B Natural Ladies' Barbershop Chorus

 

Sadly, B Natural has decided to finish as a chorus.

 

However, from this group, a new chorus has emerged

 

Bluestone A Cappella

 

We meet on Tuesday evenings in the old primary school, in Hermon (near Crymych) at 7.30pm

 

If you are interested in joining us, please contact Carol at caroljaynev@btinternet.com

 

 

 

 

 

B Natural Ladies’ Barbershop Chorus

is based in Cardigan, on the beautiful coast of West Wales in the UK.

 

         

         

It all started back in 1991 with just a few friends gathering around Suzi Marshall- Hasdell's piano, singing just for fun, and we’ve now grown to over thirty members that meet weekly to enjoy and improve our singing.

Under Suzi as our inspirational and dedicated Chorus Director, B Natural has developed into a successful, accomplished and prize-winning chorus.  Unaccompanied by a musical instrument, we sing in the a cappella Barbershop four-part harmony style, and present an entertaining package of popular songs from Berlin to Bacharach, Edwardian ballad to the Beach Boys.

  

We are regulars on the Wales entertainment circuit and perform regularly at festivals as well as at corporate and charity events.

 

As the only Sweet Adelines International member chorus in Wales, B Natural has just secured for the THIRD time, the First Place Small Chorus Award at the Region 31 National Championships 2005. We also sang and sparkled our way to a brilliant third place at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod’s first ever Barbershop Competition in July 2004, competing against some of the best men’s and ladies’ barbershop choruses from the UK and beyond.

 

(Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organisation of women barbershop singers – it is an excellent platform for competition and education .)

 

As it turned out, the ultimate winners of the coveted Choir of the World competition at Llangollen 2004 were a Barbershop Chorus for the first time ever, when men's chorus, Cambridge Chord Company took the title.

 

Sweet Adelines competitions only permit singing in English, or rather ‘American’, although in concert performances, B Natural enjoys singing in Welsh, the indigenous language of Wales. It is sometimes a challenge to find songs for translation and arrangement however, as the great majority of Barbershop arrangements originate in the States. We do have a few specially arranged, traditional folk songs in our repertoire though. It’s well worth the effort, as people ask for the Welsh songs whenever we perform!

 

Our chorus members are aged between twenty-something and sixty-something and come from all walks of life covering a broad range of jobs, professions and businesses.  Every Tuesday evening, our rehearsals gather together members with busy day jobs as nurses or lawyers, farmers or teachers ….. all committed to enjoying singing and improving as a Barbershop Chorus. As part of the commitment to our goal to become Region 31 overall champions, members of B Natural regularly attend Sweet Adelines International education weekends, in this country and abroad.

 

As well as the commitment and passion that members of the Chorus put into B Natural. There is a great sense of friendship, camaraderie and fun!  Playing hard as well as working hard is definitely a feature of our success as a Chorus. An average rehearsal night might involve all sorts of emotions but usually there’s much more laughter than tears and certainly when B Natural goes ‘on tour’ there’s never a dull moment for anyone!