In 1986, twenty-four women began a journey to share their love of barbershop harmony. Under the direction of Nancy Bergman, Tucson Goodtime Singers (TGS) was established. With Nancy’s ear for musical talent and her flair for showmanship, TGS became known within the community as an award-winning chorus and a stand-out for their annual shows. This added the status of Master Director to Nancy’s already impressive resume of Master Arranger, Certified Judge and Queen of Harmony. In 2000, Nancy retired from directing TGS. She continues to inspire and share her musical talents of arranging and directing with the Canada del Oro Men’s Barbershop Chorus in SaddleBrook.
Upon Nancy’s retirement, one of our own stepped down from the risers to accept the opportunity and challenge of directing TGS. Dayle Ann Cook proudly carried on the award-winning tradition for the next 10 years. On the quartet level, she sang in several award-winning quartets and appeared with them on the International stage. In 2005, the chorus changed its name to Tucson Desert Harmony (TDH) to fully blend our love of harmony and the area in which we live. Dayle Ann became a Master Director and led the chorus to their first International stage appearance in 2009 in Nashville, TN. We will never forget that amazing experience. She retired from directing in 2010.
Karen Meade took over the musical leadership of TDH in the spring of 2010 and stepped right into directing her first chorus show just five months later. The next spring, she led us to an award-winning performance on the Regional level. Like her predecessors, she had gone through the rigorous process to become a Certified Director. She had served as our Assistant Director for several years. Karen is also well-versed in winning traditions. She has competed for many years in outstanding quartets and because of their winning records, she is very familiar with the International stage. We are truly blessed to have such musical talent within our own group. In April 2013 the chorus competed in Pasadena, CA and qualified for the Harmony Classic in Baltimore in November 2014. That was the second time competing on the international stage.
In 2022, we competed at the International competition in Phoenix and placed 23rd in the world out of over 500 choruses.
We have celebrated over 35 years of singing together. We are SO looking forward to the next 35 years!
