The Cambridge Chord Company Story

The Cambridge Chord Company (CCC) was formed in January 1990 when thirteen experienced barbershop harmony singers, known to some as 'the dirty dozen', started the club with the simple objective of singing barbershop - and singing it well.

The chorus goals rapidly distilled into ‘taking on’ the big choruses in competition as well as expanding the boundaries of what a barbershop chorus could sing - either in competition and subject to its rules or in concert and subject only to the needs of an audience.

From that courageous beginning, CCC broke the mould of competitive Barbershop singing when, only four years later in 1994, it became the first ‘small chorus’ ever to win the Silver Medal at the British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS) annual convention with only 18 men singing on stage.

Sometimes competing against choirs four or five times its size, CCC won the BABS Small Chorus Trophy six times and was BABS silver medallist on two other occasions. Overall, since singing its first harmonies in 1990, CCC has probably won more awards than any other chorus of its kind.

Then, in 1999, CCC won its first BABS Gold Medal - to become UK Men’s Chorus Champions. In 2000, CCC won the Millennium Joint Barbershop Harmony Chorus Championship, competing for the first time against ladies’ choruses from LABBS. In 2001, the chorus became European Champions and in 2002 won its second BABS Gold Medal. This completed a unique unbroken run of four years at the top of European men’s barbershop - unrepeatable for the next thousand years!

In 2001 the chorus first represented Great Britain at the International Convention of SPEBSQA in Nashville, taking a creditable eighteenth place. In July 2003 CCC returned to the International Convention, this time in Montreal, and was placed eleventh out of twenty-one finalists from a population of over a thousand choruses eligible to compete around the world. This is the highest place ever achieved by a British chorus in this competition.

Competitive singing gives a focus for the activities of the chorus but not to the exclusion of other musical performance. Under the guidance of its first Musical Director, the enormously talented Paul Davies, CCC has extended its unusual and highly entertaining repertoire, most of it arranged by Paul. Its style is continually expanding to embrace more complex forms of five and six part a cappella music. This puts the chorus in demand at shows and festivals all over the country and abroad.

CCC was voted "Choir of the Day" at the London heat of the 1996 Sainsbury's Choir of the Year competition, at the time Britain's premier event for amateur choirs, and went on to appear on prime-time Christmas television in the national finals weekend. The chorus was invited back three years later as guest performers at the finals in the Albert Hall.

The chorus also gets regular invitations to sing at music festivals and barbershop conventions in Ireland. Members are divided about their most fulfilling moment on stage: Some would say it was the standing ovation from 10,000 people at international contest in Montreal; an equal number relish the memory of 600 screaming teenagers on their feet at the Cork International Choral Festival.

In 2007 Paul Davies, after an unbroken run of innovation and success with the chorus lasting eighteen years, decided to take a well-earned break from directing to pursue other interests. His baton was ably picked up by Bob Croft who had been CCC's Assistant Director since its formation.

Members of Cambridge Chord Company range in age from 17 to over 70 and come from all walks of life. They are united in an enthusiasm for the craft of close harmony singing and a love of entertaining.