Sweet Adelines International competition

The Sweet Adelines International Competitions are the annual global championships for women's barbershop harmony a cappella singing – in quartets and choruses – for members of Sweet Adelines International (SAI) and have been held annually between September and November since 1947.^[1] They are now the largest women's singing competition in the world with over 8000 participants at the 2014 convention.^[2] There are two competitions for choruses (the international championships and the "Harmony Classic" for smaller choruses), and two competitions for quartets (the international championships and the "Rising Star" for young singers). Currently, the first three of these competitions are held together and form the Sweet Adelines International Convention. Over the course of competition history, the most successful chorus has been Melodeers Chorus from Chicago with seven championship titles, and the most successful quartet singer was Connie Noble who won with four separate quartets. MAXX Factor from Baltimore holds the record for highest quartet score, and Rönninge Show Chorus from Stockholm for highest ever chorus score.^[3]

History

The first convention was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1947 for quartets – two years after the foundation of the first Sweet Adelines Inc. chapter in the city.^[5][6] The competition was expanded to include choruses in 1973 and in 2000 the Harmony Classic competition for small and medium-sized choruses was introduced. Originally, Harmony Classic was held independently but since 2009 all three are now hosted together and run over the course of the convention week. A fourth event, the "Rising Star" competition, was introduced in 1999 for quartets whose members are under-25 years old. It was also held as part of convention from 2009 until 2012 but due to scheduling and cost constraints is now held independently again. Many non-competitive performances are also held during convention week, including by the previous year's chorus and quartet champions.

The convention is usually held in a city in the continental United States but has thrice been held internationally (England 1977, Canada 1962, 2007) and thrice in Hawaii (1987, 2008, 2013). A "spectacular fifty-year anniversary celebration" was held in New Orleans during the 1995 convention^[7][8] and the competition was intending to be held there a decade later in 2005, but was moved due to Hurricane Katrina.^[9] From 2015 to 2017 the city of Las Vegas will host the convention, the first time that the event has stayed in the same location for more than one year. The 2018 convention will be in St. Louis, Missouri, and 2019 will be in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[10] The 2020 convention is expected to be the first use of the newly renovated Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky, and is expecting to draw 10,000 attendees.^[11] Since 2004 the competition has been livestreamed over the internet as a popular donation-funded webcast, operated by an in-house media production team.^[12][13]

In recent years, the formal events of convention week proceed as follows:^[14]

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Harmony Classic	Quartet semi-finals	Chorus semi-finals	Quartet Finals	Chorus finals

Qualifying

The competitions held during international convention each have a different qualification processes:

For choruses, the highest scoring chorus of each SAI regional competition qualifies directly for the following year’s SAI international competition semi-final. For example, the winner of a regional competition in 2014 is granted entry as their region's representative to the 2015 competition. If that chorus cannot compete, the second-placed chorus is offered the place. There are 28 active regions numbered 1–35 (some have been merged with others over time) although a region is not obliged to hold a regional competition every year. A chorus may not compete in a regional competition in the year that they are also qualified to compete in the international competition. This rule ensures that one chorus does not monopolise their region's attendance to the international competition. In addition to the direct-qualifying places, since 2002 "wildcard" places are awarded to the highest-scoring second-placed choruses across all regional competitions making it possible for a region to have representatives at internationals in the one year. Initially four wildcard places were made available, subsequently increased to 10.^[15] Wildcards ensures that a high scoring chorus is not unfairly excluded from international competition due to being in a highly competitive region.

Qualification for the Harmony Classic competition happens as part of the regional chorus competition. The five highest-scoring small (division A, fewer than 30 singers) and midsize (division, AA 31–60 singers) choruses across all regional competitions qualify directly for the Harmony Classic of the following year. With five choruses in each of the two divisions (A & AA) a total of 10 choruses compete in this competition each year. Only one chorus from a region may compete in each of the divisions and a chorus may not compete in the same division again two years in a row. Furthermore, a chorus may not compete in both the main competition and also the Harmony Classic at the same year. A chorus may potentially qualify for both the main chorus competition and the Harmony Classic, but are only permitted to compete in one, thereby making a space available for the next highest qualifier to take their place at the other competition.^[16]

For quartets, qualification proceeds in much the same manner as for choruses – with regional winners and wildcard places. The regional qualification process happens in the same calendar year as the international competition (not the preceding year as is the case with choruses). Furthermore, quartets that obtain a ranking of 2nd to 15th place at the previous year's international competition are considered to have pre-qualified for the following international competition and are offered a direct place in the semi-final if they wish without the requirement to compete in their regional competition.^[17] This means that the total number of competing quartets is higher than the chorus competition.

A chorus may win many international competitions or Harmony Classic competitions over the years, but may not compete at the international level two years in a row. In contrast, a quartet may compete at the international competition many times in succession, but must retire from all SAI quartet competitions if it wins, although the quartet may participate in a regional competition for evaluation. Quartets performing for evaluation receive a scoresheet with comments and grade, but are not awarded a score and are not eligible for awards.

There is no formal qualification process for the Rising Star competition; rather, an eligible quartet registers their interest. A quartet may compete at the Rising Star competition several years in succession, provided all its members remain under the 25-year age limit, but winning quartets may not compete in the Rising Star competition again.^[18]

Scoring

Both choruses and quartets are judged according to four categories:^[19]

• Sound: judging mastery of vocal skills, tuning of chords, delivery of vowels with matched resonance, "Barbershop balance", vocal lines, artistry and finesse.
• Music: judging creative arrangement of a barbershop style song, timing of chords, and execution of interpretive plan.
• Expression: judging matched open vowels, diction, execution of interpretive plan, use of barbershop style and vocal drama, and emotional communication.
• Showmanship: judging command of the stage, theatrical skill and projection of character, audience captivation, performance energy, and the visual plan.

For all categories, judges are also scoring for whether "mastery of vocal skills [is] demonstrated" and whether the "performance transcends technique".

In scoring both the semi-final and the final penalties may be applied for a variety of rules including time-limits, not singing competition-songs in American English, the use of musical instruments, singing religious or patriotic songs and "misconduct".^[20]

In regional competitions there is one round of competition and each category is scored by one judge. Therefore,:

Regional competition: 4 categories x 1 judge each x 2 songs, maximum 100 points per judge = maximum possible 800 points.

At international competition the number of judges for each category is doubled (making eight judges in total). Consequently, the maximum possible score in each round of international competition is also doubled to 1600.

Until 1985 there were three rounds of competition for quartets (quarter-final for all qualifiers, semi-final for the top 20, and final for the top 10) and only one round of competition for choruses (the final). Therefore, the perfect score was 4800 for a quartet and 1600 for a chorus. From 1985 the two competitions' structures were standardised to the semi-final/final format (semi-final for all qualifiers, final for the top 5) This set the new perfect score for both choruses and quartets at 3200. Two years later in 1987 a maximum of 80 "bonus points" were added in the final round (10 per judge) for scoring the performance "package" in both the quartet and chorus competitions, raising the maximum score to 3280. Two years after that in 1989, the quartet competition re-introduced the quarter-final with a reduced score (20 per judge) but retaining the bonus points system in the final. This increased the quartet perfect score to 3440 while the chorus competition continued without change. In 1998 the two systems were standardised again with the quartet competition returning to the format introduced in 1987, but with the size of the final round for choruses and quartets doubled to 10 contestants. Following a further rule change, from the 2015 competition the "bonus points" were removed, reducing the perfect score back to the 1985 standard of 3200.^[21]

Chorus and quartet competition scoring system changes
Era	Round	Choruses	Quartets
Pre-1985	Quarter-final	–	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Semi-final	–	1600 (same process as QF)
	Final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)	1600 (same process as QF)
	Perfect score	1600	4800 (combined total of QF, SF, and F rounds)
1985–1986	Semi-final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Final	1680 (Same process as SF)
	Perfect score	3200 (combined total of SF and F rounds)
1987–1988	Semi-final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Final	1680 (Same process as SF + up to 10 "bonus" points for the package from each of the 8 judges)
	Perfect score	3280 (combined total of SF and F rounds)
1989–1997	Quarter-final	–	160 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 10 points per judge)
	Semi-final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Final	1680 (Same process as SF + up to 10 "bonus" points for the package from each of the 8 judges)
	Perfect score	3280 (combined total of SF and F rounds)	3440 (combined total of QF, SF and F rounds)
1998–2014	Semi-final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Final	1680 (Same process as SF + up to 10 "bonus" points for the package from each of the 8 judges)
	Perfect score	3280 (combined total of SF and F rounds)
2015 onward	Semi-final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x 2 songs, 100 points per judge)
	Final	1600 (4 categories x 2 judges each x [1 song + 1 performance package], 100 points per judge)
	Perfect score	3200 (combined total of SF and F rounds)

In the regional and semi-final competitions each contestant must performs two songs – normally an "up-tune" (a tempo) and a ballad – in the order of their choice. The combined times of both songs must be no longer than 7 minutes. In the final round of competition, choruses and quartets are allowed between 12 and 15 minutes to perform. Rather than a strict two-song performance, choruses must perform a "package" of approximately 4 songs with a narrative or theme tying the package together and spoken interludes (known as "emcee material"). In the chorus competition props, costume changes, medley/mashup choral arrangements and elaborate (even gymnastic) choreography moves are also common. As a consolation prize, the 11th ranked chorus or quartet is invited to perform their own package at the beginning of the final round as the "mic[rophone] testers". As with the semi-finals, the final-round performance order of appearance is randomly allocated.

