Great Northern Union

The Great Northern Union (GNU) is an all-gender chorus based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area of Minnesota. Founded in 1985 as a men's chorus, the group originally performed four-part harmony in the barbershop style. Since 2020, GNU has welcomed members of all genders. Officially, they are the Hilltop, Minnesota chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) and remain active in competitions.

The Great Northern Union, 2005.

The chorus has placed in the top five at BHS International Chorus competitions 11 times, including consecutive second-place silver medals in 2011 and 2012.^[1]

In 2020, the Great Northern Union began significant changes under the leadership of Mo Field, described as "the first openly gay, gender fluid woman" to direct the chorus.^[2] The group shifted its musical focus away from traditional barbershop and took steps to address what members described as "toxic masculinity" within the organization.^[3] Following the Barbershop Harmony Society's 2018 decision to admit women as official members,^[4] GNU now accepts members of any gender and continues to participate in the society’s annual competitions.