Stephen Lee joined the City of Sails Chorus only eight months ago, but his connection to barbershop music stretches back almost half his life.

The Epsom-based 30-year-old first encountered the genre as a student at Kristin School in Albany, because his choir teacher, Brian Lee, was a keen barbershopper and, indeed, a former member of COSBC. The following year, he continued to hone his singing skills on a more traditional choral repertoire, under the new direction of David Squire, one of the country’s most distinguished choral directors.

But Taiwanese-born Lee, who came to this country as a two-year-old, has a musical pedigree that goes well beyond vocal work. He sees himself as very lucky to have had parents who encouraged his musical aspirations: he learnt piano and violin to Grade 8 and plays guitar and drums for a worship band at his church.

The demands of university study sidelined his singing for a while but when he moved from the North Shore to central Auckland, where he works in data analytics, a flatmate raised the idea of joining a barbershop chorus and Google search led him to us.

Lee’s intense musicality – his signature style is to sing as if his life is depending on it – is a pleasure to behold and makes him a real asset to our baritone section. And he says he’s loving it, really enjoying the sense of community with like-minded barbershoppers.

“Monday evenings come around and it really lifts my mood for the rest of the week.” He says. “Especially as in office work, I am buried deep in the data world during the week and singing gives me a break and makes me happy.”

He particularly likes a cappella singing. “Because there are no instruments, it is such a natural, and raw sound. For me, it represents brotherhood or some sort of strong unity together.”

He admits the repertoire can be demanding, though his background means he knows how to read music: “That is good because in barbershop the baritones can get some difficult or challenging notes.”

The traditional barbershop numbers in our repertoire bring him a lot of pleasure. “I love the old-school style, what American barbershop should sound like,” he says. But he adds that the Christmas sing-outs, where the chorus serenades the shoppers with carols, are a special joy.

“It’s wonderful to see people walking back and forth and enjoying our music,” he says. “If we bring a smile to their faces, then it brings a smile to my face.”

The chorus, with director Richard Harker at left, performing at West City Mall in Henderson.


For most of us, Christmas carols – second only to nursery rhymes, perhaps – are our earliest memories of singing. They conjure up happy memories of childhood: of the jollity of Jingle Bells and Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer; of the innocent sweetness of Silent Night and Away in a Manger; or the full-throated celebration of O, Come, All Ye Faithful. Carols are among our first experiences of group singing.

Perhaps that’s why the annual series of “sing-outs” (at which the City of Sails Barbershop Chorus presents a selection of Christmas carols in public places throughout the Auckland region) is a favourite among members. Shopping malls are a regular venue but this year has seen the choir in action at Sky City, MOTAT and as part of the warm-up entertainment at the Santa Parade. A first was a show at Mitre 10 Mega in Westgate, at the invitation of a member who works there.

Barbershoppers, when asked for their feelings about the Christmas events, speak enthusiastically of the pleasure they get from them.

“We spend a lot of time rehearsing and polishing our repertoire,” says one. “Honestly it can be hard work and tedious, but I have found that at some point in the middle of yet another sing-out, the Christmas spirit hits, and it makes all the hard work worth it. It is a special thing that we can do for our community, and is truly rewarding.”

The faces of enchanted children bring a special joy, but it’s also striking to see shoppers, frazzled by the demands of Christmas preparations, visibly relax as they stop and stare and – as commonly happens – sing along. The thought that we might provide an oasis of joy in a desert of stress gladdens the heart.

A particularly special event for us was the annual trip to Auckland City Hospital, where the chorus was one of five ensembles spreading a bit of Christmas cheer through the wards. The patients sometimes leave their beds to watch us from their doorways, but we know that our singing in the corridors is reaching the rest and hope it brings them some joy at a challenging time of year. The hard-working staff, who reach for their phone cameras to capture us on video, plainly enjoy the show!

Many of us have a fond memory of a moving moment last year, when the family of a patient close to death asked if we would sing to her. Only a handful of us could fit into her small room, and we sang her one of our quietest and most ethereal numbers. There was no visible sign that she could hear us, but we all liked to think that our music eased her on her way. It was an experience none of us will forget.

So keep an eye out for the City of Sails Barbershop Chorus at your local mall this Christmas season – and if you fancy joining in the seasonal fun next year, be sure to get in touch.

Barbershop singing may be something of an old-fashioned genre, but more and more young people are falling for its charms.