Within the finals package, from 1985 until 2014, quartets and choruses were still expected to perform two "competition songs" (one "up-tune" and one ballad) which would be scored in the same manner as the semi-finals as well as their package (which would attract potential "bonus points"). From 2015 quartets and choruses are only required to perform one formally judged competition song in the finals (their choice of either an "up-tune" or a ballad) with the remainder of the score judging their finals package as a whole.^[21]

The score sheet itself contains lengthy hand written notes by each of the judges giving the contestant information on what the judges heard (and saw) to justify their score and also ways to improve. The visual layout of the scorecards have changed from year to year, but an example of how of a performer's semi-final scorecard from international competition appears is as follows (equally applicable to a chorus or quartet):

Example international semi-final scorecard

C #	Contestant name and songs	#		Sound			Music			Expression			Showmanship			Pty	Total	Place
7	Example Chorus	73		Song 1	Song 2		Song 1	Song 2		Song 1	Song 2		Song 1	Song 2
	"Song 1"		Judge 1	77	75	152	76	78	154	78	79	157	75	77	152
	"Song 2"		Judge 2	76	78	154	78	78	156	78	80	158	76	78	154
						306			310			315			306	0	1237	15

C# refers to "contestant number" i.e. the order of appearance.

# refers to "number [on stage]" i.e. the size of the chorus, relevant for calculating the "harmony achievement" award.

Pty refers to "penalty" i.e. the number of points deducted, if any.

Place refers to the ranking of the chorus compared to all other competitors' total scores.

Note that because the semi-final and final scores are cumulative, it can occur that the highest scoring chorus in the final does not win the championship because another chorus had a higher cumulative score. Semi-final scores are given to all choruses after the performance except for the top-10 choruses who qualified for the final competition. Their semi-final (and therefore the semi-final rankings) are kept secret until after the end of the competition.

Because of the complexity of the scoring system, to more easily group competitive performances score ranges are often referred to by a "performance level" – starting at the perfect score (represented by A+) and concluding at F. Due to the differing number of judges (and therefore differing scores) between regional and international competition the "level" system allows for easier comparison. These ranges are as follows:^[19]

Performance level	Score per category	Regional score	International score
A+	188–200	752–800	1504–1600
A	172–187	688–751	1376–1503
A-	160–171	640–687	1280–1375
B+	148–159	592–639	1184–1279
B	132–147	528–591	1056–1183
B-	120–131	480–527	960–1055
C+	108–119	432–479	864–959
C	92–107	368–431	736–863
C-	80–91	320–367	640–735
D+	68–79	272–319	544–639
D	52–69	208–271	416–543
D-	40–51	160–207	320–415
F	0–39	0–159	0–319

Awards

The singers of the top-10 placed choruses and quartets in the main competitions are awarded medals with a designated color. They are designated the International Champion Chorus/Quartet for the next calendar year. As the current title holders, the winners are permitted to wear these medals around their neck on a ribbon of the same color until the following year's competition. At this point they must be removed from the colored ribbon. Longstanding members of Sweet Adelines International may end up earning many awards at both regional and international competitions. Customarily these are worn as a group in a manner similar to military service ribbons, often attached to the chest with a brooch-like clasp.

In addition, international quartet champions are awarded a tiara or crown each – every year of a different design – and are proclaimed "Queens of Harmony",^[22][23] this title having been in use since at least 1960.^[24] They are entitled to wear their crown at any future SAI event, even when they are not the current champions. However, they are not allowed to compete as that quartet again. The association of past quartet winners is known as the "Coronet Club".

Ribbon color

Competition	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Achievement
Chorus Finals[25]	blue	red	white	yellow	green	violet
Quartet Finals	blue	red	white	yellow	green
Rising Star	blue	red	white
Harmony Classic division A[26]	deep purple	medium purple	pale purple
Harmony Classic division AA	hot pink	medium pink	pale pink

In the chorus competition, in addition to the placings, the "Harmony Achievement award" has been presented since 1991. This recognises the chorus that achieved the highest score, despite having relatively fewer singers on stage. The formula for calculating the largest chorus eligible for the award is: "Total number of performers on stage at any time, including directors, divided by the number of contestants, multiplied by 80%".^[27]

Certified directors of any chorus which attains more than 600 points at regional competition (or 1200 points at international, excluding bonus points) are entitled to be called a "master director" or, for those whose chorus achieves more than 700 (1400 at international), "master director 700".^[28]

Chorus competition

Champions

Until 1984 there was only one round of competition, from 1985 there are two round which increases the total score. Equally, from 2015 no "bonus points" are awarded in the final round, reducing the total score. The % column accounts for this change in maximum score to allow for comparison between years with different scoring systems. The Harmony Achievement award was introduced in 1991.

The list of champion choruses and related information is as follows.^{[29][30][31][32][33][34]} Note, some choruses have changed region in the years after their winning the competition. The region listed is the region that the chorus represented that year.

