The Barberellas – the first Barbershop Chorus in Bonn, Germany’s UN city and former capital

Bonn, Barbershop, Barberellas!

30 women, full of energy and with a passion for singing Barbershop, with quirky choreography – that’s the Barberellas. We perform year-round, giving concerts in the Bonn/Cologne area and at the German Barbershop Conventions.

The choir was founded in 1995 by Hedwig Brengmann-Domogalla. Still going strong and evolving constantly, with new members and musical arrangements, the Barberellas celebrated their 20th anniversary on March 15, 2015, with a sparkling show at the Augustinum Theatre in Bonn. Rehearsals began under the direction of Steffi Bade, who handed over the musical leadership to Nicole Ferrein at the end of 1997. From March 2002 onward, we rehearsed every Wednesday evening under the direction of Viola Neuwald-Fernández.

In August 2015, Susanne Unger-Kügler, who had already been singing with the Barberellas for several years, took over as chorus director. Over time, our name also changed: we were initially called “Local Vocal.” Four years later — by then grown to 25 singers — the choir felt this name was “too stuffy.” In 1999 we therefore renamed ourselves and have been known ever since as “the Barberellas.”

In October 2018, Susanne returned to the choir as a singer. The trained teacher of music and religious education, Sebastian Dahmen, then took over as chorus director. When he left the Barberellas at the end of 2023 after five successful years for family reasons, Kai Dahlberg assumed leadership. Already in April 2024, under the direction of the young musician, the Barberellas impressed both audience and jury at the Barbershop Festival in Dortmund.

After Kai left for Munich at the beginning of 2025 to study musical theatre, the Barberellas began the search for a new chorus director. In the interim, Karlina Kellner took over the musical leadership. Despite being only 21 years old, she handled this responsibility with remarkable commitment, sensitivity, and musical maturity — much to the appreciation of the choir. Unfortunately, she was only able to remain in this role for a short time, as her professional path led her abroad.

Since October 2025, the choir has been led by Dr. Lutz Schneider. Lutz studied instrumental pedagogy, voice, and organ. He directs several choirs and teaches singing and vocal technique. Under his leadership, the Barberellas are continuing to develop their sound and building upon the successful musical work of recent years.

The chorus is a member of the „Chorverband NRW“ and BinG!-Barbershop in Germany.

We rehearse every Wednesday evening, with additional all-day and all-weekend workshops several times a year to keep up our reputation as one of the country’s most successful barbershop choruses.

New singers are very welcome. Sing high, sing low… if you are interested in singing four-part harmony, a capella,  the chances are the Barberellas could be the choir for you. If you’re interested, we’d love to hear from you! Drop us a mail to info@barberellas.de.

We’d love to meet you soon!