24th Annual


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The Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival, 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.

2008 Boston Champions

Syncopation

The Boston Globe calls Syncopation the “Manhattan Transfer of the 21st Century”, and it is easy to see why. Like that legendary vocal group, Syncopation performs jazz and pop music that is both timeless and up-to-the-minute. These four young singer/musicians have performed across the U.S. at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, the Tri-C Vocal Jazz Festival, the Boston Globe Jazz Festival, the Meihou Music Festival, and the 2004 and 2006 International Association for Jazz Education Conferences in New York City. The group has also regularly tours Japan.

2008 Results

1st
Syncopation
2nd
5-Alone
3rd
Overboard
Audience Favorite
5-Alone
Best Original Arrangement
Tsunenori "Lee" Abe - "High & Dry" - Syncopation

2008 PARTICIPATING GROUPS


Anthology - The women’s vocal quartet Anthology blends its high standard of performance with a varied repertoire and a sense of fun. The group’s range includes medieval music, Renaissance madrigals, Romantic part-songs, folk, jazz and new music hot off of the press from local Boston composers.  Anthology’s members are trained classical choral vocalists who share an enthusiasm for all styles of performance.

Members: Allegra Martin, Michelle Vachon, Anney Gillotte, Vicky Reichert



5-Alone is a talented young group from the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School in South Hadley, MA. 5-Alone performs a mix of jazz and pop a cappella, and they are excited to be competing at Sweeps this year!

Members: Kimaya Diggs, Maisie Dolan, Harpo Jaeger, Andrew Lederman, Dylan Makowski, Rose O'Connell-Marion, Daniel Plimpton, Rose Whitcomb-Detmold.


Fretless weaves the soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass voices of five accomplished performers into a tapestry of lush harmonies and fascinating lyrics. Our repertoire includes an adventurous mix of lively pop songs, Broadway classics, demanding classical works, and off-beat selections from the great American songbook. Fretless made its debut in June 1999 at the First Parish Unitarian Church in Bedford, MA.

Members: Vicki Righettini, soprano, Sue Wellington, alto, David Getty, tenor, Matt Etttore, baritone, Charlie Hodges, bass


Boston Accent Quartet is an award-winning quartet that just can‚t get enough of A cappella singing. They belong to two barbershop societies, Harmony Incorporated and Sweet Adelines International, and were awarded the International quartet gold medal for Harmony, Incorporated in November, 2006. Since then they have been busy performing all over New England. Known for having tons of fun on and off stage, the ladies of Boston Accent are available to perform at your upcoming wedding, bar mitzvah, parole hearing, or emergency liposuction. They are especially proud of their recently-released CD, „Boston Accent: Crowned and Dangerous‰ and are delighted to participate in this year‚s Harmony Sweepstakes! 

Members: Ruth Berman, Cheryl Brusket, Julie Jeffery, Karen Rourke


Overboard is a Boston-based male a cappella group whose repertoire spans a variety of musical genres. In addition to street performing throughout Boston and New England, Overboard has performed at a variety of venues, including charity events, community festivals and corporate parties, as well as at Idol Camp, the performing arts summer camp created by the producers of American Idol. In December, the group was honored to be named among the Top 5 finalists in the CBS Early Show "A Cappella Quest" hosted by Boyz II Men.

Members: Nick Girard, Ryan Sterling, Gary Gustavsen, Josh Koelker, Dave Plante, Jeff Alderson, Scott Cobban, Joe Barbato


Relative Ring - Hailing from four distant corners of Maine, Relative Ring is comprised of two cousins, both former chorus directors, and two sisters, all Sweet Adeline members. They are thrilled to be fulfilling a life-long dream of singing together and sharing their love of traditional barbershop music.

Members: Deborah Arenberg, Barbara Hynes, SherrySprague, Wendi Bailey


Syncopation - The Boston Globe calls Syncopation the “Manhattan Transfer of the 21st Century”, and it is easy to see why. Like that legendary vocal group, Syncopation performs jazz and pop music that is both timeless and up-to-the-minute. These four young singer/musicians have performed across the U.S. at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, the Tri-C Vocal Jazz Festival, the Boston Globe Jazz Festival, the Meihou Music Festival, and the 2004 and 2006 International Association for Jazz Education Conferences in New York City. The group has also regularly tours Japan.

