Sweet Adelines International competition

Rönninge Show, performing as reigning champions in 2014

LoveNotes quartet performing as reigning "queens of harmony" in 2014

The Sweet Adelines International Competitions are the annual global championships for women's barbershop harmony a cappella singing – in quartets and choruses – for members of Sweet Adelines International (SAI) and have been held annually between September and November since 1947. They are now the largest women's singing competition in the world with over 8000 participants at the 2014 convention. There are two competitions for choruses (the international championships and the "Harmony Classic" for smaller choruses), and two competitions for quartets (the international championships and the "Rising Star" for young singers). Currently, the first three of these competitions are held together and form the Sweet Adelines International Convention. Over the course of competition history, the most successful chorus has been Melodeers Chorus from Chicago with seven championship titles, and the most successful quartet singer was Connie Noble who won with four separate quartets. Lustre Quartet from Baltimore holds the record for highest quartet score, and Rönninge Show Chorus from Stockholm for highest ever chorus score.

The women stand up, let their arms fall to their sides, and then Patsy reaches into her pocket and places a small pitch tuner to her mouth. A very impressive wall of sound emanates from the four women, who start singing "The Joint Is Jumping"... [They] explain that they're trying to raise money for their first trip to the Sweet Adelines Convention and Competition...the Sweet Adelines is an organisation for promoting women's barbershop singing groups that's been around since the 1940s. "Every year they have a big convention and competition somewhere. It's huge," Jane says. "We've been singing together for years, but we finally decided to take a shot at it."

Joseph Blum, Bedtime Stories: A Novel of Cinematic Wanderlust

History

The first convention was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1947 for quartets – two years after the foundation of the first Sweet Adelines Inc. chapter in the city. The competition was expanded to include choruses in 1973 and in 2000 the Harmony Classic competition for small and medium-sized choruses was introduced. Originally, Harmony Classic was held independently but since 2009 all three are now hosted together and run over the course of the convention week. A fourth event, the "Rising Star" competition, was introduced in 1999 for quartets whose members are 25 years old or younger. It was also held as part of convention from 2009 until 2012 but due to scheduling and cost constraints is now held independently again. Many non-competitive performances are also held during convention week, including by the previous year's chorus and quartet champions.

The convention is usually held in a city in the continental United States but has thrice been held internationally (England 1977, Canada 1962, 2007) and four times in Hawaii (1969, 1987, 2008, 2013). A "spectacular fifty-year anniversary celebration" was held in New Orleans during the 1995 convention and the competition was to be held there a decade later in 2005, but was moved due to Hurricane Katrina. From 2015 to 2017, the city of Las Vegas hosted the convention – the first time that the event has stayed in the same location for more than one year. The 2020 "75th Diamond Anniversary" convention is expected to be the first use of the newly renovated Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky – expecting to draw 10,000 attendees. Since 2004, the competition has been livestreamed over the internet as a popular donation-funded webcast, operated by an in-house media production team.

In recent years, the formal events of convention week proceed as follows:

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Harmony Classic	Quartet semi-finals	Chorus semi-finals	Quartet Finals	Chorus finals

Qualifying

The competitions held during international convention each have a different qualification processes:

Reigning chorus champions Scottsdale performing in 2011, wearing their 2010 championship medals

For choruses, the highest scoring chorus of each SAI regional competition qualifies directly for the following year's SAI international competition semi-final. For example, the winner of a regional competition in 2014 is granted entry as their region's representative to the 2015 competition. If that chorus cannot compete, the second-placed chorus is offered the place. There are 28 active regions numbered 1–35 (some have been merged with others over time) although a region is not obliged to hold a regional competition every year. A chorus may not compete in a regional competition in the year that they are also qualified to compete in the international competition. This rule ensures that one chorus does not monopolise their region's attendance to the international competition. In addition to the direct-qualifying places, since 2002 "wildcard" places are awarded to the highest-scoring second-placed choruses across all regional competitions making it possible for a region to have two representatives at internationals in one year. Initially four wildcard places were made available, subsequently increased to 10. Wildcards ensures that a high scoring chorus is not unfairly excluded from international competition due to being in a highly competitive region.

Metro Nashville Chorus having just become the "Mid-Size Chorus" (Division AA) Harmony Classic champions in Houston, 2011

Qualification for the Harmony Classic competition happens as part of the regional chorus competition. The five highest-scoring small (division A, fewer than 30 singers) and midsize (division, AA 31–60 singers) choruses across all regional competitions qualify directly for the Harmony Classic of the following year. With five choruses in each of the two divisions (A & AA) a total of 10 choruses compete in this competition each year. Only one chorus from a region may compete in each of the divisions and a chorus may not compete in the same division again two years in a row. Furthermore, a chorus may not compete in both the main competition and also the Harmony Classic at the same year. A chorus may potentially qualify for both the main chorus competition and the Harmony Classic, but are only permitted to compete in one, thereby making a space available for the next highest qualifier to take their place at the other competition.

Reigning quartet champions MAXX Factor performing in 2011, wearing their 2010 championship crowns. Note, past "queens" in the background with their own, different, crown styles

For quartets, qualification proceeds in much the same manner as for choruses – with regional winners and wildcard places. The regional qualification process happens in the same calendar year as the international competition (not the preceding year as is the case with choruses). Furthermore, quartets that obtain a ranking of 2nd to 15th place at the previous year's international competition are considered to have pre-qualified for the following international competition and are offered a direct place in the semi-final if they wish without the requirement to compete in their regional competition. This means that the total number of competing quartets is higher than the chorus competition.

A chorus may win many international competitions or Harmony Classic competitions over the years, but may not compete at the international level two years in a row. In contrast, a quartet may compete at the international competition many times in succession, but must retire from all SAI quartet competitions if it wins, although the quartet may participate in a regional competition for evaluation. Quartets performing for evaluation receive a scoresheet with comments and grade, but are not awarded a score and are not eligible for awards.

There is no formal qualification process for the international Rising Star competition; rather, an eligible quartet registers their interest. A quartet may compete at the Rising Star competition several years in succession, provided all its members remain 25 years old or younger, but winning quartets may not compete in the Rising Star competition again.

Scoring

Both choruses and quartets are judged according to four categories:

• Sound: judging mastery of vocal skills, tuning of chords, delivery of vowels with matched resonance, "Barbershop balance", vocal lines, artistry and finesse.
• Music: judging creative arrangement of a barbershop style song, timing of chords, and execution of interpretive plan.
• Expression: judging matched open vowels, diction, execution of interpretive plan, use of barbershop style and vocal drama, and emotional communication.
• Visual Communication: judging command of the stage, theatrical skill and projection of character, audience captivation, performance energy, and the visual plan.

For all categories, judges are also scoring for whether "mastery of vocal skills [is] demonstrated" and whether the "performance transcends technique".

In scoring both the semi-final and the final, penalties may be applied for a variety of rules including time-limits, not singing competition-songs in American English, the use of musical instruments, singing religious or patriotic songs and "misconduct".

In regional competitions, there is one round of competition and each category is scored by one judge. Therefore,:

Regional competition: 4 categories x 1 judge each x 2 songs, maximum 100 points per judge = maximum possible 800 points.

At International competition, the number of judges for each category is doubled (making eight judges in total). Consequently, the maximum possible score in each round of international competition is also doubled to 1600.

Until 1985, there were three rounds of competition for quartets (quarter-final for all qualifiers, semi-final for the top 20, and final for the top 10) and only one round of competition for choruses (the final). Therefore, the perfect score was 4800 for a quartet and 1600 for a chorus. From 1985 the two competitions' structures were standardised to the semi-final/final format (semi-final for all qualifiers, final for the top 5) This set the new perfect score for both choruses and quartets at 3200. Two years later in 1987, a maximum of 80 "bonus points" were added in the final round (10 per judge) for scoring the performance "package" in both the quartet and chorus competitions, raising the maximum score to 3280. Two years after that in 1989, the quartet competition re-introduced the quarter-final with a reduced score (20 per judge) but retaining the bonus points system in the final. This increased the quartet perfect score to 3440 while the chorus competition continued without change. In 1998 the two systems were standardised again with the quartet competition returning to the format introduced in 1987, but with the size of the final round for choruses and quartets doubled to 10 contestants. Following a further rule change, from the 2015 competition the "bonus points" were removed, reducing the perfect score back to the 1985 standard of 3200.

