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Hello, Mixed Barbershop friends!
As we head into the close of another exciting year, I’m filled with gratitude for everything our community has accomplished. From the laughter shared at rehearsals to those unforgettable moments on stage, your dedication and joy continue to define what makes MBHA so special.
Our new Strategic Plan is being updated as you read this newsletter to include all of the items we’re implementing in 2025/2026. It will shape the future of our organization, highlighting competition and performance opportunities, increasing visibility for our mixed ensembles and providing contact info and details on coaches and arrangers that want to work with mixed harmony ensembles. It’s all about celebrating who we are and supporting you in reaching your musical goals.
I’m delighted to introduce our 2025–2026 MBHA Board of Directors:
Dick Powell, Vice President
Bill Colosimo, Treasurer
Barry Towner, Immediate Past President
Gary Roulerson, Secretary & Director
Sheryl Berlin, Director
Sue Casey, Director
Deb Catton, Director
Mike Wood, Director
A special thank you to Carlos Aguayo and Angie Morton for their years of service on the MBHA board. Your work and dedication have helped shape who we are today and we are eternally grateful.
A heartfelt thank you to our outgoing 2024 MBHA Quartet Champions, Arranged Marriage—you’ve represented mixed barbershop with incredible artistry and enthusiasm this past year!
We’re also cheering on our three MBHA quartets competing at the upcoming Harmony, Inc. International Convention & Contest (IC&C). Your talent and spirit showcase the very best of our community, and we’ll be cheering you on every step of the way.
Recently, I had the privilege of attending the World Harmony Council Annual General Meeting, where more than 15 barbershop organizations from around the globe gathered to share ideas and strengthen international collaboration. It’s inspiring to see how our shared love of harmony connects us across borders and cultures.
Next up, I’ll be attending both the Sweet Adelines International Convention in Columbus, OH, and Harmony, Inc. IC&C in Hershey, PA—and I’d love to connect with MBHA members there! Keep an eye on the Mixed Barbershop Harmony Association Facebook page for updates on where to find me during the conventions.
Finally, I’m excited for the upcoming spring contest cycle and all the opportunities it will bring for our MBHA ensembles. Be sure to check our CONVENTIONS webpage regularly for updates as details become available for the 2026 Spring contest season.
Let’s keep the momentum going as we move into a new year filled with harmony, connection, and joy.
In harmony,
Janine Roberts
President, MBHA
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| MBHA quartets to compete this week at Harmony, Inc. International |
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The Agency is a quartet of longtime friends and partners in musical endeavors in contemporary a cappella. The barbershop bug got to each member differently:
Lead/Baritone Kris Adams was born into the hobby and is a two time Harmony Queen with Hot Topic and Epic.
Her counterpart Lead/Baritone Rishabh Bajekal sang barbershop in high school and is returning to his long lost love.
Tenor Amanda Cornaglia came into barbershop eight years ago after primarily singing in contemporary and classical ensembles.
And for Bass Charlie Meininger, his first loves were contemporary a cappella, opera, classical music, and live audio production, but he saw how much his wife and friends loved it, so he's giving it his first go!
Amanda, Charlie, and Rishabh toured internationally for over a decade with the contemporary group, Euphonism, and Amanda, Charlie, and Kris continue to sing contemporary for educational outreach in the group, Snowday.
Friendship is at the heart of everything we do and we thrive on the support we get from each other, but also from our friends and quartet-mates in Angel's Envy, Terpsichord, and Bella Nova. We value commitment to musicality and eagerly learning how to apply our experience in other genres to the very tricky (but rewarding!) niche of barbershop! We love that MBHA partners with Harmony, Inc, as it has been the most welcoming music community we've ever been a part of.
We are looking forward to singing on the HI International stage as we know it is one of the best audiences in the world! And we are lucky to have such amazing fellow contestants to look up to, whose talents, love, and awesome humans will challenge us to put our very best on display.
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Thank you!
As I step off the MBHA board, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who made my time on the MBHA board a task I looked forward to. Mixed barbershop singing is something I have always had a passion for since I was very young, watching my grandpa, dad and brother all sing together, I wanted to be a part of the family too. Mixed barbershop has allowed me to be able to sing with my dad and my brother as well as my husband and many, many friends. This is what drove my interest in being on the board for the MBHA.
Unfortunately, there is only so many hours in the day and over my time on the board I have since become a certified Harmony, Inc. judge and am currently a candidate judge in BHS as well as working for Harmony, Inc. My life is full of barbershop, and I had one to many things on my plate. Don’t worry though, I will still be around as the liaison for Harmony, Inc. and MBHA for contests. You may actually hear from me more often if you are entering into any of the Harmony, Inc. contests.
Thank you also to all the board members I had the honour (with a u) to serve with and I know many of you will continue on.
Congratulations and Best of Luck
Congratulations to Empire, Family Feud, Oxford Comma, Prime Time, The Agency and Way She Goes for qualifying for the Harmony, Inc. International Convention & Contests MBHA Quartet Champion. Wishing all who choose to compete the best of luck in Hershey in November.
Congratulations also to our first MBHA chorus qualifier, Undercover MIX. Unfortunately, they will not able to attend Harmony, Inc. International Convention & Contests in November, but they will be representing Canada and the MBHA at the World Mixed Championship in BinG! next year. Wishing the best of luck in Germany!
BHS Fall Contest Entries
As you may or may not know, there are some BHS districts that encourage MBHA quartets and choruses to enter their district contests for score and evaluation only. If you are interested for the 2026 contest cycle, please visit our website under Conventions for a list of districts and instructions on how to enter their contests.
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| Undercover MIX to represent Canada & MBHA at World Mixed! |
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Congratulations to Undercover MIX. The chorus will be representing Canada and the MBHA at the World Mixed Championship in BinG! next year. Wishing the best of luck in Germany!
A CAPPELLA LOVE is the motto under which numerous choruses and quartets will gather in the Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal from 12-15 March 2026 for Germany's largest barbershop event. Experience the German Barbershop Championships and let yourself be carried away by exhilarating performances and the unique barbershop a cappella sound in the evening shows on Friday and Saturday.
 We are looking forward to a great a cappella festival with singers from all over the world, because in 2026, together with the German Barbershop Championships for choruses and quartets, the World Mixed Barbershop Championships will finally be held again, bringing together the best mixed quartets and choruses in the world in Wuppertal.
The Barbershop Music Festival 2026 is all about love - love of music, love of brilliant entertainment and love of giving you a fantastic and impressive time. Come along on a journey and feel the fire that burns in over 600 passionate singers. This is a cappella music that touches the heart!
Look forward to incredible vocal artistriy, breathtaking emotional highlights and captivating performances!
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| MIXED HARMONY BRIGADE OF NEW ENGLAND |
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March 20-22, 2026
Boxborough, MA
Featuring Quartet-in-Residence Sunday Night Social
The Mixed Harmony Brigade of New England (MHBNE) rally is a fun-filled weekend of nonstop quartet singing. Highlights include a contest among randomly-selected quartets, quartet sing-outs at schools and other locations in the community, a Saturday night show for the public, and informal “mix-andmatch” quartet singing with any (and all!) other brigade singers!
Scholarships are available for young singers (ages 18-29). Successful applicants should be high-quality singers with a demonstrated ability to learn new music and tune chords in a barbershop quartet. Scholarships cover all main expenses including music and learning tracks, hotel and meals.
 For more information:
www.mhbne.org
info@mhbne.org
Or contact:
Calvin Schnure
President, MBHNE and
Chair, Scholarship Committee
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