Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Women’s chorus celebrating 25 years
BELLA VISTA — Director Karen Frankenfeld and the Perfect Harmony Women’s Barbershop Chorus will celebrate 25 years of singing together on April 28 with a 3 p.m. concert at Highland Christian Church in Bella Vista. The community is invited and a reception will follow.
In 1999, Frankenfeld was asked to start a women’s barbershop chorus in Bella Vista after the Sweet Adelines chorus lost its director. Her vision was to create a musical outlet for women with the opportunity to have fun singing together and entertaining others.
Frankenfeld first started singing barbershop music in St. Joseph, Mo. in 1960 and sang with the Cedar Rapids, Iowa chorus in the ’70s. She started a chorus in Manchester, Iowa in the late ’80s and continued directing there until 1994 as a certified Sweet Adelines director. Frankenfeld’s directing experience includes 38 years of teaching high school music in Missouri and Iowa as well as directing choruses and church choirs.
Women’s barbershop choruses have four sections — lead, tenor, baritone and bass. Lead and tenor includes higher voices while baritone and bass is for those with lower voices.
Frankenfeld researches a wide variety of music that is arranged in the four-part barbershop style before selecting a song for the chorus to sing. Some of the songs she chooses give her an opportunity to add a special touch to the arrangement and to let the women have a little fun with it for audience appeal. The group’s portfolio includes classics from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s, modern pop, seasonal songs and patriotic, gospel and novelty numbers.
Perfect Harmony Women’s Barbershop Chorus has been a year-around constant in Frankenfeld’s life for 25 years; she has seen members come and members go. In a 2021 article in The Weekly Vista, Frankenfeld was quoted as saying, “This group means the world to me. It’s an excellent outlet for us to enjoy one another and make a new connection and support one another. We’re all a little older and need a lot of support.”
In a typical year, Perfect Harmony performs for various clubs, groups and events in Bella Vista, Bentonville and Rogers, and gives back to the communities by helping to support local charities. The chorus has performed for residents of senior facilities in Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri, and provided entertainment for veterans hospitals and nonprofit organizations.
When covid hit in 2020, rehearsals and performances stopped which left an empty space for many in the group. During the extended time off, the group tried getting together a few times outside in lawn chairs at Highland Christian
In a typical year, Perfect Harmony performs for various clubs, groups and events in Bella Vista, Bentonville and Rogers, and gives back to the communities by helping to support local charities.
Church to keep their voices fresh. Some members even visited local retirement communities and sang Christmas carols outdoors to residents and fellow chorus members who were watching and listening from their balconies.
Perfect Harmony Women’s Barbershop Chorus has always been a fun-loving, energetic women’s a cappella group. There are no try outs and no previous musical experience is necessary to join. The chorus provides an opportunity for women to be part of a sisterhood through singing and the love of music. The chorus invites women of all ages and voice ranges to visit a rehearsal and experience barbershop singing.
The chorus meets every Monday from 3-4:30 p.m. at Highland Christian Church, 1500 Forest Hills Blvd. For more information or to schedule the chorus for entertainment, contact Frankenfeld at 4798767204 or karenfrankenfeld@att.net. Their Facebook page is Bella Vista Perfect Harmony.