Year	Competition location	Champion	Director	Region	Score	%	Second place	Third place	Harmony Achievement	Competition summary
1973	Washington, D.C.	Racine	Jarmela Speta	22	1328	83.0%	Dundalk	Cedar Rhapsody[a]		missing
1974	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Gem City	Jean Pyles	4	1326	82.9%	Scottsdale	Mission Valley		missing
1975	Seattle, Washington	San Diego	Marvin Yerkey	21	1249	78.1%	St. Joseph[a]	Dundalk		missing
1976	Cincinnati, Ohio	Mission Valley	Gloria Sandstrom	12	1268	79.3%	Seven Hills[a]	Melodeers		missing
1977	London, England	Gem City	Jean Barford	4	1359	84.9%	Racine	Scottsdale		missing
1978	Los Angeles, California	Island Hills	Estelle Grau	15	1298	81.1%	San Diego	Verdugo Hills		missing
1979	St. Louis, Missouri	Ramapo Valley[a]	Renee Craig	15	1254	78.4%	St. Joseph[a]	Scottsdale
1980	Atlanta, Georgia	High Country	Sylvia Alsbury	8	1395	87.2%	Gem City	Verdugo Hills		missing
1981	Phoenix, Arizona	Seven Hills[a]	Tom Gentil	4	1244	77.8%	Valley Forge	Mission Viejo
1982	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Gem City	Jean Barford	4	1342	83.9%	Ramapo Valley[a]	Scottsdale
1983	Detroit, Michigan	Valley Forge	Jan Muck	15	1279	79.9%	City of Lakes	High Country
1984	Las Vegas, Nevada	Scottsdale	Bev Sellers	21	1309	81.8%	Ramapo Valley[a]	Lakeside[a]
1985[b]	Kansas City, Missouri	Gem City	Jean Barford	4	2698	84.3%	City of Lakes	High Country
1986	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Ramapo Valley[a]	Renee Craig	15	2701	84.4%	Vienna-Falls	Greater Dallas[a]
1987	Honolulu, Hawaii	High Country	Sharon Babb & Julie Haller	8	2646	80.7%	Scottsdale	Rich-Tone
1988	Houston, Texas	Vienna-Falls	Betty Tracy	14	2675	81.6%	Gem City	Valley Forge
1989	Miami Beach, Florida	Scottsdale	Bev Sellers	21	2715	82.8%	Rich-Tone	City of Lakes
1990	Salt Lake City, Utah	Ramapo Valley	Renee Craig	15	2676	88.6%	Seven Hills[a]	Kansas City
1991	San Antonio, Texas	Gem City	Jean Barford	4	2679	81.6%	San Diego	Lakeside[a]	Cedar Rhapsody[a]
1992	Baltimore, Maryland	Rich-Tone	Dale Syverson	25	2884	87.9%	City of Lakes	Melodeers	Song of Atlanta
1993	Indianapolis, Indiana	Toast of Tampa Show	Randy Loos	9	2714	82.7%	Kansas City	Scottsdale	Pearls of the Sound
1994	Reno, Nevada	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	2834	86.4%	Gem City	Houston Horizon	St. Joseph
1995	New Orleans, Louisiana	Rich-Tone	Dale Syverson	25	2809	85.6%	Rönninge Show	Scottsdale	Perth Harmony
1996	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida	North Metro	June Dale	16	2822	86.0%	Gem City	Houston Horizon	Midwest Crossroads
1997	Salt Lake City, Utah	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	2833	86.4%	San Diego	Kansas City	Georgia Harmony
1998	Nashville, Tennessee	Rich-Tone	Dale Syverson	25	2805	85.5%	City of Lakes	Scottsdale	Lions Gate
1999	Atlanta, Georgia	North Metro	June Dale	16	2904	88.5%	Sunlight	San Diego	Pride of Baltimore
2000	Orlando, Florida	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	2931	89.4%	Scottsdale	Pacific Sound	Top of the Rock
2001	Portland, Oregon	San Diego	Kim Hulbert	21	2907	88.6%	Rich-Tone	Pride of Baltimore	Rönninge Show
2002	Nashville, Tennessee	North Metro	June Dale	16	2986	91.0%	Gem City	Scottsdale	Ramapo Valley
2003	Phoenix, Arizona	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	2969	90.5%	Pride of Baltimore	Rich-Tone	Royal River
2004	Indianapolis, Indiana	Harborlites	Pam Pieson	21	2919	89.0%	Skyline	Gem City	St. Louis Harmony
2005	Detroit, Michigan	Scottsdale	Lori Lyford	21	2899	88.4%	Pride of Baltimore	Kansas City	Greater Nassau
2006	Las Vegas, Nevada	Rich-Tone	Dale Syverson	25	2942	89.7%	Melodeers	North Metro	OK City
2007	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Harborlites	Pam Pieson	21	2985	91.0%	Pride of Baltimore	Lions Gate	Spirit of Detroit
2008	Honolulu, Hawaii	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	3023	92.2%	Scottsdale	Skyline	St. Louis Harmony
2009	Nashville, Tennessee	Rich-Tone	Dale Syverson	25	3054	93.1%	Lions Gate	Pride Of Kentucky	Harbor City Music Company
2010	Seattle, Washington	Scottsdale	Lori Lyford	21	3077	93.8%	Harborlites	North Metro	Stockholm City Voices
2011	Houston, Texas	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	3091	94.2%	Rönninge Show	Lions Gate	Harbor City Music Company
2012	Denver, Colorado	North Metro	June Dale	16	3058	93.2%	Rich-Tone	Harborlites	Metro Nashville
2013	Honolulu, Hawaii	Rönninge Show	Anna Alvring & Britt-Heléne Bonnedahl	32	3138	95.7%	Scottsdale	Toast of Tampa Show	Greater Nassau
2014	Baltimore, Maryland	Melodeers	Jim Arns	3	3129	95.4%	Rich-Tone	Harborlites	Metro Nashville
2015[c]	Las Vegas, Nevada	Scottsdale	Lori Lyford	21	3044	95.1%	North Metro	Toast of Tampa Show	Stockholm City Voices
2016	Las Vegas, Nevada	Rönninge Show	Anna Alvring & Britt-Heléne Bonnedahl	32	3098	96.8%	Rich-Tone	Harborlites	Metro Nashville

^a Chorus is now defunct, has merged with another chorus, or has changed name.

^b Until 1985, only round of competition was held. As a result, the grand-total score of the winner for earlier years is lower than competitions from 1985-onwards where two rounds of scores (semi-final and final) make up the grand total. For full details of scoring changes see the scoring section above. Direct comparisons of scores in different eras are possible using the % column.

^c Until 2015, 10 bonus points were available in the final round per-song per-judge (80 points in total). Removing these reduced the possible grand total from 3280 to 3200. Direct comparisons of scores in different eras are possible using the % column.

Results by year

Chorus competition
1970s	Washington D.C. 1973 • Milwaukee 1974 • Seattle 1975 • Cincinnati 1976 • London 1977 • Los Angeles 1978 • St. Louis 1979
1980s	Atlanta 1980 • Phoenix 1981 • Minneapolis 1982 • Detroit 1983 • Las Vegas 1984 • Kansas City 1985 • Philadelphia 1986 • Honolulu 1987 • Houston 1988 • Miami Beach 1989
1990s	Salt Lake City 1990 • San Antonio 1991 • Baltimore 1992 • Indianapolis 1993 • Reno 1994 • New Orleans 1995 • Fort Lauderdale 1996 • Salt Lake City 1997 • Nashville 1998 • Atlanta 1999
2000s	Orlando 2000 • Portland 2001 • Nashville 2002 • Phoenix 2003 • Indianapolis 2004 • Detroit 2005 • Las Vegas 2006 • Calgary 2007 • Honolulu 2008 • Nashville 2009
2010s	Seattle 2010 • Houston 2011 • Denver 2012 • Honolulu 2013 • Baltimore 2014 • Las Vegas 2015 • Las Vegas 2016 • Las Vegas 2017

The results of the most recent chorus competition are included below. Note that the grand total listed in the "final" column is the cumulative total of scores achieved in the semi-final and final rounds of competition. In addition to the direct-qualifying places, wildcard places are awarded to the 10 highest-scoring second-place choruses across all regional competitions.^[15] This is indicated as "[wild]". The winner of the Harmony Achievement award is indicated with "[harmony achievement]" next to the chorus' name.

The 2016 competition was held on 17–22 October at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, the first time the competition was held at the same location twice in a row. Rönninge Show Chorus from Stockholm, Sweden won their second ever championship with a score of 3098. This was lower than their record-breaking score of 2013 but due to changes in the scoring system introduced in 2015, the maximum available points were reduced leading to Rönninge's 2016 result having a higher percentage, 96.8%, a new record. This was the first time that The Woodlands Chorus reached the finals.

Las Vegas, Nevada (2016)

Official results

Place	Region	Contestant	Regional[35][36]		Semi-final[37][38]			Final[39]			Competition video semi-final final
			Score	Summary	# on stage	Order of appearance	Score	Order of appearance	Score	Grand total
1	32	Rönninge Show	744		142	24	1544	5	1554	3098	semi-final final
2	25	Rich-Tone	726		100	12	1491	3	1492	2983	semi-final final
3	21	Harborlites	713		97	1	1384	8	1491	2875	semi-final final
4	8	Skyline	692		135	14	1468	7	1384	2852	semi-final final
5	35	Christchurch City	685		133	10	1385	10	1418	2803	semi-final final
6	13	Pride of Portland	721		120	6	1400	1	1377	2777	semi-final final
7	14	Song of Atlanta	671		84	3	1307	2	1382	2689	semi-final final
8	6	City of Lakes	707		113	5	1359	6	1256	2615	semi-final final
9	10	The Woodlands Show	664		75	31	1311	4	1268	2579	semi-final final
10	16	Buffalo Gateway	672		85	28	1306	9	1237	2543	semi-final final
11	4	Metro Nashville  [harmony achievement]	649		49	17	1297	—	—	—	semi-final —
12	9	Spirit of the Gulf	671		101	27	1281	—	—	—	semi-final —
13	19	Greater Harrisburg	651		104	21	1272	—	—	—	semi-final —
14	15  [wild]	Harmony Celebration	638		55	29	1249	—	—	—	semi-final —
15	8  [wild]	Mountain Jubilee	632		72	22	1241	—	—	—	semi-final —
16	25  [wild]	OK City	668		77	7	1235	—	—	—	semi-final —
17	3	River City Sound	652		44	25	1234	—	—	—	semi-final —
18	15	Liberty Oak	672		83	20	1233	—	—	—	semi-final —
19	31	Heartbeat UK	654		71	2	1214	—	—	—	semi-final —
20	31  [wild]	Viva Acappella	653		42	18	1207	—	—	—	semi-final —
21	17	Greater Cleveland	641		59	33	1205	—	—	—	semi-final —
22	1	Coastline Show	629		53	32	1195	—	—	—	semi-final —
23	4  [wild]	Pride of Kentucky	636		66	13	1192	—	—	—	semi-final —
24	26	Westcoast Harmony	650		48	4	1187	—	—	—	semi-final —
25	19  [wild]	Valley Forge	627		34	8	1166	—	—	—	semi-final —
26	5	River Blenders	620		74	23	1145	—	—	—	semi-final —
27	34	A Cappella West	626		79	30	1142	—	—	—	semi-final —
28	11	Verdugo Hills	600		59	34	1134	—	—	—	semi-final —
29	2	London	610		46	15	1134	—	—	—	semi-final —
30	34  [wild]	Melbourne	614		57	11	1095	—	—	—	semi-final —
31	3  [wild]	Midwest Crossroad	623		46	26	1094	—	—	—	semi-final —
32	14  [wild]	Carolina Style	616		40	19	1056	—	—	—	semi-final —
33	12  [wild]	Mission Valley	627		61	16	1052	—	—	—	semi-final —
34	12	Song of Sonoma	628		70	9	980	—	—	—	semi-final —

