Barbershop in Germany

Since BinG! (Barbershop in Germany) was founded in 1991, many new barbershop choruses and quartets have come into being in Germany, creating their wonderful sounds on the stage with animated enjoyment. BinG! has become an important contact point for its members and for people throughout Germany who are interested in barbershop music.

The association has contributed to an improvement in the exchange of experience and knowledge by means of numerous events and activities. This has been a factor in the evident improvement in quality in the groups - certainly one reason why barbershop music is becoming more well-known among adherents of a capella music.

BinG! seeks to build up relationships with important musical institutions and also keeps in close contact with other barbershop associations in Europe and the USA. Today the majority of active barbershop groups in Germany - from Kiel to Munich - are members of BinG!. In addition, the Association is backed by a number of supporting members.

History

1963 - First German barbershop quartet Sour Krauts is founded in Münster
1982 - The legendary American quartet Boston Common appears on regional German TV with great success
1984 - The first German barbershop ladies´ chorus - Barbershop Blend - comes into existence, founded by Liz Döhring
1987 - The first German men´s chorus - "Erster Kölner Barbershop Chor" is founded by Kurt Gerhardt
1988 - The "Ruhrpott Company" is the first German quartet to have the opportunity to perform in SPEBSQSA´s "Golden Anniversary Show"
1991 - BinG! - Barbershop in Germany e.V. is founded
1993 - The first German barbershop contest is held in Cologne with eleven quartets and six choruses participating
1995 - Take Four, a quartet from Kiel, qualifies for the SPEBSQSA Convention in Miami and is the first German quartet to participate in an American contest
1999 - Ladies First, from Dortmund, is the first German ladies chorus to perform at a Sweet Adelines Convention
2007 - BinG! decides to allow mixed quartets and choruses to enter the bi-annual German chorus and quartet competitions
2008 - "Klangküsse" is the first mixed quartet to win at BinG! competition in Dortmund

Contests

BinG! organizes a music festival every two years, which more than 5.000 people attend. This three day event includes the German quartet and chorus contests. Internationally acknowledged judges from both, Barbershop Harmony Society and Sweet Adelines International are invited to judge the mixed contests in the three categories Music, Singing and Presentation.

Colleges

BinG! organizes a 4-day Harmony College every year, inviting national and international experts. A quartet contest, also suitable for beginners, is held during Harmony College. Since 2007, quartets have to compete in the BinG! Harmony College quartet contest to qualify for German national contest.

Members (2010)

Choruses:
- A-Cappella Ladies (f)
- Barberazzi (m/f)
- Barberellas (f)
- Barberlights (f)
- Barbers' Delight (f)
- BarberShockLettes (f)
- Barbershop Belles (f)
- Barbershop Blend (f)
- Düssharmonie (m)
- Erster Kölner Barbershop Chor (m)
- Feelgood-Company (m/f)
- Four 'n More (m/f)
- Harmunichs (f)
- Herrenbesuch (m)
- Ladies First (f)
- Main Stream Magic (f)
- Miss Harmony (f)
- Palz Pepper e.V. (f)
- Singsation (m)
- Southland Voices (f)
- Sugar`n Spice (f)
- The Good Girls (f)
- The Rhubarbs (f)

Quartets:
- 2`n Two (f)
- A Few Good Men (m)
- à la quart (f)
- BellaDonna (f)
- Black 4est Pearls (f)
- C'est La vie (f)
- Chorineo (f)
- Chromagic (f)
- Crack-a-jack (m)
- EUCOM Harmonizers (m)
- GMBH
- Halftones (m)
- HoKeyPoKey (f)
- Hot B (m)
- Hummingbirds (f)
- Inspired (m/f)
- Klangküsse (m/f)
- Latest Edition (m)
- Main Street Men (m)
- Melodivas (f)
- Mission Possible (f)
- Munichord (m)
- NNY (f)
- Phönix (m)
- Pottcast (f)
- Quattro Voci (m/f)
- Renaissance Men (m)
- SabRina meets MaggySue (f)
- SPLASH! (f)
- Take Four (m)
- Tonikum (m/f)
- Tonality (f)
- Top Hats (m)
- Verföhnt (f)
- Vier im Paket (f)