and career . The chorus is currently in the process of finding a new director .
Greater Harmony Chorus ’ current membership is 50 women strong . Some members live right in Gibsonia , where the chorus presently rehearses , while others come from Latrobe , Greensburg , Grove City , Beaver County and as far away as Poland , Ohio . Members are not professional musicians , but instead pursue the group as a hobby while their day jobs encompass a range of professions including teacher , secretary , professor , nurse , retiree and many more . The group ’ s youngest member is Kelley O ’ Leary , 14 , of Cranberry and the oldest member is Doris Anderson of Gibsonia who has been a member of the chorus for 35 years .
Each member of the Greater Harmony Chorus is passionate about the barbershop art form . “ We are lucky to be a group of women of all ages who love to sing and have a passion for four-part a cappella harmony in the barbershop style ,” says Donna Knapp , the group ’ s marketing chair . Barbershop style indicates that the music the ensemble sings is arranged in a different chord structure than most choral music . Instead of the typical soprano , alto , tenor , bass lineup , barbershop music is presented in a bass , baritone , lead and tenor arrangement .
The chorus operates as a nonprofit organization . It has a board of directors who handle all of the business aspects , but in general the ensemble ’ s director and music team are responsible for “ anything and everything music ,” including the selection of songs the group performs for others . All members of the chorus are volunteers who pay annual dues and the chorus holds several fundraisers throughout the year to gain the necessary funds for the group ’ s operation .
“ Members have to audition in order to become a part of the chorus ,” says Knapp , “ but we try to make it as stress-free as possible , and ‘ do-overs ’ are most certainly allowed !” Members must be girls / women at least 12 years old who can sing . In addition to singing , they also enjoy dancing to all of their uptunes and plan special choreography accordingly . The group rehearses every Tuesday night at the Deer Creek Presbyterian Church , located at 33 Bairdford Road in Gibsonia .
Greater Harmony Chorus performs approximately once a month . The group ’ s smaller ensemble , made up of women who do not hold day jobs , performs more often at various daytime events throughout the community . The chorus spends time giving back to Cranberry and a number of other
Current Members of Greater Harmony Chorus
Carol Anderson , Doris Anderson , Dolly Balog , LuAnn Barkley , Diane Bauer , Lisa Beckett , Beth Butler , Carol Colangelo , Vanessa Cox , Ellen Edgecombe , Trudy Exler , Jean Forti , Jennie Freidhof , Pat Gazzo , Carol Heere , Allison Hengelsberg , Kira Heston , Helen Ignatenko , Barbara Jacobson , Joanne Kern , Nancy Klein , Connie Klug , Donna Knapp , Alice Kress , Leslie Kulwik , Mary Pat McGuire , Becky Mellinger , Kelley O ’ Leary , Valerie Patrick , Nancy Podany , Marge Pusateri , Carol Puskar , Lisa Putney , Michelle Riggi-Smith , Katie Roemele , Lynn Ross , Cindy Sheffler , Beverly Smith , Jen Stanton , Georgeann Starsnic , Dee Swierkowski , Bert Ulrich , Barb Wyllie and Barb Yaroschak . communities by performing for community events and at assisted living and nursing home facilities often .
Additionally , the ensemble sings yearly in Cleveland , Ohio , as part of the Sweet Adelines Region 17 Competition , where they compete against choruses from Michigan , Indiana , Ohio and others in Pennsylvania . This year , the group was proud to finish in 6th place and aims to do better in the competition each year . “ Greater Harmony Chorus is an asset to the community because we offer a safe place for women to sing , learn , make new friends and even travel ,” says Knapp . The group has performed in Washington , D . C ., Ireland , France and Italy , and most recently as part of the National Festival of the States in Boston , Mass ., in June .
“ The best part about being a part of Greater Harmony Chorus is definitely the members !” says Knapp . “ We have a warm , loving group of women who love to sing and have fun together , and who work hard to spread our love for the barbershop art form , and keep it alive for generations to come .”
She adds , “ New members are always welcome . “ If you are a woman who likes to sing , this is the place for you . If you ’ ve never sung barbershop harmony — don ’ t worry ! We have wonderful directors , assistant directors and section leaders who will help you . Our dancing is not difficult and we rehearse it weekly , too !”
For more information or to book entertainment , visit greaterharmony . org , email greaterharmony @ hotmail . com or call 412.613.9800 . ■
UPCOMING PERFORMANCE
Oct . 29 :
Annual Show at Butler Community College — Songs of the ‘ 70s !
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