About UCC
Upper Chesapeake Chorus (UCC) is an extraordinary group of women who gather weekly to sing a cappella in four-part harmony celebrating Barbershop-style music. UCC combines a love of singing with creative arrangements to deliver fun and entertaining performances in both competition and throughout our community. Upper Chesapeake Chorus is more than just an a cappella ensemble, it’s a family. We love getting together each week to share friendships as well as great music.
Affiliation
Upper Chesapeake Chorus is a chartered member of Sweet Adelines International (SAI) Atlantic Bay Mountain Region 19 located in Harford County, MD, USA. SAI is a non-profit organization of approximately 21,000 members in choruses and quartets whose mission is to elevate women singers worldwide through education, performance, and competition in Barbershop harmony and a cappella music.
What is Barbershop?
Barbershop harmony is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied, four-part vocal music characterized by the melody and two or more harmony parts moving in a common rhythm, producing chords that are pleasing to the ear. In Barbershop music, the lead part sings the melody line, the tenor sings the harmony line above the melody and the bass sings the harmony line below the melody, while the baritone sings both above or below the melody line to fill in the notes needed to complete each chord. To learn more, visit https://sweetadelines.com/about/barbershop-101.
Competition
UCC is an achievement-oriented chorus, consistently ranked in the top five among the 27 choruses in Sweet Adelines Region 19 which includes Maryland, Delaware, and portions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia. UCC holds Regional Chorus Championships in 2011 and 2013 and competes internationally as well. At the 2022 Regional competition, Upper Chesapeake won 2nd place Small Chorus and 4th place overall.
For competition, choruses rehearse specific vocal arrangements and choreography, too. They don colorful costumes and travel to a preselected regional location to compete. Winners go on to compete at Internationals, the location for which changes every year.
Education and Personal Development
Upper Chesapeake Chorus and Sweet Adelines International provide members with a variety of educational opportunities including coaching, ensemble singing, personal vocal development, music arranging for Barbershop, chorus management, and group retreats.
Sweet Adelines International (SAI) is passionate about introducing young women to the art form of Barbershop. Their Young Women In Harmony (YWIH) program, designed for women 25 and younger, provides opportunities for students to explore the world of Barbershop through education, festivals, workshops, camps, and competitions.
Giving Back
UCC is also dedicated to giving back to the community via volunteerism. Examples include performing at the local senior center and hosting a holiday food drive.
