit of members. Receipts from members may be used without restriction. 

Dec 6 2016: the national Barbershop Harmony Society selected our chapter as one of the "Magnificent 17" healthy and successful smaller chapters. The "Mag17" chapters, one from each district in the country, will work with society leadership on the "Healthy Chapter Initiative" to promote best practices and help other smaller chapters to succeed.