About Us

The Cape Shore Chorus is a group of women from all walks of life who share the vision of creating the best barbershop harmony possible. We strive to create a warm, fun and positive atmosphere where we are committed to improving our skills.

We Rehearse Year Round!

Thursday Nights: 7:15 - 10:00 PM (April - October) - 8:00 - 10:00 PM (November - March)

Upper Township Community Center - 1790 Rt-50, Tuckahoe, NJ 08250

Call (609) 628-2846 for Information


The Cape Shore Chorus represents a group of women from all walks of life who share a joy for learning and performing barbershop music. The chorus strives to create a warm, fun and positive atmosphere where we can improve our vocal skills while always remaining energetic and supportive of one another. Through education and entertaining performances, the Cape Shore Chorus promotes the musical art form of Barbershop Harmony – a uniquely American folk art!

Cape Shore Chorus was founded in 1988 when three former Sweet Adelines moved to Cape May County and decided to form a local chapter. It took about a year and a half to build the required membership to at least 20 members in order to become an “official” chapter and perform publicly as a “Sweet Adelines Chorus”. The chorus regularly performs throughout Cape May County as well as several other venues in Atlantic and Cumberland Counties. Annual appearances include performances at Cape May Convention Hall, Wildwood, the Ocean City Boardwalk, Cape May Court House Harvest Fest and Christmas in Court House, the Ocean City Music Pier, and the County 4-H Fair among others.

Long-Term Goals

The goals of the Cape Shore Chorus are consistent with the goals of the International Organization and include:

- Provide all chorus members with educational opportunities to improve their vocal skills and learn about the techniques of barbershop singing.

- Provide all chorus members with opportunities to perform in public settings.

- Support and encourage young women as they pursue training and education in the field of music.

- Develop strategies to retain current members and actively recruit new members to participate in Cape Shore Chorus.

- Increase public awareness and appreciation for this traditional American art form.

Sweet Adelines International is a highly respected worldwide organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performances. This independent, nonprofit music education association is one of the world's largest singing organizations for women. Founded in 1945 in Tulsa, Oklahoma by a small group of women who wanted to learn the barbershop style of four-part, a cappella harmony, the international organization now has nearly 30,000 registered members in more than 600 choruses who are perpetuating the unique American art form of barbershop harmony.



Patty Weeks, Director

Patty Weeks was appointed as Director of Cape Shore Chorus in June 2014 after serving as Assistant Director for seven years. She has been a member of the Cape Shore Chorus since August 2004 and was new to Barbershop style music at that time having had vocal and choral experience in musical theater and Classical music.

Patty has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studies in the Arts and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. She has worked at Stockton University for over 40 years and currently serves as the Director of the Southern Regional Institute and Educational Technology Training Center (SRI&ETTC) in the School of Education where she is responsible for the development and delivery of professional development programming for K-12 educators.

Patty is a Certified Director in the Sweet Adelines International Organization and in Spring 2017, she earned the HARMONY 500 DIRECTOR designation. She also sings with the Greater Harrisburg Chorus and has competed on the International stage with Greater Harrisburg, Pride of Baltimore, and Valley Forge Choruses and will be competing at the International Competition in Louisville in 2020 with the Greater Harrisburg Chorus. She is currently the Director Coordinator for the Region 19 Regional Management Team.

Cape Shore Chorus -

CONTEST PLACEMENTS - Atlantic Bay-Mountain Region 19

Second Place Small Chorus 2018

Third Place Small Chorus - 2017

Second Place Small Chorus - 2016

Third Place Small Chorus - 2011

Third Place Small Chorus - 2009

Most Improved Chorus - 2005

Third Place Small Chorus - 2005

What is Barbershop Harmony?

First, there are four parts – called “tenor”, “lead”, “baritone”, and “bass.” The lead almost always sings the melody and the tenor sings harmony above the melody. The bass provides the low notes and the baritone fills in the chord.

Second, the music is always sung a capella, with a strong emphasis on accurate tuning of each chord. When this is done well enough, the natural overtones present in the singers’ voices reinforce each other to produce an audible fifth (or sometimes even a sixth note). This is what we call “expanded sound.”

A Barbershop Chorus is a larger four-part ensemble, singing the same music a Barbershop Quartet would sing, with each section acting as one voice. In a chorus, members may not be equally distributed among the four parts, since a few tenors can easily balance many basses. And when a chord locks in perfectly, it’s a barbershop ecstasy. Sing a beautiful seventh chord to create an overtone, and barbershoppers know they’re close to musical heaven. Singers around the world are thrilling to our truly American form of music with quartets and choruses now singing in eleven countries.

Barbershop music features songs with understandable lyrics and easily singable melodies, whose tones clearly define a tonal center and imply major and minor chords and barbershop seventh chords that resolve primarily around the circle of fifths, while making frequent use of other resolutions. Artistic singing in the barbershop style exhibits a fullness or expansion of sound, precise intonation, a high degree of vocal skill, and a high level of unity and consistency within the ensemble.