About Us

 
image The Poughkeepsie, NY Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, chartered on August 7, 1961, was started by a group of seven men who were enthusiastic about bringing quartet and musical excitement -- barbershop harmony style -- to the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York. From that beginning, the Newyorkers' emphasis has been on quarteting, producing exciting shows and improving singing quality through competition. Our young chapter grew quickly under the musical leadership of Bill James and was called colorful, exciting, unpredictable, and competitive.

Very soon, the Newyorkers were staging some of the hottest shows in the area and competing vigorously at the District level. We won our first Northeastern District Chorus Championship in 1964 when we were only three years old and quickly followed with wins in '65, '68 and '69. Our 6th Place finish in St. Louis in 1969 remains the highest ranking ever achieved by a chorus in our District.

We enjoy the prestige of a few innovations within the Society:
  • First to appear in a multi-color, 4-of-a-kind, quartet-style costume as a chorus.
  • First to start singing "out of the blocks" in competition with no tune-up.
  • First to institute the 4-track learning tape program for new music and provided the design to International.
  • First chorus in the country to compete with a female director.


 

Who We Are – What We Do

 
We are the Poughkeepsie Chapter of the international Barbershop Harmony Society.  Our “Newyorkers Chorus” is part of the Society’s Northeastern District, covering eastern Canada, all of New England, and eastern New York State.  Each of our society’s choruses across the United States and Canada share the same goals:  To provide continued music excellence to their communities, especially those in local assisted living and nursing facilities, veterans homes, habitat for humanity, at veteran celebrations and also to students from elementary through college.

Wanna Sing?

 
image The Poughkeepsie, NY Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society...featuring the Newyorkers chorus, meets every Wednesday at 7:30 pm in Crown Heights Clubhouse Inc, 34 Nassau Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.  We "chord-ially" invite singing men to come join us for an evening of fun and fellowship.  Can't sight-read music? No sweat! Our strong and talented Music Team will provide all the craft and technical guidance you need. Learning tapes and ongoing vocal production instruction are key to our enjoyment of this great hobby.


Our Board of Directors

 

Office                    Name
President                 Eric Dickstein
Secretary                 Stephen Miller
Treasurer                 William Standish
VP Chapter Development    William Standish
VP Marketing & PR         Eric Dickstein
VP Music & Performance    Mike Monkowski
Members At Large          Bob Rich
Immediate Past President  William Standish
Chorus Director           John Hadigan, Ex-officio
Chorus Manager            William Standish & 
                          Eric Dickstein
Chapter Delegate          Stephen Miller
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