Chorus and quartet competition scoring system changes
Era	Round	Choruses	Quartets
Pre-1985	Quarter-final	–	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Semi-final	–	1600 (same process as QF)
	Final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)	1600 (same process as QF)
	Perfect score	1600	4800 (combined total of QF, SF, and F rounds)
1985–1986	Semi-final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Final	1680 (Same process as SF)
	Perfect score	3200 (combined total of SF and F rounds)
1987–1988	Semi-final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Final	1680 (Same process as SF + up to 10 "bonus" points for the package from each of the 8 judges)
	Perfect score	3280 (combined total of SF and F rounds)
1989–1997	Quarter-final	–	160 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 10 points per judge)
	Semi-final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Final	1680 (Same process as SF + up to 10 "bonus" points for the package from each of the 8 judges)
	Perfect score	3280 (combined total of SF and F rounds)	3440 (combined total of QF, SF and F rounds)
1998–2014	Semi-final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Final	1680 (Same process as SF + up to 10 "bonus" points for the package from each of the 8 judges)
	Perfect score	3280 (combined total of SF and F rounds)
2015 onward	Semi-final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x [1 song + 1 performance package], 100 points per judge)
	Perfect score	3200 (combined total of SF and F rounds)

In the regional and semi-final competitions, each contestant must perform two songs – normally an "up-tune" and a ballad – in the order of their choice. The combined times of both songs must be no longer than 7 minutes. In the final round of competition, choruses and quartets are allowed between 12 and 15 minutes to perform. Rather than a strict two-song performance, choruses must perform a "package" of approximately 4 songs with a narrative or theme tying the package together and spoken interludes (known as "emcee material"). In the chorus competition props, costume changes, medley/mashup choral arrangements, and elaborate (even gymnastic) choreography moves are also common. As a consolation prize, the 11th ranked chorus or quartet is invited to perform their own package at the beginning of the final round as the "mic[rophone] testers". As with the semi-finals, the final-round performance order of appearance is randomly allocated.

Within the finals package, from 1985 until 2014, quartets and choruses were still expected to perform two "competition songs" (one "up-tune" and one ballad) which would be scored in the same manner as the semi-finals as well as their package (which would attract potential "bonus points"). From 2015, quartets and choruses are only required to perform one formally judged competition song in the finals (their choice of either an "up-tune" or a ballad), with the remainder of the score judging their finals package as a whole.

The score sheet itself contains lengthy hand written notes by each of the judges giving the contestant information on what the judges heard (and saw) to justify their score and also ways to improve. The visual layout of the scorecards have changed from year to year, but an example of how of a performer's semi-final scorecard from international competition appears is as follows (equally applicable to a chorus or quartet):

Example international semi-final scorecard

C #	Contestant name and songs	#		Sound			Music			Expression			Showmanship			Pty	Total	Place
7	Example Chorus	73		Song 1	Song 2		Song 1	Song 2		Song 1	Song 2		Song 1	Song 2
	"Song 1"		Judge 1	77	75	152	76	78	154	78	79	157	75	77	152
	"Song 2"		Judge 2	76	78	154	78	78	156	78	80	158	76	78	154
						306			310			315			306	0	1237	15

C# refers to "contestant number" i.e. the order of appearance.

# refers to "number [on stage]" i.e. the size of the chorus, relevant for calculating the "harmony achievement" award.

Pty refers to "penalty" i.e. the number of points deducted, if any.

Place refers to the ranking of the chorus compared to all other competitors' total scores.

Note that because the semi-final and final scores are cumulative, it can occur that the highest scoring chorus in the final does not win the championship because another chorus had a higher cumulative score. Semi-final scores are given to all choruses after the performance except for the top-10 choruses who qualified for the final competition. Their semi-final (and therefore the semi-final rankings) are kept secret until after the end of the competition.

Because of the complexity of the scoring system, to more easily group competitive performances score ranges are often referred to by a "performance level" – starting at the perfect score (represented by A+) and concluding at F. Due to the differing number of judges (and therefore differing scores) between regional and international competition the "level" system allows for easier comparison. These ranges are as follows:

Performance level	Score per category	Regional score	International score
A+	188–200	752–800	1504–1600
A	172–187	688–751	1376–1503
A-	160–171	640–687	1280–1375
B+	148–159	592–639	1184–1279
B	132–147	528–591	1056–1183
B-	120–131	480–527	960–1055
C+	108–119	432–479	864–959
C	92–107	368–431	736–863
C-	80–91	320–367	640–735
D+	68–79	272–319	544–639
D	52–69	208–271	416–543
D-	40–51	160–207	320–415
F	0–39	0–159	0–319

Awards

A collection of medals won at SAI regional chorus competitions. From left to right: "most improved" chorus, 2nd place "Division A", 5th place, and two "Champion" medals

The singers of the top-10 placed choruses and quartets in the main competitions are awarded medals with a designated color. They are designated the International Champion Chorus/Quartet for the next calendar year. As the current title holders, the winners are permitted to wear these medals around their neck on a ribbon of the same color until the following year's competition. At this point they must be removed from the colored ribbon. Longstanding members of Sweet Adelines International may end up earning many awards at both regional and international competitions. Customarily these are worn as a group in a manner similar to military service ribbons, often attached to the chest with a brooch-like clasp.

In addition, international quartet champions are awarded a tiara or crown each – every year of a different design – and are proclaimed "Queens of Harmony", this title having been in use since at least 1960. They are entitled to wear their crown at any future SAI event, even when they are not the current champions. However, they are not allowed to compete as that quartet again. The association of past quartet winners is known as the "Coronet Club".

Ribbon color

Competition	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Achievement
Chorus Finals	blue	red	white	yellow	green	violet
Quartet Finals	blue	red	white	yellow	green
Rising Star	blue	red	white
Harmony Classic division A	deep purple	medium purple	pale purple
Harmony Classic division AA	hot pink	medium pink	pale pink

In the chorus competition, in addition to the placings, the "Harmony Achievement award" has been presented since 1991. This recognises the chorus that achieved the highest score, despite having relatively fewer singers on stage. The formula for calculating the largest chorus eligible for the award is: "Total number of performers on stage at any time, including directors, divided by the number of contestants, multiplied by 80%".

Certified directors of any chorus which attains more than 600 points at regional competition (or 1200 points at international, excluding bonus points) are entitled to be called a "master director" or, for those whose chorus achieves more than 700 (1400 at international), "master director 700".

Chorus competition

Champions

Until 1984, there was only one round of competition; from 1985, there are two round which increases the total score. Equally, from 2015 no "bonus points" are awarded in the final round, reducing the total score. The % column accounts for this change in maximum score to allow for comparison between years with different scoring systems. The Harmony Achievement award was introduced in 1991.

The list of champion choruses and related information is as follows. Note, some choruses have changed region in the years after their winning the competition. The region listed is the region that the chorus represented that year.