Chorus records

Most successful choruses

The most successful choruses over time are as follows. Choruses are ranked according to the "gold first system" but can be sorted to rank according to total number of top-three appearances. Some choruses have changed region over time, the chorus' current region is listed here.

Chorus	Region	Website	Bio	Champion	Second place	Third place	Total top-three
Melodeers	3			7 (1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2014)	1 (2006)	2 (1976, 1992)	10
Scottsdale	21			5 (1984, 1989, 2005, 2010, 2015)	5 (1974, 1987, 2000, 2008, 2013)	7 (1977, 1979, 1982, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2002)	17
Rich-Tone	25			5 (1992, 1995, 1998, 2006, 2009)	5 (1989, 2001, 2012, 2014, 2016)	2 (1987, 2003)	12
Gem City	4			5 (1974, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1991)	5 (1980, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1996)	1 (2004)	11
North Metro	16			4 (1996, 1999, 2002, 2012)	1(2015)	2 (2006, 2010)	7
Ramapo Valley[a]	15	–		3 (1979, 1986, 1990)	2 (1982, 1984)	–	5
San Diego	21			2 (1975, 2001)	3 (1978, 1991, 1997)	1 (1999)	6
Rönninge Show	32			2 (2013, 2016)	2 (1995, 2011)	–	4
Harborlites	21			2 (2004, 2007)	1 (2010)	3 (2012, 2014, 2016)	6
High Country	8			2 (1980, 1987)	–	2 (1983, 1985)	4
Seven Hills[a]	4	–		1 (1981)	2 (1976, 1990)	–	3
Valley Forge	15			1 (1983)	1 (1981)	1 (1988)	3
Racine	3			1 (1973)	1 (1977)	–	2
Vienna-Falls	14			1 (1988)	1 (1986)	–	2
Mission Valley	12			1 (1976)	–	1 (1974)	2
Toast of Tampa Show	9			1 (1993)	–	2 (2013, 2015)	3
Island Hills	15			1 (1978)	–	–	1
City of Lakes	6			–	3 (1983, 1985, 1992)	1 (1989)	4
Pride of Baltimore	19			–	3 (2003, 2005, 2007)	1 (2001)	4
Kansas City	5			–	1 (1993)	3 (1990, 1997, 2005)	4
Lions Gate	26			–	1 (2009)	2 (2007, 2011)	3
Dundalk	19			–	1 (1973)	1 (1975)	2
Skyline	8			–	1 (2004)	1 (2008)	2
St Joseph Show[a]	5			–	2 (1975, 1979)	–	2
Sunlight	32			–	1 (1999)	–	1
Houston Horizon	10			–	–	2 (1994, 1996)	2
Lakeside[a]	13			–	–	2 (1984, 1991)	2
Verdugo Hills	11			–	–	2 (1978, 1980)	2
Cedar Rhapsody[a]	5			–	–	1 (1973)	1
Greater Dallas[a]	10			–	–	1 (1986)	1
Mission Viejo	21			–	–	1 (1981)	1
Pacific Sound	13	–		–	–	1 (2000)	1
Pride of Kentucky	4			–	–	1 (2009)	1

Highest ever regional scores

The highest 25 scores ever achieved at any regional competition as of 2016 competitions are as follows.^[40]

Rank	Score	Chorus	Region	Year	Competition summary
1	759	Melodeers	3	2016
2	751	Melodeers	3	2010
		North Metro	16	2014
		Toast of Tampa Show	9	2014
5	749	Rönninge Show	32	2012
6	748	Melodeers	3	2013
		Rich-Tone	25	2013
8	744	Rönninge Show	32	2015
9	741	Melodeers	3	2007
		Rich-Tone	25	2011
11	736	Harborlites	21	2009
		Scottsdale	21	2012
13	732	Scottsdale	21	2014
		Scioto Valley	4	2016
15	731	North Metro	16	2007
16	729	Haborlites	21	2006
17	728	North Metro	16	2001
18	272	North Metro	16	2016
19	726	Rich-Tone	25	2015
		Toast of Tampa Show	9	2016
21	725	Pride of Baltimore	19	2006
		Rich-Tone	25	2008
23	724	Scottsdale	21	2007
24	723	North Metro	16	2009
25	721	Pride of Portland	13	2015

Highest regional score by region

The highest score ever achieved in each individual region's competition as of 2016 is as follows:^[40]

Region[41]	Score	Chorus	Year	Competition summary
1	689	Coastline	2008
2	653	Spirit of Detroit	2012
3	759	Melodeers	2016
4	732	Scioto Valley	2016
5	660	River Blenders	2003
6	707	City of Lakes	2015
7	678	Kansas City	2004
8	701	Skyline	2011
9	751	Toast of Tampa Show	2014
10	665	Houston Horizon	1999
11	657	ChannelAire	2009
12	667	Bay Area Showcase	2016
13	721	Pride of Portland	2015
14	671	Song of Atlanta	2015
15	710	Greater Nassau	2014
16	751	North Metro	2014
17	661	Pride of Toledo	2000
19	725	Pride of Baltimore	2006
21	736	Harborlites	2009
		Scottsdale	2012
22	640	River City Sound	2013
23	708	Song of Atlanta	2011
24	701	Pride of Portland	2013
25	748	Rich-Tone	2013
26	703	Lions Gate	2016
30	no competition held
31	694	Forth Valley	2016
32	749	Rönninge Show	2012
34	662	Endeavour Harmony	2014
35	685	Christchurch	2015

Harmony Classic

Champions

Before 2009 the Harmony Classic competition was hosted independently from the other SAI competitions, but since 2009 it has been held in parallel, and at the same location.

