The Great Northern Union was a men's barbershop chorus based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. They performed four-part harmony in the barbershop style. Officially, they were the Hilltop, Minnesota chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS), and were very active in competition. The chorus had won 11 medals (top 5) in BHS International Chorus competitions, including consecutive second-place silver medals in 2011 and 2012. The group underwent substantial changes starting in 2020, when they took on Mo Field, "the first openly gay, gender fluid woman" who began to reshape the club. GNU's focus is no longer barbershop music, and in efforts to remove perceived "toxic masculinity", the club now accepts "members of any gender". History The Hilltop chapter was first organized in 1985 by a dozen men in the Twin Cities area who were interested in founding a chorus based upon singing excellence and service to the community. They won their first Land O' Lakes District (LOL) Chorus Contest in fall 1986 and made the trip to their first BHS International Chorus Contest, held in Hartford, Connecticut, in July 1987, where they placed eighth. Their infectious energy and clean sound made them the surprise of the contest. The chorus again won their district competition in fall 1987 and traveled to their second international contest in San Antonio, Texas in 1988, where they placed seventh. The chorus wasn't as successful in its third international contest and sank back to eighth place in Kansas City, Missouri behind a stronger field. The 1990 contest in San Francisco yielded the chorus's first medal, a fifth place bronze. This cemented the reputation of the GNU among the top choruses in the Society and set the foundation for much future success. The 1991 contest in Louisville continued the upward climb, with the chorus placing third. In 1992, the chorus reached 100 members and took a brand new Broadway-themed package and a brand new conductor, Concordia College, Moorhead graduate Dean Haagenson, to International in New Orleans, bringing home yet another medal, placing fourth. Haagenson led the chorus to Calgary, Alberta in 1993 and brought the gentlemen another fourth place medal. 1994 marked the first time since 1989 that the chorus did not win a medal, dropping to 61 members and placing eighth behind a much improved field of competitors. After conductor Dean Haagenson's decision to retire from conducting, Roger Williams returned to the chorus and attempted to