Made up of amateur and professional singers from all over Central New York, Harmonic Collective is more than just a chorus. The ensemble competes internationally, engages in community outreach, and performs across the state year-round!  They welcome all ages and experience levels to join with their youngest singer just turning 11 and their oldest in their 70s. Chorus members include everyone from high school and collegiate music students to professional vocalists and hobbyists alike. Founded in 2017, the chorus is just back from their fourth appearance at the Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Chorus Contest, held this summer in Cleveland, OH.  As one of the top 30 a cappella barbershop choruses in the world, Harmonic Collective, is led by local music educator and vocalist, Sky Harris, who also teaches in Liverpool. Chorus members come together each week to learn, grow, and prepare for upcoming performances and competitions.  Most are amateur musicians… men brought together by their love of singing and performing from all walks of life. “The environment is the best part,” bass, Edward Deaver said, “the group is super positive… everyone is always rooting for you!  I sang in high school, but took time off in college, and I’m just so excited to be back!” Like many singers in Harmonic Collective, Deaver grew up loving to sing in school, church, and community groups, but after taking some time off for life, he’s now rekindled that love in Harmonic Collective. “I like the singing the best,” lead, Alan Weinberger said.  “I sang for a long time growing up, took a few decades off for family, and on a challenge from my wife, I joined the chorus and am really enjoying it!”  One of several collegiate faculty in the group, Weinberger is from a family full of singers and loves what a wide assortment of people make up the group – everyone from engineers and tech specialists to students, educators, laborers, and retired folk from every line of work. “The chorus has become like a second family to me,” bass and chorus president Keith Edwards said. “My youngest got me back into singing when the chorus got started in 2017 and it’s just become more and more of a passion every week!” Edwards is local to Liverpool, but some members come from as far as one to two hours away for weekly rehearsals, events, and the chorus family that Harmonic Collective has become. If you’re looking for an opportunity to get back into singing, try it out for the first time, or are a seasoned professional looking for an added challenge in the “black belt of a cappella”, Harmonic Collective is hosting a membership drive in October beginning with their first Guest Night on Sunday, Oct. 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. in Liverpool. You can find out more about CNY’s best kept a cappella secret and register for their membership drive by visiting their website: harmonic-collective.com/.