A Whangarei women's barbershop group has won a national prize for the best small chorus for the sixth time. The 25-member team was among 500 women from throughout the country who participated in the Harmony Heatwave Convention in Christchurch earlier this month. Led by Christien Oberholster, the group's choice of songs wasIf I Give My Heart to You and the original Dixieland One Step. The competitors were judged by a team of four international judges. Spokeswoman Camilla Sanson said the group had spent months preparing for the event and the performance was all over in six minutes. The result, she said, was particularly pleasing since there were five new members who were competing for the first time. They were also placed third overall. The chorus started in 1992 with 33 women, who first performed in public a year later. They travelled abroad, singing with Australian choruses, and were in the New Zealand team to the annual international convention in the United States. The group also performs charitable ``sing-outs' at homes for the elderly, the Salvation Army, hospice and other community organisations.
