The St. Louis Chamber Chorus makes outstanding music, and deserves great respect for what they do. But to unequivocally term them “our region’s finest choral ensemble” shows ignorance of a local gem.

The Ambassadors of Harmony are a St. Charles-based a capella group boasting over 150 talented male voices. On July 3, in Anaheim, CA, they won the Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Chorus Championship, besting choruses from around the United States and Canada, as well as Great Britain, Sweden, and New Zealand, and posting the highest score in the 55-year history of the competition.

Learn more at http://www.aoh.org .

Sorry, Dave, but you’re comparing apples and kumquats. Besides, I just gave the Ambassadors their due on this very blog. Check it out.

So I see! Thanks for that. But I have to ask… are you arguing that the Ambassadors are not a “choral ensemble”? Of course I’ll concede that AOH and SLCC are two totally different animals, and can’t really be compared, but that’s exactly why neither should be flatly called the finest ensemble in the area.

Dave (and I’m sorry - you have the advantage of me, since I don’t know your full/real name), look at my title, to start: I’m the classical music critic. Of the groups that fall under that rubric, the SLCC is absolutely the finest.

They’re a professional chorus; virtually all of them have trained voices, and they’re all musicians. They sing six concerts each year, including lots of new music, much of it commissioned, and in many different styles. Moreover, their most recent recording got positive reviews from a variety of critics nationally and internationally, including one writing for Gramophone.

It’s not taking anything away from AoH to say that the SLCC is the finest choral ensemble in the region. I admire AoH’s dedication and achievement, but the two are totally different animals.