Eligibility for Division AA (medium) is for choruses with between 31 and 60 singers on stage, while Division A (small) is for those with between 15 and 30 singers.^[25] The list of Harmony Classic competition winners is as follows:^[42][43]

Year	Competition location	Division AA champion	Region	Score	Competition summary	Division A champion	Region	Score	Competition summary
2000	San Antonio, Texas	Royal River	1	1275		Prairie Echoes	3	1274
2001	San Antonio, Texas	Jacksonville Harmony	9	1305		Pearls of the Sound	32	1237
2002	Greenville, South Carolina	Royal River	1	1276		Prairie Echoes	3	1264
2003	Greenville, South Carolina	Valley Forge	15	1284		Millennium Magic	1	1169
2004	Greenville, South Carolina	Columbus	4	1235		Queen City Sound	25	1206
2005	Greenville, South Carolina	Scioto Valley	4	1262		Women of Note	14	1204
2006	San Antonio, Texas	Harbor City Music Company	19	1310		Metro Nashville	4	1289
2007	San Antonio, Texas	Waikato Rivertones	35	1312		Alba Show	32	1293
2008	San Antonio, Texas	Metro Nashville	4	1303		Stockholm City Voices	32	1328
2009	Nashville, Tennessee	Scioto Valley	4	1350		Millennium Magic	1	1268
2010	Seattle, Washington	Harbor City Music Company	19	1344		Queen City Sound	25	1189
2011	Houston, Texas	Metro Nashville	4	1325		Alba Show	32	1337
2012	Denver, Colorado	Westcoast Harmony	26	1319		Carolina Harmony	14	1228
2013	Honolulu, Hawaii	Rhythm of the Rockies	26	1381		Pearls of the Sound	32	1303
2014	Baltimore, Maryland	City of Gardens	26	1238		Springfield Metro Chorus	25	1274
2015	Las Vegas, Nevada	Carolina Harmony	14	1231		River Blenders	5	1250
2016	Las Vegas, Nevada	Carpe Diem	1	1296		Pearls of the Sound	3	1399

Results by year

Harmony Classic competition
2000s	San Antonio 2000 • San Antonio 2001 • San Antonio 2002 • Greenville 2003 • Greenville 2004 • Greenville 2005 • Greenville 2006 • San Antonio 2007 • San Antonio 2008 • Nashville 2009
2010s	Seattle 2010 • Houston 2011 • Denver 2012 • Honolulu 2013 • Baltimore 2014 • Las Vegas 2015 • Las Vegas 2016 • Las Vegas 2017

The results of the most recent Harmony Classic competition are: The 2016 competition was held on 17 October at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, the first time the competition will have ever been held at the same location twice in a row.^[44]

Las Vegas, Nevada (2016)

Division A

Place	Region	Contestant	Regional		Final[45]			Video playlist
			Score	Summary	# on stage	Order of appearance	Score
1	11	Carpe Diem	605			5	1296
2	31	Vocal Dimension	603			1	1244
3	5	Sound Celebration	598			2	1157
4	26	Vocal Motion!	591			3	1099
5	9	Gainesville Harmony	583			4	1004

Division AA

Place	Region	Contestant	Regional		Final[45]			Video playlist
			Score	Summary	# on stage	Order of appearance	Score
1	32	Pearls of the Sound	656			4	1399
2	2	Great Lakes	642			3	1228
3	17	Sounds of Pittsburgh	618			1	1199
4	25	Springfield Metro	647			5	1176
5	13	Pacific Sound	642			2	1137

Quartet competition

Champions

From the competition's inception to the 1992 edition, the winning quartet was named champion of the year that they competed in. From the 1993 competition onwards the designation was changed to the following year – the one in which they primarily held their position. Thus, the winners of the competition held in November 2014 (Bling! quartet) were proclaimed the "2015 queens of harmony".^[46]

As with the Chorus competition, all competitors compete in the "semi-final" round from which the top 10 compete a few days later in the final round. The scores for the top 10 are added together to make the grand total which determines the winner. Until 1984 all competitors began at the "quarter-final" stage, the top 20 progress to the semi-final, and the top 10 progressing to the final. From 1985 this three-level system was dropped back to simply semi-final and final. However, because the earlier winners competed in three rounds, their grand total scores are correspondingly larger. The % column accounts for this change in maximum score to allow for comparison between years with different scoring systems.

The international champion quartet, performers names, and score for each year of competition are as follows.^{[46][47][48][33][34]}

Replacement quartet members must participate with a quartet for at least three years. They may earn a gold medal after that time if the quartet makes the request on her behalf for one and the Coronet Club and International Board approve it."^[49] The replaced quartet member is marked with an asterisk *

Note, some sources differ as to the inclusion of the definite article in many of the earlier quartets' names.

