About Us

Sweet Adelines International

Sweet Adelines International inc (SAI) is a highly respected worldwide organization of women singers, committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony, through education, competitions and performance.  SAI was formed in 1945, and its headquarters are in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

The international membership of nearly 27,000 women, all singing in English, includes choruses in most of the fifty United States as well as Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden and the Netherlands.
Active members belong to a chorus and some members create and sing in quartets.

History of The Melbourne Chorus

Our Chorus was first chartered on 6th October 1983 with just 23 members under the name ‘Yarra Valley Chapter of Sweet Adelines’ and on 29th October 1983, the Australian flag  flew proudly alongside other international flags outside the headquarters of Sweet Adelines Incorporated.

It wasn’t until the 1986/87 Sweet Adelines year that the name was changed to ‘The Melbourne Chapter of SAI’ in order to identify with Melbourne and the state of Victoria, as other choruses had formed in Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.

We were the first Sweet Adelines Chorus chartered in Australia.

Today

In Australia, there are now over 1,200 women singing in 30 choruses spread around the country.  Members sing in choruses and quartets, performing regularly in public and competing at regional and international levels.

During our vibrant history, The Melbourne Chorus has won many awards, including most recently, the 2011 Region 34 mid-size chorus award, plus second place overall and the prized ‘most improved’ award at the National Barbershop Championships, held in May 2011  in Newcastle.   Besides performing in our own shows and for corporate, community and private events, we continue to be serious competitors in the Australian region and aim to raise the bar in the barbershop style of singing.

What kind of music do Sweet Adelines sing?

Today’s Sweet Adelines choruses and quartets sing exciting a cappella, four-part harmony music, barbershop style. The music includes special arrangements of today’s ballads and upbeat songs, popular show tunes, and even jazz. Members say that singing the satisfying sounds of barbershop harmony provides a rich, rewarding experience.

See the links page for more information about SAI, or our Australian Southern Cross Region (Region #34).