Congratulations to all who crossed the stage!
Enjoy our performances:
Barbershop Music Festival 2026
»A CAPPELLA LOVE« was the motto under which numerous choruses and quartets gathered at the Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal from 12 to 15 March 2026 for Germany's largest barbershop event. Think back to the German Barbershop Championships and an evening show filled with exhilarating performances and that unique barbershop a cappella sound.
Together, we experienced a huge a cappella festival with singers from all over the world, as the World Mixed Championships were finally held again in 2026, bringing together the world’s best mixed quartets and choruses in Wuppertal.
The Barbershop Music Festival 2026 was all about love – love of music, love of spectacular entertainment and love of giving you a fantastic and unforgettable experience. Relive the journey and feel the fire that burned within over 1,200 passionate singers. You’ll find a look back at 2026 below.
This is a cappella music that touches the heart!
Westminster Chorus
Special guest was Westminster Chorus, the gold medal chorus in the BHS 2024 international competition!
Under the direction of Dr. Dan Wessler, Westminster Chorus is the winner of the 2009 Pavarotti Trophy ‘Choir of the World’ and the gold medal winner of the Barbershop Harmony Society in 2007, 2010, 2015, 2019 and 2024. The chorus, which is made up of young and dedicated singers, was founded in its current formation in 2002. Westminster is a male chorus from California and a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS). The chorus is dedicated to preserving and promoting the art form of barbershop while creating and encouraging an inclusive community for young people in Southern California and around the world to engage in a lifetime of singing, music and artistic expression.
Contest
Since 2012, BinG! has been organising BinG! World Mixed, the World Championships for mixed barbershop quartets. Since 2018, we have also had the privilege of hosting the World Championships for mixed barbershop choruses.
In recent years, many outstanding mixed barbershop choruses and quartets have emerged, enriching the world of barbershop.
Throughout its history, our association has been committed to promoting mixed barbershop singing, and we are delighted that, in consultation with the international associations, we have been entrusted with organising the "World Mixed Championships".
Following a break caused by the pandemic, we were finally able to welcome the world’s best mixed quartets for the fifth time and the best mixed choruses for the second time in 2026.
For over 30 years now, the German Barbershop Chrous Championships and the German Quartet Championships have been held every two years as part of the Barbershop Music Festival.
You can view this year’s results, as well as those from previous years, here.
Jury 2026 & Rules
A distinguished panel of judges will evaluate the competitions according to BHS rules:
Singing: Aaron Evans, James Robert Estes, Alison Thompson; Lucas Bitzer (practice judge)
Performance: Dusty Schleier, Marty Lovick, Sandra Lea-Riley
Musicality: Cay Outerbridge, John Burri, Alex de Bruin
Admin: Ben Porter (Panel Chair), David Wright, Hartmut Otto
Performance order
- Quartet semi-final - Session 1
Mic Warmer: Last Minute
1. Not Too Fancy
2. Seriously?!
3. Escapade
4. It's a bet
5. The Hillbillys
6. Summer & the Good Vibes
7. Sound of July
8. Rhine Rhapsody
9. Newphoria
10. Tic Tag Toe
11. Nice n easy
12. Sunny Side Up
13. 3.1
14. Schallundraus
15. The Light Fantastic
16. O-Ton
17. Mixed Bag
18. Pen Pals- Quartet semi-final - Session 2
Mic Warmer: Take Four
19. Night Train Quartet
20. Klangküsse
21. Nice When It Works
22. A.S.A.P.
23. Sunday Night Social
24. Mrs. Lovett
25. PHK - Pastor Hannes Kör
26. Wash Queens
27. Game on!
28. Mäxpitch
29. Empire
30. Veto
31. Dreamscape
32. Aurora
33. BAM!
34. Ami Quartet
35. No Limits
36. 3vs1
37. Andrew's Sisters
38. 3/4 anwesend
39. Smoke Ring
40. VelovoxMic Cooler: The Newfangled Four
- Choruses - Session 1
Mic Warmer: No Borders Show Chorus
1. Northern Stars
2. Ladies First
3. Barbershop Blend
4. Barberkadabra
5. Munster Mix
6. Undercover MixMic Cooler: PDX Voices
- Choruses - Session 2
Mic Warmer: Lucky Dreamers
7. A Cappella Company
8. Main Stream Magic
9. Munich Show Chorus
10. Sugar ´n Spice
11. Mixed Nuts
12. Erster Kölner Barbershop Chorus (EKBC)
13. BinG! Youth Chorus (BYC)
14. Project M
15. A Cappella Ladies
16. Voices Unlimited
17. Düssharmonie
18. Project Mosaik
19. Mixology
20. Lux A Cappella
21. The Rhubarbs
22. Harmunichs
23. Barberellas
24. Herrenbesuch
25. Miss Harmony
26. Crucible Vocal Project
27. Bristol A Cappella
28. Women in BlackMic Cooler: Westminster Chorus
- Quartet Finale
tbd
Programme
- Thursday, March 12, 2026
6:00 pm: get together at "Historischen Stadthalle" Tickets: Get Together
6:00 pm: stage test quartets
7:30 pm: Concert Westminster Chorus and The Newfangled Four. Tickets: Konzert
9:00 pm: stage briefing choruses
- Friday, March 13, 2026
09:30 am: Semi finals for the German and World Mixed Quartet Championships
06:40 pm: draw of quartet finalists
08:00 pm: German and World Mixed Chorus Championships part I
followed by afterglow
- Saturday, March 14, 2026
09:30 am: part II of German and World Mixed Chorus Championships
03:35 pm: Chorus awards ceremony
04:30 pm: German and World Mixed Quartet Championship Finals
07:05 pm: Quartets award ceremony
08:30 pm: Show of the Champions, followed by afterglow
- Sunday, March 15, 2026
10:30 am: Coaching under Glass
11:30 am: Tags and Closing
Dear singers,
dear festival guests and
dear board members of BinG! Barbershop in Germany,
‘A Cappella Love’ is the long-standing motto of the Barbershop music festivals, which bring together singers from all over the world every year, like a big family reunion. They are all united by their love of music and singing together. As in any choir or vocal ensemble, diverse and long-lasting friendships are formed here, and cultural coexistence and social cohesion are lived out as a matter of course – and that is wonderful! Especially at a time when tendencies towards exclusion and isolation are on the rise worldwide, choirs and ensembles can demonstrate their unique power and strength as the heart, pulse and engine of democracy in a melodious and harmonious way.
This year, the German Barbershop Championships and the international World Mixed competition, in which the world's best mixed barbershop ensembles compete, are once again part of the festival. BinG! is playing a pioneering role here, for which I would like to express my sincere congratulations: While until 2019 barbershop singing was strictly gender-segregated in almost all other countries, BinG! has long included all-voice ensembles and offers mixed-voice barbershop ensembles a stage far beyond Germany's borders, enriching the scene in a unique way. The high number of participants confirms this impressively.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to the team behind BinG! Barbershop in Germany and its lively and exciting festivals: people who work mainly on a voluntary basis and who, with great commitment and passion, make such unique music events possible, bringing joy and unforgettable experiences to many people.
On behalf of the Presidium of the German Choral Association, I wish you every success and a wonderful outcome for the Barbershop Music Festival 2026. I am very much looking forward to being able to attend parts of the festival in person.
Yours sincerely,
Christian Wulff
President of the German Choral Association
Former President of the Federal Republic of Germany
