Three practices.
That’s all the Charleston Sound Chorus has to prepare for their Piccolo Spoleto showcase after placing second in mid-size chorus and third overall at the 2026 regional Sweet Adelines International competition in Orlando, Florida.
Now, they’re bringing those winning songs home to Charleston.
“We are going to put our contest pieces on the line and show you what we did,” said David Templeton, the director of Charleston Sound Chorus.
“Red, White, & Ringing: Barbershop Tradition” is a four-part a cappella show weaving together barbershop’s history with the nation’s history, showing how the two are deeply intertwined.
Templeton traces barbershop’s roots through African American traditions such as jazz, ragtime and Gullah Geechee culture in the Lowcountry.
“It’s one of the only truly vocal American art forms,” Templeton said.
Audiences can expect to hear familiar songs like Whitney Houston’s, “One moment in time” and “Happy Together” by The Turtles, alongside pop, folk, spirituals and patriotic selections.
For those new to chorus, Templeton points to what singers call the ringing chord — the moment when bass, baritone, lead and tenor harmonize so perfectly that a fifth tone appears, ringing above the other singers. Barbershop is not the only singing style that uses ringing chords, but it is best known for them.
Templeton makes another distinction: it’s not a choir. That means audience members can expect movement and characters.
“It’s a very high energy show,” he said.
Cynthia Massey, 74, has been with the Charleston Sound Chorus for about a year and a half but has sung with SingUnited, formerly known as Sweet Adelines, for over 20 years in different states and knows that energy well.
“If you’re performing and then you’re engaging with your audience, there’s that energy kind of thing going back and forth,” Massey said. “That’s what makes it so fun.”
Behind the energy is a sisterhood that pulls people in.
“I’ve been singing in Sweet Adelines for about 16 years and it’s changed my life,” said Alysse Turner, who joined the Charleston Sound Chorus when it formed three years ago.
Her journey started in San Diego, where she walked into a room with 88 women of different ages, and ethnicities gathered together singing a capella in the barbershop style.
“I get goosebumps when I tell that story,” Turner said.
Laurie Yoh, 67, has a similar experience. She moved to Charleston from California three years ago and immediately went looking for a Sweet Adelines chorus to join.
“Once you get involved, you’re hooked,” Yoh said. “It’s like drinking the Kool-Aid. Most people never look back.”
She says that the show has something for everyone, reflecting that welcoming spirit.
“There are songs about love, songs about friendship,” she said. “I think everyone can relate to something.”
For Massey, Barbershop is also a family tradition. Her mom, 97, still performs a capella with her own group.
“You’ve got one that’s pulling a walker and the other one looks like the Revolutionary War,” Massey joked.
Their voices stop everyone cold when they hear it, she said.
IF YOU WANT TO GO:
“Red, White, & Ringing: The Barbershop Tradition” will perform on June 7. The event starts at 4 p.m. at Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul, 126 Coming St.
Admission: $15 for adults, $10 for children under 12 years old.
Jai’La Du Rousseau is a magazine, news and digital journalism graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