Year	Location	Champion	Score	%	Bio	Members	Second place	Third place	Competition summary
1947	Tulsa, Oklahoma	The Decaturettes				Vi Phillips, Mary Minton, Myrtle Vest, Eva Adams	The Johnson Sisters	Keystone Barberettes	missing
1948	Topeka, Kansas	The Johnson Sisters				Ruby Johnson, Irene Bergman, Stella Berg, Harriet St. Leger	Floradora Girls	Harmony Honeys	missing
1949	St. Louis, Missouri	The Tune Twisters				Pearl Borg, Sue Pranno, Nancy Konsbruck, Marian Moore	Treble Tones	Gibson Girls	missing
1950	Chicago, Illinois	The Harmony Belles				Dixie Rae Chapman, Betty Robinson, Jeanette McLaughlin*, Harriet Fizone, Shirley Rice[replacement]	Treble Tones	Minorettes	missing
1951	Santa Monica, California	The Quarternotes				Virginia Clausen, Phyllis Odders, Lois Dominick*, Jewel King, Kaye Poulsen Jensen[replacement]	Rhythm Wrens	Denim Four	missing
1952	St. Petersburg, Florida	The Pitch Pipers				Betty Oliver, Jo Ligtvoet, Jane Linden Aman, Mary Ann Oller	Hi-Lites	Pearly 'Gators	missing
1953	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	The Big Four				Lucille Bradley*, Inez "Junior" Thompson, Sarah LeMaster, Bertha Bradley, Mary Waters[replacement]	The Mississippi Misses	Decker Sisters	missing
1954	Buffalo, New York	The Mississippi Misses				Nancy Bergman, Darlene Kraus, Marcy Paul, Rose Rump	The Nota-Belles	Tru-Shades	missing
1955	Grand Rapids, Michigan	The Nota-Belles				Jarmela Speta, Ruth Geils, Jan Kastens, Phyllis Haeger	The Junior Misses	Cracker Jills	missing
1956	Wichita, Kansas	The Junior Misses				Sue Lucas, Katie Durbin, Helen Peters, Chris Hohe	Cracker Jills	Dotted Quarters	missing
1957	Miami Beach, Florida	Cracker Jills				Bobbie Bostick, Renee Craig, Judy Rowell, Jan Saundry	Northwest Hi-Flyers	The Sweet And Lows	missing
1958	Peoria, Illinois	The Sweet And Lows				Florence Anderson, Joyce Cunningham, Mary Gilbert, Delores Godwin	Pleasantaires	The Caper Cutters	missing
1959	Tucson, Arizona	The Yankee Misses				Sue Arabian, Marilyn Conlan, Alice Kennedy, Marcia Major	Pleasantaires	Nightingals	missing
1960	Detroit, Michigan	The Gibson Girls				Irene Blazed*, Gladys Carlysle, Naomi Haberlein, Anne McKay, Joyce Rankin[replacement]	Nightingals	Happy Harmonizers	missing
1961	Colorado Springs, Colorado	The Lyrics				Liz Speer, Lorene Roberts, Diane Pauley*, Sue McCoy, Marge Axelson[replacement]	Nightingals	The Sea-Adelines	missing
1962	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	The Sea-Adelines				Shirley Humann, Jamel Barden, Katie Schwarzhans, Zoe Thompson	The Heathertones	Related Four	missing
1963	Berkeley, California	The Heathertones				Lorida Harvey, Betty Pettibon, Norma Jones, Bette Carothers	The Piper-Ettes	The Aqua-Tones	missing
1964	Minneapolis, Minnesota	The Note-Cracker Sweets				Mary Ellen Erickson, Mary Lois Dick, Beverly Schroeder, Nancy Paul	Related Four	The Shalimars	missing
1965	Denver, Colorado	The Shalimars				Ruby Rhea, Patti Staffen, Anita Gohl*, Jan Wyckoff, Ferne Hogan[replacement]	The Aqua-Tones	Chi-Larks	missing
1966	Houston, Texas	The Piper-Ettes				Carolyn Sexton, Ruth Doll, Kitty Bawtenheimer, Carol Simons	Chi-Larks	Embers	missing
1967	New York, New York	The Hurricane Honeys				Nancy Calay*, Iris Cokeroft, Ruth Ann Parker, Marge Grau, Toni Miller[replacement]	Chi-Larks	Embers	missing
1968	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	The Galatones				Margaret DeJaynes, Jean Shook, Sharri Mertens, Anna Lee Scott*, Lynn Ellsworth[replacement]	The Rarities	After-Five 4	missing
1969	Honolulu, Hawaii	The Metropolitans				Marie Disher, Hilma Mortell,* Pat Gibson James, Mona Warren, Lori Fodor Reiner[replacement]	The Rarities	Embers	missing
1970	Boston, Massachusetts	The Rarities				Jarmela Speta, Connie Milestone, Chris Huebschen, Carol Schoenning	Embers	Bron’s Tones	missing
1971	Kansas City, Missouri	Bron’s Tones				Judy Wallis, Portia Little, Betty Meinholz, Bron Dixon	Embers	Debutones	missing
1972	Salt Lake City, Utah	The 4th Edition				Connie Noble, Lee Davison, Jacquelyn Belshaw,* Sally Whitledge, Nancy Belle[replacement]	Embers	The Tiffanys	missing
1973	Washington, D.C.	The Tiffanys				Jane Coleman, Joan Melling, Dale Syverson, Louise Masla	Priorities	Double Image	missing
1974	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	The Sounds Of Music				Jean Barford, Gloria Laquaglia, Edie Moorehead, Judy St. John	Double Image	Latest News	missing
1975	Seattle, Washington	The Front Office Four				Dixie Dahlke, Carol Nash, Chari Pernert, Vicki Gibson	Chansonniers	The Tetrachords	missing
1976	Cincinnati, Ohio	High Society				Bette Gorton*, Kim Bone, Sandy Shelver, Pat Vozza, Connie Noble[replacement]	Chansonniers	Star Spangled Sound	missing
1977	London, England	The Shondells				Melodee Wright, Virginia Fitzpatrick, Theresa Reed, Donna Graham	The Hallmarks	Sun Lasses	missing
1978	Los Angeles, California	The Tetrachords				Terry D'Amato, Patti Frei, Sandi Wright, Nancee Reinhold	The Hallmarks	S. Van Ander Mac Singers	missing
1979	St. Louis, Missouri	The Hallmarks	3799	79.15%		JoAnn Karaff, Liz Robertson, Helen Shores, Jackie Harrison	All-Star Jubilee	Midnight Music Co.
1980	Atlanta, Georgia	Penna-Fores	3634	75.71%		Linda Showers, Shirleyann Quigg, Roberta Combs, Betty Clipman	All-Star Jubilee	Midnight Music Co.
1981	Phoenix, Arizona	All-Star Jubilee	3910	81.46%		Susie Russell, Julie Fernstrum, Judy Gordon, Linda Johnson	Melo-Edge	Music Gallery
1982	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Music Gallery	3892	81.08%		Julie Whelan, Julie Moser Bergman, Lou Ann Dykstra, Marcia Starnes	Melo-Edge	Jubilation
1983	Detroit, Michigan	Melo-Edge	3823	79.65%		Donna Bates, Maureen Brzinski, Debra Peters, Janell Paviolitis	Jubilation	4 For The Show
1984	Las Vegas, Nevada	4 For The Show	3821	79.60%		Joni Bescos, Robin Beers, Sally Briner, Susan Minsker	Jubilation	Top Priority
1985[a]	Kansas City, Missouri	Jubilation	2515	78.59%		Sharon Alterman, Carol Ann Bagley, Karen Breidert, Pat Rotunno	Top Priority	Sound Celebration
1986	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Ambiance	2594	81.06%		Shelly Sweet-Rubenic, Elizabeth Hardcastle, Sandi Wright, Diane Huber	Starshine	Ginger 'N' Jazz
1987[a]	Honolulu, Hawaii	Ginger ‘N’Jazz	2551	77.77%		Patty Friedemann, Debbie Hogan, Sally Beck, Judy Clancy*, Peggy Barnes[replacement]	Savvy	Showtime
1988	Houston, Texas	Savvy	2619	79.85%		Connie Noble, Kim Hulbert, Sandy Trombly, Tippi Sanders	Cross-Town Celebration	Showtime
1989[a]	Miami Beach, Florida	Growing Girls	2786	80.99%[b]		Malin Palmqvist, Suzanne Harrington, Anna Ohman, Naima Meyer	Cross-Town Celebration	Panache
1990	Salt Lake City, Utah	Panache	2810	81.69%[b]		Gerry Papageorge, Pam Pieson, Sally Briner, Bonnie McKibben	Swing Street	Showcase
1991	San Antonio, Texas	Swing Street	2763	80.32%[b]		Sylvia Karpinsky, LeAnn Hazlett, Sue Snow, Sharon Cassell	Showtime	City Lights
1992	Baltimore, Maryland	City Lights	2841	82.59%[b]		Nancy Cloeter, Jo Lund, Sharon Vitkovsky, Jeannie Froelich	Showtime	Blue Razzberry Rhythm
1993[c]	Indianapolis, Indiana	Showtime	2832	82.33%[b]		Gina Ogden*, Debbie Connelly, Cindy LeMasters, Dana Hitt, Donna Vollertson[replacement]	Chicago Fire	Blue Razzberry Rhythm
1994	Reno, Nevada	Chicago Fire	2812	81.74%[b]		Amy Brinkman, Dani Prigge, Bon Pressley, Bonnie Fedyski	Weekend Edition	4-Star Collection
1995	New Orleans, Louisiana	Weekend Edition	2810	81.69%[b]		Penny Mensik, Susan Martin, Donna Kleinschmidt, Nancy Shumard	4-Star Collection	Rumors
1996	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida	4-Star Collection	2927	85.09%[b]		Connie Miller, Pat Rygg, Denise Baber, Marcia Starnes	Classic Edition	Rumors
1997	Salt Lake City, Utah	Classic Edition	2784	80.93%[b]		Jana Brown, Susan Ives, Sheila Martinez, Donna Kready	Rumors	Night Magic
1998[a]	Nashville, Tennessee	Rumors	2799	85.34%		Charla Esser, Judy Baxter, Dale Syverson, Peggy Gram	Signature Sound	Swinglish Mix
1999	Atlanta, Georgia	Signature Sound	2758	84.09%		Christine Cook, Leslie Taylor, Janet Ashford, Lloyd-Ellen Thomas	Swinglish Mix	a cappella Gold
2000	Orlando, Florida	a cappella Gold	2753	83.93%		Bette Gorton, Kim Vaughn, Tomi McEvoy, Susan Lamb Kegley	Swinglish Mix	Night Magic
2001	Portland, Oregon	Fanatix	2699	82.29%		Connie Noble, Darcy Newell, Sandy Shelver, Gerry Papageorge*, Bonnie Fedyski[replacement]	Brava!	Swinglish Mix
2002	Nashville, Tennessee	Swinglish Mix	2726	83.11%		Eleanor Hawkins, Suzanne Harrington, Patty Hawley Pennycook, Naima Meyer	Brava!	Spotlight
2003	Phoenix, Arizona	Brava!	2654	80.91%		Sandy Robinson Marron, Lynn Gerard, Elaine Cotton, Shannon Harris	Spotlight	SALT
2004	Indianapolis, Indiana	The BUZZ	2796	85.24%		Nancy Cloeter, Debbie Cleveland, Karen Breidert, Jeannie Froelich	Razzcals	SALT
2005	Detroit, Michigan	Spotlight	2810	85.67%		Kendra LaPointe, LeAnn Hazlett, Kerry Denino, Patti Britz	SALT	Four Bettys
2006	Las Vegas, Nevada	SALT	2820	85.98%		Anna Ohman, Annika Andersson, Anna-Stina Gerdin*, Susanna Berndts, Karin Sjoblom[replacement]	Four Bettys	Razzcals
2007	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Four Bettys	2736	83.41%		Joan Boutilier, Lynda Keever, Heather Mears Brooks, Cori Albrecht	Jackpot!	Razzcals
2008	Honolulu, Hawaii	Moxie Ladies	2754	83.96%		Stacey St. John, Jennifer Edwards, Amy Leacock, Gretchen Holloway	Jackpot!	Razzcals
2009	Nashville, Tennessee	Zing!	2821	86.01%		Michelle Hunget, Susan Ives, Mary Rhea, Melynnie Williams	Jackpot!	MAXX Factor
2010	Seattle, Washington	MAXX Factor	2893	88.20%		Molly Dalton Plummer, Leslie Wodday, Kim Hudson*, Valerie Hadfield-Rasnake, Dawn Adams Clifford[replacement]	Journey	Capri
2011	Houston, Texas	Martini	2863	87.29%		Corinna Garriock, Michelle Shoemaker, DeAnne Haugen, Shannon Harris	Touché	a.k.a.
2012	Denver, Colorado	Touché	2830	86.28%		Patty Cobb-Baker, Gina Baker, Kim McCormick, Jan Anton	Bling!	LoveNotes
2013	Honolulu, Hawaii	LoveNotes[e]	2871	87.53%		Brittany Gilmore, Mia Dessenberger, Stephanie Lawson, Caitlin Smith	Bling!	a.k.a.
2014	Baltimore, Maryland	Bling!	2817	85.88%		Dayve Gabbard, Angie Love-Callahan, Kim Griffin, Deanna Kastler	Speed of Sound	Finesse
2015[d]	Las Vegas, Nevada	Speed of Sound	2822	88.19%		Debbie Landers, Ashley Wright, Carter Maysilles, Peggy Jones*, Kim McCormick[replacement]	Frenzy	Lustre
2016	Las Vegas, Nevada	Frenzy	2799	84.47%		Melissa Pope, Nikki Blackmer, Anne Marteniuk, Judy Pozsgay	Windsor	Lustre