Members: Aubrey Logan, Christine Fawson, David Thorne Scott, Tsunenori “Lee” Abe


Undertone is a semi-professional, co-ed group based out of the Boston area. Since starting out in 2004, the seven dynamic and experienced members of Undertone have solidified their melodic arranging style, precise harmonies, and intricate vocal percussion. Their high-powered and eclectic repertoire integrates styles of pop, rock, jazz, blues, and funk. These songs include hits from the 70's through today. Learn more about Undertone at www.undertoneboston.com and keep your eye out for their new CD!


Members: Dave Blauch, Rebecca Blum, Niel Francisco. Mary Hunt, Ehsan Iraniparast, Amanda Mercier, Eric Tjonahen

BOSTON REGIONAL JUDGES

Joey Blake is one of the founding and current members of Voicestra, the a cappella ensemble created by Bobby McFerrin in 1989. He currently performs with the ensemble SoVoSo, a six member a cappella ensemble that spun from Voicestra. He also holds numerous arranging credits to his name, including his work with SoVoSo. His discography includes recordings with McFerrin (Medicine Music, CircleSongs), Kenny Loggins, Dianne Reeves, to name a few. Joey is currently on the faculty of Berklee College of Music in Boston, as an Associate Professor in the Voice Department. He continues to tour with SoVoSo and Bobby McFerrin, while pursuing his solo work and teaching career.

Amy Malkoff is a founding member and bandleader of the award-winning pop-funk vocal band All About Buford, and she has appeared on stage and in the studio with such luminaries as Wayne Brady, Jonatha Brooke, The Persuasions, Ellis Paul, Vance Gilbert, GrooveLily, Patty Griffin, and Dar Williams. She has a degree in music from Kenyon College, with music studies at Youngstown State University and masters-level coursework at the New England Conservatory of Music. Amy was the launching editor-in-chief of the Contemporary A Cappella Society's website, and is also a writer and designer (BOCA - Best Of College A Cappella - '06 and '07). Her music has appeared on both the Rounder Records and Hear Music/Starbucks labels.

Carol Mastrodomenico  maintains an active schedule as a guest soloist with numerous choruses, orchestras and other ensembles and excels in the interpretation of great oratorios. Ms. Mastrodomenico is frequently heard with Boston Vocal Artists, performing the operatic roles of Rita in Donizetti’s Rita and Gasperina in Haydn’s La Canterina.  Her versatility has also been highlighted in BVA recitals where she has performed the works of Purcell, Schubert, Debussy, Bizet and Poulenc. She enjoys singing opera and has performed the roles of Adele, Pamina, Lucy (The Telephone), Clorinda, and Kate Pinkerton. She received her Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at New England Conservatory of Music.  Ms. Mastrodomenico is the voice curriculum teacher during the summer at the Heifetz International Music Festival in New Hampshire.  She is presently on the voice faculty of Tufts University where she is also the Opera Ensemble Director.  She maintains an active private studio in Woburn and is one of the returning guest faculty at the Longy School of Music.

Brian O’Connell has spent many years as a performer in the Boston area, both in the rock and a cappella scenes. He was on the faculty of Berklee College for fifteen years – nine years as chair of the Voice Department. Now Brian directs the Sarteano Chamber Choral Workshop in Tuscany, Italy during the summers, is an adjunct faculty member of the Boston Conservatory and UMass/Lowell and choral director at Lexington High School. Incidentally, Lexington High is home to perhaps the largest assemblage of student-directed a cappella groups in the nation with seven groups functioning at present. Many of Lexington’s groups have been selected for The Best of High School A Cappella CD – a national compilation. Mr. O’Connell, as a frequent clinician at music conferences has through the years stressed the importance of these student-directed ensembles to the over-all health of the choral program.

John Clark attended Tufts University where he sang with and directed the Tufts Amalgamates. After graduation, he formed the semi-pro group 7Seconds who won the 1997 Boston Regional Harmony Sweepstakes. John is known mainly for his work in recording various collegiate, as well as semi-professional and professional a cappella groups. He is the producer and recording engineer for The Hyannis Sound, Brandeis VoiceMale, The BU Dear Abbeys, The Bostonians of Boston College, The Suffolk Ramifications, The Dartmouth Aires (paired with Ed Boyer), Invisible Men, Firedrill!, Naturally7, and many others.


Complete List of Boston Champions

Complete list of 2008 national participants

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