Bella Acapella was founded in early 2008 when Sylvia Hinton took over a small female gospel chorus and that´s when the magic happened. She swiftly turned the chorus into a mixed Barbershop chorus and worked hard on getting to a better singing level. Ever since, we've had tons of fun while working hard to develop our enthusiastic performance and precise and rich sound you can experience today. The chorus does a great variety of music ranging from classical barbershop songs to hits by some of our favorite artists like Queen, Miley Cyrus, Elvis and even the Eagles and Toto.After seven years Sylvy Hinton-Keenan and her husband Ralph moved back to the UK and they had to leave Bella Acapella behind. Isabel Matos came to the rescue and was the second Musical Director. Unfortunately she also had to leave the chorus, moving back to the North of Portugal. Seven years ago Rob Does became the third MD. It was a great match from the very beginning. Being an experienced choral director he manages to get a grip on the sometimes very strong opinions, ideas and actions of all chorus members. His focus is on quality singing in good harmony. Under his direction the chorus has worked hard on singing at a quality level, not loosing the fun and respect that is part of our DNA..
Today we really enjoy singing at a variety of different events. We get to do various sing outs as well as concerts alongside other groups but also concerts of our very own. But what has also got us excited is competing and rehearsing songs for contest, which has taken a crazy amount of our time over the last few years. But practice pays off! We have won a Silver Medal in 2014 in the Sabs competition in Malaga and in 2024 we have won Gold in the Iberian barbershop competition in Calpe. In the meantime we have amazing concerts in all different venues, restaurants, churches and even outside festivals. We are now with 35 members from 12 different nationalities. In 2025 we went with 30 on stage during the European Barbershop Compeition in Helsingborg (Sweden). An amazing experience that still bring a smile on everyones face...
