Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival San Francisco Regional

The Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival, is the premier American showcase for vocal harmony music. The annual national competition draws from hundreds of vocal groups from around the country with regional competitions in eight cities. The winning group from each festival is flown to perform in front of celebrity judges and a sold out house of enthusiastic a cappella fans at the National Finals.

Aurally Fix8ed - This talented bunch of high schoolers had been singing together for four years before deciding to create a student-run octet dedicated to arranging and performing A Cappella music. They love to sing and have been known to make their audiences Aurally Fix8ed.

Members: Alia Syed, Mercy Albaran, Jon Chen, Alex Bensick, Keith Doelling, Aliko Carter,Scout Katovich and Shayna Brown

HouseBlend has been delighting audiences in the Bay Area and Central Valley for over eight years. Unwed to any particular style, HouseBlend found its niche in performing a unique array of classical, doo-wop, gospel, barbershop, country, swing, Americana, seasonal, just plain whacked, and other styles. Perhaps they will showcase some of that variety tonight? Hmm…. HouseBlend devotes each performance to both musical integrity and leaving the audience thoroughly entertained. True to their name, many of their performances begin by advising the audience to “Sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy the show.” Tonight, they suggest sitting back, grabbing a delicious cup of coffee (in the lobby, of course) and enjoying all the fine groups performing tonight, including the many and diverse sounds of HouseBlend.

Members: Bill DeGarmo, Doug Emigh, Jim McGuire and Kent Parr

O-Face! started on a cold fateful day in October of 2001, when a couple of veterans of Bay Area musical groups grew tired of lugging heavy equipment to innumerable gigs. The 4 members of O-Face! come from a variety of non-musical backgrounds: a lawyer, a photographer, a packaging designer and a database geek. What they lack in formal training they make up for in unbridled enthusiasm. Caution: fans in the first 5 rows may get drenched in unbridled enthusiasm, and everyone runs the risk of getting at least a little joi de vivre on them (don't say we didn't warn you). Since then, O-Face! has brought their vocal mayhem to festivals, charity events, and venues of just about every kind around Northern California. O-Face! is excited to appear at the Harmony Sweepstakes again with a veritable cornu... corny... cordoba... PLETHORA of new music. Remember, while other a cappella groups may smear cosmetics on helpless bunnies, O-Face! does not test its finished product on animals.,

Members: Nate Austin, Mike Borchers, Deb Westergaard, Rob Westergaard

Out on a Clef is a San Francisco Bay Area lesbian vocal quartet that has been entertaining Northern California audiences since 1997 with a variety of styles including swing, barbershop, and jazz. Savvy baby boomers with attitude, they are known for a blend of polished, tight harmonies performed in a unique and whimsical way. They often "de-range" their original and standard tunes, with humorous and twisted lyrics that poke fun at convention and at themselves, as well as conveying socially progressive messages. The group has a commitment to contribute to such community efforts as raising funds for AIDS services, assisting women with cancer, and in demonstrating validation and pride for people of all sexual identities.

Members: Emily Brooks, Pat Cull, Kris Gannon, Janet Rachel

Solstice has enthralled Bay Area audiences for over 10 years with their passion and technical prowess. Their powerful performance of music from many genres spans 13 languages and over 9 centuries, and includes original compositions and arrangements for women’s voices. This vocal ensemble defies easy categorization. Solstice sings classical music without the attitude, world music without the need for lengthy academic analysis, and pop music without the shtick. Audiences enjoy Solstice’s performances because they bring a wide variety of musical styles to the table, and make them accessible through the sheer joy that they take in singing.

Members: Emily Bender, Becca Burrington, Lark Coryell, Krista Enos, Mari Marjamaa, Kim Warsaw, Sara Webb Schmitz

SoulSemble - the Bay Area’s newest addition to the a cappella scene has a sound that is warm and soulful. A quintet comprised of the highest level of choir dorks, SoulSemble is dedicated to performing straight-ahead vocal jazz, a bit of funk and just a touch of pop. On top, like whip cream on a tasty hot fudge sundae, the main ingredient, soul. Independently, we have sung in groups such as the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, The Glide Ensemble, Acaplaya, RoShamBo, VoicesIowa and the San Francisco Choral Artists. Our arrangers include Phil Mattson, The Real Group and Take 6. But watch out…as we grow, we are taking on our own voice with original compositions and arrangements.

Members: Paul Kim, Sarah Matthews, Chris Evans, Jason Bush

Vocolot brings a joyous fusion of folk, jazz and cantorial traditions into a music rooted in universal heart, Jewish soul and social conscience that communicates a powerful vision of world peace and reconciliation.

