No. Just come sing with us a few times. If you enjoy singing, can carry a tune, have a pleasant voice, and are interested in learning you probably have everything you need.

Our rehearsals are open to the public, and you can show up whenever you want to. If you prefer, you can email us at vpmembership@singnbc.com and tell us you are coming. If you would like to talk to us first, please leave a phone number and we will get back to you promptly.

No.  Although some of our members are trained, most of us have no formal training.

No. Many of our members never sang with a chorus or group before joining NBC.

No. Many of our members do not read music.

No. But if you have read this far, we suspect you already do. You have heard others sing it and think it would be great fun to try it. You are absolutely right! For additional information about Barbershop Harmony click here.

No. We will listen to you and tell you if we think you are best suited to be a tenor, lead, baritone or bass. The good news is we need them all.

Whether you show up unannounced or have told us you are coming, when you arrive find Bill Nussbaum and say hello. He will introduce you to the chorus, who will welcome you warmly. Bill will give you a notebook with sheet music, including the words to songs we will be singing that evening, some of which will probably be familiar to you. Do your best to sing along when you can. We typically begin with a ten-minute warm up, then we review some of the songs in our repertoire before focusing on new songs we are learning.

No. Rehearsal is also an opportunity for members to address each other on matters of interest to the chorus. And it is a social opportunity: ours is a culture of friendship and mutual support that members value as much as the music.

No. Rehearsals are very important and also great fun. We expect our members to attend whenever they can. But we understand that work and personal commitments sometimes interfere, and people get sick too. The good news is that if you cannot be there in person, you can join us on Zoom. And if you cannot Zoom in on Thursday, a recording of the rehearsal will be available for members to review before our next rehearsal.

We currently have 43 active members. Most of us live within a 20-minute drive of North Providence, but we have had members come from as far away as Cape Cod, Connecticut, New Hampshire and even upstate New York.

We have members of all ages. Ten of us are under 30. Three of us are over 80.

We sing a broad range of popular and traditional songs and show tunes, including sad songs, happy songs, funny songs, even gospel tunes. Our 2023 repertoire includes such favorites as All of Me, Come Fly with Me, Shenandoah, Sixteen Tons, Summertime and You Raise Me Up. We typically end our performances with a stirring rendition of Sweet Caroline, which New England audiences love. We also have a repertoire of Christmas songs, the highlight of which is O Holy Night, for which we are joined by a women’s chorus.

We have appeared all over Rhode Island and Massachusetts as well as other places in New England. We have sung in Canada, California, once even in England. In 2023, we are planning shows in Providence, Warwick, Westerly and Tiverton, RI as well as Hopedale, MA. Our annual holiday show is at La Salette Shrine in Attleboro, MA.

Yes, we are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. In April 2022 we created and hosted a benefit show that raised thousands of dollars to help feed Ukrainians forced to flee their homes. Many of our performances are fundraisers for other charitable organizations. We also sponsor music scholarships at local colleges. One of our assistant directors is a scholarship recipient who is currently a music major at the University of Rhode Island.

Yes. We are known as the Providence Chapter of the Patriot Division of the Northeastern District of the Barbershop Harmony Society of America, which oversees competitions all over the U.S. and Canada before panels of judges who award points based on the quality of singing and performance presentation. The competitions are always friendly and supportive (they are nothing like the movie Pitch Perfect) and enable participants to meet and mingle with singers from other choruses, many of whom will become lifelong friends. Competitions are also a wonderful way to sharpen our focus and gauge our progress as a group. We are always trying to improve.

In May 2023, we placed first in our category at the Patriot Division competition in Hyannis, MA. In October 2022, we were proud to place third among all 50 choruses in the Northeastern District at the district competition in St. John, New Brunswick. In our 70+ year history, we have won the Northeastern District competition 15 times. But we believe our best days are ahead of us!

Each member must pay annual dues to the chapter, division and district totaling approximately $200.

Yes. We typically wear black shirts, black pants and lavender ties, the total cost of which is under $70. We sometimes wear blue button-down shirts with our logo, which cost $25.

Talk to us. Give us a chance to help you make it work.