Who Are We?

Formed in 2008, Novatones is a men's harmony singing group based in the Newcastle area consisting of about 20 members. Novatones is the performing name of our chorus, which is administered by NEWCASTLE HARMONY CLUB , also formed in 2008.

The group sings primarily in the Barbershop style - a Capella singing (singing without instrumental sound) in 4 part harmony, made up of consonant chords for each melody note. Each part of the harmony is performed by a designated section of men within the group. Generally, the lead section sings the melody, the tenor section harmonises above the melody, the bass section sings the lowest harmonising notes, and the baritone section completes the chord, both above and below the lead.

The aims of the group are:

1. To promote Barbershop singing among men of all ages

Although Barbershop singing is performed throughout many countries in the world (Great Britain, Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, and Southern Africa etc ) membership in our region of New South Wales is relatively low. We are determined to promote Barbershop singing in our area as a great past time because we believe barbershop bridges gaps that no other past time is capable of doing.

For those that are devotees, barbershop is far more than a hobby. We believe that these are positive things that should readily be available to all men.

2. To establish itself as a source of high performance harmony singing within the Hunter

Over the past 2 years our group has been moving towards a semi professional performance standard. Under the directorship of Ian Miller we have expanded our repertoire of songs and refined our technique and we now offer a wide variety of performance options. For more details on what we offer click here.

3. To promote fellowship, fun and achievement for members, together with family involvement and community spirit.

We sing to entertain the community. We are a non profit organisation, but we must pay for the privilege. Although each member pays annual subscriptions we still need to raise funds to cover costs such as hall rental, music copyright, uniforms, risers, advertising, etc. Whilst we are a male singing chorus, we are family oriented and encourage family involvement with organising our entertainment and social events.

4. To raise funds for Ronald McDonald House in Newcastle

We are proud to be associated with Ronald McDonald House in Newcastle and we donate part of the net proceeds from all our paid performances to that fine charity.