Barbershop Music Festival

In 2018, the German Barbershop choruses and quartets have met to compete for the national Barbershop Championships. Since 2012 the World Mixed Quartet Competition have been taking place during the same event, and since 2018 the World Mixed Chorus Competition as well - combining a nationale a cappella event with a world championship.

In any competition, each ensemble performs two pieces, which are judged by an international jury in the categories singing, music and performance. The ensemble with the highest total score wins.

In addition, the audience can vote for their favourite German quartet. This quartet then receives the audience favourite award. Another medal is handed out to the best female, male and mixed quartet.  

There is an additional award for the chorus with the highest increase in points compared to the last German Championships. They receive the sought after "Crescendo Award".

German and International Champions as of the Barbershop Musikfestival 2018:

National Champion Chorus - Harmunichs

National Champion Quartet - SomeSing

World Mixed Champion Chorus - Munich Show Chorus

World Mixed Champion Quartet - Potential Scandal

On the 6th April the German National Quartet Competition ran parallel to the World Mixed Quartet Competition for the very first time and it was a roaring success.

This new set-up ensured a high quality contest day that was especially interesting for audience and jury. 

 

In the German Competition 12 male, female and mixed quartets competed against each other. They all had to qualify upfront in a preliminary competition. Every group could present themselves with 2 competition songs and was judged by a double panel in the categories music, singing and performance. Additionally to the medals for the first 3 places the audience voted for their favourite quartet in the national competition and the best national male, female and mixed group also received a price.

1st Place: SomeSing (80,7%)

2nd Place: Klangküsse (79,8%)

3rd Platz: O-Ton (76,8%)

 

Best Female Quartet: La Boom! (75,4%)

Best Male Quartet: Kavaliersdelikt (74,4%)

Best mixed Quartet & Audience  Favourite Award: SomeSing

Further Contestants: Konfetti, Fancy That!, mix’n’match#Hashtag, Karma, KlangsurferQuintessenz 

 

 

The World Mixed Quartet  Contest took place for the 4th time and was exciting as always. Every country with a Barbershop organisation is allowed to nominate one mixed group to represent their country in this contest. Groups that live in countries with no national mixed competitions can apply for a Wildcard. In the end there were 2 quartets representing the USA, 1 from Canada, 1 from the UK, 1 from Finland, 2 from Germany, 1 from the Netherlands and 3 from Sweden competing against each other. 

 

1s Place: Potential Scandal  (Sweden (86,1%))

2n Place: Vintage Mix (USA (81,8%))

3rd Place: Ripple Effect (Canada (81,5%))

 

Further Contestants: Next Generation (Netherlands), Pastor Hannes Kör, Mayor and the Mayonnaise (Sweden), Southern Stride (USA), O-Ton, SomeSing (Germany), Mixtape (Finland), Scramble (UK)

 

Mike Warmer: Connection and Double Date

Mike Cooler: LinQ! and The Newfangled Four

World Mixed

Initially, Barbershop was only sung in male and later also in female ensembles. The German Barbershop Association BinG! was, however, a mixed federation from the very beginning and was the first Barbershop organization worldwide to have mixed quartets and choruses compete with the men's and women's ensembles.

As the motherland of the mixed Barbershop, Germany has been home to the World Mixed Contest, the world championship for mixed Barbershop ensembles, since 2012. The World Mixed for Choruses took place for the first time at the 2018 Music Festival.

 

 

The winners of the 2018 World Mixed Championships:

World Mixed Chorus Champion: Munich Show Chorus (Deutschland)

World Mixed Quartet Champion: Potential Scandal (Schweden)