Who We Are

Sound of the Heartland Sweet Adelines Chorus     Sound of the Heartland Chorus started out as Valley Center Chorus of Sweet Adelines International in 1971.  We moved to Newton, Kansas in 2004 and changed our name to reflect the wide area our members come from.  The chorus is composed of talented women from many walks of life, and all ages.  We come from Newton, as well as several different cities around the area, including Hutchinson, McPherson, Valley Center and Wichita. We are dedicated to singing four-part harmony, barbershop style, an original American musical art form.  Since its beginning, the chorus has been promoting musical excellence, personal growth and fellowship through its educational programs, performances and regular participation in competition.   The high quality of singing can be attributed in part to directors such as Gaylene Pierce, Ruby Pike, Nancy Scriven and current director LaDonna Cheatham.  These women have shared their expertise in and knowledge of barbershop music and made good use of many coaches.  Of course the singers, who possess varying degrees of musical abilities, have had to do their share also.  Over the years they have continued their appreciation of barbershop harmony through continued education and performance, thus perpetuating confidence and pride in their achievements.   SOTH is one of the 600+ choruses that make up Sweet Adelines International, a highly respected worldwide organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performance. This independent, nonprofit music education association is one of the world's largest singing organizations for women. Over 27,000 members are based in the United States, Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden and the Netherlands. There are also prospective choruses in Denmark, Greece and United Arab Emirates. We all sing in English – truly an international organization with the fitting motto “Harmonize the World.”