Year	Competition location	Champion	Director	Region	Score	%	Second place	Third place	Harmony Achievement	Competition summary
1973	Washington, D.C.	Racine	Jarmela Speta	22	1328	83.0%	Dundalk	Cedar Rhapsody[a]		missing
1974	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Gem City	Jean Pyles	4	1326	82.9%	Scottsdale	Mission Valley		missing
1975	Seattle, Washington	San Diego	Marvin Yerkey	21	1249	78.1%	St. Joseph[a]	Dundalk		missing
1976	Cincinnati, Ohio	Mission Valley	Gloria Sandstrom	12	1268	79.3%	Seven Hills[a]	Melodeers		missing
1977	London, England	Gem City	Jean Barford	4	1359	84.9%	Racine	Scottsdale		missing
1978	Los Angeles, California	Island Hills	Estelle Grau	15	1298	81.1%	San Diego	Verdugo Hills		missing
1979	St. Louis, Missouri	Ramapo Valley[a]	Renee Craig	15	1254	78.4%	St. Joseph[a]	Scottsdale		[1]
1980	Atlanta, Georgia	High Country	Sylvia Alsbury	8	1395	87.2%	Gem City	Verdugo Hills		missing
1981	Phoenix, Arizona	Seven Hills[a]	Tom Gentil	4	1244	77.8%	Valley Forge	Mission Viejo		[2]
1982	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Gem City	Jean Barford	4	1342	83.9%	Ramapo Valley[a]	Scottsdale		[3]
1983	Detroit, Michigan	Valley Forge	Jan Muck	15	1279	79.9%	City of Lakes	High Country		[4]
1984	Las Vegas, Nevada	Scottsdale	Bev Sellers	21	1309	81.8%	Ramapo Valley[a]	Lakeside[a]		[5]
1985[b]	Kansas City, Missouri	Gem City	Jean Barford	4	2698	84.3%	City of Lakes	High Country		[6]
1986	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Ramapo Valley[a]	Renee Craig	15	2701	84.4%	Vienna-Falls	Greater Dallas[a]		[7]
1987	Honolulu, Hawaii	High Country	Sharon Babb & Julie Haller	8	2646	80.7%	Scottsdale	Rich-Tone		[8]
1988	Houston, Texas	Vienna-Falls	Betty Tracy	14	2675	81.6%	Gem City	Valley Forge		[9]
1989	Miami Beach, Florida	Scottsdale	Bev Sellers	21	2715	82.8%	Rich-Tone	City of Lakes		[10]
1990	Salt Lake City, Utah	Ramapo Valley	Renee Craig	15	2676	88.6%	Seven Hills[a]	Kansas City		[11]
1991	San Antonio, Texas	Gem City	Jean Barford	4	2679	81.6%	San Diego	Lakeside[a]	Cedar Rhapsody[a]	[12]
1992	Baltimore, Maryland	Rich-Tone	Dale Syverson	25	2884	87.9%	City of Lakes	Melodeers	Song of Atlanta	[13]
1993	Indianapolis, Indiana	Toast of Tampa Show	Randy Loos	9	2714	82.7%	Kansas City	Scottsdale	Pearls of the Sound	[14]
1994	Reno, Nevada	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	2834	86.4%	Gem City	Houston Horizon	St. Joseph	[15]
1995	New Orleans, Louisiana	Rich-Tone	Dale Syverson	25	2809	85.6%	Rönninge Show	Scottsdale	Perth Harmony	[16]
1996	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida	North Metro	June Dale	16	2822	86.0%	Gem City	Houston Horizon	Midwest Crossroads	[17]
1997	Salt Lake City, Utah	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	2833	86.4%	San Diego	Kansas City	Georgia Harmony	[18]
1998	Nashville, Tennessee	Rich-Tone	Dale Syverson	25	2805	85.5%	City of Lakes	Scottsdale	Lions Gate	[19]
1999	Atlanta, Georgia	North Metro	June Dale	16	2904	88.5%	Sunlight	San Diego	Pride of Baltimore	[20]
2000	Orlando, Florida	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	2931	89.4%	Scottsdale	Pacific Sound	Top of the Rock	[21]
2001	Portland, Oregon	San Diego	Kim Hulbert	21	2907	88.6%	Rich-Tone	Pride of Baltimore	Rönninge Show	[22]
2002	Nashville, Tennessee	North Metro	June Dale	16	2986	91.0%	Gem City	Scottsdale	Ramapo Valley	[23]
2003	Phoenix, Arizona	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	2969	90.5%	Pride of Baltimore	Rich-Tone	Royal River	[24]
2004	Indianapolis, Indiana	Harborlites	Pam Pieson	21	2919	89.0%	Skyline	Gem City	St. Louis Harmony	[25]
2005	Detroit, Michigan	Scottsdale	Lori Lyford	21	2899	88.4%	Pride of Baltimore	Kansas City	Greater Nassau	[26]
2006	Las Vegas, Nevada	Rich-Tone	Dale Syverson	25	2942	89.7%	Melodeers	North Metro	OK City	[27]
2007	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Harborlites	Pam Pieson	21	2985	91.0%	Pride of Baltimore	Lions Gate	Spirit of Detroit	[28]
2008	Honolulu, Hawaii	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	3023	92.2%	Scottsdale	Skyline	St. Louis Harmony	[29]
2009	Nashville, Tennessee	Rich-Tone	Dale Syverson	25	3054	93.1%	Lions Gate	Pride Of Kentucky	Harbor City Music Company	[30]
2010	Seattle, Washington	Scottsdale	Lori Lyford	21	3077	93.8%	Harborlites	North Metro	Stockholm City Voices	[31]
2011	Houston, Texas	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	3091	94.2%	Rönninge Show	Lions Gate	Harbor City Music Company	[32]
2012	Denver, Colorado	North Metro	June Dale	16	3058	93.2%	Rich-Tone	Harborlites	Metro Nashville	[33]
2013	Honolulu, Hawaii	Rönninge Show	Anna Alvring & Britt-Heléne Bonnedahl	32	3138	95.7%	Scottsdale	Toast of Tampa Show	Greater Nassau	[34]
2014	Baltimore, Maryland	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	3129	95.4%	Rich-Tone	Harborlites	Metro Nashville	[35]
2015[c]	Las Vegas, Nevada	Scottsdale	Lori Lyford	21	3044	95.1%	North Metro	Toast of Tampa Show	Stockholm City Voices	[36]
2016	Las Vegas, Nevada	Rönninge Show	Anna Alvring & Britt-Heléne Bonnedahl	32	3098	96.8%	Rich-Tone	Harborlites	Metro Nashville	[37]
2017	Las Vegas, Nevada	North Metro	Erin Howden	16	2959	92.5%	Lions Gate	Melodeers	Stockholm City Voices	[38]
2018	St. Louis, Missouri	Scottsdale	Lori Lyford	21	2982	93.2%	Harborlites	Rich-Tone	Metro Nashville	[39]
2019	New Orleans, Louisiana	Rönninge Show	Anna Alvring & Britt-Heléne Bonnedahl	32	3061	95.7%	Lion's Gate	Melodeers	Stockholm City Voices	[40]

^a Chorus is now defunct, has merged with another chorus, or has changed name.

^b Until 1985, only round of competition was held. As a result, the grand-total score of the winner for earlier years is lower than competitions from 1985-onwards where two rounds of scores (semi-final and final) make up the grand total. For full details of scoring changes see the scoring section above. Direct comparisons of scores in different eras are possible using the % column.

^c Until 2015, 10 bonus points were available in the final round per-song per-judge (80 points in total). Removing these reduced the possible grand total from 3280 to 3200. Direct comparisons of scores in different eras are possible using the % column.

Results by year

The results of the most recent chorus competition are included below. Note that the total listed in the "final" column is the cumulative total of scores achieved in the semi-final and final rounds of competition. In addition to the direct-qualifying places, wildcard places are awarded to the 10 highest-scoring second-place choruses (or the top five before 2015) across all regional competitions, indicated herein as "[wild]." The winner of the Harmony Achievement award is indicated with "[harmony achievement]" next to the chorus' name. The 2018 competition semifinal was held on October 18, and the final on October 20, at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Scottsdale from region 21 won their first consecutive championship, placing them as outright second most successful chorus ever ahead of Rich-Tone who came third. Second was Harborlites, the wildcard from region 21, who had been leading after the semifinal. Metro Nashville won the "Harmony Achievement" award for the fourth consecutive time. It was the first time that Swedish competitor Pearls of the Sound had qualified for the finals, the only first-timer in the top ten.

St. Louis, Missouri (2018)

[semifinal & final Official results]

Place	Region	Contestant	Regional	Semi-final		Final			Competition video availability: Semi-finals Finals
			Score	Order of appearance	Score	Order of appearance	Score	Grand total
1	21	Scottsdale	744	23	1488	4	1494	2982	semi-final final
2	21  [wild]	Harborlites	731	23	1507	1	1470	2977	semi-final final
3	25	Rich-Tone	673	24	1478	9	1481	2959	semi-final final
4	8	Skyline	724	26	1406	7	1395	2801	semi-final final
5	32	Pearls of the Sound	634	6	1333	8	1364	2697	semi-final final
6	14	Song of Atlanta	686	2	1373	4	1314	2687	semi-final final
7	13	Pride of Portland	710	12	1348	2	1338	2686	semi-final final
8	6	City of Lakes	710	34	1334	3	1271	2605	semi-final final
9	4	Metro Nashville  [harmony achievement]	647	4	1278	5	1326	2604	semi-final final
10	16	Buffalo Gateway	676	17	1280	10	1248	2528	semi-final final
11	2	Motor City Blend	677	16	1259	—	—	—	semi-final —
12	15	Liberty Oak	663	25	1249	—	—	—	semi-final —
13	26	Westcoast Harmony	643	22	1246	—	—	—	semi-final —
14	25  [wild]	O.K. City	649	3	1245	—	—	—	semi-final —
15	10	The Woodlands Show	687	19	1245	—	—	—	semi-final —
16	31	Lace City	673	11	1244	—	—	—	semi-final —
17	34	Endeavour Harmony	655	29	1238	—	—	—	semi-final —
18	15  [wild]	Harmony Celebration	648	31	1233	—	—	—	semi-final —
19	9	Spirit of the Gulf	683	32	1225	—	—	—	semi-final —
20	32  [wild]	Alba Show	626	9	1216	—	—	—	semi-final —
21	4  [wild]	Pride of Kentucky	642	13	1208	—	—	—	semi-final —
22	19	Valley Forge	638	1	1177	—	—	—	semi-final —
23	5	River Blenders	640	7	1176	—	—	—	semi-final —
24	14  [wild]	Vocal Matrix	630	28	1167	—	—	—	semi-final —
25	1	Coastline Show	607	14	1157	—	—	—	semi-final —
26	11	Carpe Diem	608	18	1143	—	—	—	semi-final —
27	31  [wild]	Phoenix	643	8	1139	—	—	—	semi-final —
28	3	River City Sound	636	30	1118	—	—	—	semi-final —
29	10  [wild]	Alamo Metro	617	21	1112	—	—	—	semi-final —
30	12	Pacific Empire	606	27	1111	—	—	—	semi-final —
31	16  [wild]	Circle of Harmony	616	15	1087	—	—	—	semi-final —
32	2  [wild]	London	620	33	1083	—	—	—	semi-final —
33	17	Greater Harmony	597	10	1080	—	—	—	semi-final —
34	35	Faultline	614	20	1077	—	—	—	semi-final —

Chorus records

Most successful choruses

The most successful choruses over time are as follows. Choruses are ranked according to the gold first system but can be sorted to rank according to total number of top-three appearances. Some choruses have changed region over time, the chorus's current region is listed here.

