Minutes before the first note was sung, Great Neck Library’s Parkville branch buzzed with excitement. Audience members leaned forward, anticipating what the dozen or so men in white and red would sing. But when those men finally lifted their chins and drew in a breath, the buzzing stopped—the silence broken a second later as the chorus belted the first chord. The Long Island Harmonizers were back.
On December 13, the Long Island Harmonizers returned to Great Neck, bringing their well-known barbershop harmonies back to a community that has welcomed them for years. The Harmonizers—the largest chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society on Long Island—sing in the classic Barbershop choir style, characterized by four-part harmony in a monorhythmic texture. This performance at the Great Neck Library is one of many stops the Harmonizers will make across Nassau during the holiday season. While their stop will only last an evening, performances like these leave a lasting impact.
Community and county-wide choirs like the Harmonizers often perform at town events, creating low-cost spaces where residents can enjoy live music. Their performances at libraries, schools, and holiday gatherings bring joy while drawing attention to the institutions where they perform: Libraries rely on choral performances for attendance, and religious institutions use choral music to strengthen cultural expression. In Great Neck specifically, the Great Neck Choral Society embodies this role.
The GNCS, a decades-old ensemble that rehearses weekly at South Middle, performs annual spring and winter concerts at the Garden City Community Church. Beyond those concerts, the choir appears at holiday celebrations and other town-wide events throughout the year. Christina Cinnamo, the choir’s director, describes the choir as community-bound in the truest sense. “What really defines the group is how close they are. They look after each other, they support each other, and they show up whenever they’re needed.”
In fact, these choirs benefit their singers as much as the communities they perform for. The GNCS’s members are primarily older residents of the town, many of whom are lifelong singers. That nostalgia, paired with the routine and companionship of weekly rehearsals, draws older citizens to choirs year after year.
While some choirs, like the GNCS, hold auditions to ensure competency and determine range, other choirs, like the Harmonizers, do not, thus creating welcoming low-barrier spaces that provide a sense of purpose. Additionally, the communal environment offers support that Giovanna Devarro, GNCS President, describes as “life-saving.” After giving up on singing after music school and losing her husband, Devarro needed something to lift her back up. “I needed to find a decent chorus,” she said. “A student recommended the Great Neck Choral Society. I joined, and from the moment I arrived at my first rehearsal, I was home! I had found a new family.”
This relationship between choirs and singers becomes clearer when considering the range of choirs across Long Island, each tied to distinct musical traditions and needs. The Syosset-based Twin County Chorus encourages women to discover their voice through the traditionally all-male barbershop style. The Port Washington-based Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church uses music to complement sermon and worship. And the Long Island-based Shreinu Chorus performs across Long Island to celebrate Jewish heritage. Though all different, each group sustains traditions, fosters belonging, and integrates music into communities—what Cinnamo described as music serving “as connective tissue between human beings.”
As the holiday season passes, the Harmonizers will too, moving on to their next stop. But Great Neck’s own choirs will keep singing at libraries, events, and community centers throughout the year. So when the Great Neck Choral Society hosts its winter concert on January 11, show up. As the melodies flutter around your ear, and the notes fill up every nook and cranny of the room, remember that you’re supporting the connections that shape Great Neck’s sense of community.
