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The Poughkeepsie, NY Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, chartered on August 7, 1961, was started by a group of seven men who were enthusiastic about bringing
quartet and musical excitement -- barbershop harmony style -- to the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York. From that beginning, the
Newyorkers' emphasis has been on quarteting, producing exciting shows and improving singing quality through competition. Our
young chapter grew quickly under the musical leadership of Bill James and was called colorful, exciting, unpredictable,
and competitive.
Very soon, the Newyorkers were staging some of the hottest shows in the area and competing
vigorously at the District level. We won our first Northeastern District Chorus Championship in 1964 when we were only three
years old and quickly followed with wins in '65, '68 and '69. Our 6th Place finish in St. Louis in 1969 remains the highest
ranking ever achieved by a chorus in our District.
We enjoy the prestige of a few innovations within the Society:
- First to appear in a multi-color, 4-of-a-kind, quartet-style costume as a chorus.
- First to start singing "out of the blocks" in competition with no tune-up.
- First to institute the 4-track learning tape program for new music and provided the design to International.
- First chorus in the country to compete with a female director.
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