One of the newest members of the City of Sails Barbershop Chorus is North Shore 23-year-old Joseph Peyroux, who joined in July after hearing the chorus perform at the choral get-together known as VoCo and at the World Choir Games in July.

A workmate who was present and singing encouraged him to give us a go.

Joseph is far from a newcomer to singing: he enjoyed belting out the hymns in church as a kid, though not from the choir stalls. “just down the back” and he and his sister sang along with the musical classics such as The Phantom of the Opera and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, which he watched repeatedly. He also spent several months with the Takapuna-based community choir Stellar Singers.

But he particularly enjoys the subtle, shifting harmonies of barbershop music and is taking to the new repertoire like the proverbial duck to water.

“The blends that we get together are really cool,” says Joseph. “It’s so surprising that you can create something that sounds like a musical instrument, but isn’t; it’s just four people – or four groups of people – singing in harmony.”

Joseph says he really enjoys the camaraderie of the chorus rehearsals on Monday evenings. “I love the way we sing happy birthdays each week. I’ve found them all very chummy, a nice group of people.”

In the few weeks he’s been in the chorus, when we speak to him, he has not learnt many of the songs, but he says he loves our version of John Denver’s Annie’s Song very beautiful and reckons we give a good account of The Eagles’ Desperado. “But I just like the sound of people singing together so I’m not very picky.”

The chorus’ musical director, Richard Harker, says it is wonderful welcoming newcomers such as Joseph, who typically pick up the repertoire quickly and with enthusiasm. 

"It was inspiring to see him on stage with us at the recent BHNZ convention, after only two months with the chorus.”
Richard stresses that the chorus always welcomes all new members.

“It’s been encouraging to see some younger people giving barbershop a try, or coming back to it after singing at school. They bring a real energy – not to mention much-needed social media skills, which help get the word out.” 

Newcomers might feel intimidated by the demanding and repetitive drilling needed to bring some numbers up to standard for competition performance but Joseph says there is no need for stress.

“I think it’s as difficult as you want it to be. If you don’t want it to be too demanding you can just hang out and have a good time and have supper together and enjoy singing with other people. But if you do want to challenge yourself, you can go into competitions.

“It’s your choice and that choice is respected. But what’s important is just to enjoy singing.”

The Covid-19 Omicron outbreak high case numbers have ended our short stint of in-person rehearsals. So we have moved back to Zoom rehearsals.

• If you are interested in joining the online rehearsal, you are welcome to do so.  Please email us for the link.

The Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns and travel restrictions have forced us to cancel::

•  the two Harmony Education Aotearoa weekends in March.
•  the annual shows at Howick and Orewa in May.
•  the Pan Pacific convention in September.

Neil Etherton

The chorus is sad to announce that Ed Nicholls, past member of the chorus, passed away today, aged 87 years. Ed was a much loved member of our chorus, the epitome of the gentleman barbershopper. Our thoughts are with Sharon and the family at this time.

More details will be posted here when we know them.

As part of a promotion Skinny Mobile were running to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House, we were filmed singing a few carols for the crowds that walk up and down Franklin Road looking at the light shows the residents have become known for.

No risers, no costumes. Pretty easy gig really. 

The chorus has recorded songs on more than one occasion for the devotional series "Praise Be".  This song - Daddy Sang Bass - is probably one of the more unusual choices for the program.  The chorus was directed by Phil Skaggs.  ("Praise be" was the longest running program in TVNZ history when production stopped in 2017 after 30 years of progammes).

Tony and Sue Roberts say goodbye to City of Sails tonight after 38 years with the chorus (well, not quite - Tony is travelling to Sydney this week with the rest of us to compete in the Pan Pacific Competitions). They are moving to the sunny east coast. The chorus will miss his gravel voice, quick smile, and irreverence (and Sue's baking).

Congratulations to the quartet QED (Sam Turner, Richard Lewis, Andrew Cox, Bryce Turner) who scored 398/600 (66.3%) to become the Peter Gasston Competition winners for 2017. Second place went to Vocal Addiction (Richard Lewis - hang on - wasn't he in the other quartet?), Tony Roberts, Bryce Turner (umm... wasn't he...), Junji Kawai. Third Place to No Strings Attached (John Denton, Tony Roberts, Robert Kurz, Neil Binnie).

The 2016 competitions were held at Blenheim for the first time in NZ barbershop competition history.  We came in third - our first gong in a few years - beaten by Mighty River Harmony by less than a percent!

Blenheim was good to us, fine weather (mostly), warm temperatures (mostly), friendly folk (always).  

And good coffee!