- Long service award
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Date Posted: Thu, 8 Feb 2024
Another week, another long service award! This time for the wonderful Sue Ward who celebrates 25 years of singing in @singlabbs choruses. We graciously share Sue with @cheshireacappella, where she is the MD. Peeking in the back of this picture is proud husband Ted. 
- Long Service Awards
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Date Posted: Thu, 1 Feb 2024
We are part of a larger national organisation called the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers (LABBS). LABBS is a parent organisation that organise our national conventions, education events and networks. So if you join any LABBS affiliated chorus, you become a LABBS member. If you move to a different chorus, you keep your LABBS membership.
LABBS award long service certificates and pins to those who have shown years of dedication to our craft. This month, 3 of our members have been recognised for their service.
In this picture, from left ot right is our club Chair, Alison as she presented awards to our musical director Monica Funnell (40 years!), Pat Gregory (35 years) and Carol McCully (30 years).
- 18th January OPEN EVENING
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Date Posted: Fri, 19 Jan 2024
Last night we had our first open rehearsal of the year, and it was AMAZING! We had 9 wonderful new women come and try out. Reports are that they are coming back next week so we must have impressed! We started singing our newest song Grace Kelly. So, if you couldn't make it this week, please do come next week instead. The doors are wide open for you to try it out too.
- Spain bound!
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Date Posted: Mon, 8 Jan 2024
It's official – we have entered into the Barbershop in Iberia Association convention and so in April 2024, we will be off to Calpe, Spain to compete in the international barbershop competition. This competition is very special to us, so its going to be great to be back amongst our Spanish friends. Fingers crossed the sun comes out to play too. For more information, see: https://bibabarbershop.com/en/home-english-2/
- Spreading Christmas cheer
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Date Posted: Thu, 28 Dec 2023
With the years competitions out of the way, all that remains are our Christmas bookings. This year we have been singing for customers at Tatton Park, John Lewis in Cheadle, St Anns Hospice and the Griffin pub! Our singers are full of Christmas joy!
- Trophy success at LABBS 2023 convention
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Date Posted: Thu, 2 Nov 2023
In October we travelled to Harrogate to compete in the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers annual convention. This is a huge event and the highlight of our annual calendar. Convention 2023 did not disappoint! We were awarded the National Bronze medalists, plus the top chorus in the Performance category AND to top off the accolades, we were also the first recipients of the Most Entertaining Chorus trophy. WOW what an honour! This is a video of our bronze winning set.
YouTube Video URL:
- Barberlicious Win GOLD!
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Date Posted: Sat, 28 Oct 2023
Barberlicious are four amazing women, who are all members of Crystal Chords. Their quartet have been impressing us for the past 10 years already but 2023 was their BEST yet, when they won the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers Quartet competition. These wonderful people have been improving steadily and sound great. They wowed the audience with their performance and also managed to scoop the The Indigo Blue Trophy, and The Pzazz Trophy.
All this means that they are now fundraising because they are off to OHIO to complete in the Barbershop Harmony Society's International convention in 2024.YouTube Video URL: For more information, see: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-barberlicious-fly-the-labbs-flag-in-ohio?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer
- Proudly supporting St Ann's Hospice
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Date Posted: Sat, 11 Mar 2023
Every year at Crystal Chords, we support a charity, chosen by members, that we will fundraise and sing for throughout the year.
In 2023, members voted overwhelmingly to support St Ann's Hospice because we feel strongly about the care they give to so many at the end of life.
We hope throughout the year to support them with fundraising, while they attempt to raise enough funds for a brand new hospice site. Watch this space!
Attachment: 
For more information, see: https://www.sah.org.uk/
- LABBS 2022 Mid-Size Chorus Champions
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Date Posted: Thu, 10 Nov 2022
Crystal Chords were thrilled to have taken part in the LABBS Convention 27-29 Oct 2022, competing alongside 25 choruses from up and down the country, for the first time since 2019.
Two of our club quartets also competed in the National quartet competition; it was a great start to the weekend as we cheered on Barberlicious & Hat-Trick; how proud we were to see them both qualify for the finals with ease!
The event was held at Bournemouth International Centre, and the theme of the weekend was "Jubilation". It was a truly jubilant occasion to be able to celebrate with our sisters in harmony, having had various events postponed because of the pandemic.
With only 37 singers on stage, Crystal Chords placed 4th overall, and were delighted to win the trophy for the "Highest Placed Mid-Size Chorus" It was a delight to be able to perform once more, and enjoy a weekend of harmony & friendship.
Our contest set features 2 songs: a beautiful ballad from Mary Poppins Returns, "The Place Where the Lost Things Go" arranged for our chorus by the talented Sam Hubbard; our second song "Almost There" is from Disney's The Princess and the Frog, aranged by Aaron Dale. Enjoy!
*mid-size: 30-45 singers.
YouTube Video URL:
- A busy 6 months!
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Date Posted: Tue, 6 Sep 2022
These past 6 months have been busy ones at Crystal Chords HQ - so busy we forgot to update our news section! Oops :0)
In May we had the absolute honour of representing our parent organisation LABBS (the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers) at the European Barbershop Convention in Helsingborg. The European convention is held every 3 years and is a competition for past medalists of barbershop organisations from across Europe. The standard there is so high and we were amazed with the other choruses who crossed the stage with us. We came 6th overall with a cracking score and we are so pleased with our performance.
In June we sang our hearts out in a fundraising concert for Stockport Foodbank. Stockport Foodbank were our chosen charity in 2020 and 2021, but we hadn’t been able to do that much while not allowed to sing through the Covid-19 pandemic, so this was our way of raising some much needed cash for this vital charity. We are proud to have ended up with a total of over £2,000 for them to help the people of Stockport.
In July we were coached by not one but two inspirational coaches. First up it was internationally renowned David Sangster. David is the musical director for Forth Valley Chorus, who are about to fly out to Louisville Kentucky next October to compete at the Sweet Adelines International convention and let us tell you - he is AMAZING. At the end of the month, we then added performance coach Kristy Williams to the cast of people helping us reach our potential. Kirsty brought realism into our performance and reminded us why it is so important to treat performance as importantly as the singing and music category. Kirsty is one of the people judging us at convention in October 2022, so we hope we do her proud when she sees how we have applied her advice!
- IABS 2019 Convention, Killarney
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Date Posted: Thu, 17 Oct 2019
Irish Success for Crystal Chords
What an amazing weekend we have had in Killarney at the Irish Association of Barbershop Singers Convention. Three of our quartets took to the stage with accomplished veterans Pzazz mic warming a competition, newly formed Hat-Trick having their first formal outing and then previous national silver medallists Barberlicious Quartet winning an international bronze medal in the quartet competition.
Topping that all off on the Saturday with an international silver medal for Crystal Chords in the international chorus competition and we have had a ball. Thank you IABS!
- Didsbury Festival June 2019
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Date Posted: Sat, 8 Jun 2019
Festival Fun!
Crystal Chords braved the rain to have fun and showcase our gifts and plants at Didsbury Festival again this year.
Thanks to all our ladies who came out to help!
- SABS convention 2019, Calpe
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Date Posted: Sat, 6 Apr 2019
Crystals Shine in Sunny Spain!
During a fabulous weekend in the sun in Spain, Crystal Chords came home with an international bronze medal. Visiting the Spanish Association of Barbershop Singers (SABS) annual convention in Calpe, a small chorus of Crystals took part in the chorus competition and showcased a song fresh from our Love to Sing course earlier in the year.
Joined by some of our new singers, the weekend in Spain was a wonderful setting to give it a first performance and we were thrilled with the result.