^a Until 1985 a quarter-final round was held as well as a semi-final and final. The winner's scores for these three rounds were added together, making for a higher grand total than later years when only two rounds of scores (semi-final and final) make up the grand total. In 1987 "bonus points" were introduced in the final round. From 1989 to 1997 the quarter-final was reintroduced at a lower score value. For full details of scoring changes see the scoring section above. Direct comparisons of scores in different eras are possible using the % column.

^b From 1989 to 1997 the official scoresheet includes bonus points in the final and grand total but does not account for them in the official %. The % marked here does account for the bonus points for the sake of consistency.

^c From 1993 onwards the Queens’ official year designation was changed to reflect the year following their win rather than the year in which the competition was held.^[46]

^d Until 2015 bonus points were available in the final round. Removing these reduced the possible grand total. Direct comparisons of scores in different eras are possible using the % column.

^e UnderAge, the 2005 winners of the Rising Star competition, won the 2013 international quartet competition performing as LoveNotes.

Results by year

Quartet competition results
1940s	Tulsa 1947 • Topeka 1948 • St. Louis 1949
1950s	Chicago 1950 • Santa Monica 1951 • St. Petersburg 1952 • Milwaukee 1953 • Buffalo, N.Y. 1954 • Grand Rapids 1955 • Witchita 1956 • Miami Beach 1957 • Peoria 1958 • Tucson 1959
1960s	Detroit 1960 • Colorado Springs 1961 • Toronto 1962 • Berkley 1963 • Minneapolis 1964 • Denver 1965 • Houston 1966 • New York 1967 • Oklahoma City 1968 • Honolulu 1969
1970s	Boston 1970 • Kansas City 1971 • Salt Lake City 1972 • Washington D.C. 1973 • Milwaukee 1974 • Seattle 1975 • Cincinnati 1976 • London 1977 • Los Angeles 1978 • St. Louis 1979
1980s	Atlanta 1980 • Phoenix 1981 • Minneapolis 1982 • Detroit 1983 • Las Vegas 1984 • Kansas City 1985 • Philadelphia 1986 • Honolulu 1987 • Houston 1988 • Miami Beach 1989
1990s	Salt Lake City 1990 • San Antonio 1991 • Baltimore 1992 • Indianapolis 1993 • Reno 1994 • New Orleans 1995 • Fort Lauderdale 1996 • Salt Lake City 1997 • Nashville 1998 • Atlanta 1999
2000s	Orlando 2000 • Portland 2001 • Nashville 2002 • Phoenix 2003 • Indianapolis 2004 • Detroit 2005 • Las Vegas 2006 • Calgary 2007 • Honolulu 2008 • Nashville 2009
2010s	Seattle 2010 • Houston 2011 • Denver 2012 • Honolulu 2013 • Baltimore 2014 • Las Vegas 2015 • Las Vegas 2016

The results of the most recent competition are included below.

Note that the grand total listed in the "final" column is the cumulative total of scores achieved in the semi-final and final rounds of competition. Quartets can contain members who are registered in different regions, in which case all their regions are listed. However, they must qualify through one of those regions - that one is marked in bold. In addition to the direct-qualifying places, wildcard places are awarded to the 10 highest-scoring non-winning quartets across all regional competitions. This is indicated as "[wild]". Quartets which place 2nd–15th in the international quartet competition are also allowed to qualify directly for the following year if they wish, without competing at the regional level.^[50] This is indicated by "[pre-qualified]".

The 2016 competition was held on 17–22 October at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, the first time the competition was held at the same location twice in a row. The finalists included two quartets which had previously won the Rising Star competition (ClassRing and GQ) and a third (Windsor) with three members of two past Rising Star winning quartets — Royal Blush and The Ladies.

Las Vegas, Nevada (2016)

Official results

Place	Region	Contestant	Regional[51][52]		Semi-final[53][54][55][56]		Final[57]			Competition video semi-final final
			Score	Summary	Order of appearance	Score	Order of appearance	Score	Grand total
1	13, 26	Frenzy	[pre-qualified]		12	1378	10	1421	2799	semi-final final
2	9	Windsor	[pre-qualified]		46	1343	5	1384	2727	semi-final final
3	19	Lustre	[pre-qualified]		9	1363	9	1351	2714	semi-final final
4	31	Finesse	[pre-qualified]		15[a]	1336	1	1323	2659	semi-final final
5	5	ClassRing	[pre-qualified]		2[a]	1336	2	1315	2651	semi-final final
6	16	Spritzer	[pre-qualified]		36	1313	3	1336	2649	semi-final final
7	19	GQ	669		38	1287	7	1240	2527	semi-final final
8	7	HEAT	[pre-qualified]		10	1275	4	1245	2520	semi-final final
9	32	Milli Blink	[pre-qualified]		42	1237	6	1261	2498	semi-final final
10	4	Glamour	662		19	1279	8	1193	2472	semi-final final
11	1	VOCE	622		37	1232	—	—	—	semi-final —
12	4  [wild]	Tenacious	659		8	1228	—	—	—	semi-final —
13	32	Vocality	[pre-qualified]		4	1223	—	—	—	semi-final —
14	10	Live It Up!	620		26	1216	—	—	—	semi-final —
15	6	Sparkle!	618		29	1214	—	—	—	semi-final —
16	19  [wild]	Neon Lights	660		22	1202	—	—	—	semi-final —
17	8	Ruby Blue	626		34	1199	—	—	—	semi-final —
18	32  [wild]	Twist	606		45	1175	—	—	—	semi-final —
19	34	Hi-Jinx	623		43	1172	—	—	—	semi-final —
20	19	Famous Janes	[pre-qualified]		28	1172	—	—	—	semi-final —
21	1  [wild]	Boston Accent	605		33	1169	—	—	—	semi-final —
22	31	Fortuity	[pre-qualified]		3	1162	—	—	—	semi-final —
23	32  [wild]	MACC	606		25	1157	—	—	—	semi-final —
24	25	Rio!	625		7	1134	—	—	—	semi-final —
25	5	Legacy	629		44	1129	—	—	—	semi-final —
26	26	No Strings	621		27	1127	—	—	—	semi-final —
27	26  [wild]	Uptown Suite!	604		39	1119	—	—	—	semi-final —
28	21	C'est la vie	613		47	1114	—	—	—	semi-final —
29	32	SVEA	616		16	1110	—	—	—	semi-final —
30	13	PrimeTime	[pre-qualified]		32	1095	—	—	—	semi-final —
31	12	Turbulence	614		5	1075	—	—	—	semi-final —
32	21  [wild]	SpinOff	608		21[a]	1071	—	—	—	semi-final —
33	35	MOLTO!	608		35	1067	—	—	—	semi-final —
34	9	Premier	619		18	1061	—	—	—	semi-final —
35	13	Wink	616		41[a]	1059	—	—	—	semi-final —
36	14	Boss.	590		11	1056	—	—	—	semi-final —
37	3	By Request	596		24	1044	—	—	—	semi-final —
38	31	The MIX	618		17	1040	—	—	—	semi-final —
39	17	Fusion	566		48	1027	—	—	—	semi-final —
40	35  [wild]	Aftershock!	607		6	1026	—	—	—	semi-final —
41	9  [wild]	Ciao Bella	610		30	1025	—	—	—	semi-final —
42	16	Power Chords	602		13	1014	—	—	—	semi-final —
43	11	Cachet	580		23	1010	—	—	—	semi-final —
44	2	Fascination!	595		31	977	—	—	—	semi-final —

^a Swingline, CRUSH, Glow and Drive! quartets all qualified and were to compete as contestants number 1, 14, 26 and 40. but withdrew from the competition before it began. Therefore subsequent contestants competed in those places but retain their original contestant numbers.

