Bill Milham sings lead for the Manawatunes. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
The sweet sounds of four-part harmonies are ringing out in Palmerston North.
Barbershop Harmony New Zealand's national convention will serenade audiences, reaching a crescendo with a concert at the Regent on Broadway on Saturday night.
About 500 singers will take part from across New Zealand, on top of 700 secondary school children in the youth event this week.
Among the entrants is local group the Manawatunes. It's 17-strong chorus, as well as groups of four, will compete in The Power of Harmony Convention's competitions.
Bill Milham has been a member for 22 years.
"I sing the lead part, which is the melody. I tell the story and the other parts, the tenor, base and baritone, fill in the gaps and make the sound really what a barbershop harmony is," he said.
"I used to sing around the house and in the shower and whistle all the time, and my wife said, 'Why don't you join a group?'
"She spotted an ad in the paper asking if people wanted to come along and sing.
"I didn't know anything about barbershop and it wasn't until I'd been here a wee while that I realised how challenging it can be."
Greg Thomson says this week's convention was meant to happen in 2021, but Covid intervened. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
Manawatunes base singer Greg Thomson is chairman of the convention's organising committee.
"We are in the small-chorus group, but there's others that are coming from Christchurch, the Christchurch City Chorus and the He Tāngata Voices, they are around 67 or 68, so it's a big lot of people on stage at one time, and great sound."
This year for the first time in New Zealand women can join in, having previously had sweet adelines competitions.
Thomson said everyone was relieved to be on stage after attempts to go ahead in September and November 2021 were canned because of Covid-19.
"All our merchandise, basically, is 2021. It's a bit like the Tokyo Olympics. We've had to promote it as 2021, but in 2022."
The youngest member of the Manawatunes is 27-year-old Tom Bagnall, who is a tenor.
"That sings mostly up in the head voice, so very very high.
"Because there are no women in our chorus - in other choruses there may be - that part is the high part, which is usually what women would sing."
Tom Bagnall sings tenor for the Manawatunes, and has to take good care of his voice. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
Singing a cappella had its challenges, with members of each chorus or quartet finely tuned to each other.
"It's quite hard to stay in tune, because when everyone's singing together, if someone starts to drop or go down in tune, that mean that everyone else has to follow.
"If you don't follow it goes horrendously out of tune and it can happen very very quickly, even just because someone doesn't smile."
But, as Milham said, it was a beautiful thing when done well.
"It really does get the endorphins going, and it keeps you young too.
"It's really the feeling you get when you ring the chords. It's just phenomenal. It's hard to explain, but it's an amazing feeling."
Saturday's "show of champions" concert starts at 7pm.