Chorus	Region	Website	Bio	Champion	Second place	Third place	Total top-three
Melodeers	3	[41]	[42]	7 (1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2014)	1 (2006)	3 (1976, 1992, 2017)	11
Scottsdale	21	[43]	[44]	6 (1984, 1989, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018)	4 (1974, 1987, 2000, 2013)	8 (1977, 1979, 1982, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2008)	18
Rich-Tone	25	[45]	[46]	5 (1992, 1995, 1998, 2006, 2009)	5 (1989, 2001, 2012, 2014, 2016)	3 (1987, 2003, 2018)	13
Gem City	4	[47]	[48]	5 (1974, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1991)	5 (1980, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1996)	1 (2004)	11
North Metro	16	[49]	[50]	5 (1996, 1999, 2002, 2012, 2017)	2 (2008, 2015)	2 (2006, 2010)	9
Ramapo Valley[a]	15	–	[51]	3 (1979, 1986, 1990)	2 (1982, 1984)	–	5
Rönninge Show	32	[52]	[53]	3 (2013, 2016, 2019)	2 (1995, 2011)	–	5
San Diego	21	[54]	[55]	2 (1975, 2001)	3 (1978, 1991, 1997)	1 (1999)	6
Harborlites	21	[56]	[57]	2 (2004, 2007)	2 (2010, 2018)	3 (2012, 2014, 2016)	7
High Country	8	–	[58]	2 (1980, 1987)	–	2 (1983, 1985)	4
Seven Hills[a]	4	–	[59]	1 (1981)	2 (1976, 1990)	–	3
Valley Forge	15	[60]	[61]	1 (1983)	1 (1981)	1 (1988)	3
Racine	3	[62]	[63]	1 (1973)	1 (1977)	–	2
Vienna-Falls	14	[64]	[65]	1 (1988)	1 (1986)	–	2
Mission Valley	12	[66]	[67]	1 (1976)	–	1 (1974)	2
Toast of Tampa Show	9	[68]	[69]	1 (1993)	–	2 (2013, 2015)	3
Island Hills	15	[70]	[71]	1 (1978)	–	–	1
City of Lakes	6	[72]	[73]	–	3 (1983, 1985, 1992)	1 (1989)	4
Pride of Baltimore	19	[74]	[75]	–	3 (2003, 2005, 2007)	1 (2001)	4
Lions Gate	26	[76]	[77]	–	2 (2009, 2017)	2 (2007, 2011)	4
Kansas City	5	[78]	[79]	–	1 (1993)	3 (1990, 1997, 2005)	4
Dundalk	19	[80]		–	1 (1973)	1 (1975)	2
Skyline	8	[81]	[82]	–	1 (2004)	–	1
St Joseph Show[a]	5	[83]		–	2 (1975, 1979)	–	2
Sunlight	32	[84]		–	1 (1999)	–	1
Houston Horizon	10	[85]	[86]	–	–	2 (1994, 1996)	2
Lakeside[a]	13	[87]		–	–	2 (1984, 1991)	2
Verdugo Hills	11	[88]	[89]	–	–	2 (1978, 1980)	2
Cedar Rhapsody[a]	5	[90]		–	–	1 (1973)	1
Greater Dallas[a]	10	[91]		–	–	1 (1986)	1
Mission Viejo	21	[92]		–	–	1 (1981)	1
Pacific Sound	13	–	[93]	–	–	1 (2000)	1
Pride of Kentucky	4	[94]	[95]	–	–	1 (2009)	1

Highest ever regional scores

The highest 30 scores ever achieved at any regional competition as of 2018 competitions are as follows.

Rank	Score	Chorus	Region	Year	Competition summary
1	759	Melodeers	3	2016	[96]
2	755	Rönninge Show	32	2018	[97]
3	751	Melodeers	3	2010	[98]
		North Metro	16	2014	[99]
		Toast of Tampa Show	9	2014	[100]
6	749	Rönninge Show	32	2012	[101]
7	748	Melodeers	3	2013	[102]
		Rich-Tone	25	2013	[103]
9	744	Rönninge Show	32	2015	[104]
		Scottsdale	21	2017	[105]
11	741	Melodeers	3	2007	[106]
		Rich-Tone	25	2011	[107]
13	736	Harborlites	21	2009	[108]
		Scottsdale	21	2012	[109]
15	737	Harbor City Music Company	19	2018	[110]
16	732	Scottsdale	21	2014	[111]
		Scioto Valley	4	2016	[112]
18	731	North Metro	16	2007	[113]
		Haborlites	21	2017	[114]
20	729	Haborlites	21	2006	[115]
21	728	North Metro	16	2001	[116]
22	727	North Metro	16	2016	[117]
23	726	Rich-Tone	25	2015	[118]
		Toast of Tampa Show	9	2016	[119]
25	725	Pride of Baltimore	19	2006	[120]
		Rich-Tone	25	2008	[121]
27	724	Scottsdale	21	2007	[122]
		Skyline	8	2017	[123]
29	723	North Metro	1	2009	[124]
30	721	Pride of Portland	13	2015	[125]

Highest regional score by region

The highest score ever achieved in each individual region's competition as of 2018 is as follows:

Region	Score	Chorus	Year	Competition summary
1	689	Coastline	2008	[126]
2	677	Motor City Blend	2017	[127]
3	759	Melodeers	2016	[128]
4	732	Scioto Valley	2016	[129]
5	660	River Blenders	2003	[130]
6	710	City of Lakes	2017	[131]
7	678	Kansas City	2004	[132]
8	724	Skyline	2017	[133]
9	751	Toast of Tampa Show	2014	[134]
10	687	The Woodlands Show	2017	[135]
11	657	ChannelAire	2009	[136]
12	667	Bay Area Showcase	2016	[137]
13	721	Pride of Portland	2015	[138]
14	686	Song of Atlanta	2017	[139]
15	710	Greater Nassau	2014	[140]
16	751	North Metro	2014	[141]
17	661	Pride of Toledo	2000	[142]
19	737	Harbor City Music Company	2018	[143]
21	744	Scottsdale	2017	[144]
22	640	River City Sound	2013	[145]
23	708	Song of Atlanta	2011	[146]
24	701	Pride of Portland	2013	[147]
25	748	Rich-Tone	2013	[148]
26	716	Lions Gate	2018	[149]
30	no competition held
31	694	Forth Valley	2016	[150]
32	755	Rönninge Show	2018	[151]
34	662	Endeavour Harmony	2014	[152]
35	685	Christchurch	2015	[153]

Harmony Classic

Champions

Before 2009 the Harmony Classic competition was hosted independently from the other SAI competitions, but since 2009 it has been held in parallel, and at the same location.

