This past weekend, women’s history was musically made.
GQ – or “Girls Quartet” – an American barbershop quartet comprised of women singers Amanda Sandroni, Katie Gillis, Ali Hauger and Samantha Tramack, took home the top prize in this year’s International Quartet Contest hosted by the Barbershop Harmony Society in St. Louis.
This style of a cappella singing came about in the late 1800s, a Southern, African-American art form. The Barbershop Harmony Society, an organization designed to promote it, was first founded in 1938, but membership was only open to men until 2018. Non-male quartets began competing in its annual contest in 2022 – that year, GQ placed fourth.
Now, after nailing a six-song set featuring tunes from a range of musical genres, GQ is on top – and they’re thrilled. “We are overwhelmed with gratitude, humbled beyond words, and incredibly honored to join the legacy of those who came before us,” the group said of their win in a Facebook post. “We do not take that responsibility lightly.”
Over 5,000 singers signed on for the competition, which took place over the course of eight days, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch learned. The Society itself said of GQ, in a release on the group’s win, that “their high-energy performances are known for impeccable tuning, rich texture and passionate presentation,” which helped them stand out among the many.
The group, which was founded in July 2011, has thousands of fans around the world. And they were equally thrilled by GQ’s victory. Said one fan: “Watching and listening to you in high school made me fall in love with barbershop, and it’s amazing to see such incredible musicians bring a woman’s perspective to this art form we love so much!”
Another supporter added that the group is “proof that moms can have big goals and achieve them, too,” since there are mothers among the quartet’s ranks.
Now, members of the group added in their post, they are going to relax and enjoy the moment – before getting back to work.
“We’ll spend the next few days trying to understand what happened, but we’ll spend years to come striving to honor what this title represents — with excellence, humility, integrity and hearts that never forget the people who came before us and those who helped us get here.”