Members: Linda Hirschhorn, Shana Levy, Julia Bordanero, Elizabeth Stuart

Sunshine Becker - A member of world jazz a cappella group and 1997 Harmony Sweepstakes Champions SoVoSo, Sunshine Becker (formerly Sunshine Garcia) has been touring and performing with SoVoSo for over 13 years. Sunshine has enjoyed the highlights of SoVoSo's past success including 7 critically acclaimed albums in the U.S. (4 of those albums on the Primarily A Cappella Label) and one in Germany. SoVoSo are the only a cappella band to headline and sell out their annual shows at the esteemed Yoshi's Jazz House in Oakland, CA, and they have toured all over the world to bring their music to listeners of all ages through their educational and residency programs. Her love of a cappella heavily influences her current work as a private voice teacher, performance coach and Assistant Director of Young Performer's International, the non-profit children’s performing arts organization. Sunshine also continues to work as studio session singer and is currently recording with the groove-driven rock band www.passengerband.com <<http://www.passengerband.com>http://www.passengerband.com> Sunshine also leads ongoing workshops using the artform of CircleSinging. Says Sunshine, " Best of Luck onstage at the Regionals, singers -- use everything you've got to win and leave it all on the stage!"

Peter Albin - As a principal member of the rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company, Peter achieved rock icon status. Not only the group's bassist, he also played guitar and sang lead vocals on the band's first record (with Janis Joplin), and wrote several of their songs. Subsequent to that auspicious success he played with Country Joe and the Fish, and well as Bay Area supergroup the Dinosaurs. In recent years, while Big Brother continue to tour and perform, Peter began working behind the scenes in the music business. Currently he works for City Hall Records and active in the San Francisco Chapter of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences).

Trente Morant - Former Artistic Director of the Oakland Youth Chorus, Trente conducted the OYC in performances and workshops with Bobby McFerrin, Charlie Haden, Nancy Wilson, Ed Kelly, Keith Terry, Dance Brigade, Linda Tillery, Jon Hendricks, Pete Seeger, and Voicestra. Trente also took the chorus on tour to New York, New Orleans, Jamaica, Canada, and Japan, and has participated in the "Festival of Two Worlds" in Spoleto Italy and the "Live from Lincoln Center" broadcasts. A three-time recipient of an “Artist in Residence” grant from the California Arts Council, Mr. Morant is a graduate of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he worked with Eugene Ormandy, William Steinberg, Leonard Bernstein and Zubin Mehta while still a student. Recently, he conducted in both the Monterey and San Francisco Jazz Festivals, sang the role of the Swan with the Oakland Ballet in Carmina Burana, performed the role of "Sportin Life" in a concert version of Porgy and Bess with Michael Morgan and the East Bay Symphony and performed with the Alameda Civic Light Opera Company as the “leading player“ in their production of Pippin.

Vicki Burns is a jazz singer who holds a B.A. in Classical Performance from the Univ. of New Hampshire, and an M.A. in Improvised Music from San Jose State. Her teaching reflects a background in Classical technique combined with a working knowledge of jazz, blues, musical theater and pop. From New England, Vicki sang with the great jazz drummer, Alan Dawson, for the Martin Luther King Jr. “Journey into a Dream” Concert series in Boston in 1986 and opened for Billy Taylor and Max Roach the same year in the “Bright Moments” Concert series in Amherst, MA. Since moving to the Bay Area in 1989, Vicki has performed at events including the San Jose Museum of Art's “Women in Jazz” series, in a featured spot in the San Jose Jazz Festival, The Great American Music Hall with the Oakland Jazz Choir, Kimball's East with Madeline Eastman and the Oakland Jazz Choir and “The Jazz and All That” Festival on the Fillmore. Vicki currently teaches voice at the Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco.

Patty Hawley Pennycook - The baritone of Sweet Adelines International 2003 Quartet Champions, Swinglish Mix, Patty Hawley-Pennycook grew up a barbershop brat who always attended barbershop rehearsals and conventions with her father, Charlie, a member of the 7-time International men’s chorus champions, The Louisville Thoroughbreds. Louisville had many men’s championship quartets, so she feels she got her barbershop “chops” singing tags with the guys from quartets like Bluegrass Student Union, Second Edition, Interstate Rivals, Revival, and Gas House Gang. After she joined the women to sing, it wasn’t long before the four girls of Swinglish Mix found each other and made their mark as part of Sweet Adelines International. They started singing together in 1995 and have performed all over the United States plus Canada, Sweden, and New Zealand. They also just released their second CD, Far and Wide, which has gotten outstanding reviews. More info about Patty and Swinglish Mix may be found at www.swinglishmix.com.

Complete list of 2007 national participants

2007 Results
1st	Solstice
2nd	Vocolot
3rd	Houseblend
Audience Favorite	Aurally Fix8ed
Best Original Arrangement	"Blue" Arr. Becca Burrington - Solstice
Best Original Song	"Little Leaf" - Music by Kathleen Hollingsworth, poem by Hyla Art - SoulSemble

23rd Annual

2007 Results

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