Eligibility for Division AA (medium) is for choruses with between 31 and 60 singers on stage, while Division A (small) is for those with between 15 and 30 singers. The list of Harmony Classic competition winners is as follows:

Year	Competition location	Division AA champion	Region	Score	Competition summary	Division A champion	Region	Score	Competition summary
2000	San Antonio, Texas	Royal River	1	1275		Prairie Echoes	3	1274
2001	San Antonio, Texas	Jacksonville Harmony	9	1305		Pearls of the Sound	32	1237
2002	Greenville, South Carolina	Royal River	1	1276		Prairie Echoes	3	1264
2003	Greenville, South Carolina	Valley Forge	15	1284		Millennium Magic	1	1169
2004	Greenville, South Carolina	Columbus	4	1235		Queen City Sound	25	1206
2005	Greenville, South Carolina	Scioto Valley	4	1262		Women of Note	14	1204
2006	San Antonio, Texas	Harbor City Music Company	19	1310		Metro Nashville	4	1289
2007	San Antonio, Texas	Waikato Rivertones	35	1312		Alba Show	32	1293
2008	San Antonio, Texas	Metro Nashville	4	1303	[154]	Stockholm City Voices	32	1328	[155]
2009	Nashville, Tennessee	Scioto Valley	4	1350	[156]	Millennium Magic	1	1268	[157]
2010	Seattle, Washington	Harbor City Music Company	19	1344	[158]	Queen City Sound	25	1189	[159]
2011	Houston, Texas	Metro Nashville	4	1325	[160]	Alba Show	32	1337	[161]
2012	Denver, Colorado	Westcoast Harmony	26	1319	[162]	Carolina Harmony	14	1228	[163]
2013	Honolulu, Hawaii	Rhythm of the Rockies	26	1381	[164]	Pearls of the Sound	32	1303	[165]
2014	Baltimore, Maryland	City of Gardens	26	1238	[166]	Springfield Metro Chorus	25	1274	[167]
2015	Las Vegas, Nevada	River Blenders	5	1250	[168]	Carolina Harmony	14	1231	[169]
2016	Las Vegas, Nevada	Pearls of the Sound	32	1399		Carpe Diem	11	1296
2017	Las Vegas, Nevada	Brindabella	34	1267	[170]	Malmö Limelight	32	1284	[171]
2018	St. Louis, Missouri	Wellington City	35	1229	[172]	Sirens of Gotham	15	1232	[173]
2019	New Orleans, Louisiana	Diablo Vista	12	1311	[174]	Millennium Magic	1	1271	[175]

Results by year

The results of the most recent Harmony Classic competition are:

The 2018 competition was held on October 17 at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

St. Louis, Missouri (2018)

Division A – Official results

Place	Region	Contestant	Regional		Final			Video Playlist
			Score	Summary	# on stage	Order of appearance	Score
1	15	Sirens of Gotham	576	[176]	32	1	1232	[177]
2	14	Carolina Harmony	624	[178]	28	5	1202	[179]
3	34	Circular Keys	595	[180]	40	4	1187	[181]
4	26	Vocal Motion!	598	[182]	28	3	1171	[183]
5	35	Bella A Cappella	586	[184]	33	4	1081	[185]

Division AA – Official results

Place	Region	Contestant	Regional		Final			Video Playlist
			Score	Summary	# on stage	Order of appearance	Score
1	35	Wellington City	660	[186]	48	1	1229	[187]
2	12	Mission Valley	624	[188]	66	3	1177	[189]
3	17	Greater Cleveland	641	[190]	58	5	1176	[191]
4	31	No Borders Show	637	[192]	54	4	1172	[193]
5	9	Women of Note	622	[194]	50	2	1136	[195]

Quartet competition

Champions

From the competition's inception to the 1992 edition, the winning quartet was named champion of the year that they competed in. From the 1993 competition onwards the designation was changed to the following year – the one in which they primarily held their position. Thus, the winners of the competition held in November 2014 (Bling! quartet) were proclaimed the "2015 queens of harmony".

As with the Chorus competition, all competitors compete in the "semi-final" round from which the top 10 compete a few days later in the final round. The scores for the top 10 are added together to make the grand total which determines the winner. Until 1984 all competitors began at the "quarter-final" stage, the top 20 progress to the semi-final, and the top 10 progressing to the final. From 1985 this three-level system was dropped back to simply semi-final and final. However, because the earlier winners competed in three rounds, their grand total scores are correspondingly larger. The % column accounts for this change in maximum score to allow for comparison between years with different scoring systems.

The international champion quartet, performers names, and score for each year of competition are as follows.

Replacement quartet members must participate with a quartet for at least three years. They may earn a gold medal after that time if the quartet makes the request on her behalf for one and the Coronet Club and International Board approve it." The replaced quartet member is marked with an asterisk *

Note, some sources differ as to the inclusion of the definite article in many of the earlier quartets' names.