Quartet records

Most international championships

Although a quartet is not allowed to win more than one international competition, individuals from winning quartets are permitted to join a new quartet and compete again. 21 people have won "dual crowns" by singing in two champion quartets, one person has won three crowns, and one person has won four times.^[49][34] Note, several winners have changed their surname by marriage in between wins, this table lists their current name followed by the name(s) they had in their championship year (in brackets). The "international champions" table, above, lists the competitor's name at that time.

Number	Name	Part	Quartet (year)
4	Connie Noble	Tenor	The 4th edition (1974) Savvy (1988) High Society (1976) [replacement] Fanatix (2001)
3	Kim Vaughn (Bone, Hulbert)	Lead	High Society (1976) Savvy (1988) a cappella Gold (2000)
2	Anna Ohman	Baritone, Tenor	Growing Girls (1989), SALT (2006)
	Bette Gorton	Tenor	High Society (1976), a cappella Gold (2000)
	Bonnie Fedyski	Bass	Chicago Fire (1994), Fanatix (2001) [replacement]
	Dale Syverson	Lead	Tiffanys (1973), Rumors (1999)
	Debbie Cleveland (Connelly)	Lead	Showtime (1993), The BUZZ (2004)
	Gerry Papageorge	Tenor, Bass	Panache (1990), Fanatix (2001)
	Jarmela Speta	Tenor	The Nota-Belles (1955), The Rarities (1970)
	Jeannie Froelich	Tenor, Bass	City Lights (1992), The BUZZ (2004)
	Karen Breidert	Baritone	Jubilation (1985), The BUZZ (2004)
	LeAnn Hazlett	Lead	Swing Street (1991), Spotlight (2005)
	Leslie Shoenhard (Taylor, Wodday)	Lead	Signature Sound (1999), MAXX Factor (2010)
	Marcia Starnes	Bass	Music Gallery (1982), 4-Star Collection (1997)
	Naima Meyer	Bass	Growing Girls (1989), Swinglish Mix (2002)
	Nancy Cloeter	Tenor	City Lights (1992), The BUZZ (2004)
	Peggy Gram (Barnes)	Bass	Ginger 'n Jazz (1987) [replacement], Rumors (1999)
	Sally Briner	Baritone	4 For The Show (1984), Panache (1990)
	Sandi Wright	Baritone	The Tetrachords (1978), Ambiance (1986)
	Sandy Shelver	Baritone	High Society (1976), Fanatix (2001)
	Shannon Harris	Bass	Brava! (2003), Martini (2011)
	Susan Ives	Lead	Classic Edition (1997), Zing! (2009)
	Suzanne Harrington	Lead	Growing Girls (1989), Swinglish Mix (2002)

Highest ever regional scores

Quartets can contain members who are registered in different regions, in which case all their regions are listed. The regional competition in which they achieved their high score is marked in bold. The highest 25 scores ever achieved at any regional competition as of 2016 are as follows:^[40]

Rank	Score	Quartet	Region	Year	Competition summary
1	669	GQ	19	2016
2	665	The BUZZ	9, 15	2004
3	662	Glamour	4	2016
4	660	Legacy	5	2015
		Windsor	9	2015
		Neon Lights	19	2016
7	659	Bling!	9	2010
		Tenacious	4	2016
8	656	Fortuity	31	2013
9	655	Touché	9, 21, 24	2011
10	654	ROXY	3	2011
		Milli Blink	32	2014
		Monarch	9	2015
		Pepper	13	2015
14	652	PrimeTime	13	2015
15	649	Take Note	24	2005
16	645	ClassRing	5	2015
17	644	Spritzer	16	2009	missing
		Spritzer	16	2012	missing
19	643	Timeless	5, 25	2010	missing
		Kräm	32	2012	missing
21	640	One Voice	21	2010	missing
		SparX	21	2010	missing
23	639	Vocality	32	2010	missing
24	638	MAXX Factor	19	2008
		ROXY	3	2014

Highest regional score by region

The highest score ever achieved in each individual region's competition as of 2016 are as follows:^[40]

Region	Score	Quartet	Year	Competition summary
1	618	Full Throttle	2014
2	627	In Voice!	2009	missing
3	654	ROXY	2011
4	662	Glamour	2016
5	660	Legacy	2015
6	621	Star Burst	2015
7	636	Zing!	2004
		HEAT	2013
8	637	Ms. Behavin'	2002
9	665	The BUZZ	2004
10	616	Live It Up	2015
11	629	Sirens	2010	missing
12	637	Swing Shift	2002
13	654	Pepper	2015
14	630	Speed of Sound	2012	missing
15	634	a.k.a	2011
16	644	Spritzer	2009	missing
			2012	missing
17	623	Surefire	2015
19	669	GQ	2016
21	640	One Voice	2010	missing
		SparX		missing
22	631	Contagious	2002
23	630	Dream	2012
24	649	Take Note	2005
25	643	Timeless	2010	missing
26	623	Martini	2008
30	no competition held
31	656	Fortuity	2013
32	654	Milli Blink	2014
34	628	Hi-Jinx	2015
35	630	Even Time	2010	missing

Rising Star

This quartet competition, also known as the Young Women in Harmony (YWIH) competition, is open to women under 25 years old.^[58]

Initially run as part of SAI's annual "International Education Symposium", from 2009 the competition was held as part of the international convention week. However, in 2013 it was decided to return to operating the competition separately due to the expense and scheduling difficulty of fitting in with the other convention events.^[59] The event was not run that year and from 2014 is held in conjunction with a regional competition.

Though it follows a simplified version of the main quartet competition scoring system, the YWIH the scoring system has changed several times – both in the potential maximum score and the strictness of the grading:

• In the inaugural year, 1999, four judges each gave scores out of 200 (totalling 800) and graded to the same level as normal competition
• From 2000 to 2002 no scores were given at all, only ranks
• In 2003 and 2004 four judges each gave scores out of 50 (totalling 200) and were more generous in the grading
• Since 2005 four judges each give scores out of 50 for two songs (totalling 400).

The list of Rising Star champions is as follows:^[60][61]

Year	Location	Quartet	Score	%	Description	Competition summary
1999	San Antonio, Texas	Dazzling Diamonds	472	59.0
2000	San Antonio, Texas	Sandstone
2001	San Antonio, Texas	Backchat
2002	Greenville, South Carolina	Voice Activated
2003	Greenville, South Carolina	BarbieShop	197	98.5
2004	Greenville, South Carolina	Tone Appétit	200	100
2005	Greenville, South Carolina	UnderAge[e]	387	96.8
2006	San Antonio, Texas	Footnotes	397	99.3
2007	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Luminous	390	97.5
2008	San Antonio, Texas	Whole Lotta Harmony	373	93.3
2009	Nashville, Tennessee	Vogue	370	92.5
2010	Seattle, Washington	Royal Blush	390	97.5
2011	Houston, Texas	The Fource	383	95.8
2012	Denver, Colorado	GQ	397	99.3
2013	Honolulu, Hawaii	no competition held
2014	Lowell, Massachusetts	ClassRing	388	97.0
2015	Scottsdale, Arizona	C'est La Vie	318	79.5
2016	Auckland, New Zealand	The Ladies	378	94.5

See also

• List of Barbershop Harmony Society chorus champions
• List of Barbershop Harmony Society quartet champions

References

Sources

• Sweet Adelines International homepage
  • "Competition Handbook" (PDF) (2016 ed.). Sweet Adelines International. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 August 2016. 
  • competition records
  • 50 and Forward 1945-1995 Commemorative Album. Tulsa, Oklahoma: Sweet Adelines International. 1995. OCLC 48806117. 
• Barbershophistory.com homepage
  • historical chorus results
  • competition records
• Barbershop Wiki Project homepage
  • SAI international convention
• Sweet Adelines Scores Yahoo! Group [registration required]
• Barbershop Harmony Society homepage
  • "Comprehensive Barbershop Historical Trivia Compilation". Barbershop Harmony Society. 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2015.