More About The New Tradition Chorus

Our Organization

The New Tradition Chorus is the chapter chorus of the Northbrook Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society. We are a charitable, non-profit organization based in the northern suburbs of Chicago, IL. We provide access to the arts and musical education to both our members and our community.

We typically stage several holiday shows with a variety of Christmas and Channukah selections during the first weekend of December. We also put on a several shows during the spring with a new theme each year. Past shows have include Broadway selections, 40's music, 50's music, Americana, and much more.


The New Tradition Performs Les Mis (July 2000)

Our membership is open to men of all ages and we're always looking for new members. We rehearse every Monday night from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.

Our Contest Results

We compete in the Illinois District's chorus contest each fall for the right to represent our district in the International Chorus Contest, which is held each summer during the week of the 4th of July. In 19 apperances in the International Chorus Contest we have won a medal every time, making us one of the most decorated choruses in the history of the Barbershop Harmony Society. In 2008 we were the Barbershop Harmony Society's 5th Place Bronze Medal Chorus. We have medaled in every contest we've been eligable for since 1988, and have represented the Illinois District every year since 1988 (except 2002 and 2003 when contest rules required us to take a break after winning the gold in '01).

Our results:

About Our Director

Jay Giallombardo is a Chicago area North Shore native growing up in Wilmette, where he developed a love of a cappella singing through the Boys Barbershop Club at New Trier High School and hymn singing in church throughout his youth. He started singing in area barbershop chapters at the age of 15. Since then, he went on to making nearly 40 appearances on the International Contest stage as a quartetter, most notably winning the International Championship with Grandma's Boys quartet in 1979 and also as the music director of New Tradition throughout its entire International medalist history.

Not only is Jay in demand as a clinician, vocal coach and judge/adjudicator on the worldwide music scene, he has most recently been commissioned for several works including an orchestration combined with choral parts which debuted at the Lynden WA Music Festival by the Whatcom Symphony, Realtime quartet and the Mount Baker WA Chorus.

Jay also recently composed a brand new choral work of "Sure on This Shining Night" based on the poem by James Agee as a commission for the Westminster Chorus (2009 Choir of the World and 2007 & 2010 Barbershop Harmony Society International Chorus champions).

Jay studied music composition, counterpoint and orchestration in his college years with Hugo Norden, John Oliver and Leonard Bernstein at the Tanglewood Summer Festival. He holds a Bachelors of Music Education from Boston University and a Masters in Music Composition & Theory from Northwestern University. Jay is a writer-member of ASCAP, runs the database operations in Research and Evaluation at City Colleges of Chicago, and owns GSB Medal Music Inc. which publishes his music compositions and arrangements. He resides in Glenview, IL with his wife Helen and two of his college-age children.

If you would like to contact Jay Giallombardo about coaching, judging or arranging, you may contact him via e-mail at gsbmedal@comcast.net