Year	Location	Champion	Score	%	Bio	Members	Second place	Third place	Competition summary
1947	Tulsa, Oklahoma	The Decaturettes			[196]	Vi Phillips, Mary Minton, Myrtle Vest, Eva Adams	The Johnson Sisters	Keystone Barberettes	missing
1948	Topeka, Kansas	The Johnson Sisters			[197]	Ruby Johnson, Irene Bergman, Stella Berg, Harriet St. Leger	Floradora Girls	Harmony Honeys	missing
1949	St. Louis, Missouri	The Tune Twisters			[198]	Pearl Borg, Sue Pranno, Nancy Konsbruck, Marian Moore	Treble Tones	Gibson Girls	missing
1950	Chicago, Illinois	The Harmony Belles			[199]	Dixie Rae Chapman, Betty Robinson, Jeanette McLaughlin*, Harriet Fizone, Shirley Rice[replacement]	Treble Tones	Minorettes	missing
1951	Santa Monica, California	The Quarternotes			[200]	Virginia Clausen, Phyllis Odders, Lois Dominick*, Jewel King, Kaye Poulsen Jensen[replacement]	Rhythm Wrens	Denim Four	missing
1952	St. Petersburg, Florida	The Pitch Pipers			[201]	Betty Oliver, Jo Ligtvoet, Jane Linden Aman, Mary Ann Oller	Hi-Lites	Pearly 'Gators	missing
1953	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	The Big Four			[202]	Lucille Bradley*, Inez "Junior" Thompson, Sarah LeMaster, Bertha Bradley, Mary Waters[replacement]	The Mississippi Misses	Decker Sisters	missing
1954	Buffalo, New York	The Mississippi Misses			[203]	Nancy Bergman, Darlene Kraus, Marcy Paul, Rose Rump	The Nota-Belles	Tru-Shades	missing
1955	Grand Rapids, Michigan	The Nota-Belles			[204]	Jarmela Speta, Ruth Geils, Jan Kastens, Phyllis Haeger	The Junior Misses	Cracker Jills	missing
1956	Wichita, Kansas	The Junior Misses			[205]	Sue Lucas, Katie Durbin, Helen Peters, Chris Hohe	Cracker Jills	Dotted Quarters	missing
1957	Miami Beach, Florida	Cracker Jills			[206]	Bobbie Bostick, Renee Craig, Judy Rowell, Jan Saundry	Northwest Hi-Flyers	The Sweet And Lows	missing
1958	Peoria, Illinois	The Sweet And Lows			[207]	Florence Anderson, Joyce Cunningham, Mary Gilbert, Delores Godwin	Pleasantaires	The Caper Cutters	missing
1959	Tucson, Arizona	The Yankee Misses			[208]	Sue Arabian, Marilyn Conlan, Alice Kennedy, Marcia Major	Pleasantaires	Nightingals	missing
1960	Detroit, Michigan	The Gibson Girls			[209]	Irene Blazed*, Gladys Carlysle, Naomi Haberlein, Anne McKay, Joyce Rankin[replacement]	Nightingals	Happy Harmonizers	missing
1961	Colorado Springs, Colorado	The Lyrics			[210]	Liz Speer, Lorene Roberts, Diane Pauley*, Sue McCoy, Marge Axelson[replacement]	Nightingals	The Sea-Adelines	missing
1962	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	The Sea-Adelines			[211]	Shirley Humann, Jamel Barden, Katie Schwarzhans, Zoe Thompson	The Heathertones	Related Four	missing
1963	Berkeley, California	The Heathertones			[212]	Lorida Harvey, Betty Pettibon, Norma Jones, Bette Carothers	The Piper-Ettes	The Aqua-Tones	missing
1964	Minneapolis, Minnesota	The Note-Cracker Sweets			[213]	Mary Ellen Erickson, Mary Lois Dick, Beverly Schroeder, Nancy Paul	Related Four	The Shalimars	missing
1965	Denver, Colorado	The Shalimars			[214]	Ruby Rhea, Patti Staffen, Anita Gohl*, Jan Wyckoff, Ferne Hogan[replacement]	The Aqua-Tones	Chi-Larks	missing
1966	Houston, Texas	The Piper-Ettes			[215]	Carolyn Sexton, Ruth Doll, Kitty Bawtenheimer, Carol Simons	Chi-Larks	Embers	missing
1967	New York, New York	The Hurricane Honeys			[216]	Nancy Calay*, Iris Cokeroft, Ruth Ann Parker, Marge Grau, Toni Miller[replacement]	Chi-Larks	Embers	missing
1968	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	The Galatones			[217]	Margaret DeJaynes, Jean Shook, Sharri Mertens, Anna Lee Scott*, Lynn Ellsworth[replacement]	The Rarities	After-Five 4	missing
1969	Honolulu, Hawaii	The Metropolitans			[218]	Marie Disher, Hilma Mortell,* Pat Gibson James, Mona Warren, Lori Fodor Reiner[replacement]	The Rarities	Embers	missing
1970	Boston, Massachusetts	The Rarities			[219]	Jarmela Speta, Connie Milestone, Chris Huebschen, Carol Schoenning	Embers	Bron's Tones	missing
1971	Kansas City, Missouri	Bron's Tones			[220]	Judy Wallis, Portia Little, Betty Meinholz, Bron Dixon	Embers	Debutones	missing
1972	Salt Lake City, Utah	The 4th Edition			[221]	Connie Noble, Lee Davison, Jacquelyn Belshaw,* Sally Whitledge, Nancy Belle[replacement]	Embers	The Tiffanys	missing
1973	Washington, D.C.	The Tiffanys			[222]	Jane Coleman, Joan Melling, Dale Syverson, Louise Masla	Priorities	Double Image	missing
1974	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	The Sounds Of Music			[223]	Jean Barford, Gloria Laquaglia, Edie Moorehead, Judy St. John	Double Image	Latest News	missing
1975	Seattle, Washington	The Front Office Four			[224]	Dixie Dahlke, Carol Nash, Chari Pernert, Vicki Gibson	Chansonniers	The Tetrachords	missing
1976	Cincinnati, Ohio	High Society			[225]	Bette Gorton*, Kim Bone, Sandy Shelver, Pat Vozza, Connie Noble[replacement]	Chansonniers	Star Spangled Sound	missing
1977	London, England	The Shondells			[226]	Melodee Wright, Virginia Fitzpatrick, Theresa Reed, Donna Graham	The Hallmarks	Sun Lasses	missing
1978	Los Angeles, California	The Tetrachords			[227]	Terry D'Amato, Patti Frei, Sandi Wright, Nancee Reinhold	The Hallmarks	S. Van Ander Mac Singers	missing
1979	St. Louis, Missouri	The Hallmarks	3799	79.15%	[228]	JoAnn Karaff, Liz Robertson, Helen Shores, Jackie Harrison	All-Star Jubilee	Midnight Music Co.	[229]
1980	Atlanta, Georgia	Penna-Fores	3634	75.71%	[230]	Linda Showers, Shirleyann Quigg, Roberta Combs, Betty Clipman	All-Star Jubilee	Midnight Music Co.	[231]
1981	Phoenix, Arizona	All-Star Jubilee	3910	81.46%	[232]	Susie Russell, Julie Fernstrum, Judy Gordon, Linda Johnson	Melo-Edge	Music Gallery	[233]
1982	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Music Gallery	3892	81.08%	[234]	Julie Whelan, Julie Moser Bergman, Lou Ann Dykstra, Marcia Starnes	Melo-Edge	Jubilation	[235]
1983	Detroit, Michigan	Melo-Edge	3823	79.65%	[236]	Donna Bates, Maureen Brzinski, Debra Peters, Janell Paviolitis	Jubilation	4 For The Show	[237]
1984	Las Vegas, Nevada	4 For The Show	3821	79.60%	[238]	Joni Bescos, Robin Beers, Sally Briner, Susan Minsker	Jubilation	Top Priority	[239]
1985[a]	Kansas City, Missouri	Jubilation	2515	78.59%	[240]	Sharon Alterman, Carol Ann Bagley, Karen Breidert, Pat Rotunno	Top Priority	Sound Celebration	[241]
1986	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Ambiance	2594	81.06%	[242]	Shelly Sweet-Rubenic, Elizabeth Hardcastle, Sandi Wright, Diane Huber	Starshine	Ginger 'N' Jazz	[243]
1987[a]	Honolulu, Hawaii	Ginger 'N'Jazz	2551	77.77%	[244]	Patty Friedemann, Debbie Hogan, Sally Beck, Judy Clancy*, Peggy Barnes[replacement]	Savvy	Showtime	[245]
1988	Houston, Texas	Savvy	2619	79.85%	[246]	Connie Noble, Kim Hulbert, Sandy Trombly, Tippi Sanders	Cross-Town Celebration	Showtime	[247]
1989[a]	Miami Beach, Florida	Growing Girls	2786	80.99%[b]	[248]	Malin Palmqvist, Suzanne Harrington, Anna Ohman, Naima Meyer	Cross-Town Celebration	Panache	[249]
1990	Salt Lake City, Utah	Panache	2810	81.69%[b]	[250]	Gerry Papageorge, Pam Pieson, Sally Briner, Bonnie McKibben	Swing Street	Showcase	[251]
1991	San Antonio, Texas	Swing Street	2763	80.32%[b]	[252]	Sylvia Karpinsky, LeAnn Hazlett, Sue Snow, Sharon Cassell	Showtime	City Lights	[253]
1992	Baltimore, Maryland	City Lights	2841	82.59%[b]	[254]	Nancy Cloeter, Jo Lund, Sharon Vitkovsky, Jeannie Froelich	Showtime	Blue Razzberry Rhythm	[255]
1993[c]	Indianapolis, Indiana	Showtime	2832	82.33%[b]	[256]	Gina Ogden*, Debbie Connelly, Cindy LeMasters, Dana Hitt, Donna Vollertson[replacement]	Chicago Fire	Blue Razzberry Rhythm	[257]
1994	Reno, Nevada	Chicago Fire	2812	81.74%[b]	[258]	Amy Brinkman, Dani Prigge, Bon Pressley, Bonnie Fedyski	Weekend Edition	4-Star Collection	[259]
1995	New Orleans, Louisiana	Weekend Edition	2810	81.69%[b]	[260]	Penny Mensik, Susan Martin, Donna Kleinschmidt, Nancy Shumard	4-Star Collection	Rumors	[261]
1996	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida	4-Star Collection	2927	85.09%[b]	[262]	Connie Miller, Pat Rygg, Denise Baber, Marcia Starnes	Classic Edition	Rumors	[263]
1997	Salt Lake City, Utah	Classic Edition	2784	80.93%[b]	[264]	Jana Brown, Susan Ives, Sheila Martinez, Donna Kready	Rumors	Night Magic	[265]
1998[a]	Nashville, Tennessee	Rumors	2799	85.34%	[266]	Charla Esser, Judy Baxter, Dale Syverson, Peggy Gram	Signature Sound	Swinglish Mix	[267]
1999	Atlanta, Georgia	Signature Sound	2758	84.09%	[268]	Christine Cook, Leslie Taylor, Janet Ashford, Lloyd-Ellen Thomas	Swinglish Mix	a cappella Gold	[269]
2000	Orlando, Florida	a cappella Gold	2753	83.93%	[270]	Bette Gorton, Kim Vaughn, Tomi McEvoy, Susan Lamb Kegley	Swinglish Mix	Night Magic	[271]
2001	Portland, Oregon	Fanatix	2699	82.29%	[272]	Connie Noble, Darcy Newell, Sandy Shelver, Gerry Papageorge*, Bonnie Fedyski[replacement]	Brava!	Swinglish Mix	[273]
2002	Nashville, Tennessee	Swinglish Mix	2726	83.11%	[274]	Eleanor Hawkins, Suzanne Harrington, Patty Hawley Pennycook, Naima Meyer	Brava!	Spotlight	[275]
2003	Phoenix, Arizona	Brava!	2654	80.91%	[276]	Sandy Robinson Marron, Lynn Gerard, Elaine Cotton, Shannon Harris	Spotlight	SALT	[277]
2004	Indianapolis, Indiana	The BUZZ	2796	85.24%	[278]	Nancy Cloeter, Debbie Cleveland, Karen Breidert, Jeannie Froelich	Razzcals	SALT	[279]
2005	Detroit, Michigan	Spotlight	2810	85.67%	[280]	Kendra LaPointe, LeAnn Hazlett, Kerry Denino, Patti Britz	SALT	Four Bettys	[281]
2006	Las Vegas, Nevada	SALT	2820	85.98%	[282]	Anna Ohman, Annika Andersson, Anna-Stina Gerdin*, Susanna Berndts, Karin Sjoblom[replacement]	Four Bettys	Razzcals	[283]
2007	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Four Bettys	2736	83.41%	[284]	Joan Boutilier, Lynda Keever, Heather Mears Brooks, Cori Albrecht	Jackpot!	Razzcals	[285]
2008	Honolulu, Hawaii	Moxie Ladies	2754	83.96%	[286]	Stacey St. John, Jennifer Edwards, Amy Leacock, Gretchen Holloway	Jackpot!	Razzcals	[287]
2009	Nashville, Tennessee	Zing!	2821	86.01%	[288]	Michelle Hunget, Susan Ives, Mary Rhea, Melynnie Williams	Jackpot!	MAXX Factor	[289]
2010	Seattle, Washington	MAXX Factor	2893	88.20%	[290]	Molly Dalton Plummer, Leslie Wodday, Kim Hudson*, Valerie Hadfield-Rasnake, Dawn Adams Clifford[replacement]	Journey	Capri	[291]
2011	Houston, Texas	Martini	2863	87.29%	[292]	Corinna Garriock, Michelle Shoemaker, DeAnne Haugen, Shannon Harris	Touché	a.k.a.	[293]
2012	Denver, Colorado	Touché	2830	86.28%	[294]	Patty Cobb-Baker, Gina Baker, Kim McCormick, Jan Anton	Bling!	LoveNotes	[295]
2013	Honolulu, Hawaii	LoveNotes[e]	2871	87.53%	[296]	Brittany Gilmore, Mia Dessenberger, Stephanie Lawson, Caitlin Smith	Bling!	a.k.a.	[297]
2014	Baltimore, Maryland	Bling!	2817	85.88%	[298]	Dayve Gabbard, Angie Love-Callahan, Kim Griffin, Deanna Kastler	Speed of Sound	Finesse	[299]
2015[d]	Las Vegas, Nevada	Speed of Sound	2822	88.19%	[300]	Debbie Landers, Ashley Wright, Carter Maysilles, Peggy Jones*, Kim McCormick[replacement]	Frenzy	Lustre	[301]
2016	Las Vegas, Nevada	Frenzy	2799	84.47%	[302]	Melissa Pope, Nikki Blackmer, Anne Marteniuk, Judy Pozsgay	Windsor	Lustre	[303]
2017	Las Vegas, Nevada	Lustre	2935	91.71%	[304]	Kate Morrical, Lori Crouter, Lori Dreyer, Jenny Harris	ClassRing	Windsor	[305]
2018	St. Louis, Missouri	ClassRing	2769	86.53%	[306]	Mary Duncan, Heather Havens, Hailey Parks, Michaela Slamka-Johnston	Viva!	TITANIUM	[307]
2019	New Orleans, Louisiana	Viva!	2862	89.44%	[308]	Patty Cobb Baker, Gina Baker, Chris DeRosa, Peggy Jones	TITANIUM	GQ	[309]
2020	No contest due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021	No contest due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022	Phoenix, Arizona	The Ladies	2876	89.88%	[310]	Quincie Snook, Caroline Hunt, Kim Newcomb, Ashley Rohovit	TITANIUM	Lady A Cappella	[311]

