If the Pitch Perfect movie franchise from a decade ago taught us that singing in an all-girl acapella group was cool, then the Sweet Adelines — the real-life, internationally recognized organization of female singers — continues to teach us that singing acapella is not only cool, but it can also be done anywhere, anytime of year and at any age.
Originally founded in 1945, the Sweet Adelines initially started small. Led by Edna Mae Anderson and comprised of a tiny group of women who loved to sing, the group was originally founded in 1945 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s now an organization that spans the globe, from New York to New Zealand, with a steadfast dedication to advancing the musical art form of barbershop vocal harmony.
According to an article by Jordan Steffen in The Denver Post, “the nonprofit organization claimed a membership of about 24,000 women — about 1,200 registered quartets and about 600 registered choruses — in nearly every U.S. state and about 15 countries.” The Long Island Sound Chorus, founded in 1959, is the Hampton Bays-based division of the Sweet Adelines, with about 30 members performing together at tons of Hamptons locales, year-round.
“There’s around six choruses on Long Island but we’re the farthest east,” says East Hampton resident Peggy DiSunno, who serves as director for the East End chapter. A fan of the Sweet Adelines since high school, DiSunno joined the group back in 1974 and has held her position as director since 2004. “We don’t have accompaniment, we sing acapella,” DiSunno reminds. “And we never sing holding music, so we have to memorize everything.”
Members of the singing group come from as far east as East Hampton while others hail from points further west, like Shoreham, Holbrook and Mount Sinai. Ages of members range from women in their 40s to in their 80s. “This is for all ages and really, for anybody that likes to sing,” DiSunno says. The common thread found among the women is a passion for singing, meticulously practicing the four-part harmony that helps define the Sweet Adelines’ signature style. As a classic barbershop-style singing group there are four parts: tenor, lead, baritone and bass.
“When the four notes are singing simultaneously, and they’re in tune and the notes are correct, you almost get, like, a fifth note up in the stratosphere that you can hear an overtone, it’s so beautiful,” she says. In addition to their already ample repertoire, the group also learns between four and five new songs each year.
The chorus performs at several shows throughout the Hamptons and beyond at local hospitals, churches, veteran’s homes, senior centers, libraries and beloved East End venues. “We always do a couple of holiday shows,” DiSunno says. Last month, notable performances included a holiday show at the Old Whaler’s Church in Sag Harbor (alongside frequent collaborator and contemporary, the Sag Harbor Community Band) as well as East Quogue’s Holiday on Main Event. Nearly all performances are free, except for the chorus’ annual performance at The Suffolk in Riverhead every year, which serves as the group’s only fundraising event.
Coming up, at the end of March, the group will travel to Albany for their regional competition where they competes with over a dozen other choruses from northern New Jersey across Long Island, north of Albany and west towards Rochester. “There’s a big row of judges that sit there and listen to you, and they’re really listening for everything,” DiSunno says. “It’s important to make sure that our vowel sounds really nice and open. They’re also listening for our breath plan, making sure we breathe where we’re supposed to breathe and that we’re not taking a catch breath. It’s a lot of little things they’re listening for.”
Until then, the group will be practicing every Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Hampton Bays United Methodist Church’s Anderson-Warner Hall.
“It’s so good for your health to sing, too. I think that’s why so many of us stay in pretty good shape, because we’re using our lungs all the time. That, and it’s also a lot of fun.”
