Viva Acappella travelled to Spain.... won gold.....

and had the best time on tour achieving it!

On Saturday, the 4th of April, Viva took to the stage at the Barbershop of Iberia Association Convention (BiBA).

The auditorium was full of fellow competitors, whilst at home, friends and family logged onto the live webcast on YouTube to watch us.

The competition was the culmination of three months of intense rehearsals and planning. We travelled to Calpe on Spain's coast either individually, or with family in tow, or in small groups. The excitement started to build days before, as WhatsApp enabled us to keep in touch, check details of travel and logistics, and just make each other giggle with our mad preparation antics!


Not only did we need to be on point with our music and choreography, but also with our black costumes complete with sequins, our Viva pink lips and nails, fake tan, bronzer and earrings.

The AR Diamante Beach Hotel and Spa was fabulous with a spacious reception area and restaurants, bars and pools and only a stone’s throw from the beach. We had fun sharing comfortable rooms with other chorus members and wherever we went, we were constantly bumping into barbershop friends and making new friends along the way.



Competition day is both intense and exciting in equal measure and as we were number 17 on stage, we had ample time to prepare thoroughly with a substantial breakfast along with some exercise, yoga on the beach and fresh air.






We helped each other get ‘Glammed-up’ with makeup, false eyelashes and hair and before long we were together to warm up our voices and tune into each other. Time seemed to speed up then as we headed backstage for the final 20 minute practice.... then we walked out onto the stage to a fabulous welcome and began to sing.
Our seven minutes out there were exhilarating and joyful and the standing ovation for both songs was very, very moving.

Since our appearance was towards the end of the day, we only had a short time to wait for the results and were delighted when we were announced as the winners of the international competition. Of course, there was a short celebration and time to congratulate the other competitors, followed by a swift turnaround and a mad rush for an early dinner.



We were delighted to be able to join the other winners and sing again in the show that evening, after which we gradually started to unwind as we met in the bars to sing with other barbershop enthusiasts before retiring to a private room to party, but we can’t tell you about that, because what happens on tour stays on tour!



If this sounds like the sort of adventure you’d enjoy, then come along one Thursday evening and watch us rehearse. We would be delighted to see you!
All the details about our rehearsal venue and times are on in the Visit A Rehearsal page on our website