^a Until 1985 a quarter-final round was held as well as a semi-final and final. The winner's scores for these three rounds were added together, making for a higher grand total than later years when only two rounds of scores (semi-final and final) make up the grand total. In 1987 "bonus points" were introduced in the final round. From 1989 to 1997 the quarter-final was reintroduced at a lower score value. For full details of scoring changes see the scoring section above. Direct comparisons of scores in different eras are possible using the % column.

^b From 1989 to 1997 the official scoresheet includes bonus points in the final and grand total but does not account for them in the official %. The % marked here does account for the bonus points for the sake of consistency.

^c From 1993 onwards the Queens' official year designation was changed to reflect the year following their win rather than the year in which the competition was held.

^d Until 2015 bonus points were available in the final round. Removing these reduced the possible grand total. Direct comparisons of scores in different eras are possible using the % column.

^e UnderAge, the 2005 winners of the Rising Star competition, won the 2013 international quartet competition performing as LoveNotes.

Results by year

The results of the most recent competition are included below. Note that the grand total listed in the "final" column is the cumulative total of scores achieved in the semi-final and final rounds of competition. Quartets can contain members who are registered in different regions, in which case all their regions are listed. However, they must qualify through one of those regions - that one is marked in bold. In addition to the direct-qualifying places, wildcard places are awarded to the 10 highest-scoring non-winning quartets across all regional competitions. This is indicated as "[wild]". Quartets which place 2nd–15th in the international quartet competition are also allowed to qualify directly for the following year if they wish, without competing at the regional level. This is indicated by "[pre-qualified]". The 2018 competition semifinal was held on October 17, and the final on October 19, at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The winners, ClassRing, had obtained second place the previous year and had won the 2014 Rising Star competition. Second place was won by Viva! who had qualified with a record score of 715.

St. Louis, Missouri (2018)

[semifinal & final Official results]

Place	Region	Contestant	Regional		Semi-final		Final			Competition video availability: Semi-finals Finals
			Score	Summary	Order of appearance	Score	Order of appearance	Score	Grand total
1	5	ClassRing	[pre-qualified]		20	1382	2	1387	2769	semi-final final
2	9	Viva!	715	[312]	23	1385	10	1382	2767	semi-final final
3	25	TITANIUM	[pre-qualified]		42	1378	3	1322	2700	semi-final final
4	9	Windsor	[pre-qualified]		30	1338	9	1345	2683	semi-final final
5	4	Tenacious	[pre-qualified]		33	1341	8	1271	2612	semi-final final
6	16	Spritzer	[pre-qualified]		45[a]	1350	6	1251	2601	semi-final final
7	4	Glamour	[pre-qualified]		27	1320	4	1273	2593	semi-final final
8	13	Renegade	[pre-qualified]		6	1342	7	1240	2582	semi-final final
9	10	The Ladies	646	[313]	21	1302	1	1261	2563	semi-final final
10	6	Sparkle!	618	[314]	19	1290	5	1181	2471	semi-final final
11	32	Milli Blink	664	[315]	46	1287	—	—	—	semi-final —
12	5	Pizzazz!	[pre-qualified]		1	1248	—	—	—	semi-final —
13	31	Fortuity	641	[316]	3[a]	1234	—	—	—	semi-final —
14	13	PrimeTime	[pre-qualified]		12	1219	—	—	—	semi-final —
15	14	Up All Night	609	[317]	17[a]	1204	—	—	—	semi-final —
16	1	Voce	[pre-qualified]		43	1200	—	—	—	semi-final —
17	5	Take 4	642	[318]	5	1195	—	—	—	semi-final —
18	12	Ditto	630	[319]	47	1188	—	—	—	semi-final —
19	4	Infinity	606	[320]	24	1187	—	—	—	semi-final —
20	21	C'est la vie	643	[321]	31	1181	—	—	—	semi-final —
21	34	Debacle	596	[322]	40[a]	1178	—	—	—	semi-final —
22	19	Sound Design	618	[323]	28	1172	—	—	—	semi-final —
23	35	Fire and Ice	593	[324]	22	1166	—	—	—	semi-final —
24	32  [wild]	Gig-a-bite	650	[325]	48	1159	—	—	—	semi-final —
25	25	Couture	631	[326]	29	1149	—	—	—	semi-final —
26	17  [wild]	Surefire	615	[327]	4	1149	—	—	—	semi-final —
27	17	Wicked	622	[328]	15[a]	1148	—	—	—	semi-final —
28	19	Famous Janes	[pre-qualified]		8	1146	—	—	—	semi-final —
29	1	Saffron	637	[329]	25	1141	—	—	—	semi-final —
30	8	Ruby Blue	619	[330]	13	1130	—	—	—	semi-final —
31	3	Prism	606	[331]	34	1129	—	—	—	semi-final —
32	32  [wild]	Beyond	615	[332]	26	1126	—	—	—	semi-final —
33	16	SoundByte	593	[333]	41	1105	—	—	—	semi-final —
34	10  [wild]	Essence	616	[334]	11	1100	—	—	—	semi-final —
35	11	Troubador	596	[335]	38	1092	—	—	—	semi-final —
36	8  [wild]	Vintage	610	[336]	18	1089	—	—	—	semi-final —
37	26	Uptown Suite!	614	[337]	37[a]	1089	—	—	—	semi-final —
38	2	The Vibe	633	[338]	10	1081	—	—	—	semi-final —
39	15	Just 4 (Kicks)	607	[339]	32	1076	—	—	—	semi-final —
40	13	LiftOff!	630	[340]	35	1074	—	—	—	semi-final —
41	13  [wild]	Brilliance!	615	[341]	7	1067	—	—	—	semi-final —
42	17  [wild]	Intrinsic	610	[342]	9	1017	—	—	—	semi-final —

^a Neon Lights, Boston Accent, Glow, Finesse, GQ, and Legacy quartet qualified and were to compete as contestants number 2, 14, 16, 36, 39, and 44 but withdrew from the competition before it began. Therefore subsequent contestants competed in those places but retain their original contestant numbers.

Quartet records

Most international championships

Although a quartet is not allowed to win more than one international competition, individuals from winning quartets are permitted to join a new quartet and compete again. As of 2016, 21 people have won "dual crowns" by singing in two champion quartets, one person has won three crowns, and one person has won four times. Several winners have changed their surname by marriage in between wins; this table lists their current name followed by the name(s) they had in their championship year (in brackets). The "international champions" table, above, lists the competitor's name at that time.

