Welcome, first-time guests!
Are you considering coming to Southwest Vocal Alliance (SVA) chorus for the first time? We’d love to have you! Come to a rehearsal, or see below for more information. You can also contact our membership team at info@svabhs.com or (480) 389-5125 or by filling out our membership interest form.
Rehearsal Information
We rehearse every Monday from 6:30-9 pm at Orangewood Presbyterian Church, in the Page Hall building. 7321 N 10th St, Phoenix, AZ 85020. You're welcome to join us at any rehearsal!
About SVA
Southwest Vocal Alliance is Arizona's premiere award-winning mixed barbershop chorus and 2024 Barbershop Harmony Society International Convention participant. We're a fun-loving a cappella chorus that sings and performs a wide variety of songs and styles, including barbershop, pop, rock, country, and doo-wop. SVA is part of the Far Western District of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
We recently competed for the first time at the international level in the Barbershop Harmony Society's 2024 Convention. Watch the contest set that qualified us!
Why come to SVA?
SVA could be a great fit for you if you want to:
- Sing with a group of a cappella singers.
- Participate in a barbershop style chorus.
- Be part of an inclusive culture. We’re open to all genders, ages, and backgrounds.
- Meet new friends and be part of a community. Whether you recently moved to Phoenix and don’t know many people yet, or just want to meet more awesome folks, SVA is warm and welcoming to all.
- Combine fun and musical excellence.
- Sing a wide range of songs and styles.
- Sing with your family and/or friends. We have many couples and family members who sing together.
- Participate in a non-religious group. Our rehearsal space is at a church, but we’re a secular chorus.
- Meet on a consistent basis. We rehearse every week.
What to expect at your first rehearsal
We recommend coming 10 minutes early to your first rehearsal. When you walk into Page Hall at Orangewood Presbyterian, someone will greet you. You’ll get a name tag and a guest book with our sheet music.
We’ll figure out which vocal part you want to try (Tenor, Lead, Baritone, or Bass - see below for more information about each part). You’ll be paired up with someone who sings the same part, and you can ask them any questions about the music.
During rehearsal you can either choose to sing along by sightreading or just listen. (Sightreading absolutely isn’t required to be a member - after your first rehearsal you can access audio learning tracks to help you learn the music). We’ll briefly introduce you to the group during rehearsal. Rehearsal lasts three hours and we typically don’t take official breaks, but you can use the restroom at any time. Feel free to sit down if you don’t feel able to stand for long periods of time.
Either before or after rehearsal, you’ll meet Maddie or another member of the Membership team and Danny, our director. Maddie, or a membership team representative can answer your questions about the process of becoming an SVA member. You can also get a sneak peak of our membership and audition process in our FAQs.
After your first rehearsal, you’ll receive an email with an invitation to join our Discord and our website. The website lets you access sheet music and audio learning tracks to prepare for your audition, and Discord is where we chat and stay in touch with each other.
Musical information
We sing a very wide range of genres, including barbershop, pop, rock, country, and doo-wop. To get a taste of our musical style, check out this video. Here are some examples of our current repertoire:
- I See the Light, arranged by Theo Hicks
- Hallelujah, arranged by Adam Scott
- Crazy Little Thing Called Love, arranged by Aaron Dale
- I Have Dreamed, arranged by David Wright
- Imagine, arranged by Pentatonix
- This Time Around, arranged by Kohl Kitzmiller
- Wagon Wheel, arranged by Aaron Dale
- You’re My Best Friend, arranged by Adam Scott
There are four vocal parts: Tenor, Lead, Baritone, and Bass. Even if you’ve sung in a barbershop chorus before, the ranges for each part may be different from your past experience, as mixed gender choruses have different ranges. If you aren’t sure which part to sing we’ll help place you. All vocal parts are open to all genders. Here’s a description of each part:
- Tenor - The highest part. Tenor is comparable to the Soprano part in other choruses, except that Tenor typically doesn’t have the melody.
- Lead - Lead is comparable to the Alto 1 part in other choruses, except that Lead typically has the melody.
- Baritone - Baritone has a similar but slightly lower range as the Lead part. Unlike Lead, Baritone rarely has the melody. Baritone is comparable to the Alto 2 or Tenor part in other choruses.
- Bass -The lowest part. Bass is comparable to the Bass part in other choruses.
See the typical ranges for each part below:
How to become a member
See our Membership FAQs (especially the New and prospective members section) for information about the audition process and joining.
The first step is coming to a rehearsal or reaching out to our membership team.
Contact information
Contact our membership team at info@svabhs.com or (480) 389-5125 or by filling out our membership interest form.
