White Rose Chorus

History

The York, Pennsylvania Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (then SPEBSQSA,Inc.), was founded in 1945 and sponsored by the Wilmington, DE Chapter. The Chapter was chartered by the Society in 1946 and incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania in 1949. The group was simply known as the York Chapter and the charter President was Harry M. Steinhauser. The York chapter was the second chapter in Pennsylvania to receive a charter and soon sponsored other area chapters including the Harrisburg, Lancaster, Hanover and Lebanon Chapters.

The Chapter has met much turmoil throughout its existence and was at one point inactive in the 1960s. The chapter was resurrected in 1966 and became known as the Colonial Chorus. The chapter bylaws were amended by then President Donald Slonicker who as of the end of 2014 was still a member of the chapter. The York chapter was the first chapter in the Mid-Atlantic district to surpass 100 active members, and was division championship level chorus during the 1980s under the direction of Carl Snyder. The group became known as the White Rose Chorus in 1986 and continued to compete at the division level through 2006.

As with many current chapters, membership has declined considerably and by 2008 had dwindled to 8 active members. It was commonly thought throughout the barbershop community that the York chapter had folded, but that small core of remaining members continued to rehearse and perform under the direction of Bruce Van Order. The majority of current members have joined since 2008 making the White Rose chorus among the oldest and youngest chapters in the Mid-Atlantic District.

In 2013, the Chapter produced its first annual Fall Show since 2007. In 2014, the chapter returned to the division contest for the first time since 2006 at the Western Division convention in Harrisburg, PA.

Musical Directors

- Harry M Steinhauser (conductor) - Carl Snyder - 2007–2013: R. Bruce Van Order - 2014–present: Eric Phillips