A Dunedin barbershop group has celebrated its 25th birthday in style.
Highland Harmony president Peter Blackwood said the celebrations had been held over the weekend and were a great success.
For their Saturday concert at St Patrick’s Basilica they were joined by Christchurch quartet Promenade and Dunedin Harmony Chorus, a women's barbershop group.
About 120 people attended the performance, Mr Blackwood said.
Unfortunately, an outbreak of Covid had affected the celebrations, forcing some members to pull out of the festivities and performances planned for Sunday.
Like most choirs, Covid had hit the group hard and they were on the hunt for more members, particularly tenors.
Although Mr Blackwood had believed he could not sing or read music, he went along one day and was hooked.
"It was just automatic — like, ‘hell you guys are good’ ... It’s just an amazing genre of singing," he said.
For the past five years he had been the president of the group.
Barbershop singing was a competitive sport, which was based on four-part a cappella harmonies and practised across the world, Mr Blackwood said.
There was also a social element to the group, with male bonds forged through their singing.
Often they would have a cup of tea halfway through their rehearsals and they did many community events, including performances at rest-homes and to help fundraising efforts.