Number	Name	Part	Quartet (year)
4	Connie Noble	Tenor	The 4th edition (1972) Savvy (1988) High Society (1976) [replacement] Fanatix (2001)
3	Kim Vaughn (Bone, Hulbert)	Lead	High Society (1976) Savvy (1988) a cappella Gold (2000)
2	Anna Ohman	Baritone, Tenor	Growing Girls (1989), SALT (2006)
	Bette Gorton	Tenor	High Society (1976), a cappella Gold (2000)
	Bonnie Fedyski	Bass	Chicago Fire (1994), Fanatix (2001) [replacement]
	Dale Syverson	Lead	Tiffanys (1973), Rumors (1999)
	Debbie Cleveland (Connelly)	Lead	Showtime (1993), The BUZZ (2004)
	Gerry Papageorge	Tenor, Bass	Panache (1990), Fanatix (2001)
	Jarmela Speta	Tenor	The Nota-Belles (1955), The Rarities (1970)
	Jeannie Froelich	Bass	City Lights (1992), The BUZZ (2004)
	Karen Breidert	Baritone	Jubilation (1985), The BUZZ (2004)
	LeAnn Hazlett	Lead	Swing Street (1991), Spotlight (2005)
	Leslie Shoenhard (Taylor, Wodday)	Lead	Signature Sound (1999), MAXX Factor (2010)
	Marcia Starnes	Bass	Music Gallery (1982), 4-Star Collection (1997)
	Naima Meyer	Bass	Growing Girls (1989), Swinglish Mix (2002)
	Nancy Cloeter	Tenor	City Lights (1992), The BUZZ (2004)
	Peggy Gram (Barnes)	Bass	Ginger 'n Jazz (1987) [replacement], Rumors (1999)
	Sally Briner	Baritone	4 For The Show (1984), Panache (1990)
	Sandi Wright	Baritone	The Tetrachords (1978), Ambiance (1986)
	Sandy Shelver	Baritone	High Society (1976), Fanatix (2001)
	Shannon Harris	Bass	Brava! (2003), Martini (2011)
	Susan Ives	Lead	Classic Edition (1997), Zing! (2009)
	Suzanne Harrington	Lead	Growing Girls (1989), Swinglish Mix (2002)
	Patty Cobb-Baker	Tenor	Touche (2012), Viva! (2019)

Highest ever regional scores

Quartets can contain members who are registered in different regions, in which case all their regions are listed. The regional competition in which they achieved their high score is marked in bold. The highest 30 scores ever achieved at any regional competition as of 2019 are as follows:

Rank	Score	Quartet	Region	Year	Competition summary
1	715	Viva!	9	2018	[343]
2	669	GQ	19	2016	[344]
3	668	GQ	19	2019
4	666	All Fired Up	19	2019
5	665	The BUZZ	9, 15	2004	[345]
6	664	Milli Blink	32	2018	[346]
7	662	Glamour	4	2016	[347]
		Ambush	32	2019
9	660	Legacy	5	2015	[348]
		Windsor	9	2015	[349]
		Neon Lights	19	2016	[350]
12	659	Bling!	9	2010	[351]
		Tenacious	4	2016	[352]
		Famous Janes	19	2017	[353]
15	656	Fortuity	31	2013	[354]
		PrimeTime	13	2017	[355]
		Enchant	34	2019
18	655	Touché	9, 21, 24	2011	[356]
		TITANIUM	2	2017	[357]
20	654	ROXY	3	2011	[358]
		Milli Blink	32	2014	[359]
		Monarch	9	2015	[360]
		Pepper	13	2015	[361]
24	652	PrimeTime	13	2015	[362]
25	650	Gig-a-bite	32	2018	[363]
		RetroActive	12	2019
27	649	Take Note	24	2005	[364]
28	647	VOCE	1	2019
29	646	The Ladies	1	2018	[365]
30	645	ClassRing	5	2015	[366]
		Harmony	15	2017	[367]

Highest regional score by region

The highest score ever achieved in each individual region's competition as of 2019 are as follows:

Region	Score	Quartet	Year	Competition summary
1	647	VOCE	2019
2	633	The Vibe	2018	[368]
3	654	ROXY	2011	[369]
4	662	Glamour	2016	[370]
5	660	Legacy	2015	[371]
6	622	Spice	2019
7	636	Zing!	2004	[372]
		HEAT	2013	[373]
8	637	Ms. Behavin'	2002	[374]
9	715	Viva!	2018	[375]
10	646	The Ladies	2018	[376]
11	637	SwingTime	2019
12	650	RetroActive	2019
13	656	PrimeTime	2017	[377]
14	630	Speed of Sound	2012	missing
15	645	Harmony	2017	[378]
16	644	Spritzer	2009	missing
			2012	missing
17	624	Lucille	2019
19	669	GQ	2016	[379]
21	643	C'est la vie	2018	[380]
22	631	Contagious	2002	[381]
23	630	Dream	2012	[382]
24	649	Take Note	2005	[383]
25	655	TITANIUM	2017	[384]
26	624	No Strings	2019
30	no competition held
31	656	Fortuity	2013	[385]
32	664	Milli Blink	2018	[386]
34	656	Enchant	2019
35	633	ROXY	2019

Rising Star

This quartet competition, also known as the Young Women in Harmony (YWIH) competition, is open to women 25 years old and younger.

Initially run as part of SAI's annual "International Education Symposium", from 2009 the competition was held as part of the international convention week. However, in 2013 it was decided to return to operating the competition separately due to the expense and scheduling difficulty of fitting in with the other convention events. The event was not run that year and from 2014 has been held at various events, from regional events, to other educational events like the International Education Symposium and Queens' College.

Though it follows a simplified version of the main quartet competition scoring system, the YWIH scoring system has changed several times – both in the potential maximum score and the strictness of the grading:

• In the 1999 inaugural year, four judges each gave scores out of 200 (totalling 800) and graded to the same level as normal competition
• From 2000 to 2002, no scores were given at all, only ranks
• In 2003 and 2004, four judges each gave scores out of 50 (totalling 200) and were more generous in the grading
• Since 2005, four judges each give scores out of 50 for two songs (totalling 400).

The list of Rising Star champions is as follows:

Year	Location	Quartet	Score	%	Description	Competition summary
1999	San Antonio, Texas	Dazzling Diamonds	472	59.0	[387]	[388]
2000	San Antonio, Texas	Sandstone	missing		[389]	[390]
2001	San Antonio, Texas	Backchat			[391]	[392]
2002	Greenville, South Carolina	Voice Activated	191	95.5	[393]	[394]
2003	Greenville, South Carolina	BarbieShop	197	98.5	[395]	[396]
2004	Greenville, South Carolina	Tone Appétit	200	100	[397]	[398]
2005	Greenville, South Carolina	UnderAge[e]	387	96.8	[399]	[400]
2006	San Antonio, Texas	Footnotes	397	99.3	[401]	[402]
2007	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Luminous	390	97.5	[403]	[404]
2008	San Antonio, Texas	Whole Lotta Harmony	373	93.3	[405]	[406]
2009	Nashville, Tennessee	Vogue	370	92.5	[407]	[408]
2010	Seattle, Washington	Royal Blush	390	97.5	[409]	[410]
2011	Houston, Texas	The Fource	383	95.8	[411]	[412]
2012	Denver, Colorado	GQ	397	99.3	[413]	[414]
2013	Honolulu, Hawaii	no competition held
2014	Lowell, Massachusetts	ClassRing	388	97.0	[415]	[416]
2015	Scottsdale, Arizona	C'est La Vie	318	79.5		[417]
2016	Auckland, New Zealand	The Ladies	378	94.5		[418]
2017	College Park, Maryland	Adrenaline	375	93.8		[419]
2018	Tulsa, Oklahoma	Hot Pursuit	387	96.8		[420]
2019	Manchester, England	Duly Noted	382	95.5		[421]

See also

• List of Barbershop Harmony Society chorus champions
• List of Barbershop Harmony Society quartet champions

Sources

• Sweet Adelines International homepage
  • "Competition Handbook" (PDF) (2016 ed.). Sweet Adelines International. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 August 2016.
  • competition records
  • 50 and Forward 1945–1995 Commemorative Album. Tulsa, Oklahoma: Sweet Adelines International. 1995. OCLC 48806117.
• Barbershophistory.com homepage
  • historical chorus results
  • competition records
• Barbershop Wiki Project homepage
  • SAI international convention
• Sweet Adelines Scores Yahoo! Group [registration required]
• Barbershop Harmony Society homepage
  • "Comprehensive Barbershop Historical Trivia Compilation". Barbershop Harmony Society. 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2015.