The Big Orange Chorus is a men's

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society based in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. The chorus became a chartered member of th
Sunshine District
in Orange Park, a suburb of Jacksonville in 1980, and also attributes its name to this community. The primary musical focus of the chorus is

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

music in the style of barbershop harmony, however their repertoire of music spans many styles and difficulty levels in addition to traditional barbershop. Over the years the membership of the chorus has grown to include men from all over the Jacksonville metropolitan area and beyond in the tri-state area of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, Georgia, and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. The chorus has become a frequent competitor on the world stage. Most recently, The Big Orange Chorus was ranked 15th in the world at the Barbershop Harmony Society's International Competition in July, 2018, at the Orange County Convention Center in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

. The Big Orange Chorus also won the 2018 Sunshine District chorus championship (their 10th time). To support ongoing vocal development the chorus is committed to embracing, developing and introducing innovative uses of technology. Digital learning materials in addition to specialized rehearsal approaches and methodologies enable Big Orange Chorus singers of all levels to develop world-class skills in preparation for both regional performances as well as international contests. The result of these efforts is helping improve the quality of male a cappella singing not only within this chorus but also among similar choruses in the Southeastern United States. The chorus is also referred to by the nickname "The Big O".

International competition

The chorus has competed internationally nine times within the Barbershop Harmony Society. Their highest ranking was in 1986 when they placed 8th among all competetitors.

Appearances

* 9th-place finish in 2015 singing under Heralds of Harmony banner

Selection of songs list

Songs performed on the Barbershop Harmony Society's International stage:

External links

Big Orange Chorus websiteJacksonville Cultural Council article on the Big Orange Chorus. Author: Frank Nosalek. Published: 11/21/2013. Retrieved: 1/16/2014.

References

{{reflist Barbershop Harmony Society choruses Musical groups from Jacksonville, Florida 1980 establishments in Florida Musical groups established in 1980