Sound of the Rockies

Background Statement

The Sound of the Rockies (SOR) chorus is a 125-member, Denver-based, all-male barbershop harmony show chorus. SOR is the choral performance arm of the Denver Mile High Chapter of the International Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS), the world's largest a cappella singing organization, based in Nashville, Tennessee. The BHS is comprised of over 23,000 vocal artists of all ages, from all walks of life, who love to sing a cappella harmony in the Barbershop Style. The Mile High Chapter consists of SOR, 52eighty (a subset of SOR consisting of young men and women singers under 25 years old) and multiple barbershop quartets.

In 2000, two aspiring Barbershop Harmony Society chapters in the Denver area merged their artistic membership to create the Sound of the Rockies Chorus. The original barbershop harmony franchise, the Denver Mile High Chapter, the continuing chapter, was chartered in 1948, and the Denver Tech Chapter was formed in 1987. While these chapters achieved success in local and regional competitions, chapter leadership felt that their combined resources were needed to compete at the international level.

Since this merger of talents - under the direction of Tyler Wiggington - the SOR has been creating captivating and exciting a cappella music. We have become a world-class show chorus singing contemporary, Broadway, gospel, sacred, folk, and jazz with emphasis on the barbershop style. We are a nine-time repeat medalist in the Barbershop Harmony Society's annual chorus competition, most recently achieving 4th place in the 2018 Barbershop Harmony Society Competition in Orlando and sixth in the 2019 Competition in Salt Lake City. We also have an unbroken string of Rocky Mountain District (7-state) championships.

When the chorus performed for the Colorado Music Educators in Colorado Springs in February, 2012, it was rewarded with three standing ovations and high praise from some of the toughest critics in the profession. In 2013, we performed for the Colorado High School All State Choir members and their directors at their annual meeting. We perform in 2019 for the Montana Music Educators annual convention in Billings, Montana.

Our 52eighty youth chorus competed regularly in the Barbershop Harmony Society's Youth Chorus Festivals - in Reno in 2016, for an "outstanding" rating, New Orleans in January 2015 - achieving the "Excellence" award category, and in San Diego in January 2014 they received the "Superior" category award. In Orlando in January, 2013 - the chorus reached the "Excellence" award category. They traveled to Tucson in January, 2012 and placed sixth in that Youth Chorus Competition. 52eighty had won the contest championship in 2009. Many of its members also sing with the Sound of the Rockies. 52eighty recently added young women to its membership - broadening our ability to impact all young singers. They performed at the 2019 BHS International convention in Salt Lake City in July, receiving a "Superior" rating (the highest). 52eighty was the first mixed chorus to be officially judged on the international stage since BHS initiated its "Everyone in Harmony" strategy, adding women to its ranks.