Your Hobart 2019 Festival Committee is comprised of members of Hobart Men's Barbershop Harmony Club which operates as Deep South. Led by Festival Co-Convenors, Trevor Rootes and Anthony Burrows, the committee has been extremely busy since last year, working together to ensure the production of a first-class event.

Of course, as this is the inaugural Barbershop Harmony Festival, I’m especially proud of the way that the Hobart team has embraced this concept and taken on the additional activities to provide more opportunities for delegates and members of the wider Hobart community to sing and attend performances.

The team will continue to work hard throughout the Festival week so when you are helped by a volunteer please give them a hug (or at least a smile) They deserve it!

Richard Wadick – BHA VP Events

In case you still haven’t sorted your accommodation, there are still a few rooms left at Festival headquarters – Wrest Point Hotel. An easy process for booking your accommodation has been set up here, however, if you want to make a bulk booking for your Ensemble, it is best to phone the Wrest Point Hotel directly on 03 6221 1888 or free call 1800 030 611. Make sure you tell them you’re a BHA member!
Oh, yes, and we do have a winner of the one night’s accommodation at Wrest Point which was drawn in the first week of July. For privacy reasons we’re not disclosing their name, but if you have signed up for the Pub Choir being held on the Tuesday night, you’ll get to sing with them!

Have you registered yet? Early Bird rates have closed, however, you have still got until 1 September to register. So head to the Festival website now or register here or click on the link on the Festival website home page.







As part of the registration process you can also register for Harmony Academy and pre-order Festival merchandise.

The Festival Contest entry portal is open. Qualifying quartets will have received an invitation email to register. If you haven’t already done so, please follow this link to register your quartet or chorus now. The closing date is 1 August.

Please advise by email to calindav@internode.on.net if your quartet is not intending to register for the contest so that an invitation can be sent to those further on the list. 

Quartets need all four members to be registered delegates before the entry can be completed.
Choruses need at least 8 plus MD to start the entry process, however, members can be added up until 31 August.  
Each contestant is entitled to a “Contestant’s Package” which provides the following benefits:

• Downloadable digital photographs of your ensemble      

• A link to a video of your performance soon after you contest      

• Free access to the webcast      

 

To cover these costs and subsidise the general costs of running the Contest, the Contest entry fees have increased this year and have been set as follows:
Quartet                            $160
Small Chorus                    $280 (< or = 16 members excluding MD)
Medium Chorus                 $330 (17 to 30 members excluding MD)
Large Chorus                    $380 (> or = 31 members excluding MD)               

Note : that these fees are per ensemble entered, not per member.

This year Harmony Academy is shaping up to be one of the best yet. Don’t miss out as there won’t be a Harmony Academy next year and you’ll have to wait until 2021 for the next one!

We have an awesome faculty lined up including the Festival headline quartet and BHS International Gold Medalist, Signature, our current quartet champions, Blindside, and two of the BHS contest judges – Steve Scott and Paul Wigley.
 
Previous attendees of Harmony Academy will be accustomed to regular dormitory style shared living arrangements. Discovery Park is a step up from this and offers superior self-contained cabins suitable for 2, 3, 4 and 5 berth accommodation along with their own kitchen, bathroom and lounge.

PLEASE NOTE: Accommodation on campus at Police Academy is already sold out. You can still register for Harmony Academy, however, the registration package now only covers accommodation at Discovery Park.
If you purchase the Harmony Academy – Discovery Park Accommodation Package you don’t have to pay for anything else. Day Passes are available only for delegates that don’t require accommodation provided.
  
Firm numbers need to be provided to Discovery Park management by 31 July 2019 so we suggest that you register for Harmony Academy by that date. Accommodation beyond that date cannot be guaranteed although we will help you find a suitable alternative in need. If accommodation at Discovery Park cannot be provided, you will need only pay the non-residential price of $200 by purchasing 2 x Day Passes (i.e. we will refund the difference of $175 if you have already paid the full price)

Those who came to our Hall of Harmony in Adelaide last year will remember that we had a lot of new BHA merchandise on offer. Well, we have the same exciting range for Hobart this year with several additional lines available now to order.

Along with the standard BHA polos, tees, caps, coffee mugs, etc we will also have Festival specific polos and tees as well as BHA-branded short sleeve shirts, hoodies and beanies.


 

The best way to ensure that you get what you want is to pre-order. You can do this now at https://www.barbershopconvention.com.au/Shop 

Those who pre-order will have their purchase bagged and ready to collect when Harmony Marketplace first opens.

There are two chorus rehearsal rooms available at Wrest Point for use by competing choruses on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 September (limited Friday sessions are now full).

Each Chorus requesting the use of one of these rooms will be allocated a one hour session. Every effort will be made to allocate a time as close as possible to your requested time. If a second session is desired, these will be allocated once all choruses, who have requested a time, have been allocated their first hour. Any times still available after the two rounds of allocations will be advertised on the Festival website and will be available on a first-come basis.

Applications will close on 25 August with the final session allocations advised soon thereafter.
To apply for the use of one of these rehearsal rooms please have a member of your Club Management Committee email events@barbershop.org.au indicating two or more time preferences.
Your bookings will be confirmed via return email.                       

The fee is $100 per hour and is payable via EFT by 25 August to: 
Account name: ABCMA        
BSB: 036-051
Account number: 218960
Description: Your Chorus Name
 

Choruses are invited to appear in the traditional Chorus Corral from 2.00pm on Friday 20 September 2019 in the Tasman Room, Wrest Point Hotel.

This is a chance for around 17 Choruses to perform in a friendly, informal atmosphere.
Choruses who would like to sing one or two non-competition songs at this event should register here to reserve their spot on stage.

A very popular event but limited to a maximum of 20 quartets. This event is now closed.
Come and enjoy competing quartets perform before the big contest in a friendly, informal atmosphere.

This is a two-and-a-half hour harmony singing workshop open to delegates and Hobart locals who love to sing in harmony. Festival delegates are encouraged to attend to swell the numbers and support the locals.

Date:        18 September 2019

Time:       2pm to 4:30pm

Venue:    Derwent Room, Wrest Point Hotel, Sandy Bay

Electric Barbercats will workshop the new Australian polecat Throw Your Arms Around Me ready to perform at the official Civic Welcome and Massed Sing to be held at 12.00pm on Friday 20th September in the Tasman Room, Wrest Point Hotel.

Register here or click on the link on the Festival website home page.

A fantastic event wrapping up six days of contest, fun and singing, this separately-ticketed event is not to be missed!

Proceedings will include a special Q & A session with Signature

There are still plenty of seats available.

Purchase your Sunday Lunch ticket here

 

Here's your opportunity to sing with the 2019 International Gold Medalist, Signature. This will be held from 11.30am at the Wrest Point Hotel.

All it takes is a donation of $50 to BHA youth development. Register here or click on the link on the Festival website home page.


Note: this is limited to only 10 people - make sure you register and pay to secure your spot!