About Harbour Capital Chorus

The Harbour Capital Chorus was formed in Wellington on February 4th, 1988 following pioneering work by the “Co-ordinated Chemists” Quartet for several years prior to that. The Harbour Capital Chorus has since grown to be one of New Zealand's most active Barbershop choruses. Its influence on New Zealand Barbershop singing has been highly significant:

• The first New Zealand Association of Barbershop Singers' (NZABS) Convention was hosted by it in Wellington in 1989. 
• The Inter-Secondary School's competitions began in Wellington the following year. 
• In 1996 the Harbour Capital Chorus, following it’s hosting of the national convention, was also the first Chorus in New Zealand to run a NZ Based Harmony College which is a week long residential Barbershop Music School.
• In 2004, following a successful evaluation performance at the annual Convention, a second Chorus, Vocal FX, initially for under-25 year olds was launched.
• In 2008, Wellington Men's Barbershop Inc was launched as a Chapter of of NZABS. Both choruses form part of Wellington Men's Barbershop Inc.
• In 2009, the very successful "Sounds Capital" convention was held in Wellington.
• In 2010, The Chapter name was changed from Wellington Men's Barbershop Inc, to Sounds Capital Incorporated - to allow for a more "catchy" name to promote men's barbershop in the Wellington region.

The HCC Chorus has enjoyed a range of placings in annual competitions over the years and is currently the 6th ranked chorus in New Zealand.

The Vocal FX Chorus were the winners of the NZABS Open Competition in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. In both 2007 and 2009, they travelled to the USA to compete in the Barbershop Harmony Society Chorus Competition and were placed 11th and 10th respectively in the world.

The 2004, 2007 and 2010 NZABS 1st placed NZABS Open Quartet winners Musical Island Boys, were and still are members of Sounds Capital Inc and the VocalFX Chorus. They were previous NZ "Young Men in Harmony" Gold Medallists (2002 & 2003) and were placed 3rd equal in the Collegiate Competition at the International Convention in Louisville, Kentucky in July 2004, winning a Bronze Medal. In the July 2005 Collegiate Competition at Salt Lake City, they were again placed 3rd and in 2006 they won the Collegiate Competition - the only non-US based Collegiate Quartet ever to do so. In 2009, they competed in the Barbershop Harmony Society's Open Quartet Competition and were placed 10th and in 2010 were placed 4th.

The 2010 the 2nd placed NZABS quartet Quartertone and the 4th placed quartet Pacific Flavours also both come from Wellington.

The 1999 NZ 1st placed NZABS Open Quartet winners, Southern Harmony, were also members of Harbour Capital Chorus and were invited to compete in the International Collegiate Competition in 1999 at Anaheim, California in which they were placed 4th.