New Singer Info

Welcome to Bristol A Cappella!

BAC is an award-winning mixed chorus that sings contemporary songs from a range of genres in the barbershop style. Apart from our tune-up pitch, all our sound comes from the human voice. We don't have beatboxing or soloists, but we aim to create a wall of sound by singing in four to eight-part harmony. Our repertoire includes pop, rock, and musicals, from Disney to My Chemical Romance, and we’re always open to suggestions from our members.

We love to entertain at gigs and competitions; we’re always looking to improve our performances and have a good time along the way! As a singer, it’s a great place to improve your musical skills, appreciate close harmony singing, and make social connections.

We look forward to harmonising with you and creating unforgettable musical moments!

Weekly rehearsals (Tuesdays 7:30–10 pm): we rehearse all year round at Victoria Methodist Church, BS8 1NU, with a two-week break around Christmas. We understand you’ll need to miss a rehearsal sometimes, but please let the register contact know ASAP so we can plan ahead.

Coaching (weekends, usually 4–6 days spaced throughout the year): we invite an external coach to help us improve our techniques and performance, often in preparation for an event.

Competitions (usually once a year on a weekend): we compete in a major contest every year, often at the British Association of Barbershop Singers convention. It’s a wonderful opportunity to be inspired by other singers and socialise as a chorus!

Gigs: we perform at various types of events, from busking to private bookings, local occasions, or our own shows.

Socialising: we aim to replace one rehearsal each quarter with a social (potluck suppers, talent nights, ceilidhs, Christmas meal, etc.), and head for the pub after most rehearsals and shows.

Chorus members are encouraged to take part in as many of these activities as they can.

Your first two rehearsals are free! Our standard rate is then £29.00/month, with a youth rate for those under 26 of £14.50/month, by direct debit. If you need help with this, chat to our treasurer.

If you can’t make our weekly rehearsals but still want to join for coaching and competitions, you can join OutBAC for £6.00/month.

We’re delighted you’re considering joining our musical journey! We want you to enjoy making high-quality performances, so we check our new singers to make sure we’re a good fit for each other. To become a full member, prospective singers are asked to show they can hold a tune, memorise songs, and sing independently during their induction.

In your first week our membership team will take contact details from you including an email address so we can send information about joining (using the signup form).

Then, or in your second week, we’ll check your vocal range to suggest a voice section and ask you to sing a line back to someone from the music team. You don’t have to read music to sing with us, but we’ll lend you a copy during rehearsals until you can access the web site and either print your own or buy from our librarian.

After this, we’ll make an account for you on our web site and ask you to virtually sign our copyright agreement; then we can give you access to our singers-only pages to download sheet music and audio teach tracks to help you learn songs. This also makes a Bristol A Cappella email address for you that you can use to log into Slack, our chat platform.

We try to make our induction as natural as possible, so you have two full calendar months to memorise a song (singing along to our audio teach tracks helps) and sing it within the chorus, and a few lines in quartet with other members. In the next month we'll check you’re making progress on learning more of our repertoire and whether you're ready to join Bristol A Cappella. Your section leaders will walk you through the process at all stages to let you know what’s next.

Once you’re through the process, you’ll become a full member of the chorus and we’ll present you with a certificate, a shiny name badge, and lend out your uniform.

We learn around six to eight new songs each year. Although we work on the musicality of songs in rehearsal, you’re expected to learn the notes in your own time and put in some practice at home each week. We also have a repertoire of around 25 songs that will likely take a couple of years to learn, but you won't need to be able to sing these all to start with!

If you've got any special requirements or medical conditions that you think we should be aware of, please contact the welfare coordinator or membership coordinator in confidence. They'll make sure that the relevant people know so we can make any adjustments needed to help support your time in the chorus.

There's a handbook and lots of useful links in the singers-only part of our web site including our riser etiquette and volunteer code of conduct. We won’t have thought of all your questions, though, so please ask: the music team and committee are always happy to field queries, and you can ask the chorus in the #general channel on Slack.

Weekly notices are given in rehearsal, then emailed to members.

Our mantra is enjoyment, education, and excellence, and you should do all three to get the full Bristol A Cappella experience. See you on the risers!