Sing with us

Come sing with us

Voices of the Sound is an all-voices chorus singing close harmony every Monday night in Olympia. Guests are always welcome. Come as you are and sing.

Tell us you'd like to sing What a rehearsal is like

Voices of the Sound members singing together

You belong here

Every voice has a place in this chorus

We sing the ringing chords of the barbershop tradition with voices of every range and every level of experience. Some of us have sung for decades. Some of us started last month. What we share is the joy of building harmony together, one Monday at a time.

Reading music helps, but it isn't required. Many of our singers learn by ear and use practice tracks at home between rehearsals. The welcome is the same for everyone who walks in: glad you're here, let's sing.

New to barbershop harmony? Here's a friendly intro to the style and how the four voices fit together.

The full Voices of the Sound chorus on stage

A typical Monday

What a rehearsal feels like

While rehearsals vary based on what we have coming up, here is a typical rehearsal outline, to give you an idea of what you might expect on a given evening.

Before 7:00

As we gather

Singers arrive already warmed up, and small groups often sing a few Barber Polecats (well-loved songs that barbershop singers everywhere know by heart) while we come together.

7:00

Chorus warm-up

We warm up together as a group, getting our minds, bodies, and voices ready for the bright, ringing sound barbershop is known for. Some of us think of it as a weekly mini-lesson in singing as one.

7:30

Working our songs

The heart of the evening. We grow each song through every stage, from a brand-new introduction to a polished performance: learning the notes, memorizing the words, shaping the feeling, adding the staging and movement, and running songs the way we'll perform them. Some nights we split into our four voice parts to focus, and we often learn a tag (a short, ringing ending), sometimes with a few singers forming a quartet on the spot to sing it together.

9:15

Announcements and closing songs

A few announcements, then we close the night with our traditional songs, “How We Sang Today” and “Keep the Whole World Singing.”

9:30

Head home

We wrap up on time, often still humming on the way out.

When

Mondays 7–9:30 PM

Where

Olympia First Baptist

Who

All voices & levels

Visiting

Guests welcome

Getting started

From your first visit to joining the chorus

Come to a Monday rehearsal

Just walk in. Guests are always welcome. We'll greet you and help you feel at home.

Sing along with us

We'll help you find the voice part that fits you best, and pair you with a riser buddy, a singer standing right beside you, to help you find success from your very first rehearsal.

Audition and join

After three visits, you'll be invited to audition. Sing your best, and we'd love to welcome you as a member of the chorus.

A few common questions

Good things to know

Do I need to read music?

No. Many of our singers learn by ear, and we share practice tracks so you can rehearse at home between Mondays.

I've never sung in a group. Can I still come?

Yes. Plenty of our members started right there. You'll pick up more than you expect just by standing in the harmony.

Is there an audition?

Guests are always welcome. After three visits, you'll be invited to audition for membership.

Who can join?

Adults of all ages and backgrounds. We're an all-voices chorus, so there's a part for your range.

What should I bring?

Just a pencil and a water bottle. And if you want to make the most of it, bring a recording device — a phone's voice recorder works great for capturing your part to practice with at home.

Tell us about you

Thinking about joining us?

You're always welcome to just show up on a Monday. If you'd like to say hello first, share a little about yourself and we'll watch for you at rehearsal.

Tell us you'd like to sing →

We'd love to hear you

See you Monday

Bring yourself and your voice. We'll take care of the rest.

Tell us you'd like to sing

Mondays 7:00–9:30 PM · Olympia First Baptist Church · 904 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98501
info@voicesofthesound.org